Underdog Fantasy Preseason Week 1 Pick’Em Entry

Laying your money down on preseason can sometimes be a little tricky. We never know what plans the coaches have and how long they want to play certain people. Still, there is money that can be made. Plus we are all degens and want to have a little action anyway. Let’s take a look at some of today’s best Underdog Fantasy Preseason 1 Pick’Em entries.

When looking at the statistical projections, I like to target guys with a couple of different qualities. First, I look for veterans who are farther down on depth charts and will play against second or third-stringers. Then I look for players that are hungry, whether it be vets or rookies. Players that are looking to prove themselves whether they feel they are too low on a depth chart, or maybe were drafted late. Let’s take a look at today’s top plays.

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Underdog Fantasy Preseason Week 1 Pick’Em Entry

Jameis Winston higher than 66.5 passing yards

We’ll start our preseason Week 1 Underdog Fantasy pick’em entry with Jameis Winston. Winston is a vet who’s been around the league for quite a while now. He’s not only hilarious to listen to in interviews and press conferences but also has found success on the field. Winston is a gun-slinger who can lead the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and interceptions.

His turn-over-prone playing style and inconsistencies are reasons he was never able to last long as a starter. However, we’re talking about a former top pick of the draft. He’s in Cleveland now and will face the second or third-string defenses. Winston wants to prove he still belongs on a team and is fighting for a roster spot.

Samori Toure higher than 23.5 Rush+Rec yards

Samori Toure falls into the category of young guys with a lot to prove. Due to a lot of injuries to the Green Bay Packers last year, Toure got some playing time. In the regular season, he had eight catches for 78 yards. That game-time prep and meaningful NFL snaps will help him in the preseason. There won’t be many nerves and it’s the same song and dance he’s already done.

Asking 23.5 receiving yards from a wide receiver that’s already played some meaningful NFL snaps isn’t too much to ask for. Yes, he’ll likely have Sean Clifford throwing to him, but Clifford also wants to prove that he’s more than what his Penn State days showed.

Tyson Bagent higher than 64.5 passing yards

Chicago Bears fans love Tyson “Special Agent” Bagent. He filled in for an injured Fields last year and played admirably. He’s entering his sophomore year and as of right now, the Bears have him in the QB2 or QB3 spot with Brett Rypien.

Still, the young kid from a small school will need to play well in the preseason to fight off undrafted rookie Austin Reed. Bagent is a physical freak who works out with his arm-wrestling champion dad.

Bagent didn’t get much playing time in the Hall of Fame game but the Bears will likely take a closer look at him today. Caleb Williams and the ones will give it a go, even if it’s just a series or two, before Bagent gets to enter the field. He’ll be hungry and wanting to prove himself. I like him to exceed his 64.5 passing yards on my Underdog Fantasy preseason Week 1 pick’em entry.

Mitchell trubisky higher than 90.5 passing yards

On the opposite side of Tyson Bagent, former Chicago Bear Mitchell Trubisky will line up with the second-team offense. Josh Allen and starters are expected to play a couple of series, however, don’t expect them to be in there for too long. The Bills don’t have a ton of quarterback depth right now, so Trubisky should see some decent playing time.

After being drafted in the first-round by the Chicago Bears years ago he’ll want to prove they moved on from him too fast. Sure, plenty of time has passed, but there still has to be some feelings of mistreatment.

What do you get when you couple this with the fact that he’s more of a veteran now and will get decent playing time? Mitch Trubisky moving the ball down the field. I like throwing him in this Underdog Fantasy preseason Week 1 lineup. If you’re a Bears fan that’s still bitter about the “Tru” years you could always fade him and take the lower.

Collin johnson higher than 19.5 Receiving yards

It’s possible nobody knew who Collin Johnson was until last week’s Hall of Fame Game. He was targeted six times and caught three of those for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Now he’s gained the trust of his quarterbacks.

Johnson isn’t a newcomer, however. He dressed up for the last couple of Bears games last year. Even though this is a new offense with a different feel, he’s familiar with playing for the Bears organization and some of his teammates.

Johnson had a big game in the Hall of Fame game and stood out the most of all the offensive players. However, he still has a big uphill battle to make the team. A team with names like DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, plus player they like from last year’s draft like Tyler Scott. He’ll need to keep playing well to make this team. 19.5 receiving yards is too low.

jake browning higher than 65.5 passing yards

Jake Browning impressed a lot of people last year when he came in and took over for Joe Burrow. He wasn’t able to maintain the success in winning as many games as they would have liked. However, he still played pretty well. Now he’ll be itching to get some more in-game action and show that some of his better performances weren’t just flukes.

He’ll do it lining up against second-string players instead of first-string starters like last year’s in-game action. In eight starts last year, he threw for 1,936 yards. Browning, now another year experienced, has a stat projection of 65.5 passing yards. This feels like an easy play, perhaps too easy. However, I’m still throwing it in my Underdog Fantasy preseason Week 1 lineup.