Week 2 Preseason Picks:
- Jets vs. Steelers
- Commanders vs. Lions
- Giants vs. Dolphins
Another round of preseason action features two games on Thursday, three games on Friday, 10 games on Saturday, and a standalone game on Sunday. As usual, it’s been a race to the news in this betting market, as head coaches are announcing their plans with the quarterbacks and the starters. We’ve been tracking those updates here and will keep doing so as the week rolls along.
Even if the starters are out there for a bit, the second half will still feature a lot of backups and guys fighting for spots on the 53-man roster or the practice squad. Keep in mind that first quarter and first half lines are unlikely to be representative of the full game based on the announcements of who is in and who is out.
Lines are current from DraftKings at time of posting, which is 2:45 p.m. PT on Tuesday, August 18.
Also, be sure to look at our NFL Pro Picks page for the latest from our VSiN experts and on-air guests. Also, check out some NFL Preseason betting tips and this year’s NFL Preseason QB Depth Charts.
Here are some NFL Preseason Week 2 picks:
Odds as of Tuesday, August 18 at 2:45 p.m. PT
Jets vs. Steelers Prediction
Friday, 7 p.m. ET
Pick: Over 38.5 (-118)
The Jets are on the road for the only time and the Steelers are home for the last time here in the preseason, as Pittsburgh plays a second straight game in front of the Terrible Towel-waving fans at Acrisure Stadium. The field conditions are still pretty good because Pitt hasn’t started playing football yet, so we’ll see if that helps both offenses in this one.
The Jets have a QB2 controversy. We all know that Geno Smith will be the starter, but Bailey Zappe, Brady Cook, and Cade Klubnik seem to enter this week 2a, 2b, and 2c, and that might even be generous. New York didn’t play with much tempo or urgency against the Buccaneers, but did have 32 pass attempts against 21 rush attempts and I’d expect a similar or higher distribution here because Smith is already dinged-up and figuring out who will sit behind him on the depth chart is important.
Garrett Wilson had a couple of catches last week and we’ll see if he plays this week, but Omar Cooper Jr. and Isaiah Williams will be out there, along with Caullin Lacy, all talented WRs that need to get reps and touches.
On the Pittsburgh side, we won’t see Aaron Rodgers or his top two targets, but we didn’t see them last week either and the Steelers threw for over 300 yards on the Packers. The Jets will have more players of consequence out there on defense, but the Steelers saw a combined 27-of-33 performance from their QBs, highlighted by Penn State product Drew Allar, who had two TD passes and over 15 yards per completion.
Will Howard can move around with his legs and Mason Rudolph has spent a lot of time as a reliable backup QB/part-time starter in his career.
The weather looks excellent with tame winds and clear conditions, so that should also help the passers here.
Commanders vs. Lions Prediction
Saturday, Noon ET
Pick: Commanders +4.5 (-110)
As of Tuesday, Dan Quinn hadn’t committed to getting Jayden Daniels out there this week against the Lions, but he could probably use some real game conditions after missing a big chunk of last season. The Commanders are also installing a new offense with OC David Blough. Blough played for the Lions, so this is a game that should mean a lot to him, even if it is just the preseason.
Sam Hartman and Athan Kaliakmanis should both get extended looks here, as the third QB gig is up for grabs. Neither guy played very well last week, as Hartman was just 8-of-15 for 80 yards with a pick and Kaliakmanis was 6-of-10 for 87 yards with a couple of sacks. Those are not numbers that inspire much confidence, but Blough’s had another week worth of installs and I would assume we see him make some adjustments for some easier throws.
The Lions will roll with a lot of Joshua Dobbs, as he was recently signed to replace Teddy Bridgewater, who decided to retire. Luke Altmyer was busy in last week’s preseason tilt, but he wasn’t terribly sharp either, going 13-of-22 for 130 yards with a TD and two picks. Dobbs was 4-of-8 for 32 yards. He’ll be tasked with getting a grasp of the rhythm and timing of the offense here and I feel like Dan Campbell and OC Drew Petzing won’t overcomplicate things. Petzing was the OC of the Cardinals last season, so this is a new install as well.
Quinn is just 8-20 SU in the preseason in his career, but his team won and covered last week after going winless in 2025. I would anticipate Quinn to have a similar mindset here of running the rock and playing defense. Kaytron Allen had 23 carries, an extreme number for a preseason game, and the team had 41 rush attempts overall. If nothing else, that should help keep this one close.
Giants vs. Dolphins Prediction
Saturday, 4 p.m. ET
Pick: Dolphins +2.5 (-105)
John Harbaugh is known for running tough practices. Even longtime Ravens FB Patrick Ricard called this year’s camp his “toughest in 10 years”. I’m not sure any amount of conditioning and training can help the Giants combat what they’re going to deal with in South Florida. The teams will have a joint practice on Thursday in advance of Saturday’s 4 p.m. kickoff. The forecasted temperature at 4 p.m. is 90 degrees with a heat index of 105. If the Giants get lucky, some cloud cover will block out the sun, which bakes the visiting sideline at Hard Rock Stadium.
Harbaugh’s elite preseason record didn’t factor into last week’s loss to the Vikings. We’ll see if the exhibition cash cow from Baltimore is on display this week, but this isn’t a buttoned-up team and organization like he had previously. There are a lot of moving parts here, including newly-signed QB Jake Haener, who is sure to get some run this week. It’s entirely possible that all four QBs play, but Brandon Allen has looked bad enough that the Giants opted to sign Haener, which means he’ll have to get some reps this week to see if he’s good enough to stay.
Quinn Ewers missed practice early in the week for the Dolphins, so it does look like this one falls on Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski, so I can see why Miami is a home dog. Miller was just 3-of-11 with two interceptions and Gronowski didn’t play at all in Week 1. On the plus side, I think we’ll see more than one series from Malik Willis, who led a 93-yard TD drive on Miami’s first possession against the Commanders. It was the only points that they scored.
First-year head coach Jeff Hafley has been preaching physicality and toughness with his team and my guess is that we see more runs this week, including designed runs for Gronowski. Miller also ran for over 600 yards in his final season at North Dakota State. With the possibility for a fatigued and overheated defense, chasing a QB would not be fun for the Giants.
