DraftKings Picks Week 3
Has it seemed like a weird start to the NFL season? If you believe so, you aren't alone.
We have teams who were supposed to be powerhouses struggling (looking at you Bengals, Ravens, Rams). We have a marquee 2-0 matchup between the Chargers and Steelers while the 2-0 Vikings take on the 2-0 Texans (this one makes more sense).
So long story short, it's hard to predict what is going on with teams/offenses right now.
Still, there are some interesting matchups and injuries that should allow us to build a solid lineup with some cheaper players who will get some action this week.
Let's dive into some DFS options for Week Three in DraftKings.
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - $6300 vs DEN
Baker Mayfield has been a pleasant fantasy surprise this season, throwing for 474 yards and 5 touchdowns in his first two games. The Bucs now take on a Denver team that really hasn't faced a "tough" QB yet.
Denver has always had a formidable defense, although it's waned in recent years. They still have top corner Patrick Surtain II, but Mayfield has plenty of weapons to throw to. The Buccaneer run game is nothing to write home about, and this one being a home game gives me enough confidence that Baker should put up solid numbers to be a good DFS option this week.
Andy Dalton (Carolina Panthers) - $4800 @ LV
The Red Rifle is back and gets an intriguing matchup against a very beatable Las Vegas defense. Andy Dalton is in his second year with the Panthers, only playing one game so far. In that game, he threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns on 58 attempts (2023 against Seattle).
Now I do feel for Bryce Young, but this is a great DFS opportunity for an old-school QB who likes to sling the ball. This one could be a pass-fest with Gardiner Minshew on the opposing side, so at only $4800, Dalton is a great cheap-of-the-week option.
A guy at the end of his career with nothing to lose gives me Ryan Fitzpatrick vibes, although no promises Dalton will throw 58 times again.
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara (New Orleans Saints) - $7500 vs PHI
Philadelphia is another defense that has looked suspect so far this season, and they face a red-hot Alvin Kamara and the Saints, who average 45.5 points thru two games.
I don't know what's going on down in New Orleans, but until it stops, I'll be hopping on their bandwagon for DFS. Panthers may have seemed like a fluke, but doing it to Dallas? I guess we shall see.
Kamara has rushed for 198 yards and four touchdowns while adding seven receptions for 92 yards and one touchdown. It sure does feel like the dominant Kamara of old.
The Eagle defense has allowed at least 80 yards to the opposing top back, and with how often Kamara is utilized, he should be able to score once or twice as well.
He is pretty much an every week option for now.
De'Von Achane (Miami Dolphins) - $7000 @ SEA
If you save money everywhere else, you may be able to fit Kamara and De'Von Achane on your lineup. If not, Achane is a almost an even better option than Kamara this week.
The Dolphins are already beat up. Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr are dealing with injuries that could mean missing time. Tua Tagovailoa, as we all probably saw, has a concussion and is on IR.
With no good option at QB and limited healthy backs, Achane might actually touch the ball on every play this week. He already saw 22 carries and seven receptions last week, so what's a few more?
The biggest concern? That Achane gets injured himself. The risk is well worth the reward in this case, just hope he is able to stay on the field.
D'Onta Foreman (Cleveland Browns) - $4400 vs NYG
D'Onta Foreman had a career year in 2022 for the Panthers, rushing for 914 yards. Now this might not sound like anything exciting, but it came five years after tearing his achilles in his rookie season.
After filling in for injured Bears' Running Backs in 2023, Foreman finds himself with another opportunity in the Cleveland backfield.
After really seeing no work in the first week, Foreman's touches increased to fifteen (14 carries and one reception). He did only rush for 42 yards, but this week should be much easier against a bad New York Giant defense. If you need to go cheap on RB, Foreman should continue to see work and should get a chance to run one in if they are close.
Wide Receivers
Davante Adams (LAs Vegas Raiders) - $7600 vs CAR
I had to throw at least one player who was going against the Panthers in my lineup, so Davante Adams seemed like the most logical choice.
Adams showed some chemistry with Gardiner Minshew last week, catching nine-of-twelve targets for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Ravens.
The Panthers aren't necessarily giving up a ton of yards to receivers, but they are giving up plenty of touchdowns. Moving on from Bryce Young could also spark the offense, meaning the Raiders will actually have to play offense later in the game.
If Dalton can lead the Panthers a bit better than Young, Minshew will be forced to throw it more to his star receiver.
Brandon Aiyuk (San Francisco 49ers) - $6200 @ LAR
Deebo Samuel most likely will miss Week Three, which is perfect timing for Brandon Aiyuk, who seemed to still be shaking some of the rust off after sitting out most of the offseason.
He only saw five targets against the Vikings, catching four of them for 43 yards.
The 49ers are now without Deebo and CMC, so guys like Aiyuk should be heavily utilized in a good matchup. The Rams' defense is nothing to write home about (see Cardinals destroying them last week), and the 49er defense has been iffy to start the season, so who knows, maybe Stafford can put up points even without his top two receivers.
Either way, Aiyuk is the WR1 on a team that will need to throw the ball a bit more with the absence of their star RB and WR (and remember Deebo carries the ball a lot too, so maybe Aiyuk sees a few carries).
Rashid Shaheed (New Orleans Saints) - $5300 vs PHI
If you opt out of playing Kamara this week, Rashid Shaheed is a classic boom/bust Wide Receiver who may be forming into more of a boom player than a bust player this season.
Through two games so far, Shaheed has seven receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Now that really isn't a ton of targets, but he makes up for it with long touchdowns. He has averaged 18 fantasy points through those first two weeks, and the Eagles' secondary really isn't anything to be afraid of.
Shaheed has a great shot at another long touchdown in Week Three.
Adam Thielen (Carolina Panthers) - $5000 @ LV
You may be asking why not Diontae Johnson here as the cheap of the week? Well, frankly it's only because we have some historical data on Adam Thielen and Andy Dalton from one game in 2023.
In that one game I mentioned above, Thielen saw 14 targets and caught 11 passes for 145 yards and one touchdown. Seeing as how Thielen has been around longer than Johnson (in Carolina and with Dalton), I expect him to be the Red Rifle's guy on Sunday.
Both options are rather cheap at $5000 and $4900 (Johnson), but if I have to make an educated guess, Thielen should be a sneaky play this week.
Tight End
Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders) - $5400 vs CAR
Brock Bowers shot up in price this week after another dominant performance in which he caught all nine targets for 98 yards. It seems like the Raiders did win the jackpot so far.
That said, Bowers is probably the safest DFS option this week, going against a hapless Carolina team that should give up plenty of points. Bowers is averaging 7.5 targets a game right now, so he should have one of the most solid floors of any Tight End.
I wouldn't necessarily play both Adams and Bowers in a lineup, but I actually don't hate the idea either. Both should be in for plenty of targets and plenty of touchdown opportunities.
Mark Andrews (Baltimore Ravens) - $4800 @ DAL
Things are going back to normal for the Raven Tight Ends, seeing as how Mark Andrews outperformed Isaiah Likely last week.
Andrews still isn't fully back to normal, however, catching only four passes for 51 yards (Likely had two for 26 yards) in a surprising loss to the Raiders. Andrews did suffer a bad ankle injury late in the 2023 season, so this could just be him shaking off the rust through the first few weeks.
Week Three will be a great opportunity to see if Andrews is back to form, as the Ravens take on a Cowboys team that is also reeling after a bad loss. Both defenses have given up plenty of points, so maybe we will get a higher-scoring game.
Figuring Andrews' targets go up to the usual 7-9 range, he could be in for a big game.
Defense
Browns Defense - $3800 vs NYG
The Browns' defense turned it around in Week Two after a poor Week One performance, limiting the Jaguars to 13 points.
The Browns have recorded seven sacks through two games, and although they haven't gotten a turnover yet, I believe this week could see a plethora of them.
The Giants give up a ton of sacks, so the Browns should have a field day with the offensive line. This game is also in Cleveland, so the home field advantage should make things even tougher for Jones and the Giants' offense.
Even though its the most expensive option, I think the best one this week has to be Cleveland.
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