NFL Preseason Week 3: 3 Things to Watch in Friday's Games

The NFL season is just around the corner -- the Detroit Lions will take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, September 7th at 8:20 p.m. ET in just two short weeks. But first, we all have another weekend packed with preseason games to digest before we can get to the regular season.

Week 3 of the preseason is a bit of an enigma. Some teams use this final week as a dry run for their starting offense, giving their projected starters some reps before heading into their mini-break before the season. Other teams use the final preseason game to iron out those last few spots on their final 53-man roster for the upcoming season, resting their starters to get extra eyes on their second-stringers and depth players.

Starters or not, there are still plenty of reasons to tune into this final weekend of preseason games. Here is one reason to tune into each of Friday's three offerings.

Preseason Week 3 Betting Odds: Friday

Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers

A Last Look at Bryce Young

The first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft hasn't had the most successful preseason so far. To be blunt, Bryce Young and his Carolina Panthers have struggled on offense. Young has completed 7 of his 12 attempts so far for just 56 yards and has taken 2 sacks on his 15 dropbacks. It hasn't been pretty. His biggest play of the preseason so far came on this strong yards-after-catch effort from fellow rookie Jonathan Mingo:

Fortunately, Young should have a chance to settle in against a Detroit Lions team that hasn't been inclined to play starters in the preseason. Playing against a softer defense with his starting unit could help "slow down" the game for Young -- and for his starting offensive line -- as he gets his feet under him.

We have only seen a small sample size of snaps from Young so far in the preseason, but as things stand, he and his Panthers might be draft-day fades when it comes to your season-long fantasy leagues. Unless either he balls out, or his pass protection takes a massive step forward, few if any Panthers skill position players beyond starting running back Miles Sanders could be worth starting on a weekly basis. Of course, we'll be rooting for him to succeed this season and this weekend -- his matchup against the Lions will be worth tuning into for sure.

New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans

Who Gets the Starter Treatment?

The New England Patriots have shown us a handful of snaps so far this preseason from their projected Week 1 starters, but after the scary ending to last week's game against the Green Bay Packers, it might be fair to assume the team's top starters will sit out Friday's game against Tennessee Titans. Likewise, the Titans haven't shown much from their starters at all this preseason, either. After former first-round pick Treylon Burks suffered a knee injury in training camp, it seems unlikely we'll see the rest of their starters suit up in the final game of the preseason.

Since we probably won't get to watch our potential future fantasy football studs take the field, we can shift our attention to the best of the rest. For starters, we'll want to keep an eye on anyone unexpected who does get the "starter treatment". If, for example, the Pats end up holding sixth-round pick Kayshon Boutte out of the action, we'll want to take note. That could be our first sign that the teams have bigger plans in store for some of these potential sleepers.

Likewise, fellow rookie Demario Douglas has impressed in camp for New England. If the team keeps him off the field Friday, he could potentially grow into a fantasy-relevant role at some point in 2023.

On the Titans' side of the ball, keep an eye out for players like Julius Chestnut (who could climb up their running back depth chart behind Derrick Henry and third-round pick Tyjae Spears) and Chigoziem Okonkwo, who could build on his promising 2022 rookie season and become a fantasy favorite in 2023.

Los Angeles Chargers at San Francisco 49ers

Figuring Things Out for Trey Lance

It's hard to remember the last time there wasn't some form of preseason drama about the San Francisco 49ers quarterback room. That they've managed to find so much success as a franchise in spite of their constant quarterback issues has been a testament to the rest of their roster and their ability to coach it.

Former third-overall pick Trey Lance has almost seen as much action this preseason as he did during his first two regular seasons -- and that's only a slight exaggeration. His 33 pass attempts this preseason actually exceed the 31 attempts he had in 2022 and would equal almost one-third of the 102 total attempts he's made during his first two seasons.

This year he has completed 22 of those 33 preseason pass attempts so far for 285 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

But the team recently announced that Lance lost the battle for the number-two job to Sam Darnold. That puts Lance firmly on the trade block, so if he plays Friday, it's likely several teams around the NFL will have their eyes on him.

While you wait for Week 1's daily fantasy football slates to lock, you can get in on some best-ball fantasy football drafts on FanDuel. Just draft your team and watch the points pile up throughout the season.

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.