Third time's the charm? That's the hope for some teams hoping to get off the schneid and into the win column. Fortunately, our fantasy team has been clicking (knock on wood) through the first two weeks of the NFL season, putting DFS money in your pockets and feathers in our cap. We'll look to keep it going with our Week 3 FanDuel lineup.
As we turn the page to Week 3, we are toeing the line between consistency and redemption. Our $60,000 budget is a big fan of that strategy, leaving us with $100 to spare to order some takeout to watch our lineup score all the touchdowns this weekend. As we approach that time of year when leaves start falling off the trees, just picture how nice it will look when FanDuel's money tree does the same.
WEEK 3 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Before we break down our picks and strategy, here are the most notable scoring rules for FanDuel contests: four-point passing TDs and half-point PPR.
WEEK 3 DFS:
DK lineup | Best values | Best stacks
FanDuel Picks Week 3: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Sunday main slate, $60,000 budget
QB Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins vs. Broncos ($8,100). For all the nonsense that gets hurled at Tagovailoa, he’s actually a good quarterback. Imagine that. He’s silenced haters and learned how to fall through two weeks, answering many questions that people have about him even if the injury concerns remain looming in the background. The bottom line is that as long as he’s healthy and Tyreek Hill is wearing a Dolphins uniform, Tagovailoa will be a serviceable, if not great, option for our sake. He lit up the Chargers and picked apart the Patriots, even if the running game stole the show. Now he gets to play in front of the home crowd against a Broncos secondary that’s had plenty of problems against even average passing offenses.
RB Breece Hall, Jets vs. Patriots ($6,400). The Jets were embarrassed and outclassed in Week 2. It’s the kind of game that either spurs serious change or gets a coaching staff fired as the locker room falls apart. Hall complained about only getting four touches in the loss after a hot start to the season in Week 1. The Jets want to be cautious with their young star, but that plan went out the window four plays into the season. Expect Hall to be a focal point in Gang Green’s offense as they try to beat the Patriots for the first time since Adele said, "Hello." Hall's performance on Sunday will have fans hoping that the past is now "Water Under the Bridge."
RB Jerome Ford, Browns vs. Titans ($5,600). Nick Chubb is out for the year after suffering a gruesome knee injury on Monday night. As bad as that is, the NFL stops for no one, and Ford stands to benefit because of it. We get the feature back at a discount, and even though he might be challenged for playing time down the line, this week, it should be the Ford show for Cleveland. Like an F-150, this running back is built tough and reliable. Expect him to shine after getting the keys to the offense, driving Cleveland down the field while Deshaun Watson figures out how to throw a football again. Most importantly, enjoy the discount on an RB1 of his caliber.
WR Tyreek Hill, Dolphins vs. Broncos ($9,600). Matchup-proof options are hard to come by. Hill is one of them and he’s rewarded fantasy owners through two weeks in his quest for a 2,000-yard season. He’s clicking with Tagovailoa and hasn’t lost a step, continuously tormenting defenders and putting up big numbers. Stopping Hill is almost impossible. Containing him isn’t much easier. The Cheetah won’t let a few Broncos get in the way, meaning we are in for another productive day.
WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
WR Zay Flowers, Ravens vs. Colts ($6,300). Flowers has blossomed in Baltimore for the Ravens in the young season. He has planted roots in this offense with a significant target share on a team that's been starved for receivers since what feels like the NFL-AFL merger. Regardless, he's Lamar Jackson's go-to guy outside of Mark Andrews, and he should be rewarded as such with a place in our lineup. Baltimore is ramping up the passing game, and for a guy that has 15 targets through two weeks as a rookie, we like his chances to continue producing, especially with Odell Beckham Jr. (ankle) hurting and uncertainty behind him on the depth chart.
WR Michael Thomas, Saints @ Packers ($5,800). Old habits die hard for Derek Carr. Thomas has been a popular contributor through two weeks for New Orleans, ramping up to nine targets in Week 2. Chris Olave might still be WR1, but Thomas’ size makes him a favorite of Carr’s. Couple that with a Jaire Alexander matchup awaiting Olave in Green Bay, and you have a recipe for a vintage Thomas performance on the not-so frozen tundra.
WEEK 3 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
TE T.J. Hockensen, Vikings vs. Chargers ($7,500). We can't craft a lineup for the week and not have some exposure on the Vikings or Chargers in Week 3's most exciting matchup. Hockensen is currently TE1 in the Minnesota offense that relies mostly on the arm of Kirk Cousins. He's been targeted at least eight times in both games, scoring twice. Now with a matchup against this nonexistent Chargers defense, he might set some records in a game that features two offenses playing against the air.
FLEX RB Alexander Mattison, Vikings vs. Chargers ($6,300). Mattison has not been playing as advertised. It's similar to the restaurant commercials in that the ad is always more enticing than the final product. However, if there was ever a chance for Mattison to perform, it would be this week. He's been a rushing and receiving threat playing behind Dalvin Cook for years and now only has to compete with Ty Chandler for work. It's now or never for Mattison, who could lose his RB1 role with another clunker. After receiving countless threats following a bad performance in Week 2, we expect the Vikings to help rebuild his confidence as he turns in a good showing on Sunday.
DEF Cleveland Browns vs. Titans ($4,300). Cleveland just lost Nick Chubb for the season and has an offense that should come with a warning before young fans start turning to other sports. Luckily for them, the Titans are on the other side this week, making for arguably the ugliest football game of the week. The Browns defense remains solid, however, thanks to a dominant pass rush. They might have to score points themselves if this team is going to stay afloat. On the bright side, Ryan Tannehill is no stranger to giving the ball away. Cleveland cracks the lineup as a great option that also fits into the budget.
Best SuperDraft NFL DFS Picks for Week 3
This year, we're also listing our favorite single-game DFS plays on SuperDraft.
For those unfamiliar, SuperDraft's DFS scoring involves point multipliers as opposed to traditional salary-capped or tiered contests. A winning lineup will likely feature a strong mix of stud fantasy contributors with 1x-1.6x boosts, as well as matchup-based sleepers with larger multipliers. Each player is assigned a scoring multiplier based on their value as determined by SuperDraft. Users can roster any player in their lineup with no restrictions.
MORE: Win BIG with SuperDraft! Get a free $10 deposit when you use promo code "TSN"!
Here are the most notable scoring rules for SuperDraft NFL contests: Half-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, two-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards.
MORE SUPERDRAFT DFS: How to play SuperDraft
- QB: Kirk Cousins, Vikings (Multiplier 1.15x)
- RB: Kenneth Walker, Seahawks (Multiplier 1.25x)
- RB: Joshua Kelley, Chargers (Multiplier 1.3x)
- WR: Keenan Allen, Chargers (Multiplier 1.15x)
- WR: Justin Jefferson, Vikings (Multiplier 1x)
- WR: DJ Moore, Bears (Multiplier 1.35x)
- TE: Hunter Henry, Patriots (Multiplier 1.5x)
- FLEX: Raheem Mostert, Dolphins (Multiplier 1.25x)
It seems obvious at this point, but we love this Chargers vs. Vikings battle in Minnesota. In order to get as much exposure as possible, we are taking two players from each team to enjoy a salary cap-less society on SuperDraft. Outside of that, we like Walker against a poor rushing defense from the Panthers, Mostert to run all over the Broncos, and Henry and Moore to turn in productive days as their team's top options in the passing game.
