The Week 3 NFL schedule rolls on with a four-game slate on Friday, August 22. The New York Jets host the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in the first game of the night. Kickoff for that game is at 7:30 p.m. ET. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles are expected to rest stars Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts. The slate wraps up with a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium. Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams are both expected to play on Friday night.

Should you target Mahomes or Williams when making Friday NFL DFS picks, or should you fade them and look elsewhere? Before making any NFL DFS picks 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 Friday’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 Friday

One of Kaylor’s top DFS picks for Friday is Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent. The former undrafted free agent out of Shepherd University has already locked up the Bears’ backup quarterback job, but Friday will be his last opportunity for game reps for what could be the entire 2025 season. Bagent recently landed a lucrative contract extension from the Bears. 

Known for his accuracy and poise, he set the NCAA all-division record for career touchdown passes (159) in college (a record that was later broken), and has performed admirably when thrust into duty in the NFL. Bagent has four career regular season starts, and has completed 66.2% of his passes for 870 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions. 

Part of Kaylor’s NFL DFS strategy includes Bears running back Ian Wheeler. The former undrafted free agent out of Howard was one of the top performers in Chicago’s training camp in 2024, but a torn ACL ended his season prematurely. Wheeler is back to full strength and has looked like a potential difference-maker this preseason.

In Chicago’s 38-0 Week 2 preseason win over the Buffalo Bills, Wheeler notched 19 carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Wheeler has elite speed and has proven to be a legitimate threat as a receiver out of the backfield. You can see the rest of Kaylor’s NFL DFS picks here. 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 Friday preseason NFL DFS lineups

Kaylor is also targeting another undervalued player who could explode for huge numbers on Friday. 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 Friday, 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.