I don't recall the details, but I read something in the last couple of days about how the various teams handle the preseason. The Patriots play their starters the least, and I kind of think that I read that they play only their third and fourth stringers.
I would play only the players that we could afford to lose, and use controlled practices to evaluate the players that we could not afford to lose.
I think Fant was arguably the player we could least afford to lose, other than WIlson, because Fant is the most important protector of Wilson's blind side.