DraftKings NFL: Week 3 DFS Breakdown

This article is part of our DraftKings NFL series.

Sunday's Week 3 slate includes 12 games and features Lions-Cardinals and Eagles-Saints as the highest-total games. The 49ers are without Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel for a prime matchup against the Rams and that means Jordan Mason and Brandon Aiyuk will be chalky. Injuries to Joe Mixon and Kenneth Walker open more value at RB while a slew of WRs in the $6K range are underpriced. The nice thing about weeks like this is that it's relatively easy to differentiate, which is the name of the game for GPPs. There are plenty of good options at every position going overlooked. I highlighted some of my favorite ideas in this article. Good Luck.

Note: All prices listed come from DraftKings, but most of the logic can be applied to other sites across the DFS industry. Discussion is limited to players from the "main slate" of games kicking off at 1 p.m., 4:05 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. EDT on Sunday. The strategy below is meant for large-field tournaments, where payouts typically are limited to ~20 percent of lineups, with the majority concentrated at the very top.

The Games

Point-Per-Dollar Value

These are the players with the best projections relative to their salaries — good plays both for cash games and large-field tournaments. While we don't want our GPP lineups to look like cash-game lineups top to bottom, there's nothing wrong with using a few chalky plays. 

• RB Jordan Mason at LAR ($6,200)

Get ready for another week of Jordan Mason chalk. I was hoping DraftKings would price him at $7K, but it didn't and now he projects as the best value at RB for the second straight week. He'll be looking for his third consecutive 100-yard game gets the perfect matchup against a Rams defense that's arguably the worst in football after the loss of Aaron Donald. Mason has handled 48 of the 49 running back touches and doesn't have to compete with Deebo Samuel for goal-line carries this week either. 

• WR Brandon Aiyuk at LAR ($6,200)

Deebo Samuel has already been ruled out while George Kittle is doubtful. I just mentioned how bad the Rams defense has been. We just saw Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison do whatever they wanted. Without Samuel and McCaffrey to compete with for targets, Aiyuk should see a lion's share and as a result, projects as great value with big upside. Him and Mason will be the first two players in my cash-game lineup. 

Other Cash-Game Options

QB Jalen Hurts at NO ($7,300)

QB Kyler Murray vs. DET ($6,900)

QB Geno Smith vs. MIA ($5,600)

QB Deshaun Watson vs. NYG ($5,500)

RB Alvin Kamara vs. PHI ($7,500)

RB De'Von Achane at SEA ($7,000)

RB Jordan Mason at LAR ($6,200)

RB Zach Charbonnet vs. MIA ($6,000)

RB Cam Akers at MIN ($4,700)

WR Nico Collins at MIN ($7,300)

WR DeVonta Smith at NO ($6,900)

WR Chris Godwin vs. DEN ($6,500)

WR Malik Nabers at CLE ($6,400)

WR DK Metcalf vs. MIA ($6,300)

WR Chris Olave vs. PHI ($6,300)

WR Brandon Aiyuk at LAR ($6,200)

WR Tank Dell at MIN ($5,200)

TE Brock Bowers vs. CAR ($5,400)

TE Jake Ferguson vs. BAL ($4,500)

TE Johnny Mundt vs. HOU ($3,100)

D/ST Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. DEN ($3,000)

D/ST Tennessee Titans vs. GB ($2,700), if Jordan Love is out

Passing-Game Stacks

Stacks are the centerpiece of most tournament lineups, seeking to take advantage of positive correlations between players. It rarely makes sense to use a quarterback without one or two of his pass catchers, even if the player in question scores a decent portion of his fantasy points with his legs. Ideally, a stack also includes a pass catcher from the other side of the game, hoping to take advantage of a back-and-forth shootout. (Implied team totals are listed in parentheses.)

Detroit Lions (27.75) at Arizona Cardinals (24.75)

LIONS

The highest-total game of the week is an obvious target for stacks as both teams have good tournament options at every position. Jared Goff ($6,500) and Lions have underwhelmed through two games but this should be a get right spot against a weak Cardinals defense. Detroit has the second-ranked OL in the league while Arizona's DL ranks 31st. Jahmyr Gibbs ($6,800) out-snapped David Montgomery ($6,100) 53-30 last week. That was partially due to a trailing game-script but Gibbs is clearly the RB with more upside, evidenced by his 11 catches on 13 targets through two games. Amon-Ra St. Brown ($8,200) drew a whopping 19 targets last week, catching 11 for 119 yards. He won't be overly popular this week with people expected to live in the mid-range. Jameson Williams ($5,800) looked healthy as he caught five of 11 targets for 79 yards and heads into Sunday without an injury designation. He's looked a completely different player this season, liable to break a long touchdown every time he touches it. I'll have a tough time rostering Sam LaPorta ($6,000) until his salary comes down. He's coming off two catches for 13 yards last week after four for 45 in Week 1. He's drawn just eight targets with St. Brown, Williams and Gibbs ahead in the pecking order. 

CARDINALS

Kyler Murray ($6,900) was essentially flawless in last week's destruction of the Rams. He finished with a perfect passer-rating after going 17-of-21 for 266 yards and three touchdowns. He also topped 50 rushing yards for the second consecutive game. Marvin Harrison ($7,400) shook off concerns about his explosiveness by catching four balls for 130 yards and two TDs in the first quarter last week. Murray looked his way a few times for the third TD but it wasn't to be. Nonetheless, it was nice to see Harrison announce himself. Trey McBride ($6,200) caught six for 67 yards and scored on a fumble recovery. He will go overlooked this week as people try to save salary at TE and that makes him good leverage for GPPs. James Conner ($6,600) continues to impress after rushing for 122 yards and a score last week. He's also a nice leverage option as he'll hardly be popular at all with chalk priced above and below him. 

• Favorite Lions Stack: QB Goff + WR St. Brown and/or WR Williams + TE McBride or RB Conner
• Favorite Cardinals Stack: QB Murray + WR Harrison or TE McBride + WR Williams or RB Gibbs

Philadelphia Eagles (23.5) at New Orleans Saints (25)

EAGLES

It's hard to believe Philadelphia is an underdog against New Orleans, but that says more about the Saints impressive start than it does anything negative about the Eagles. The likely absence of A.J. Brown certainly doesn't help but it does make things easier from a DFS standpoint. It means that DeVonta Smith ($6,900) gets another game as the No. 1 WR. He caught seven of 10 targets for 76 yards and a touchdown in that role last week and still isn't priced accordingly. Jalen Hurts ($7,300) was especially impressive with his legs on Monday night, rushing for 85 yards on 13 carries. He looks fully healthy after being hampered by injuries for most of last season. For me, stacking the Eagles is as simple as pairing Hurts with Smith, but if you're trying to differentiate more, Dallas Goedert ($4,600) is viable so long as Brown is out. Goedert has topped 50 yards just once in his last 10 games but there's a better chance he sees a bigger role with Brown not there to eat up targets. Saquon Barkley ($7,700) has had 26 touches in each of his first two games as an Eagle and turned them into 36.2 and 17.6 DK points. He makes most sense as a leverage option off of Hurts, but it's also fine to pair them together given Barkley's usage in the passing-game. 

SAINTS

New Orleans has been the surprise story of the season after hanging 47 points on Carolina in Week 1 and 44 in Dallas last week. The Saints scored in a variety of ways, but no one has contributed more than the resurgent Alvin Kamara ($7,500). He's coming off of 180 scrimmage yards and four TDs as the Cowboys had no answers for him. The matchup against Philadelphia looks to be a favorable one after the Eagles were gashed on the ground Monday night by Bijan Robinson and Co. Derek Carr ($5,800) is playing the best football of his career and makes for an interesting leverage play with other cheap QBs expected to be popular. He's put up 20-plus DK points in each game without hitting 300-yard bonus. Chris Olave ($6,300) has yet to join the party but did catch four passes for 81 yards last week. He's been unlucky not to score more touchdowns over the last year, but I expect that to change. Rashid Shaheed ($5,300) has established himself as a bonafide deep threat after catching touchdowns of 59 and 70 yards in consecutive weeks. Taysom Hill ($3,800) has been banged up and not as involved as expected. That could change at some but for now it has me prioritizing the other skill players. 

• Favorite Eagles Stack: QB Hurts + WR Smith + WR Olave or WR Shaheed +/- RB Kamara
• Favorite Saints Stack: QB Carr + WR Olave + WR Shaheed + WR Smith
• Favorite Saints Stack 2: RB Kamara + WR Olave or WR Shaheed + WR Smith

Other Stacks to Consider

QB Lamar Jackson + WR CeeDee Lamb + WR Zay Flowers or TE Mark Andrews

QB C.J. Stroud + RB Aaron Jones + WR Tank Dell and/or WR Nico Collins

QB Dak Prescott + WR CeeDee Lamb + WR Zay Flowers +/- TE Jake Ferguson

QB Brock Purdy + RB Kyren Williams + WR Brandon Aiyuk and/or TE George Kittle

QB Brock Purdy + WR Brandon Aiyuk + WR Jauan Jennings + TE Colby Parkinson

QB Brock Purdy + WR Brandon Aiyuk + WR Demarcus Robinson/WR Tyler Johnson +/- TE George Kittle

QB Geno Smith + RB De'Von Achane + WR DK Metcalf and/or WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

QB Sam Darnold + WR Justin Jefferson + WR Tank Dell +/- TE Johnny Mundt or WR Jalen Nailor

QB Deshaun Watson + WR Amari Cooper + WR Malik Nabers

High-Priced Heroes

• RB De'Von Achane at SEA ($7,000)

With Tua Tagovailoa on IR and Raheem Mostert not expected to play, the onus will be on Achane to carry the Dolphins' offense. He's had seven catches in each of the first two games, and I expect backup QB Skylar Thompson to look his way as often as possible for higher percentage completions. Another selling point is that Achane is likely to be less than half as popular as Alvin Kamara and would be nice leverage if he can outscore him. 

• WR Justin Jefferson vs. HOU ($8,600)

With so many stellar options in the $6K range, rostering an expensive WR will be contrarian this week and thus a good spot to gain some leverage. Jefferson has declared himself fully healthy after leaving last week's game with a quad injury. The Vikings have a tough matchup with the Texans, who are especially stout against the run. With T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison sidelined, it will be up to Jefferson and the rivitalized Sam Darnold put up points and they've proved more than capable in the first two weeks. 

Fading the Field

Every week we see at least one or two players who are popular without the backing of a top point-per-dollar projection. In some cases it even makes sense to fade a player with a strong projection, particularly when there are good alternatives at the same position and price range.

• WR DK Metcalf vs. MIA ($6,300)

In general, I really like DK Metcalf as a receiver and I'm well over on him in season long/best ball. However, in this specific matchup against the Dolphins, he'll probably see near-shadow coverage from star CB Jalen Ramsey. I also worry that Miami will have a tough time pushing Seattle without Tagovailoa and both those factors lower Metcalf's ceiling. On top of that, the $6K range is loaded and I prefer the likes of Aiyuk, Godwin, Nabers and Olave this week. 

The Smash Spot

(Players in favorable spots to significantly outperform their salary.)

• WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs. MIA ($5,400)

When Kenneth Walker doesn't play, Seattle becomes a pass-first offense. We just saw Geno Smith throw for 327 yards in New England last week and I wouldn't be surprised to see him do it again with Walker expected to miss another week. I just mentioned that DK Metcalf has a difficult matchup with Jalen Ramsey, but that should free up Smith-Njigba to build on what he a week ago when he caught 12 of 16 targets for 117 yards. He'll also be less than 10 percent owned this week, making him great leverage for tournaments. 

Honorable Mentions: WR Tank Dell ($5,200)

The Bargain Bin

QB Brock Purdy at LAR ($6,000)

QB Derek Carr vs. PHI ($5,800)

QB Geno Smith vs. MIA ($5,600)

QB Deshaun Watson vs. NYG ($5,500)

QB Sam Darnold vs. HOU ($5,500)

QB Justin Fields vs. LAC ($5,400)

RB Cam Akers at MIN ($4,700)

WR Demarcus Robinson vs. SF ($5,000)

WR Diontae Johnson at LV ($4,900)

WR Jalen Nailor vs. HOU ($4,400)

WR Rome Odunze at IND ($4,200)

WR Jauan Jennings at LAR ($4,100)

TE Johnny Mundt vs. HOU ($3,100)

TE Greg Dulcich at TB ($2,900)

TE Eric Saubert at LAR ($2,500), if George Kittle is out

Injuries to Monitor

• RB Joe Mixon at MIN

Mixons is doubtful due to an ankle injury. Should he miss, Cam Akers ($4,700) would project as one of the best value on the board given his bargain price tag. 

• TE George Kittle at LAR 

Kittle missed practice all week due to a hamstring injury and is doubtful. If he's unable to go, Eric Saubert ($2,500) would be a viable value option at TE given that the 49ers are already without another top pass-catcher in Deebo Samuel. 

• RB Kenneth Walker vs. MIA

Walker is doubtful and likely to miss a second straight game. If that's the case, Zach Charbonnet ($6,000) would project among the top RBs and be viable in every format. 

Weather

Nothing to worry about this week.