Preseason DFS: The State of the Game

The 2025 preseason was fundamentally different than the product we saw in years past. Before we get a single quote from a coach, report from a beat writer, or try to decipher which players are in uniform from grainy cell phone videos shot from the upper bowl, we need to set expectations from last preseason as a foundation for our fantasy-relevant assumptions this August. Below, we’ll explore what we’ve learned over the last decade, looking at league-wide structural trends that shape our entire approach, then analyze coach- and team-level details that lay the groundwork for our forthcoming DFS decisions.

PART 1: LEAGUE-WIDE TRENDS

1) Starter playing time has evaporated

We’re generally not interested in playing starters in the preseason, barring specific reporting, but it’s important to note that the reduction from four to three games and the widespread adoption of joint practices have all but eliminated legitimate starter playing time in August. There’s been a league-wide shift to prioritizing regular-season-starter health and handling evaluations in more controlled environments, which has resulted in backups, practice squad players, and eventual roster cuts seeing even more playing time now than in seasons past. 

2) The “dress rehearsal” is dead