NFL DFS: Week 2 NFL preseason daily fantasy football picks, Thursday lineups for DraftKings, FanDuel

The NFL DFS player pool for Thursday's preseason slate is highlighted by No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. The top selection will face the league's top defense from a year ago as the Texans host the Raiders, with 49ers vs. Chargers the only other matchup on the schedule. Thus, there's a limited group of players to select preseason NFL DFS picks from, but another rookie outside of Mendoza has increased his value in daily Fantasy football .

Wideout De'Zhaun Stribling was San Fran's first draftee and impressed with 7 catches for 63 yards in preseason Week 1. First-year players like Stribling and Mendoza never suffer for playing time during the exhibition season, but there are numerous vets who could make impacts and deserve consideration with your NFL DFS lineups. Before making any NFL DFS picks for this slate on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel , be sure to check out the NFL DFS lineup advice, strategy and player stacks from SportsLine NFL expert R.J. White .

White is an elite NFL betting handicapper who has cashed huge twice in the world's most prestigious handicapping tournament, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest. He's also SportsLine's No. 1 all-time NFL ATS expert. In addition, he serves as CBS's Fantasy expert, making him the ideal expert to dig deep on these rosters and make NFL DFS picks.

Now, White has turned his attention to the 2026 NFL preseason Week 2 schedule for Thursday, and just locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine .

One of White's favorite DFS picks for Thursday, where every player is $5,500 on DraftKings and $6,000 on FanDuel, is Chargers quarterback Trey Lance. Justin Herbert didn't play in Week 1 and played just one series in all of the 2025 NFL preseason, so Lance is expected to see the most time under center for L.A. That was the case in preseason Week 1 in which he started and played the entirety of the first three quarters before giving way to DJ Uiagalelei in the fourth. Lance had 164 passing yards and 27 rushing yards against Houston and has an added incentive on Thursday in facing his former team in the 49ers.

White's NFL DFS strategy also includes building around Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr., who ripped off a 53-yard run in preseason Week 1 and led Vegas in touches. He had six carries, saw a target in the passing game and even returned a kickoff last week, so the Vegas brass clearly wants to see what he can offer. Washington is a fourth-round rookie who racked up over 1,000 rushing yards last year at Arkansas en route to being an All-SEC selection. He then blazed a 4.33 40-yard-dash, which was the fastest amongst all RBs at the 2026 NFL combine as he's a must-start versus a Texans defense expected to sit its starters. You can see the rest of White's NFL DFS picks here .

White is also targeting another undervalued player who could explode for huge numbers on Thursday. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is, and the rest of White's NFL DFS picks, at SportsLine .

So who is R.J. White including in his optimal NFL DFS lineups for Thursday, and which under-the-radar NFL DFS picks offer huge value? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a DFS expert who has cashed twice in a prestigious NFL handicapping contest , and find out.