We are finally gaining clarity about who players are now, as we enter Week Three of the NFL season. One player who is clearly a stellar option for DFS lineups is Mark Andrews. Andrews has performed even better than expected in his first two games of the season, and he is a great option for daily lineups again this week. Find out who else should be locked into your DFS lineups in Week Three.
[Player pricing and data via Draft Kings]
Core Daily Fantasy Plays for Week Three NFL- Play Mark Andrews
Week 3 DFS Quarterbacks
Patrick Mahomes $7,600
This one is pretty self-explanatory. Mahomes is the best quarterback in fantasy football. He will face a tough Baltimore Ravens defense this week, but it doesn’t matter. We just play Mahomes and find savings elsewhere. However, one tricky thing about playing Mahomes is figuring out who to pair him within a stack. If you play multiple lineups, it’s worth building a few different variations of lineups with combinations of Mahomes and two KC pass-catchers in them. You can add a Ravens player or two in there also.
Lamar Jackson $7,000
Jackson has been incredible to start the season. He is the second-best quarterback in fantasy football and is worth playing in any matchup. This week he will face the Kansas City Chiefs in a game with the highest Vegas point-total on the slate. The consensus line on the game, according to vegasinsider.com O/U (54.5) Chiefs (-6.5). Even though the Chiefs are favored, Jackson is still a solid option for DFS. Another positive for using Jackson in DFS lineups, his stacking partners for GPP lineups are a bit more obvious. Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews have been his favorite targets to this point.
Kyler Murray $5,800 (GPP play)
Mahomes and Jackson will be the absolute chalk quarterbacks. If you are looking for a high upside quarterback with much lower ownership, Murray is a good option. He has looked great in his first two games, averaging 328.5 yards passing and one touchdown per game. According to teamrankings.com the Arizona Cardinals offense has averaged 68 plays run per game. The Cardinals are spreading the offense out and letting Murray carve up defenses. Pairing Murray with his top two receivers makes for an intriguing GPP stack and a nice pivot off the chalk.
The Cardinals offense will be a good source for fantasy points this season and great place to look for values in DFS.
Kyler Murray through two games-
54/94, 657 yards and 2 TD’s passing
Only 6/17/0 rushing https://t.co/uf4IlSZfnk
— It’s Me🌎 (@ffps_pat) September 16, 2019
[Stats via Pro Football Reference]
Week Three DFS Running Backs
Ezekiel Elliott $8,900
The Cowboys are 21.5 point favorites in their matchup against the Miami Dolphins this week. Elliott looked great last week, in his first full game of action. Don’t overthink this play. Zeke is going to eat Sunday. He’s a plug-and-play cash option and even worth playing at high ownership in GPPs. Zeke should easily surpass the 100-yard mark and give you the 3-point DK bonus. A couple of touchdowns seem inevitable.
Christian McCaffrey $8,700 (GPP play)
There will be some uncertainty surrounding McCaffrey this week with the concerns about Cam Newton and his foot. We can use this to our advantage in GPPs. McCaffrey is coming off a tough Thursday game against the in-division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers- he has historically struggled when facing them. Because of the down game and uncertainty surrounding Newton, CMac’s ownership should be lower than usual. McCaffrey should continue to see heavy usage and is an excellent pivot option. Plus, we get him at his lowest price tag of the season.
Dalvin Cook $7,800
Cook has been on fire to start the season. Through two games, Cook has amassed 265 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries. He has also seen five passing targets and caught all five for 46 yards. His opponent this week, the Oakland Raiders, rank 12th in rushing yards allowed and 17th in points allowed. However, Cook has been getting bell-cow usage and making the most of his touches. He is a high-upside option for DFS lineups. The one worry with Cook is what his floor will be. His lack of usage in the passing game gives him a lower floor than some of the other running backs on the list.
Austin Ekeler $7,200
Ekeler is a PPR machine and a perfect fit for Draft Kings full PPR scoring. Through two weeks, Ekeler is averaging 31.85 DK points per game. While that average is bound to drop, Ekeler’s usage in both the run and passing game make him a viable option. Ekeler gets the Houston Texans this week, a matchup he should be able to take advantage of given his usage. The line on the Texans at Los Angeles Chargers- O/U (47.5) Chargers (-3)
Week 3 DFS Wide Receivers
Keenan Allen $7,000
Allen (25 targets) has been the second-most targeted receiver in the NFL through two games, behind only Michael Thomas (26). With Hunter Henry and Melvin Gordon both out of the Chargers lineup, Allen should continue to be heavily relied upon by Philip Rivers. Allen is an especially good option in full PPR formats like Draft Kings.
Only two receivers have seen over half of their team's air yards in the first two games of the season:
– Keenan Allen (54% of LAC air yards)
– Terry McLaurin (50%)— Graham Barfield (@GrahamBarfield) September 16, 2019
Antonio Brown $7,100
Love him or hate him, AB is still one of the best wide receivers in the game. He is now catching passes from arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. Last week, after only a limited number of practices, Brown caught four of eight passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. Now, with another week of familiarity in the New England offense, he is even more of a threat to go off. We all saw what Odell Beckham did to the Jets on Monday night. AB could be the next WR1 to exploit their secondary. As long as he is allowed to play by the NFL and continues to be priced right, he is worth playing in DFS.
Kenny Golladay $6,800 (GPP play)
Golladay gets a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday. A team that ranks 30th in points allowed to receivers. The Eagles coverage has been porous dating back to last season, and nothing has changed. Fire up Golladay in a prime-receiver matchup this week.
Larry Fitzgerald $5,100
Fitz can be used individually as a cash play, or in a GPP stack with Murray. The veteran has looked rejuvenated while playing with the rookie signal-caller. Through two games, Fitz has been targeted 24 times and has back to back 100-yard games. $5,100 seems like a steal for someone with that kind of target volume and production.
Week 3 DFS Tight Ends Featuring Mark Andrews
Zach Ertz $5,700
Everyone will be on Travis Kelce ($7,100) this week. Kelce is a good option if you can fit him in your cash lineup or a GPP-stack with Mahomes. However, Ertz is $1,400 cheaper and will be much lower-owned in DFS. If you are looking for a pivot off of the chalky tight ends, Ertz is an excellent option. The Philadelphia Eagles are dealing with multiple injuries at the top of their wide receiver depth chart, which also adds to Ertz’s appeal. As of writing this article, both Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson look as if they will miss this weeks game. If that is the case, Ertz will likely see a ton of targets, making him a viable option.
Evan Engram $5,200 (GPP play)
Engram and Saquon Barkley are the only legitimate offensive weapons on the New York Giants. Engram is a big target in the middle of the field and a nice safety-valve for rookie signal-caller Daniel Jones. Look for Engram to be heavily targeted by Jones on Sunday. Making him a good option for DFS lineups. He’s a nice GPP pivot off of the chalky tight ends in the Chiefs–Ravens game.
Mark Andrews this season:
17 targets
16 receptions
220 yards
2 TDs— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) September 15, 2019
Mark Andrews $4,600
Mark Andrews is the leading fantasy scorer at the tight end position. He has been a beast through the first couple of games, and his pricing has yet to catch up. Take advantage of the discount on Andrews and plug him in your lineup. He is a solid cash game option this week. In GPPs, stack him with Jackson to capitalize on their correlation.
Week 3 DFS Defenses
Dallas Cowboys $4,300
The Cowboys face the tanking-for-Tua Dolphins this week who have given up an average 25 DK points per game to opposing defenses. The price is steep, but the upside is too. I like the idea of stacking the Dallas D with Zeke in DFS lineups.
Patriots $3,800
The Patriots defense looks unbeatable thus far. They have only given up three points through two games. They have a nice matchup against a struggling N.Y. Jets team on Sunday. The Patriots are more than 20-point favorites for the second straight game. It also helps that the Jets will be playing the game with their third-string quarterback.
49ers $3,200
The 49ers defense has come alive in the early stages of the 2019 season. Through two games the 9ers defense averages 17 DK points per game. This week the 0-2 Pittsburgh Steelers come to town. They will be starting their backup quarterback Mason Rudolph. Rudolph is a bit of a wild-card but the 49ers D has been stout, only giving up 17 points per game. The stifling defense in San Fran should be able to rattle the cage of Rudolph and create some turnovers. They make for a nice GPP-pivot off the top two options this week.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
