This article is part of our DFS NFL series.
Week 2 of preseason kicks off Thursday with a 7:30 p.m. EDT game between the Browns and Eagles. DraftKings and FanDuel offer DFS Showdown contests for Thursday's game. Managing the salary cap is a key component of regular-season DFS contests, but all players are the same price in preseason. There are no positional requirements for a DraftKings Showdown lineup, which consists of a CAPTAIN that scores 1.5 times as many fantasy points, as well as five FLEX spots. You can choose from quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and kickers to build your lineup.
Captain Candidates
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, CLE at PHI (QB): Thompson-Robinson has been one of the standout performers this preseason, and since the Browns played in the Hall of Fame Game, the rookie fifth-round pick already has two appearances under his belt. Between those two games, DTR has completed 17 of 21 passes for 184 yards and two TDs while adding nine rushing attempts for 47 yards. He'll get the start over Kellen Mond on Thursday while veterans Deshaun Watson and Joshua Dobbs watch from the sidelines.
Tyrie Cleveland, PHI vs. CLE (WR): It's only right for Cleveland to carry your fantasy lineup against Cleveland. More relevantly, the 25-year-old WR was a target sponge in Philadelphia's first preseason game, soaking up a team-high 10 targets while leading the team with 68 receiving yards and tying Greg Ward for the team lead with five catches. Cleveland's making a push to secure a spot on Philadelphia's 53-man roster and should get plenty of opportunities to strut his stuff again.
Demetric Felton, CLE at PHI (RB): Felton has been a key contributor for the Browns this preseason, and the RB-turned WR-turned RB again should continue to play a prominent role, especially with fellow backup RB Jerome Ford sidelined by a hamstring injury. Through two preseason games, Felton has rushed 15 times for 77 yards and a touchdown while adding two catches on three targets for nine yards. Felton was Cleveland's leading rusher in both games.
Flex Plays
Tanner McKee, PHI vs. CLE (QB): The Eagles are likely to deploy three QBs in this game even if Jalen Hurts sits, as Marcus Mariota, McKee and Ian Book are on the team. McKee's the least mobile member of Philadelphia's QB room, but he's also the one that the Eagles most want to get a look at during the preseason, as Philadelphia just drafted him in the sixth round out of Stanford. McKee threw for 148 yards in his NFL debut last week while Mariota and Book combined for 69 passing yards.
Austin Watkins, CLE at PHI (WR): While Felton has led the Browns on the ground in both preseason games, Watkins has been the team's top receiver on both occasions. The 25-year-old WR out of UAB has caught eight of 10 targets for 106 yards in the preseason, including a 22-yard touchdown pass from Thompson-Robinson in the fourth quarter of the Hall of Fame Game.
Kellen Mond, CLE at PHI (QB): There's a good chance that Thompson-Robinson and Mond each play a half, and the latter should play at least a quarter Thursday, as the 2021 third-round pick is still a young QB that needs development himself. Mond should have easier matchups to capitalize on once he subs in for Thompson-Robinson under center.
Trey Sermon, PHI vs. CLE (RB): D'Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny both got their feet wet last week, but the pair of offseason backfield acquisitions are unlikely to see extensive run. Sermon tied Penny for the team lead with nine carries in the preseason opener, and the 2021 third-round pick of the 49ers should get at least as many attempts in this one as he tries to prove he deserves a spot on an NFL roster, if not with the Eagles then elsewhere. Sermon's 21 yards on those nine carries were uninspiring, but he scored a TD in the second quarter and added a nine-yard catch on two targets.
Honorable Mentions:
John Kelly, CLE at PHI (RB); Greg Ward, PHI vs. CLE (WR); Cedric Tillman, CLE at PHI (WR), Ian Book, PHI vs. CLE (QB); David Bell, CLE at PHI (WR)
