DFS Picks and Plays for the NFL Preseason Hall of Fame Game

The NFL is back! Well, sort of. The annual Hall of Fame Game takes place Thursday in Canton, Ohio. Preseason DFS is a grind that can be both frustrating and rewarding. The HOF Game can be tricky as most starters sit out and the backups play reduced snaps. I will provide you with a player pool to utilize in your various contests while also listing a core to build around in your primary lineup.

But first, check out my Preseason Do’s and Don’ts Guide from last year that is still applicable for 2024.

Additionally, there is a special edition of the Supershow that breaks down the slate even further that I would encourage you to watch so that you are fully ready for this preseason kickoff game.

2024 NFL Hall of Fame Game: Bears vs. Texans

Vegas Odds

Team	Odds	Team	Odds	Total
Houston	-135 (-1.5)	Chicago	+114	31.5

Quarterback

Tyson Bagent, Chicago

Rookie Caleb Wiliams will not play as Bears coach Matt Eberflus has said he doesn’t see a reason to play his starters for what amounts to “an extra preseason game.” Bagent is slated to start and could play the entire first half. He has experience after playing five games as a rookie due to injuries suffered by Justin Fields. He threw for 859 yards and 3 touchdowns while completing 65.7% of his passes.

Austin Reed, Chicago

Brett Rypien will play as well, but I have more interest in Austin Reed, the QB3 for this matchup. Reed was a prolific passer during his time at WKU as he racked up 8,000 yards and 71 TDs in his two years with the Hilltoppers. He should play a sizable amount in the second half.

Davis Mills, Houston

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is being coy about which of his players will actually take the field, but it’s widely assumed C.J. Stroud will be inactive. This means Davis Mills would get the start, while immortal Case Keenum and journeyman Tim Boyle operate as the backups. Keenum missed practice recently and is on the wrong side of 35, so I don’t anticipate a heavy workload for him. Boyle will be the second-half QB, which makes him worthy of GPP exposure at the very least. Our primary target here will be the starter, as Mills brings with him three years of experience, two spent as the QB1 before Stroud came to town. He should be able to operate in an efficient manner against backups and probable practice squad-level defenders.

Running Back

Demetric Felton, Chicago

Ironically, Felton was a key player in last year’s HOF Game as a member of the Cleveland Browns. He wound up in the optimal lineup with nearly 14 fantasy points. Fast forward to 2024, and he is now a member of the Bears, having signed with the team just a few days ago. According to several beat reporters, Felton was the only RB practicing with players expected to see time in this game. If that is actually the case, Felton will be receiving a huge workload and will end up being one of the chalkiest players on the slate. Felton racked up 28 carries and was target 8 times as a receiver in the 2023 preseason with Cleveland.

New addition D’Andre Swift won’t play, and it would be surprising to see more than a few snaps for Khalil Herbert or Roschon Johnson. However, it’s been said that Johnson will get opportunities this preseason to solidify his spot in the pecking order, so we will have to monitor news leading up to lock regarding his status. Undrafted rookie Ian Wheeler out of Howard could be a sneaky option, but it’s worth noting he missed their most recent practice.

Texans RBs

Joe Mixon won’t suit up and newly signed Cam Akers isn’t expected to play either. This leaves Dameon Pierce and Louisville rookie Jawhar Jordan as our primary options. Houston beat reporter Aaron Wilson expects both to be featured throughout the game. Pierce is only one season removed from rushing for almost 1,000 yards so he will look to regain that form. Meanwhile, Jordan racked up 1,1000 rushing yards in his final collegiate season while scoring 14 total touchdowns. He also reeled in 21 receptions for 246 yards so his upside as a multi-threat weapon makes him one of my favorite plays on the slate.

Secondary options JJ Taylor, Dare Ogunbowale and British Brooks have merit for large-field GPP alt builds.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Texans Receivers

The expectation is that the Texans will be without Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Supershow favorite Tank Dell. Noah Brown is also doubtful after missing practice. My preferred targets will be John Metchie, Xavier Hutchinson and Cade Stover.

Metchie is one of the more appealing receiving options in this game and looks to be fully healthy. There was a recent quote from Metchie saying that he is faster now than he ever was in college. Don’t forget that he was a stud at Alabama and finished his final collegiate season in 2021 in which he caught 96 passes for almost 1200 yards and 8 TDs.

Hutchinson is appealing as an upside play. He was targeted 10 times in last year’s preseason, catching 6 of those passes for 70 yards.

Ben Skowronek was acquired from the Rams for two late-round 2026 draft picks. The former 2021 seventh-round pick has 575 receiving yards in his career thus far.

I’m calling my shot with Cade Stover. The former Ohio State Buckeye was highly productive in college, producing 77-982-10 in his final two seasons. This is especially impressive when you consider the fact he wasn’t a focal point and played with a plethora of NFL talent at the receiver position. Beat writers are fawning over him recently, but I doubt he sees much rostership, and I’m giving him the official designation as the football version of the “Posh Play of the Day.”

Bears Receivers

Much like Houston, the Bears are unlikely to play their core group of receivers. DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and future star Rome Odunze will be spectators for this one.

Velus Jones Jr. and Dante Pettis provide more value as returners with the new dynamic kickoff rules favoring them a ton. Jones has GPP merit because he could legitimately take one to the house, but he hasn’t been a reliable pass-catcher in the NFL.

Collin Johnson has viability because he is so much different than the other receivers available. Players like Jones and Pettis are smaller but fast and project more as returners. Meanwhile, Johnson is 6-foot-6 and will get the opportunity to see elevated snaps tonight. He has had a good camp so far and will be fighting for a spot on the final roster. These are the types of players we want to litter our lineups with as they’re competing for an actual job.

Tyler Scott may see a spike in rostership by the time the slate locks as he is getting talked up a lot over the last few days. The former Cincy Bearcat has been sensational in camp and brought in a 35-yard TD from Caleb Williams in 11-on-11 drills that had social media buzzing.

Kicker

Each team has one kicker, which makes things relatively easy when building. We will see plenty of lineups out there featuring both, but it’s worth noting that only one kicker was optimal in the 2023 HOF Game. Cairo Santos and Ka’imi Fairbairn are strong options on their own, but I am not going to have many lineups with both which will be somewhat different from the rest of the industry.

Defense/Special Teams

Preseason games carry low totals, so it’s typically an optimal strategy to use one or both in single entry formats. If Velus Jones or Dante Pettis can take full advantage of the new dynamic kickoff rules, pairing one of them with the Bears DST could be a GPP winning move.