R.J. White released his daily fantasy lineup recommendations for Thursday's Week 3 preseason slate across DraftKings and FanDuel, structuring rosters around backup running backs and third-string quarterbacks expected to log extended fourth-quarter minutes. The guidance arrives as both platforms close their smallest revenue window of the year.
Preseason DFS contests represent roughly 2-4% of total NFL-season handle for both operators, compressed into three weeks before the September 5 kickoff. Week 3 traditionally draws the lowest entry volume—most regulars skip it, casual players haven't yet deposited for the season—but the slate serves a specific function: isolating edge cases where backup players receive starter workloads because coaching staffs rest starters entirely. White's recommendations focus on running backs projected to touch the ball 12-18 times in games where the projected starter sits, a usage rate that creates pricing inefficiencies when DFS salaries reflect depth-chart position rather than expected snaps.
The Week 3 preseason slate matters less for immediate revenue than for product development. Both DraftKings and FanDuel use August contests to test pricing algorithms and contest structures ahead of the $4.2 billion in NFL DFS handle the platforms will collectively process between Week 1 and the Super Bowl. Preseason entries generate behavioral data—how quickly do users pivot when injury news breaks, which salary thresholds trigger roster construction changes—that informs in-season product decisions. The platforms also use August to onboard new users who will churn before September; a user who deposits $20 for a Thursday preseason slate and loses is statistically more likely to redeposit during Week 1 than a user who never entered at all.
White's lineup construction highlights a structural tension in preseason DFS: optimal rosters require tracking practice reports and beat-writer speculation about playing time, but the player pool itself—fourth-string wide receivers, camp-body linebackers—lacks the statistical history that makes regular-season projections reliable. The result is a product that rewards obsessive information gathering over analytical modeling, which narrows the user base but increases per-entry value for the platforms. The average preseason DFS entry is $8-12, compared to $18-24 during the regular season, but preseason players enter 1.8x more contests per day because pricing uncertainty creates perceived edge.
The preseason window also clarifies which content partnerships generate actual handle. White's picks appear through CBS Sports Digital, which pays licensing fees to both DraftKings and FanDuel for affiliate links embedded in lineup content. If Thursday's slate drives measurable entry volume—trackable through affiliate codes—it justifies the $400,000-600,000 annual content deals both platforms maintain with CBS. The preseason serves as a controlled test: did the content move money, or just pageviews?
The Week 3 slate closes by Saturday night. Both platforms will release initial Week 1 pricing Sunday morning, when the contest structure shifts from $3 entry, 10-person leagues to $25 entry, 150,000-person tournaments and handle begins measuring in eight figures per day. White's next lineup recommendations will arrive September 4, with pricing based on depth charts that matter and usage rates backed by three years of film.