Two weeks of the NFL season are in the books and the Jets have kicked off Week 3 with a victory over the Patriots on Thursday Night Football. The landscape of the league is beginning to take shape and there have already been some early surprises around the NFL.
The slate is loaded with 13 NFL games on Sunday with a doubleheader on Monday Night Football. Currently, nine teams remain undefeated with a 2-0 record while nine have yet to pick up their first win of the season. With eight games holding spreads of three points or fewer, Week 3 will be a crucial one in teams deciding how they stack up in the hierarchy of the NFL.
As you seek to maximize your DFS lineups, here’s a look at a few players who could have the inside track on outperforming their price point. Be sure to still get some superstars in your lineup, but here are some lower-budget names that could help you win your competitions!
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $3.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st]
Quarterbacks:
Derek Carr ($5,800)
The New Orleans Saints have been one of the biggest surprises to start the 2024 season. Headlined by Derek Carr, the offense has scored an NFL-best 91 points through the opening two weeks. Carr has completed 30 of his 39 pass attempts for 443 yards and five touchdowns so far this season. Currently, he is leading the NFL in passing touchdowns, touchdown percentage, yards per pass attempt, passer rating and QBR.
The Saints will now host an Eagles team that has shown some defensive concerns in the first two games. Currently, Philadelphia ranks 30th in yards allowed per game, 28th in passing yards allowed and 27th in points allowed. The Eagles have struggled to generate any sort of pass rush, tallying just three sacks so far this season. This is expected to be a high-scoring matchup and is a perfect spot for Carr to continue building off his successful start to the season. Entering the week as the 12th most expensive quarterback, expect the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback to outperform this price tag.
Gardner Minshew ($5,300)
The Las Vegas Raiders enter this matchup with a 1-1 record and have a great chance to pick up their second victory against the Carolina Panthers. Gardner Minshew has delivered so far for the franchise and is leading the NFL in completion percentage through two weeks. Overall he has produced 533 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns. From a fantasy football perspective, Minshew is averaging 13.4 fantasy points per game, which ranks 17th.
However, this is a great chance to use him in a plug-and-play week. Carolina is struggling greatly, so much so that it benched former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young just two games into his second season in the league. The Panthers have lost both games so far this season by a combined margin of 73-13. They rank dead last in the NFL in points allowed, 25th in yards and 27th in first downs allowed. Derek Carr opened the season against the Panthers, throwing for 443 yards and five touchdowns in the victory. He came third in production among fantasy quarterbacks in the victory.
Minshew may not crack the list of elite quarterback talent but he can deliver in this matchup. The Raiders have several legitimate weapons, including Davante Adams continuing to look like an All-Pro wide receiver and Brock Bowers making his case for the best tight end in the league. Count on Minshew to spread the ball around and for the team to have their most explosive offensive performance so far. Expect Minshew to be the beneficiary and outperform his price point of the 21st most expensive QB.
Running Backs
J.K. Dobbins ($6,400)
The resurgence of J.K. Dobbins has been one of the more positive storylines of the 2024 season. After tearing his Achilles in the opening game last year with the Ravens, Dobbins is back with a vengeance in a new location. The 25-year-old is leading the NFL in rushing with 266 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. He ranks fifth among all running backs in fantasy points thus far based on DraftKings DFS scoring.
Dobbins enters this week as the 11th most expensive running back. Along with the rest of the Chargers, he will prepare to face off with the Pittsburgh Steelers. One concern to note is the split of carries with Gus Edwards. Through two games so far, Edwards has received 29 carries to the 27 that Dobbins has received. However, Edwards has tallied just 85 total yards, or 2.9 yards per carry. In contrast, Dobbins has produced 9.9 yards per carry and 133 yards per game.
The big-play potential of Dobbins makes him a significant fantasy football asset. He looks to have regained his explosiveness and has been a huge factor in the Chargers’ 2-0 start. Look for him to continue to make his impact felt against the Steelers and to make the most of his opportunity in Week 3.
Cam Akers ($4,700)
Injuries to Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce have opened the door for Cam Akers to be one of the best value plays in Week 3 as the Texans prepare to match up with the Vikings. Mixon suffered a sprained ankle last week and was officially ruled out for Week 3. More concerning reports surfaced later in the week that this may be more of a week-to-week issue rather than just being uncertain for the Vikings matchup. Backup running back Dameon Pierce has also been officially ruled out due to a hamstring injury after he was held out last week as well.
Enter Akers. After being selected with the 52nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Akers has yet to live up to expectations. The Florida State product has gotten the opportunity to be a starting running back for stretches but has never eclipsed 786 yards in a season. However, sometimes opportunity outweighs talent, and Akers is in line for plenty of opportunity in this matchup.
There has only been one time in his career in which Akers has received 19+ carries in three consecutive games. This occurred in the final three games of the 2022 season, where he converted 63 carries into 345 yards and three touchdowns. The talent he has flashed is still there and Akers is beginning to run out of opportunities to show it. Look for him to make the most of it and deliver in this matchup as the featured back for the Texans.
Jamaal Williams ($4,500)
Alvin Kamara has been dominant to start the season, tallying 290 total yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in just two weeks. However, Jamaal Williams has also made his impact felt. The 29-year-old has recorded 20 touches for 90 total yards in the first two weeks.
The Saints are set to face the Eagles this week. Philadelphia hasn’t shown any ability to stop the run so far, giving up 6.4 yards per rush attempt. If this number was to continue throughout an entire season, it would be the 14th-worst mark in NFL history. If you exclude Kirk Cousins taking a knee twice to wrap up Monday Night’s loss, the Eagles would be allowing 6.7 yards per carry, which would be good for the ninth-worst rate in NFL history. All hands will be on deck to fix this issue, but Philadelphia has to find some production out of its draft picks that are underperforming.
Given the lack of guaranteed carries, Williams is a bit of a risk. But given the struggles of the Eagles’ defense, look for the Saints to give both of their running backs ample opportunity. Simply put, there is too much opportunity for just Alvin Kamara ($7,500) to take care of. There does not seem to be a quick fix to the Eagles’ issues, so look for the Saints to expose this. Give Williams a solid chance at getting involved in the team’s production and outperform his cost.
Wide Receivers
Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($5,400)
It has been tough to predict where the production will come from regarding the Seahawks wide receivers. DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are each competent wide receivers who can step up when the opportunities arise. However, it feels like the pecking order has shifted slightly and that Smith-Njigba is ready to be a more reliable fantasy football option.
Through the first two weeks of the season, Smith-Njigba and Metcalf are tied with 18 targets each sent their way. Lockett has just nine over this time. Of the 18 targets, Smith-Njigba has recorded 14 receptions for 136 yards while Metcalf has tallied 13 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown.
Seattle is set to face off with the Dolphins in their first week since the Tua Tagovailoa injury. Expect the offense to have some difficulties producing points and for Seattle to have the opportunity to break the game open. This adds some appeal to all of the Seahawks’ skill players, but it feels like we are just at the start of the true Smith-Njigba breakout. Just two games into the season, the Ohio State product has already tallied 21.7% of his receiving yards in his rookie production. Get in early and expect for this to be just the start as he fully announces his presence to the NFL world.
Rashid Shaheed ($5,300)
Another player who broke out amid the Saints’ offensive explosion was Rashid Shaheed. The third-year wide receiver has recorded seven receptions for 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the opening two weeks. He has tallied 37.2 fantasy points based on DraftKings DFS scoring. This is the 10th-most of all wide receivers so far this year.
Shaheed is a boom-or-bust type player, which comes with some risk. However, the Eagles’ defense is more than capable of giving up big plays and still has questions to answer in the secondary. In the first week, Jayden Reed ($5,900) recorded 138 yards and a touchdown against this Eagles defense. They have also allowed receptions to six different receivers in both games so far this year.
The biggest concerns with the Eagles defense fall on the defensive front. Philadelphia has yet to have a sack generated by its edge rushers and QB Derek Carr will have plenty of time to pick apart the defense. Look for him to pick the secondary apart and for Carr to connect with Shaheed on at least one big play. He carries more risk than some players within a similar price point, but Shaheed can change the outlook of your week with just one play at any time.
Alec Pierce ($4,800)
Entering his third season in the NFL, Alec Pierce should be firmly on breakout watch for the season. Through the opening two games, he has tallied eight receptions for 181 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Pierce has cemented himself as a big-play threat and has a quarterback who is willing to take risks in Anthony Richardson. Indianapolis is set to take on the Bears this week and is still searching for its first win of the season.
What is most intriguing is the target share Pierce is currently in line for. Through the opening two weeks, he leads the team with eight receptions and has had 10 passes thrown his way. This falls second to only Michael Pittman Jr., who has 15. Outside of Adonai Mitchell (nine), no other wide receiver has more than four targets.
Pierce has tallied at least 56 yards in both games this season but did this just twice all of last year. Richardson is a gunslinger who is looking for big-play potential on a near-every-play basis. Pierce is arguably the biggest beneficiary of this and will look to continue this against the Bears.
Tight End
Dalton Schultz ($4,300)
Don’t look now but the tight end production has been bleak this season. There are only five tight ends that are averaging more than 10 fantasy points per game, with top options like Travis Kelce and Sam LaPorta underperforming greatly. Dalton Schultz also fits the description of an underwhelming tight end, as he has tallied just five receptions for 37 yards on the year. Instead, the outlook for the position seems to have more to do with choosing the right matchup.
This should be the case with Schultz, who ranks 11th in tight end cost. As the Texans prepare to take on the Vikings, there will be some changes to the game plan. The injury to Joe Mixon forces some adjustments, as he has tallied 25% of the offensive touchdown production for the team this year and will be missing this week. Schultz has tallied at least five touchdown receptions in each of the past three seasons and has recorded a career-high eight touchdowns. Look for C.J. Stroud to be responsible for the offensive production and for Schultz to climb up the pecking order of red-zone threats.
Cole Kmet ($3,900)
It has been just about a disastrous start to the Caleb Williams era in Chicago as can be. While the Bears are 1-1 so far this season, Williams has thrown for just 267 yards combined and has yet to pass for a touchdown. As a direct result of this, Cole Kmet has also been quiet. Overall, he has recorded just five receptions for 31 yards.
While Williams is not blameless, the root of most of the struggles has been the offensive line. Williams has been sacked nine times so far this season, which is tied for most in the NFL, while being bothered by the pass rush far more often than this. For the Bears’ offense to find their stride, Williams needs to get the ball out of his hands quicker. Expect Kmet to be a part of this fix and for the tight end to grow into a safety valve on the offense. Kmet is coming off a season with 719 reception yards and has tallied at least six touchdowns each of the last two seasons. The 25-year-old has the talent and is the proper schematic fix to the Bears’ problems. Look for Chicago to make an adjustment as a team and get ahead of it by plugging him in your lineups early. This is still a bit of a risk, but there are very few sure options at the tight end position right now.
Defense & Special Teams
Chicago Bears ($2,600)
The Chicago Bears were the top-scoring defense and special teams unit in the opening week and rank second this season. They rank sixth in points allowed, eighth in yards allowed and fourth in turnovers forced. Chicago has a terrific opportunity to add to this turnover total as it prepares to face off with Anthony Richardson and the Colts.
Just two games into the season, Anthony Richardson is tied with Bo Nix for the most interceptions with four each. Richardson has also lost a pair of fumbles. The Bears have playmakers on the defensive side of the ball and, if they are to remain in the game, they will need to make plays. QB Caleb Williams has yet to find his footing at the NFL level and the Bears offense has tallied just one offensive touchdown through the first two weeks.
Expect the Bears defense to continue to make their impact felt on the game and to outperform their price tag. They enter this week tied for 17th in cost and should outperform this against the turnover-prone quarterback.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $3.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st]
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
