Week 1 of the preseason treated NFL fans and fantasy football drafters alike not to just polarizing performances but to key NFL player usage that sharp drafters need to take notice of.
PFF’s Nathan Jahnke and Dwain McFarland broke down every notable takeaway following the Week 1 slate, allowing fantasy football players to stay ahead of the curve as heading into the 2021 season.
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However, for those looking for more preseason DFS action, the following cheat sheet provides all the actionable items needed to set lineups for the exhibition contests.
So, without further ado, here's everything you need to know about DFS lineup construction for Thursday night’s single-game showdown featuring the New England Patriots versus the Philadelphia Eagles.
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*Be sure to check back before kickoff for any last-minute updates. Feel free to follow my Twitter lists of beat reporters to stay updated on player news. Also, for those testing the preseason DFS waters for the first time: click here for a breakdown of strategy and game theory.
QUARTERBACKS

Rookie quarterback Mac Jones played the most snaps for the New England Patriots in their first preseason contest after taking over for veteran Cam Newton (32 versus 11). Jones finished as PFF’s fifth-highest graded passer (82.0) and should see the bulk of work again during New England’s second preseason contest.
Newton is still getting the majority of the No. 1 reps in practice because he’s viewed as the starter for now. However, he is expected to play more in Week 2 as the quarterback competition heats up.
For the Eagles, Joe Flacco played the most in Week 1 (23 snaps), while Jalen Hurts saw minimal usage (10 snaps). Philadelphia has been fairly upfront about deploying a vanilla offense so the team can hide its plays for regular-season action. Don’t expect much from Hurts in this matchup.
Philadelphia passed at an insane 76% clip in Week 1, meaning the quarterback who plays the most (Flacco) will be throwing a ton to puff their fantasy stats.
Action: Start Mac Jones, Joe Flacco, Cam Newton | Fade Jalen Hurts, Nick Mullens
RUNNING BACKS
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