DraftKings' Arena Football League (AFL) contests are back in Week 3 with a full three-game slate. RotoWire will be providing lineup suggestions for each of the 12 weeks of the AFL regular season, the two weeks of the playoffs and the ArenaBowl.
DraftKings AFL lineups consist of one Captain spot, which sees the player's salary and fantasy points both multiply at a rate of 1.5x, and five Flex positions. The lack of positional specifications means that one could potentially compose a lineup consisting of players from just one position. However, for our purposes, we'll strive to highlight players from at least the top two fantasy-producing positions, quarterback and wide receiver.
Note: Please keep in mind that these are merely recommendations on certain players and are not intended to constitute a lineup that fits under DraftKings' $50,000 salary cap. In fact, the cumulative salary of the players suggested weekly will often check in well over that figure.
For a full overview of the basics of playing AFL DFS contests on DraftKings, review our DFS 101 primer here: https://www.rotowire.com/arena/article.php?id=45291
Week 3 AFL Plays
Captain: Tommy Grady, QB, ALB at PHL ($13,200):
Grady is already giving opposing secondaries fits in the new season, racking up nine touchdowns against just two interceptions. That follows a whopping 81-touchdown tally in 2018, making Grady one of the highest-upside fantasy options in the AFL. The jumbo-sized signal-caller thus makes for an excellent call at the Captain spot week to week. Friday, he'll face a Soul defense that already yielded nine passing touchdowns over the first two games, along with the third-highest average yards per attempt. And, Philadelphia brings some firepower in its own right, so Grady is likely to remain aggressive for all four quarters.
Flex: Arvell Nelson, WAS vs. AC ($10,000):
Nelson isn't far behind Grady in terms of explosive quarterbacks on the Week 3 slate. Like Grady, Nelson already has nine touchdowns on the board in the new season, and he's added three more scores on the ground. The 30-year-old has put up 49.7 and 31.7 fantasy points over his first pair of contests, and he'll be in good position to churn out similar production in Week 3 against the Blackjacks. Atlantic City has some solid numbers in certain pass defense categories, but they have yet to be tested by the AFL's elite after facing Philadelphia and Columbus in the first two weeks. Given the array of weapons at his disposal and the Valor's typically aggressive attack, Nelson makes for an attractive Week 3 play.
Flex: Fabian Guerra, WR, CLB at BAL ($8,200):
Guerra made a splash in his 2019 debut, logging a trio of touchdown receptions. He'll have a good chance to put together a strong follow-up performance versus a Brigade defense that's been highly susceptible to the pass thus far this season. Baltimore checks into Week 3 allowing an AFL-high 312.0 passing yards per contest and 13 touchdowns. They're yielding a robust 8.5 yards per attempt as well, the second-highest figure in the league. What's more, the Brigade has surrendered a league-high 30 passing first downs, a particularly relevant stat when considering a receiver as adept at moving the chains as Guerra has traditionally been. Baltimore is also yielding the second-highest red-zone success rate (83.3 percent) in the AFL, with all four touchdowns they've given up in that part of the field coming through the air.
Flex: Dan Raudabaugh, QB, PHL vs. ALB ($8,000):
Snagging a solid AFL quarterback at Raudabaugh's price is always advisable. The veteran has opened the season with a 7:2 TD:INT through the first two weeks, and his extensive resume corroborates he's capable of some explosive numbers. Raudabaugh boasts three separate triple-digit touchdown seasons, and he posted a sparkling 36:6 TD:INT and a career-high 69.4 percent completion rate during the '18 campaign. The Empire defense has admittedly been among the toughest in the league over the first two games, but they caught a sizable break in Week 1 when they faced a Columbus squad with upheaval at the quarterback position. Raudabaugh and a solid group of pass catchers spearheaded by Darius Prince and Aaron Wascha should give them a stringent test, and the quarterback's price is such that a 2.5-3x return is certainly feasible.
Flex: Shane Boyd, QB, BAL vs. CLB ($7,600):
Boyd surprisingly checks in even cheaper than Raudabaugh despite posting a league-high 10 touchdowns and just one interception through the first two games. The Brigade's veteran signal caller boasts an AFL-best 122.8 quarterback rating and 8.2 yards per attempt. Meanwhile, the Destroyers have yielded an AFL-high 75.0 percent completion rate and have yet to take down an opposing quarterback through two games. Boyd could be down Joe Hills (undisclosed) in Week 3, but he does have an impressive collection of reinforcements that includes Milton Williams, Brandon Thompkins and Brandon Collins to help him pay off a very reasonable price.
Flex: Demetres Stephens, WR, ALB at PHL ($4,600):
There are a number of appealing prospects if you need to go cheap in at least one roster spot, including Milton Williams ($6,400), Jenson Stoshak ($6,200) and Paul Revis ($4,800). However, Stephens checks in cheaper than all of them and has tallied an impressive 11 receptions through the first two games. Stephens has the benefit of playing with a prolific quarterback in Grady as well, and as mentioned previously, the Soul has already surrendered nine touchdowns through the air. Given Stephens' extremely modest price and degree of involvement in the offense thus far, Stephens could serve as one of the more rewarding value plays of the week.
