This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
The Week 3 NFL main slate begins Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EDT and features 13 games. Bye weeks have yet to begin, but the Thursday Night Football (Steelers-Browns), Sunday Night Football (49ers-Broncos) and Monday Night Football (Cowboys-Giants) participants are excluded from this slate. Yahoo will be running plenty of NFL DFS contests for Week 3, but the biggest is the Sunday Baller, which pays out a guaranteed prize pool of $300,000 to the top 4,722 finishers, including $50,000 to the winner. You can submit up to 150 entries into this contest, which has a maximum total capacity of 23,540 entries but will still run if it doesn't fill, potentially providing you with enhanced odds of winning, also known as overlay.
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared towards head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two, while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers. Your NFL $300k Sunday Baller lineup will consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit. Suggested plays for Week 3 include a pair of promising rookies and slow-starting stars at running back and tight end.
QUARTERBACK
Marcus Mariota, ATL at SEA ($24): Mariota has been quietly effective through two games, averaging 17.6 fantasy points per game thanks in large part to 88 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The mobile quarterback should continue to play a key role with both his arm and his legs for a Falcons offense that has a couple of promising young receiving weapons in Drake London and Kyle Pitts but little in the way of talent at running back. Seattle's 12th man presents a daunting challenge, but the Seahawks have an exploitable secondary that allowed Russell Wilson to pile up 340 passing yards in Week 1. The 49ers didn't have to pass much against the Seahawks in Week 2 because they were playing with a lead all afternoon, but Atlanta's unlikely to have the same luxury as a modest road underdog.
Honorable Mentions:
Justin Herbert, LAC vs. JAX ($40), Josh Allen, BUF at MIA ($38); Jalen Hurts, PHI at WAS ($34)
Against the Grainers:
Carson Wentz, WAS vs. PHI ($28); Tua Tagovailoa, MIA vs. BUF ($27); Joe Flacco, NYJ vs. CIN ($23)
RUNNING BACK
Dameon Pierce, HOU at CHI ($15): After playing just 29 percent of Houston's offensive snaps in Week 1, Pierce saw his usage bump up to 62 percent in Week 2. He turned 15 carries and one catch into 77 scrimmage yards against a stout Broncos front, and the rookie running back could be ready for a true breakout game as the focal point of a Houston offense bereft of playmakers besides Pierce and Brandin Cooks ($16). Running room shouldn't be hard to find against a Chicago defense that's been gashed for a league-high 379 yards on the ground through two games.
Derrick Henry, TEN vs. LV ($35): Few will dare to pay up for Henry given his slow start, but those who give up too early on the former 2,000-yard rusher could come to regret it here. Tennessee was embarrassed in prime time by the Bills on Monday, so look for last year's No. 1 seed in the AFC to respond by getting back to the basics and re-establishing its run-first identity. Henry got into the end zone last week before the wheels came off Tennessee's offense, and the Titans can't afford to try to preserve Henry for later with a potential 0-3 start staring them in the face. The 28-year-old power back has totaled only 34 carries through two games but is capable of handling a much larger workload -- he racked up 28-plus rushing attempts in six of his last seven games prior to getting hurt last season.
Honorable Mentions:
Austin Ekeler, LAC vs. JAX ($26); David Montgomery, CHI vs. HOU ($18); Joe Mixon, CIN at NYJ ($29)
Against the Grainers:
James Conner, ARI vs. LAR ($25); Aaron Jones, GB at TB ($20); Rashaad Penny, SEA vs. ATL ($18)
WIDE RECEIVER
Justin Jefferson, MIN vs. DET ($38): Jefferson was neutralized by standout Eagles cornerback Darius Slay on Monday, but the star wide receiver has a nice opportunity to bounce back here with a performance closer to his season-opening masterpiece against the Packers (nine catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns). Over his last three meetings with Detroit, Jefferson has caught 27 of 34 targets for 439 yards and one touchdown, topping 120 yards in each game. This year's Lions secondary doesn't seem any stingier, having already allowed 380 yards to wide receivers -- tied for eighth-most in the league.
Mike Williams, LAC vs. JAX ($26): Williams was surprisingly quiet in the season opener but played a featured role in Week 2 with Keenan Allen sidelined by a hamstring injury, catching eight of 10 targets for 113 yards and a touchdown. Even if Allen's cleared to play, Williams should continue to see plenty of downfield volume from star quarterback Justin Herbert against a Jaguars defense that allowed four touchdowns to Washington's wide receivers before keeping in check a Colts receiving corps headlined by Ashton Dulin in Michael Pittman's (quadriceps) absence. Williams thrived alongside Allen en route to 1,146 receiving yards and nine touchdowns last season, and the boom-or-bust nature of Williams' downfield playmaking style gives him the high ceiling GPP contestants crave.
Garrett Wilson, NYJ vs. CIN ($15): Ja'Marr Chase took the league by storm as a rookie last season for Cincinnati, and the 2021 fifth overall pick's ascent to stardom started early, as Chase totaled seven catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns through two games. Now, the Bengals will get a first-hand look at Wilson, who may well be this year's version of Chase. The 10th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft is off to a strikingly similar start, having already racked up 12 catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Given the elite mix of separation and ball skills Wilson has displayed to begin his career, he's unlikely to be available for just $15 much longer.
Honorable Mentions:
A.J. Brown, PHI at WAS ($28); DK Metcalf, SEA vs. ATL ($19); Drake London, ATL at SEA ($17)
Against the Grainers:
Jaylen Waddle, MIA vs. BUF ($25); Christian Kirk, JAX at LAC ($18); Darnell Mooney, CHI vs. HOU ($14)
TIGHT END
Kyle Pitts, ATL at SEA ($20): Pitts has been a major bust through two games in 2022, but like Henry in Tennessee, he's too talented not to produce a breakout game soon. After being selected fourth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Pitts proceeded to top 1,000 yards as a rookie while seeing significant action at both tight end and wide receiver. Atlanta will almost certainly make a concerted effort to get Pitts more involved after the Rams and Saints each held him to two catches for 19 yards, and this matchup with a Seattle defense that has much less talent than LA and New Orleans presents a potential buy-low opportunity on the second-year pass-catcher, especially if you also plan to use Mariota in an Atlanta stack.
Honorable Mentions:
Travis Kelce, KC at IND ($33); Gerald Everett, LAC vs. JAX ($15); Zach Ertz, ARI vs. LAR ($15)
Against the Grainers:
Irv Smith, MIN vs. DET ($10); Mark Andrews, BAL at NE ($26); T.J. Hockenson, DET at MIN ($16)
DEFENSE
Chicago Bears, CHI vs. HOU ($17): It's possible for both Pierce and the Bears defense to deliver strong value in this game, as Houston's passing game has been brutal thus far and should stay that way on the road in Week 3. Texans quarterback Davis Mills has thrown for just 417 yards through two games, and while that might seem like a lot to Bears fans who have watched Justin Fields throw for only 191, Mills ranks outside the top 20 in passing yards and is actually well behind Fields in yards per attempt; Mills' 5.6 mark tops only Dak Prescott and Mitch Trubisky among starting quarterbacks. Mills has also been sacked three times in each of Houston's first two games, while Chicago's defense is off to a quietly strong start with five sacks, three forced turnovers and only 37 points allowed through two weeks.
Honorable Mentions:
Los Angeles Chargers, LAC vs. JAX ($18); New Orleans Saints, NO at CAR ($15); Kansas City Chiefs, KC at IND ($14)
Against the Grainers:
Buffalo Bills, BUF at MIA ($18), Tampa Bay Buccaneers, TB vs. GB ($17), Houston Texans, HOU at CHI ($16)
