After a brutal Week 2 full of injuries, daily fantasy football is heading into Week 3 with some uncertainty. NFL DFS players have a larger sample size of data to work with, and with so many players set to miss time with various maladies, there are some potential value players available on the slate. Additionally, a couple of the top-priced RBs, Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley, are unavailable right now, so that means the price ceiling at the position is a bit lower. Our Week 3 DraftKings cash picks will try to sort through all of the latest injury news and buzz to create a winning lineup.
This week, our strategy was to pay up for some of the RBs who will be in good matchups this week, as the pricing for them wasn't too bad. After landing a few safe players there, we spent down at QB and TE and used a target-based approach to find some potential sleepers at receiver. The pricing made it easy to craft what looks like a quality lineup and we were able to land what is both a safe and underrated QB-WR stack in the process.
WEEK 3 DFS: Best stacks | Lineup Builder
DraftKings Week 3 Picks: NFL DFS cash lineup
QB Ryan Tannehill, Titans @ Vikings ($5,900). Since taking over the Titans' quarterback job, Tannehill has started 16 games including the playoffs. In all but two of those contests, he threw for at least two TDs (and in one of the two he didn't, he ran for a score). His TD upside gives him a very high floor, and the place to attack this Minnesota defense is at cornerback. This could be a high-quality day for Tannehill, and at a sub-$6k price tag, his inclusion here lets us spend up at other positions.
RB Jonathan Taylor, Colts vs. Jets ($7,000). With Marlon Mack (Achilles') out of the picture, Taylor handled 26 carries, cracked 101 yards, and scored his first NFL touchdown in Week 2. He should continue to get a lion's share of the work in the backfield and is playing against a Jets team that has allowed 31.7 DK fantasy points per game (FPPG) to RBs this season, good for seventh most in the league.
WEEK 3 DFS CASH LINEUPS: Yahoo | FanDuel
RB James Conner, Steelers vs. Texans ($6,700). It appears that Conner is back to being the Steelers' lead back, and he just racked up over 100 yards and a TD against the Broncos. Now, he'll face a Texans defense that has allowed 339 rushing yards to RBs, good for the third most in the NFL, and has allowed 198 rushing yards per game total. Since Ben Roethlisberger isn't likely to scramble much, Conner should have a good shot at 100-plus yards on the ground.
WR Tyler Boyd, Bengals @ Eagles ($5,900). With A.J. Green getting a tougher matchup with Darius Slay, Joe Burrow is going to need someone to throw to. Boyd makes sense, as he caught seven passes for 72 yards and a TD last week and should continue to rack up targets since Burrow loves throwing over the middle of the field. The middle of the field is the Eagles' weakness, so this could be a big game for Boyd.
WEEK 3 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: Yahoo | DraftKings | FanDuel
WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys @ Seahawks ($5,400). So far this year, the Seahawks have allowed the most DraftKings FPPG to WRs at a whopping 73.5 per game. They have allowed 50 catches and 731 yards, both league highs, to the position. The Cowboys will look to throw often against the Seahawks and Lamb should be Prescott's second-favorite target after Amari Cooper. Lamb racked up six catches for 106 yards last week yet is still underpriced given his ceiling.
WR Corey Davis, Titans @ Vikings ($5,200). We want to stack a receiver with Tannehill, and with A.J. Brown out because of a knee injury, Davis is the way to go. Davis has at least 12.6 DK points in each of his first two outings and should get a chance to catch quite a few passes if the Titans attack the true weakness of the Minnesota defense, cornerback. The Vikings have allowed 54.6 DK FPPG to receivers this year, second to only the Seahawks.
WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
TE Logan Thomas, Washington @ Browns ($3,600). In two games this season, Thomas has racked up 17 targets and has been Dwayne Haskins' favorite target outside of Terry McLaurin. The Browns have allowed the second-most DK FPPG to TEs this season and just let the duo of C.J. Uzomah and Drew Sample rack up points on them. Thomas is a good value play and his target share should give him a high ceiling.
FLEX Kenyan Drake, Cardinals vs. Lions ($6,000). The Lions have allowed the second-most rushing yards to RBs this season and were just completely gashed by Aaron Jones for 45.6 DK points. Drake hasn't been great to start the season, but he has gotten 36 carries compared to Chase Edmonds' nine and has been in difficult matchups against the tough front lines of San Francisco and Washington. He should be consistent and will be a steal at this price.
WEEK 3 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
D/ST Indianapolis Colts vs. Jets ($4,100). Despite dealing with countless defensive injuries, the 49ers defense just limited the Jets offense to 13 points. Considering that the Colts just forced Kirk Cousins into three interceptions, sacked him three times, and allowed only 11 points in total to the Vikings, they should have an excellent day at home against the Jets.
