Week 3 of the preseason NFL schedule kicks off on Thursday, with a two-game slate starting with Steelers vs. Panthers at 7 p.m. ET. Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf are not expected to play for Pittsburgh. The slate wraps up with Patriots vs. Giants at 8 p.m. ET. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who has had an excellent preseason, is expected to once again see significant playing time for the Giants. With a mix of of starters, backups and roster longshots playing in each game, it will be necessary to look deep into the NFL DFS player pool when building preseason NFL DFS lineups.

Should you target Dart when making Thursday NFL DFS picks? Or is there a better option at the quarterback position? Before making any NFL DFS picks for Thursday on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to check out the NFL DFS lineup advice, strategy and player stacks from SportsLine NFL daily Fantasy expert Jimmie Kaylor. 

Kaylor is a NFL betting and DFS expert for SportsLine, who opened the 2022 NFL season by winning DraftKings’ NFL Showdown Thursday Kickoff Millionaire contest. He edged out over 355,000 other entrants in the contest and also has multiple five-figure tournament wins on his DFS resume. Kaylor has covered the NFL and college football for close to a decade as a member of the Pro Football Writers of America, and his background as a former college and NFL player gives him a unique perspective when building his fantasy lineups and locking in his betting picks. Anybody following his DFS picks over the last three seasons could have seen huge returns. 

Now, Kaylor has turned his attention to Thursday’s 2025 NFL preseason schedule and locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine, also new players can get $50 in Pick6 credits at DraftKings when they play $5: 

Top NFL preseason DFS picks for Thursday

One of Kaylor’s top DFS picks for Thursday is Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. The Giants have committed to Russell Wilson as their Week 1 starter, and he is expected to see minimal playing time (if any) on Thursday night. This game could be Dart’s last live action for a lengthy stretch of time, so the Giants may opt to have him on the field as much as possible against the Patriots.

Dart’s stellar play has been one of the top stories of the preseason thus far. The former Ole Miss standout has completed 26 of 35 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns. His quarterback rating of 117.7 ranks second in the NFL for the preseason. 

Part of Kaylor’s Thursday NFL DFS strategy includes Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson. The former Ohio State standout was a second round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and has already locked himself into a significant role in New England’s offense for the regular season. Henderson is likely going to serve as the primary backup to veteran Rhamondre Stevenson in his rookie year.

Henderson hasn’t seen a lot of action during the preseason, but he has made the most of the opportunities he’s been given. Through two games, Henderson has five carries for 38 yards and a touchdown, and three catches for 12 yards. You can see the rest of Kaylor’s NFL DFS picks here, and new users can see the latest FanDuel promo code to get $300 in bonus bets at FanDuel if your $5 bet wins:

How to build Thursday preseason NFL DFS lineups

Kaylor 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 Kaylor’s NFL DFS picks, at SportsLine. 

So who is Jimmie Kaylor 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 already won a single-game millionaire maker tournament, and find out.