Which Saints players have most to gain/lose in second preseason game vs. Packers?

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Consider yourselves fortunate, Saints fans.

Your biggest concern/complaint six days ago after the first preseason game against the Houston Texans was the play of third-string quarterback Ian Book.

If QB3 is what you’re talking about after a preseason game, your team is probably in pretty good shape. There are teams across the league with much bigger concerns this preseason.

So the Saints get to somewhat relax heading into their second preseason game Friday night against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The two teams practiced right across the street twice this week, and those sessions may have been more meaningful than the actual game.

Some of the game’s biggest stars such as Aaron Rodgers, Jaire Alexander and Preston Smith of the Packers went head-to-head with the likes of Michael Thomas, Demario Davis and Ryan Ramczyk of the Saints.

Dennis Allen likely will sit many of his starters, just like he did last week in the 17-13 loss to the Texans. He knows what they can do. And there have been enough injuries around the league during the preseason that it’s not worth the risk.

This is one of the deepest Saints teams ever. Battles for roster spots are few.

Preseason games, oftentimes meaningless anyway, can have even less meaning when your team is as deep as this one.

But it won’t be meaningless for everyone. For some, this will be yet another chance to try and land one of those spots at the bottom of the roster. Or catch the eye of another team after roster cuts.

Here's a look at the five position groups to pay the most attention to Friday night.

Linebackers: If Chase Hansen plays like he did last week, this position group looks a whole lot better all of a sudden. It’s probably the team’s weak link, despite having one of the best linebackers in the league (Demario Davis) on it. The depth just really isn’t there. But Davis and Pete Werner, if he can stay healthy, as the starters are solid. After that, you have Hansen, Zack Baun, Kaden Elliss, Jon Bostic, Eric Wilson and Andrew Dowell all trying to squeeze in the room. All of them should get plenty of reps.

Offensive line: If you’ve watched the Saints over the past few years, you know how important depth along the front is. It’s a team that, for the most part, has been able to plug someone in when needed. James Hurst, who has the edge for the starting left tackle position, left Wednesday’s practice with a foot injury. First-round draft pick Trevor Penning also left practice briefly, but he returned. Penning looked excellent in his run blocking but struggled some in pass protection last week, so his improvement from a week ago will be something to keep an eye on.

Receivers: Tre’Quan Smith owes Book an apology for dropping what would have been a touchdown last week. There’s no need to be skeptical about a receiver group with Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry and rookie Chris Olave. And Deonte Harty is the returner, so you know he’s a lock. While Smith and Marquez Callaway seem like the next two guys in, you can’t rule out a pair of guys with local ties. Former Edna Karr High and Nicholls standout Dai’jean Dixon led all receivers in catches (three) and yards receiving (33) last week. Ex-Destrehan High standout Kirk Merritt has had plenty of big moments in practice. Kevin White has been one of the primary gunners on special teams, but he did fail to make a pair of tackles last week despite being the first man down the field.

Running backs: Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram surely won’t touch the field Friday. Dwayne Washington, also a key special teams player, probably solidified himself last week in a loaded backfield. Tony Jones, Abram Smith and Devine Ozigbo all have shown they can get the job done if needed. They’ll land on someone else’s roster if they don’t make this one.

Quarterback: Book, the second-year quarterback out of Notre Dame, struggled in last week’s opener and also struggled some in practice this week. Here’s guessing he gets the majority of the snaps this week like he did against the Texans. Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton are locked in at two of the quarterback spots. If the Saints had a real game tomorrow and had to go to a third option, it would be hard not to start Taysom Hill over Book. So for Book, this game might mean more to him than anyone else on the team.

If you’re a Saints fan, that’s a good problem to have.