This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
It seems like yesterday we were patiently waiting for the season to begin, and here we are already at Week 3. Last week I was leaning to the right wide receiver with Mecole Hardman ($6,300), but it was his teammate, Demarcus Robinson ($6,700) who went nuts for the Chiefs (Hardman had a long touchdown called back or he would have had a top-three week at the position). Let's see who to target this week.
QUARTERBACKS
Lamar Jackson ($8,500) has been discussed in each of the last two weeks so let's start with him. He's the only quarterback (including Patrick Mahomes) who has at least 30 fantasy points in each of his first two starts and has done that thanks to both his arm and rushing ability. This week Jackson plays in the game with the highest over/under total of the week, suggesting the Ravens will once against put up points. While he's a bit pricey, he should be able to make value especially if this game turns into a shootout. Patrick Mahomes ($9,200) once again is the highest priced quarterback this week, and while he's at home, this isn't a great matchup with the Ravens. Baltimore has a solid defense including newcomer Earl Thomas, though Jimmy Smith will miss another game. Mahomes is best left for GPPs, and his ownership could be down a bit this week considering his price and the matchup. It's never a bad choice to throw Mahomes, Sammy Watkins ($7,100) and Travis Kelce ($8,000) in a stack with some cheaper priced running backs. Might this be the week Jameis Winston ($7,300) rights the ship? A couple of factors are working in his favor: He'll be at home and faces a Giants' defense that isn't exactly the '85 Bears. Mike Evans ($7,100) and O.J. Howard ($5,800) are much better then they've shown, and a stack of those three Buccaneers is a huge contrarian play this week given their production thus far. Dak Prescott ($8,400) and Tom Brady ($7,800) are huge favorites at home, and someone has to do the fantasy scoring. While it didn't exactly work out for New England last week (the defense spoiled that), either Brady or the running game should go off. Finally, Kyle Allen ($6,000), Mason Rudolph ($6,600) and Teddy Bridgewater ($6,800) are in line to make their first starts of the season. While all are long shots, they could pay off handsomely in GPPs considering their prices.
RUNNING BACKS
Ezekiel Elliott ($8,800) is worth paying up for this week and should have a big game against the hapless Dolphins. He saw his touches increase from 15 Week 1 to 25 last week; a positive sign he'll be utilized heavily once again. The cheaper and likely chalky plays at the position probably will be LeSean McCoy ($5,500) and Frank Gore ($5,700). As of Thursday, their teammates Damien Williams ($6,400) and Devin Singletary ($5,800), hadn't practiced putting, their availabilities in question for this weekend. For the Chiefs, we could see Darwin Thompson ($4,500) used more, and he's an interesting tournament punt at the minimum price. The Bengals' Joe Mixon ($6,500) doesn't have the greatest matchup in Buffalo but seems underpriced for a running back who will get 15-plus touches. Besides Dalvin Cook ($8,300), only Austin Ekeler ($7,600) has hit at least 20 fantasy points in each of the first two games at running back. Ekeler comes at a discount, and both are good pivots off the higher-priced studs.
WIDE RECEIVERS
The chalkiest player of the week for cash games at any position likely will be the Eagles' Nelson Agholor ($4,800). Both DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery are expected to miss this week's game, and in their absences last week, Agholor finished with a 8-107-1 on 10 targets. The receiving tree looked very narrow Sunday night, and a stack of Agholor, Carson Wentz ($7,700) and Zach Ertz ($6,900) has a lot of upside. Agholor can be faded in tournaments, but it's not worth it to risk having him out of cash game lineups. Devin Smith ($5,200) is an interesting target for GPPs with Michael Gallup out. Smith finished last week's game with 14.9 fantasy points and has a juicy home matchup against the Dolphins. Miami just traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers, and top corner Xavien Howard will likely shadow Amari Cooper. That leaves softer coverage on Smith who has 4.42 forty speed. Sammy Watkins ($7,100) disappointed last week against the Raiders, but the encouraging stat was him getting 13 targets. That follows 11 Week 1, so it's clear who Patrick Mahomes' top target is with Tyreek Hill sidelined. My darkhorse for the week? No other than Mr. Marvin Jones Jr. who has had a quiet start to the season. He's still the No. 2 to Kenny Golladay ($7,000), and Golladay should command extra attention this week after a strong Week 2. This should leave Jones open downfield, which should translate into a good fantasy day.
TIGHT ENDS
The two players who stand out this week are the Eagles' Zach Ertz ($6,900) and the 49ers' George Kittle ($6,600). Both seem like a bargain this week given that Travis Kelce is all the way up to $8,000. Ertz had a whopping 16 targets last week with Jeffery and Jackson in the game, and should easily see double-digits again. Kittle faces a Steelers' defense that has looked suspect to say the least, and has allowed 28 and 33 fantasy points their first two games. Using both Ertz and Kittle in the same lineup might be a strategy that pays off in a big way. Greg Olsen ($6,100) might have the best matchup of any player at the position given the matchup with the Cardinals. The Cardinals were torched by T.J. Hockenson Week 1 (22.1 fantasy points) and then again last Sunday by Mark Andrews (21.2 fantasy points).
DEFENSES
Both the Dallas Cowboys ($5,000) and the New England Patriots ($5,000) clock in as the highest-priced teams this week and rightfully so looking at the point spreads. Make a lineup and use each in tournaments, as one will likely pan out. Looking at the cheaper options, consider Tampa ($4,300) at home against Daniel Jones, and Seattle ($3,400) at home against Teddy Bridgewater.
