If you're 0-2 and starting to lose hope in your season-long fantasy football leagues, never fear -- daily fantasy is here. To help you start earning some of your entry fee back, we offer up our Week 3 DraftKings lineup picks, which feature a high-floor stack, high-volume RBs, and some boom-or-bust WRs, including a big value sleeper who could really give us some differentiation.
We're picking on three of the four games with initial over/unders north of 50; however, our D/ST comes from one of those contests, so let's hope for a defensive touchdown, right? We're also game-stacking our RBs, but that's mostly based on value.
Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for DraftKings contests: Full-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, three-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards.
WEEK 3 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | Yahoo
DraftKings Picks Week 3: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Sunday main slate, $50,000 budget
QB Kirk Cousins, Vikings vs. Lions ($6,700). The Lions have shown signs of a decent pass rush, but they've struggled to contain both Jalen Hurts and Carson Wentz, two relatively average passing QBs. Cousins can definitely better the 273.5 passing yards per game that Detroit is allowing, and with his go-to guy Justin Jefferson as part of this stack, we should be dancing in points all afternoon.
RB David Montgomery, Bears vs. Texans ($5,900). Montgomery bounced back with an impressive performance on Sunday night, and for all the hand wringing about his mediocre Week 1 in which he was outplayed by Khalil Herbert, he still received 20 touches. Montgomery is a volume lock, and with the Texans' 29th-ranked run defense coming to town, we have our eyes on that 100-yard bonus.
RB Dameon Pierce, Texans @ Bears ($5,000). Pierce is a bit of a risk in DK's full-point PPR format, but he's remarkably affordable despite getting all of Houston's RB carries (15) last week. The Bears were gashed by Green Bay's RBs in Week 2 and had issues with Elijah Mitchell on a sloppy track in Week 1 before he got hurt, so we're thinking Pierce can make some headway and find his way into the end zone for the first time in his career. Let's hope for a combined 25 passes in Chicago this weekend.
WR Justin Jefferson, Vikings vs. Lions ($9,300). Obviously, right? Jefferson is 1B to Cooper Kupp's 1A in terms of reliability, and against the Lions' 28th-ranked pass defense, we have to pay up for the chalk.
WR Marquise Brown, Cardinals vs. Rams ($6,000). Brown is coming off an 11-target game, and even with Greg Dortch emerging, it's clear that Hollywood is the top WR option for Arizona. That could mean a steady dose of Jalen Ramsey, but Brown can move around and play in the slot, so we don't expect Ramsey to shadow him. He's always a candidate for a big play, and in what should be a high-scoring affair, we'll take our chances for the 100-yard bonus at this price.
WEEK 3 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
WR Allen Robinson II, Rams @ Cardinals ($5,700). This game projects to be a shootout with an early O/U of 50.5, and while we'd prefer other pieces of the Rams' side (read: Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee), it's tough afford them with Jefferson already in tow. Robinson is a decent consolation prize after catching four passes for 53 yards and a score in Week 2. He should've had another touchdown, but a late whistle stopped a play as the ball was in the air to a wide-open Robinson standing in the end zone. Either way, he's definitely involved in the Rams' offense and should find himself busy against a porous Cardinals' pass defense.
TE Evan Engram, Jaguars @ Chargers ($3,700). Engram hasn't produced much this year, but with 12 targets and 11 catches in two games, he's more consistently involved than a lot of tight ends. The Chargers have faced Darren Waller and Travis Kelce this year, holding up decently against both, so we can't say if this is a favorable or unfavorable matchup. But we know Engram will get chances, and at his price, he should be able to return value.
WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
FLEX Chris Olave, Saints @ Panthers ($4,500). Here's a boom-or-bust tournament special. Olave hauled in just five-of-13 targets last week, but the latter number is more important. He's clearly involved in the Saints' offense, and it seems like only a matter of time before he has breakout moment like former college teammate Garrett Wilson had last week. The Panthers look great against the pass on paper (second-fewest yards per game), but keep in mind they've faced the Browns and Giants -- two of the poorest passing offenses in the NFL. We're banking on low ownership and differentiation with this pick. Let's hope it hits!
DEF Eagles @ Commanders ($2,900). "Revenge Game" against turnover-machine Carson Wentz? We wish this game was in Philly, but otherwise, the combination of price, narrative, and matchup are too good to ignore.
