DraftKings NFL Daily Fantasy Cash Game Picks Week 3
Contents
Quarterbacks
Kyler Murray ($5,800) vs Panthers– Despite going up against a very tough Baltimore Ravens defense, rookie Kyler Murray played pretty well throwing for 349 yards. He has now thrown for 300+ yards in his first two games. The only issue for the Cardinals seems to be finishing drives and getting into the endzone which I believe will work itself out with time. The Panthers defense is nowhere near as good as the Ravens so after seeing the Cardinals offense throw over and over for the last two weeks getting Murray at this price is very good value with high upside if he can find the endzone.
Philip Rivers ($5,800) vs Texans– Rivers didn’t play his best vs the Lions only completing 58% of his passes and throwing a killer interception as time was winding down in the 4thquarter. Even though he didn’t play well Rivers had 2 TDs taken off the board by some questionable penalties so his stat line should have looked a little better. He will be without Hunter Henry again but he should have Mike Williams closer to 100%, he was limited in last week’s game. They are returning home and the tandem of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler out of the backfield should be enough for Rivers to put together a quality fantasy performance Sunday afternoon.
Running Backs
Sony Michel ($6,000) vs Jets– Michel got back on track last week rushing 21 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. He even could have had another TD if there was a good enough angle on a replay review on a goal line rush. The Patriots are huge favorites again vs a Jets team that is running low on quarterbacks so this could be another game with a lot of rushing opportunities as the game goes further along. Chubb had some success vs the Jets last week so I think Michel will be able to do some of the same things this week.
Matt Breida ($5,400) vs Steelers– With Tevin Coleman out for the 49ers there were some touches available on the Niners offense and Breida took full advantage. He finished with 12 attempts for 121 yards on the day which was good for a 10.1 average YPC. He will be up against a Steelers defense that allowed 151 yards and a TD to Seahawks running backs last Sunday and if Jimmy G can play like he did last week defense will be forced to respect their passing game more and more each game. As long as Coleman is out I think Breida will have high upside and is worth a roster spot.
Justin Jackson ($4,200) vs Texans– Justin Jackson hasn’t found the endzone yet for the Chargers but he is currently leading the NFL in yards per carry with 13 attempts for 116 yards on the season. There is some risk here due to the lack of touches but I don’t see the Chargers using Ekeler as a bell cow back so that should always allow Jackson to have 7+ touches per game. With Ekeler fumbling at the goal line last week we may even see Jackson get a shot down there. Even though it’s a risky play if you are looking for a discounted back Justin Jackson is worth a look.
Wide Receivers
Julio Jones ($7,300) vs Colts– Jones showed up when it mattered most last Sunday night catching a 54 yard screen pass and taking it in for the game winning touchdown. He has been targeted 10+ times in each of the last two weeks so the volume is there and we should expect to see his catch% increase more and more each week. The last time the Colts went up against a star receiver this year was week 1 when they allowed 8 catches 123 yards and a TD to Keenan Allen so there is some potential here for a huge game. Julio Jones is one of the league’s best receivers and with the running game struggling for Atlanta we could see even more looks for Jones this week.
Chris Godwin ($6,900) vs Giants– Godwin has looked like one of Jameis Winston’s favorite targets producing even more than Mike Evans. Last week Godwin was great hauling in 8 of 9 targets for 121 yards and a TD for the second week in a row. Godwin isn’t a jump ball guy but he is a red zone threat which makes him very appealing in this spot. The Giants do not have a good defense and their pass rush is sub-par so this could allow lots of time for Godwin to break free for some big plays. After seeing what the Cowboys and even the Bills were able to do against this defense I think a number of Bucs could be good DFS plays but I like Godwin the most.
Christian Kirk ($5,000) vs Panthers– The Cardinals are throwing the ball a lot, 54 times in week 1 and 40 times in week 2, and the biggest beneficiaries of those throws are Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald. Through 2 weeks Kirk has 20 targets and had his best game last week when he had 6 catches for 114 yards. This offense has been about what we expected with the amount of throws even if it hasn’t turned into an abundance of points. Kirk was a trendy name before the season and it has translated so far this season. Chris Godwin torched this Panthers defense last week as the #2 WR so I don’t see a reason why we won’t see Kirk do the same in this throw heavy offense.
Tight End
Jared Cook ($3,800) vs Seahawks– Jared Cook has been a bit of a letdown so far this season and with Drew Brees out for the foreseeable future there is no telling what we are going to see from this offense. Bridgewater used the TE well in his last full season for the Vikings with Kyle Rudolph finishing with almost 500 yards and 5 TDs. What we saw a little bit in the second half of the Saints vs Rams game is that Bridgewater was using Cook as his safety blanket and he finished with 7 targets. Cook’s price as dipped over $1,000 since week 1 and he now has a QB who likes to dump it off like he did with Derek Carr and Cook excelled in that offense. He is worth a shot this week.
Defense
San Francisco 49ers D/ST ($3,200) vs Steelers– The 49ers defense is a much improved unit this season compared to recent seasons. They are average 17 FPPG through he first two weeks and have generated 4 INTs and 7 sacks so far. They will be up against a Steelers team that has a banged up running back and a new QB who has never started a game in the NFL before. As a team Pittsburgh has struggled mightily on the west coast going 1-5 in the pacific time zone and they haven’t won in San Francisco since 1999. With a full week to prepare for what Mason Rudolph can offer, I think the Niners will be up to the task of slowing down this offense.
