NFL Hall of Fame Game Preseason DFS Picks: Texans vs. Bears

The calendar just turned to August, which means we'll have competitive, regulated NFL football on deck Thursday. The 2024 Hall of Fame Game kicks off the NFL's preseason, and this year's edition features the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears in Canton.

Points could be hard to come by in this preseason exhibition that'll mostly see reserves take the field. The total for this game, per the NFL preseason odds at FanDuel, is just 31.5 points. For what it's worth, the Bears are a 1.5-point favorite.

Preseason DFS means no salary cap, so who are the best overall plays in Thursday's game?

For those unfamiliar, single-game slates feature five flex spots with identical scoring to the main slate. However, kickers are included in these contests, and there is an "MVP" roster slot. The MVP receives 1.5 times his total fantasy points, making this spot crucial.

Hall of Fame Game Single-Game DFS Picks

MVP Candidates

As always, tread carefully in preseason games -- especially this early into exhibition season.

Quarterback is the most sure place to turn for some sort of fantasy points. We likely won't see second-year QB C.J. Stroud or other key Texans starters in this one, and Caleb Williams and other Bears starters won't make their debut in this game, either.

That means it'll likely be Tyson Bagent getting a good bit of work for Chicago. The second-year quarterback wasn't awful in this realm in five 2023 appearances, posting over 12 FanDuel points three times in games that counted. He ran for 109 total yards, showing a bit of an ability to scoot. This is a game to get experience for young guys, so I'd actually expect more of undrafted rookie Austin Reed than veteran Brett Rypien late.

On the Houston side, 36-year-old Case Keenum is banged up and may not play, leaving Davis Mills and Tim Boyle to handle a majority of the work. Mills had his moments in 2022 and crossed the 14-fantasy-point threshold seven different times, so he has proven he's at least an NFL-level talent. That might mean Boyle, infamously at -0.60 expected points added per drop back (EPA/db) with the New York Jets last season (per NFL's NextGenStats), may get more burn in this one. I'd heavily prefer Bagent.

Running back could work at MVP, as well. Houston has serious work to do to figure out their depth chart behind Joe Mixon, so while older players like Dameon Pierce and Cam Akers could get a few carries, I expect they take a longer look at sixth-round pick Jawhar Jordan and undrafted rookie British Brooks to see if there's a hidden gem. Jordan posted 6.2 yards per carry (YPC) with the Louisville Cardinals last season, and Brooks was a reserve for the North Carolina Tar Heels that posted 4.5 YPC.

The Bears might be more interested in younger backs actually expected to contribute in the regular season. Second-year man Roschon Johnson and 2021 sixth-rounder Khalil Herbert are vying for a role behind D'Andre Swift there. Other backups like Travis Homer and undrafted rookie Ian Wheeler haven't been practicing.

Flex Breakdown

Without any snap, route, or target data, the pass-catchers are a bit of a shot in the dark, but we know of one talented rookie who could see a few snaps.

That's Rome Odunze, Chicago's ninth overall pick in this year's draft. Odunze has unsurprisingly starred at training camp, and these exhibition games will be a good chance to get him work as he's expected to play behind both D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen this season.

Other younger Bears wideouts likely to get work include Tyler Scott and Velus Jones Jr. Neither has topped 200 receiving yards in three combined pro seasons, so expect Chicago to be looking at both extensively simply to see if they'll make the opening roster. An older tight end group could mean undrafted rookie Brendan Bates sees plenty of work at that spot.

On Houston's side, one of the league's deeper wide receiving corps has me buying into a certain narrative for John Metchie III. The former second-rounder battled cancer in his rookie season and has slid to fifth on the depth chart, so the Texans might be looking to showcase him for a trade during exhibition season. Former Iowa State Cyclones standout Xavier Hutchinson averaged 11.3 yards per reception (YPR) last season and should see quite a bit of time, as well.

As Houston hopes to shake out the tight end depth chart, fourth-round rookie Cade Stover should also see plenty of time at tight end with Houston having gotten tape on both Brevin Jordan and Teagan Quitoriano in previous seasons.

With such a low total and the potential of Tim Boyle at quarterback, the Bears' D/ST makes plenty of sense, but the Texans' D/ST shares similar claims at lower popularity. With Williams out, we've got mediocre QBs on both sides.

For cash games, veteran kickers Ka'imi Fairbairn and Cairo Santos are also higher-floor options with such ambiguous playing time and a low total. In tournaments, you'd probably rather target skill players with the ability to score.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.