NFL Week 3 DFS Picks: Best Value Plays

Week 3 of the NFL season kicked off with an exciting upset on Thursday Night Football. All eyes now turn to the packed Sunday afternoon slate featuring 13 games. With several one-sided matchups expected this weekend, here’s who to watch in your DFS lineups.

Let’s take a look at the best Week 3 DFS picks and lineup recommendations for Sunday afternoon’s games. Be sure to check out our NFL betting trends page as well, for data and odds on every game.

NFL Week 3 DFS Picks

Pos	Player	Matchup	FPPG	Salary
QB	Bryce Young	CAR @ CLE	29.8	$5,600
RB	Kenneth Walker III	KC @ MIA	32.0	$7,400
RB	Derrick Henry	BAL @ DAL	28.0	$7,700
WR	Tetairoa McMillan	CAR @ CLE	14.8	$6,000
WR	Rashod Bateman	BAL @ DAL	10.9	$4,700
WR	George Pickens	BAL @ DAL	7.9	$6,600
TE	Dalton Kincaid	LAC @ BUF	21.8	$5,500
FLEX	Joshua Palmer	LAC @ BUF	10.9	$3,500
DST	Bengals	CIN @ PIT	14.5	$2,900

Bryce Young, CAR/QB ($5,600)

The Panthers offense has been rolling to start the season, and much of that has been thanks to the excellent play of fourth-year man Bryce Young. After a shaky start to his professional career with such high expectations as the No. 1 overall pick, the former Alabama quarterback seems on the brink of superstardom based on how he’s looked this season. Young is tied for the league lead with 6 TDs thrown in his first two contests, averaging 324 passing yards per game after two weeks.

Carolina has surrounded Young with plenty of weapons, and he’s quickly adapted to his new offense under Dave Canales. Young and co. have a favorable matchup on Sunday against a Browns’ defense that ranks 30th in coverage after two games. With Myles Garrett no longer there to pressure opposing QBs, Cleveland has posted the 11th-lowest pressure rate so far, and Young should have plenty of time to operate in the pocket where he’s been so good this season. Based on how strong he’s looked so far, it is surprising to still see Young under $6,000 three weeks into the season.

Kenneth Walker III, KC/RB ($7,400)

Like Young, Keneth Walker III has come out to a blazing hot start for his new squad this season. Last year’s Super Bowl MVP now has back-to-back games with over 175 total scrimmage yards, leading the league with 184.5 total yards per game. Walker currently has the league’s heaviest workload, averaging 23.5 carries per game, and faces a Dolphins squad that has struggled defensively to start the season.

Miami has now allowed two-TD games to RBs in back-to-back weeks and is giving up 34.1 fantasy points per game to opposing backs. With Kansas City considered 10.5-point favorites, Walker should have plenty of touches to not only build the lead but also chew clock as the Chiefs cruise to a victory over a struggling Miami squad. Walker is on pace for a record-breaking season, and a must-have in every lineup until a team finds a way to slow the superstar back down.

Derrick Henry, BAL/RB ($7,700)

32-year-old Derrick Henry continues to stiff-arm Father Time with yet another dominant performance in Week 2 and an absurdly strong start to his 11th season as a pro. The 32-year-old now leads the NFL with a 70% rushing success rate and scored a league-high 4 TDs in his first two games. Henry has the third-most total rushing yards coming into Week 3 and is dominating opposing fronts with 5.3 yards per carry so far.

Henry remains one of the most effective goal-line threats and leads the NFL in rush attempts within 10 yards of the end zone. With Sunday’s contest against the Cowboys currently holding the highest point total, expect Henry to have no trouble finding the end zone in this one, and potentially multiple times. Dallas has struggled greatly against the run despite bolstering their defensive line in the offseason. Brian Schottenheimer’s squad is allowing 170 rushing yards per game, allowing the fourth-highest rushing success rate in the league.

Tetairoa McMillan, CAR/WR ($6,000)

We’ll be stacking second-year standout Tetairoa McMillan with his QB after a strong Week 2 showing between the duo. McMillan has been one of the primary beneficiaries of Young’s strong start, and the sophomore wideout now has 10 receptions for 176 yards in his first two games combined. He and fellow WR Jalen Coker have quickly emerged as one of the league’s premier young wideout duos, and McMillan sits just behind Coker with a 23% target share to start the season.

Coker enters Sunday questionable for the second straight week, and with the third-year man battling an ankle injury and missing practice, McMillan could see an even higher-volume day if Coker can’t go. The Browns have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to outside receivers in their first two games, and McMillan certainly has a chance to get on the scoresheet for the first time with Cleveland allowing five receiving TDs so far. Even if Coker goes, McMillan should be in line for another strong outing as he continues to build chemistry with Young this season.

Rashod Bateman, BAL/WR ($4,700)

Ravens WR Rashod Bateman had one of the best games of his career in Week 2’s loss to the New Orleans Saints. The sixth-year man has had a fairly shaky start to his career, but performed well as QB Lamar Jackson’s primary target because of Baltimore’s injuries. Bateman could once again serve as the Ravens’ WR1, with superstar wideout Zay Flowers continuing to nurse the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 1. With Sunday’s matchup expected to become a shootout, Bateman should have no trouble following up last weekend’s strong performance in this spot.

Flowers couldn’t practice much of the week, returning only for individual drills Friday afternoon. Given how tedious hamstring injuries can be, expect the Ravens to remain cautious about rushing the star back so early in the season. With Flowers and rookie WR Ja’Kobi Lane out of the lineup, Bateman commanded a 29% target share on Sunday, turning his nine targets into 7 receptions for 88 yards and a TD. With Dallas still struggling to implement Mike Zimmer’s new defensive system, look for Bateman and Jackson to link up again against the Cowboys’ soft zone coverage.

George Pickens, DAL/WR ($6,600)

Staying in this week’s international matchup, we’re backing George Pickens to come out of his early-season slump with a strong showing in Brazil against the Ravens. After such a strong debut season for the Cowboys, Pickens has struggled early on in year two with America’s team. The former Steeler now has 9 catches for 68 yards across his first two games after finishing last year as the league’s WR5. His fellow superstar wideout CeeDee Lamb has been feasting off of the attention Pickens demands, and we should see defenses begin to shade more towards Lamb after his explosive start to the season.

We should see Pickens’ stats correct themselves as the season wears on, and Sunday’s matchup looks like the perfect opportunity to kick off this notion. Baltimore plays primarily two deep safeties, and Pickens and his QB Dak Prescott should have plenty of space to operate in short yardage and the middle of the field. Pickens’ 23% target share to start the season suggests he is still among Prescott’s favorite weapons, and we should see the former Bulldog return to last year’s form fairly soon.

Dalton Kincaid, BUF/TE ($5,500)

Buffalo’s offense has thrived early in the season, largely thanks to the MVP-like play of QB Josh Allen. TE Dalton Kincaid has been Allen’s No. 1 option to start the season, and now has 12 receptions for 225 yards and a TD in his first two games combined. The veteran pass-catcher leads all tight ends in production this season, and may need to do even more with WRs DJ Moore and Keon Coleman questionable for Sunday.

The league’s TE1 now takes on the 0-2 Chargers, who have looked disjointed to say the least in their first two games. Superstar TE Trey McBride dominated the Los Angeles secondary in Week 1 with 9 receptions for 95 yards and a TD, and Kincaid can certainly replicate that performance given how much Allen has fed him so far. His 25% target share leads the team and ranks fourth in the league for his position. If Buffalo’s two wideouts can’t go, expect an even more concerted effort to get Kincaid the ball on Sunday.

Joshua Palmer, BUF/WR ($3,500)

Piggybacking off of our last point, Bills WR Joshua Palmer would be another clear beneficiary of his team’s current injury problems. The veteran wideout has been Mr. Reliable for Allen, with his lone reception being a TD in back-to-backs despite seeing only five total targets this season. Palmer’s role would, of course, grow should either of the WRs ahead of him in the depth chart be forced to miss Sunday’s game, but even if they don’t, Palmer has thrived in his role regardless.

Allen has done a great job spreading the ball around and clearly sees Palmer as one of his premier end-zone threats to start the season. The sixth-year man has accounted for two of Allen’s five passing TDs and could be in line for yet another against this Chargers’ defense. Los Angeles has allowed 26 points in back-to-back weeks, and now faces a Bills offense firing on all cylinders, averaging a league-high 38.5 PPG.

Bengals D/ST ($2,900)

We wrap up our Week 3 lineup with the Bengals defense taking on their AFC North rivals on Sunday afternoon. Cincinnati’s defense has looked strong in its 2-0 start and allowed just six points in last week’s victory. They now take on a Pittsburgh offense that has been among the league’s worst through the first two games. The Steelers rank 29th in both passing and rushing yards, and scored just three points in last week’s loss to New England.

The Patriots defense forced two turnovers, turning a fumble recovery into a score of their own. Veteran QB Aaron Rodgers has already been sacked six times this season, and the Bengals defense should have no trouble pressuring the immobile QB in this one. With how sluggish the Steelers have looked to start the season, and the added bonus of the division rivalry, look for the Bengals to pounce on Pittsburgh.

Photo Credit: REUTERS