Hall of Fame Game: NFL DFS + Prop Bet: LA Chargers vs Detroit Lions

In this write-up I will be covering my favorite plays in NFL DFS for the Hall of Fame Game between the Detroit Lions and the LA Chargers.

Betting Preview:

The NFL preseason ignites tonight as the Detroit Lions take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2025 Hall of Fame Game on July 31 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. This electrifying matchup, part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement weekend, signals football’s return, even if starters play sparingly. For 2025, the Lions are 1.5 point favorites with a moneyline of -135, while the Chargers are +115 underdogs. The over/under is set at 33.5 points, a notable line given that the last three Hall of Fame Games (2022-2024) have all gone over 33.5, bucking the historical trend where 12 of the prior 16 games stayed under. Since 2000, spreads have been tight, averaging small favorite lines on this neutral field, and underdogs have thrived recently, going 7-2-1 ATS since 2013. Though the last 3 years have seen the Over hit. I would favor more of the over but the line has risen from 31.5 to 33.5 as a result I think it is best to stay away from betting on the game this way instead I would place Prop bets. I will touch on the ones I like the most in the write-up.

DFS Preview:

In preseason NFL DFS, being correct about the playing time is key, we already know that basically ALL of the starters for each team are expect to site minus some of the rookies. Let's breakdown the projected playing time going team by team.

LA Chargers:

Confirmed Playing Time

Quarterbacks:

• Trey Lance 1 Half + 1 drive in the 3rd Quarter

  • Result: This makes Trey Lance the most appealing play on the slate

  • DFS: CORE PLAY

  • Prop Bet: I like his over 26.5 Rush Yards, his passing yard prop is at 118.5 and that seems to be correct.

• DJ Uiagalelei: Will play most of the 3rd quarter, and all of the 4th

Running backs:

• Omarion Hampton is expected to start, but no confirmed playing time, I would expect him to get the first series, and if that goes well he could be shut down. If it doesn't go well he could see up to 3 series. He is not in play for DFS.

  • Note: his rushing prop line started at 13.5 rushing yards, and has risen to 21.5 so maybe Vegas is expecting a bigger game for him.

• From there, we are not getting enough information to love any play. Haskins, Vidal, and Patterson are all the same player and without confirmation I playing time they are all a guess. Same goes for the rest of their RBs in a sense they are too deep at this position tonight to truly trust any of them.

Pass Catchers:

• 

  KeAndre Lambert-Smith: should get a decent amount of playing time with Trey Lance, and all though Trey Lance appeal is mostly due to his rushing upside do think that it makes sense to stack him, and Lambert-Smith is the best option to pair with him, as they have had a great connection in camp, and the sportsbooks have him with the highest yardages for none QBs.

  • DFS: CORE PLAY + Captain Pick (hedge from Lance)

  • Prop Bet: I like him to get over 28.5 on Underdog:

• Tre' Harris is the other rookie WR that everyone will be watching, but if you look at his prop lines not much is expected at out him. PrizePicks has him at 12.5, and Underdog has him at 15.5, this does make him an interesting Middle for props betting, but for DFS purposes these are horrible lines. He holds a decent amount of name value so I almost expect him to be higher owned than he should be.

Tre' Harris is not the other Chargers WR that has big prop line difference, both Jaylen Johnson, and Brenden Rice are as well.

It does make sense for Johnson, and Rice to see a lot of playing time, especially in the second half. Which is both good and bad. Easier matchups, but worse QB play. They are both worth looks if you're entering 150 lineups but I also wouldn't get too much exposure to them.

Derius Davis is also an interesting WR for me tonight, I would argue he is the most proven among the WRs that we will see tonight, and I would imagine with him not having any betting lines that not many people are going to be on him. He makes for an interesting GPP upside play.

TE Oronde Gadsen is an interesting playing too watch tonight, as he has gotten a lot of camp hype, but rarely do we see Tight Ends do anything in the hall of fame game.

That being said before we get into the Lions lets talk about the DSTs and Kickers. Both are in play and both should be heavily rostered. Anytime we can lock in points for the Hall of Fame Game we should and that's what all 4 provide for us. Personally I like the Lions DST the the most in the second half going against the Chargers practice squad players. This is mostly due to me liking the second half players for the lines.

• Sacks (IDP/D/ST Boost): Expect 3-4 total for the favored team, and about 2 for the none favored team.

• Turnovers (D/ST): Around 1-2 per game, often from rookie QBs or fumbled exchanges. This can net 4-6 D/ST points. Target the underdog's D/ST (Chargers here) for value, as favorites like the Lions (-1.5) may play conservatively.

• Field Goals (Kicker Reliability): 2-3 made, worth 6-12 points for kickers (plus distance bonuses). Low totals (O/U 33.5) mean more FG attempts; stream Canton-tested kickers if available, but preseason rosters rotate heavily.

Detroit Lions:

Confirmed Playing Time

Quarterbacks: Both QBs are expected to split the playing time in half for tonight's game. The question is will the be by half, quarter or by series. We do know that Kyle Allen is going to start. Both QBs have their Passing Lines set for around 90-100 passing yards meaning they are both great options in DFS.

• Kyle Allen: I like Kyle Allen slight more than I do Hooker just because Allen will be less owned and he will likely be playing with better teammates.

  • Captain Exposure: 7-12%

  • Prop Bet: Over 93.5 Pass Yards

• Hendon Hooker: Hooker has a lot of appeal, he has been sharp in camp, and he can score points with his legs. Hooker has his rush yards line set at 18.5 which is probably too low but for DFS purposes that tells us that he will be appealing. I will say he does seem safer than Allen, but again I like Allen more for leverage

  • Captain Exposure 10%

Running backs: The Lions run the 3rd most rush attempts in the preseason thus we want to be targeting their RBs.

• Kye Robichaux and Jabari Small:

  • Both have two of the highest rushing yards line on the slate tonight, and the Lions should be thin at RB tonight with Vaki questionable to play (if we get a confirmed status and I see it I will let you know if the discord, if someone else sees news let us know if the discord).

  • I like Robichaux the most as he has gotten some hype out of camp, and I think it makes logical sense to run him into the ground for the preseason.

  • Robichaux:

    • Captain Exposure: 5%

    • Flex Exposure: 30%

    • Prop Bet: Over 24.5 Rush on Underdog

  • Small:

    • Captain Exposure: 3%

    • Flex Exposure: 25%

Wide Receivers:

The Lions go pretty deep at WR, and that it what makes them tough, on top of that we know that they like to run the football. We also have not gotten as much confirmed playing time with them as I would like. We do know that the rookie Isaac Teslaa, and Dominic Lovett are expected to play and as a result they make sense for stacks with Allen or Hooker. Talent wise I like Teslaa more but I imagine he only plays the first quarter and a little into the second. Lovett I would imagine gets a lot of work and as a result I like him more.

Tom Kennedy is basically a preseason GOAT at this point, he just always seems to show up and produce. The issue is how much more does he have to prove? If we knew he was going to play a full half he'd be one of my highest owned.

Talent wise Ronnie Bell stands out again though we do not know what to expect playing time wise.

I have used all 4 WRs in stacks with the QBs.

Exposures:

• Lovett: 15%

• Teslaa: 8%

• Bell: 5

• Kennedy: 10%

Captain Picks:

1) Trey Lance

2) Hendon HOoker

3) Kyle Allen

4) Lions DST

5) Lambert-Smith

6) Chargers DST

7) Robichaux

8) Vidal

9) Small

10) The Kickers