Fantasy Football Picks: Top DraftKings NFL DFS Value Plays for Week 3

We can all figure out who the studs are on a football slate. No one has to go out of their way to tell you to play Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen on a particular slate. What really takes the effort is combing through the player pool and figuring out who are some of the best values on the board ahead of the Sunday slate. That’s what we’ll do in this piece each and every week. I’ll help you save some salary while hopefully not skimping on the fantasy production.

Let’s get into some of the best value plays at each position for the Week 3 main slate on DraftKings.

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Quarterback

Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders at Tennessee Titans, $5,900 — If you’ve watched a Titans game this season, I don’t think I really need to give analysis on why Carr is a good value quarterback. If you haven’t, well, consider yourself lucky, but I’ll catch you up.

The Titans secondary has been roasted the first two weeks of the season. Their corners have been targeted against 27 times and have allowed 22 receptions for 305 yards and four touchdowns. Their best corner, Kristian Fulton, could make his return after missing last week but has been limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Regardless, this has been a huge point of weakness for a team that’s struggling in multiple areas. To be fair, the Titans pass rush should create some pressure on Carr with a weak offensive line in front of him. To his credit, Carr has completed 9 of his 17 pass attempts under pressure for 167 yards and an average of 9.8 yards per attempt. I like the Raiders a lot in this game and with a game total set at 45.5 (as of Friday morning), I think Carr is more than worth the price to roster him.

Other Option – Jared Goff ($5,800) vs. MIN

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Running Back

Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders $5,500 — Priced in the mid-$5K range for the third straight week, Sanders is getting some heavy volume thus far. Through the first two weeks, he’s logged 30 carries for 176 yards and an additional 15 through the air on five catches. The Eagles are -6.5 favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, so this should be another spot for Sanders to see some heavy work out of the backfield. The Commanders have already allowed a total of 238 rushing yards on 35 carries (6.8 YPC) through two games.

With how efficient Sanders has been, he’ll have another strong opportunity to pad these already impressive stats. Sanders is currently averaging a new career-high 5.9 yards per carry, a number he could truly increase after this game. I would expect Sanders to be a popular option on this slate but this is too low of a salary to ignore, especially if it allows you to pay up for some of the other studs on this slate. Against a Washington defense that’s allowed an average of 28 DKFP through the first two weeks, Sanders should be on your radar in Week 3.

Other Options – Chase Edmonds ($5,100) vs. BUF

Wide Receiver

Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers, $4,500 — Olave will be catching passes from either Jameis Winston ($5,200) or Andy Dalton ($5,100) this week, depending on the status of Winston. Regardless, I loved seeing how involved he was last week, drawing 13 targets. Granted, he only made five catches but they did go for 80 yards and 12 DKFP. Through the first two games, Olave leads the league in Air Yards with 372. For reference, the next man up would be Davante Adams, who has 258. Olave also leads all wide receivers in aDOT (average distance of target) at 23.25. This is amongst all receivers that have at least 10 targets through the first two weeks. Seeing those types of numbers should mean that we’re going to get a massive game out of Olave at some point and his $4,500 salary won’t be sticking around.

Other Options – Nico Collins ($4,000) vs. CHI

Tight End

Irv Smith Jr, Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions, $3,100 – In what’s expected to be a high-scoring affair, getting Smith Jr at $3,100 is a cheap way to find some exposure. After posting a dud in Week 1, Smith was targeted eight times last week against the Eagles, making five catches for 36 yards and a touchdown. After that performance, his salary actually went down $200, giving him a $3,100 ask for Week 3. Against opposing tight ends thus far, the Lions have allowed an average of 12.6 DKFP on eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. While I’m not expecting him to draw eight targets per game, a double-digit fantasy point outcome seems quite obtainable. Last week, he ran a route on 60% of his snaps, a number that could increase in this game. It’s a small price to pay for the upside in this matchup.

Other Options – Hayden Hurst ($3,900) vs. NYJ

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