On Tuesday, I told you to be quick, but don’t hurry.
Legendary basketball coach John Wooden’s epic quote was about the importance of prepared speed, inside and outside of the arena.
With the NFL preseason reduced from four games to three, I’m running out of time to extend my streak of winning seasons with my exhibition plays for TSN.
Once upon a time, the third preseason game was used as a final dress rehearsal for the regular season.
With the NFL exhibition slate reduced from four to three and the final roster cuts set for this Sunday at 6 PM ET, these snaps now belong to the players fighting for that final spot on the 53-man roster, a practice-squad ticket, or the game tape that serves as a ticket back to college.
You won’t find me chasing during the NFL preseason, but I have identified three plays I like for this week’s games.
Let’s break down my FanDuel Best Bets for Week 3 of the NFL preseason in this latest Morning Coffee column for Wednesday August 26th, 2026.
Three FanDuel Best Bets To Consider For Week 3 of the NFL preseason
We’re exactly 14 days away from the NFL regular season kick-off game.
The Seattle Seahawks are a 3.5-point favourite against the New England Patriots at FanDuel.
It’s only one game, but we’ll get a pretty good idea of how ready both teams are for the regular season in the Super Bowl rematch.
While the countdown to the games that matter in the standings continues, NFL teams have their eye on a different clock this week.
This week’s NFL preseason games represent a last chance to make an impression with some important decisions pending before we turn the page to September.
There are several position battles going down to the wire, and trades give teams an opportunity to get something in return for a player they will otherwise lose for nothing if they decide not to bring them back.
The Patriots already moved Kayshon Boutte to the Houston Texans this week in exchange for some safety depth and a draft pick.
Every other team will face similar decisions as they lock in their final 53-man roster for the regular season.
In the meantime, I’ve locked in three FanDuel Best Bets for the final week of NFL preseason action.
How about them Dallas Cowboys?
The Cowboys opened the preseason with back-to-back wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.
With plenty of reason for optimism thanks to one of the league’s most explosive offences and a defence that can only get better, Dallas returns home for its lone game at Cowboys Stadium in the month of August.
Joe Milton locked up the QB2 spot behind Dak Prescott by going 9-of-13 for 179 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win over the Cardinals.
Milton might not play as many snaps this week, but third-string QB Sam Howell has been efficient for the most part this season, going 15-of-22 for 159 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
On the flip side, the New Orleans Saints have been outscored a combined 32-0 in the second half of lopsided losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams this preseason.
While I’m intrigued by the Saints potential in the worst division in football, the depth in New Orleans is thin and the top wide receivers on their depth chart are already banged up with rookie Jordyn Tyson out long-term and Chris Olave getting the wind knocked out of him at practice on Tuesday.
Neither Spencer Rattler nor Zach Wilson has impressed.
Perhaps both QBs step up this week as they fight for the backup job behind Tyler Shough, but I believe the most likely scenario is that the defence and supporting cast struggles again in a loss to Dallas.
I’ll lock in the Cowboys to win outright at -126.
Next up, I’ll parlay the Denver Broncos to win outright on Friday night with the BC Lions to beat the Ottawa Redblacks.
The Broncos burned me last week when their eight-game preseason win streak was snapped in an ugly 33-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Bo Nix and RJ Harvey combined for a 21-yard touchdown pass and Denver led 10-7 in the second quarter, before getting outscored 26-3 the rest of the way.
Head coach Sean Payton ripped into his team following the loss.
While it’s still just a preseason game, I expect Payton to have his roster ready to compete against the visiting Minnesota Vikings on Friday night.
J.J. McCarthy and Max Brosmer both struggled in last week’s loss to Baltimore, going a combined 16-of-27 with an interception as the Vikings were held to a field goal.
Denver is a 6.5-point favourite and I’m counting on them to finish off the preseason with a win.
The Redblacks have been the easiest fade in the CFL.
Hopefully, that trend continues with a loss to the league’s hottest team in the Lions.
Finally, the Ravens improved to 2-0 under first-year head coach Jesse Minter, who seems to care about how his team performs even if the games don’t count towards the regular season standings.
Baltimore has held Minnesota and the Philadelphia Eagles to 10 points combined in two games.
This week, the Ravens host a Washington Commanders side that couldn’t take care of business against Joshua Dobbs and the Detroit Lions in a 17-13 loss.
The Commanders beat up on the Miami Dolphins in their preseason opener, but that could be a theme this season based on reports out of Miami.
With Jayden Daniels and Washington’s starters set to sit out, I’ll trust Minter and the Ravens to win by a field goal.
Give me Baltimore -3 as my third and final FanDuel Best Bet for Week 3 of the NFL preseason.
Hopefully, we can finish the exhibition schedule off on a winning note.
Have a great day, everyone!
