By Scott Kacsmar
The Week 3 NFL slate this Sunday looks like a good one for creating DFS lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
From last week’s picks, our quarterback choice (Matt Ryan) was a major dud without Michael Pittman in Jacksonville, and the Raiders disappeared in the second half with Darren Waller at tight end. The Broncos also seem incapable of getting Javonte Williams into the end zone even though he’s had back-to-back games with at least 85 yards from scrimmage.
But we nailed those wide receiver picks in a way we’ll be lucky to repeat this year after selecting Tyreek Hill (190 yards and two touchdowns) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (184 yards and two touchdowns).
With that said, here are five of our favorite players to include in your Week 3 NFL DFS lineups.
Quarterback: Jalen Hurts (Eagles) vs. Commanders
The bandwagon might be starting to load up for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles after that great performance against the Vikings on Monday night. Hurts passed for over 330 yards and rushed for over 50 yards, including two more touchdowns on the ground. He is the team’s best touchdown option.
But his ability to use all his receivers was most impressive with the Eagles producing four 69-yard receivers in one game. Nice. Now Hurts draws a Jack Del Rio in Washington that is loaded with first-round picks and terrible production. Jared Goff just shredded this defense for four touchdowns.
People may flock towards Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes this week, but I think Hurts has a chance to be the story at quarterback in the NFC this season. He also may see some motivation in showing up Carson Wentz, the quarterback he replaced in Philadelphia.
Whether by passing or running, Hurts will have a shot at over 300 yards and three total touchdowns in this game. You could stack him with DeVonta Smith, who looked great on Monday night after being held without a catch in Detroit.
Running Back: Leonard Fournette (Buccaneers) vs. Packers
When Leonard Fournette is posting on social media that the touchdowns are coming, I choose to believe him. There is also the fact that this game is running out of skill players with Chris Godwin and Julio Jones injured, and Mike Evans is suspended for his role in Sunday’s fight in New Orleans.
The Buccaneers got a lot out of Fournette on the ground in Week 1 against the Cowboys when he had 127 rushing yards, but that number dropped to 65 yards in New Orleans. Worse, this offense has two offensive touchdowns in two games where Evans, Jones, and Godwin played some snaps. It is quite possible none will play this week.
But when you look at a Green Bay defense that was pushed around by the Bears on the ground with David Montgomery, it is easy to like Fournette this week with the Buccaneers unlikely to throw a ton with all these receiver deficiencies.
Tight End: Tyler Higbee (Rams) vs. Cardinals
May regret this one, but Tyler Higbee has 20 targets through two games, which leads all tight ends through Week 2. Given he plays with target machine Cooper Kupp, this is very noteworthy.
He does not have a touchdown yet, but Arizona is a team he has scored against four times since 2018. The Cardinals are also one of the worst pass defenses in September, having been lit up by the Chiefs and (for one half) the Raiders. Darren Waller did not deliver after halftime, but that seemed to have more to do with play-calling for Josh McDaniels than anything.
The Rams usually get the best of Arizona, but another reason I think Higbee might get over six catches, 60 yards, and a touchdown this week is that the Cardinals actually held Kupp in check last year. They were the only team to hold him under 90 yards since 2021 started, and they did it twice.
This offense is different without Van Jefferson, and without Odell Beckham Jr. or Robert Woods available. Higbee so far is the No. 2 receiving option, but we’ll see how that changes if Allen Robinson gets more comfortable.
Wide Receiver: Davante Adams (Raiders) vs. Titans
More than most teams this year, you can see the Raiders are struggling with the new coaching staff to find their style and pace on offense. Davante Adams went from 17 targets and 140 yards in Week 1 to seven targets and two catches for 12 yards in Week 2. He still had another touchdown, but you have to go back to 2017 to find the last time Adams had 12 yards in a game.
The Raiders need to sort this out with Josh McDaniels and Derek Carr. After watching the Titans’ secondary fail to cover Stefon Diggs (148 yards and three touchdowns) on Monday night, it would seem like another big Adams week is the right answer to avoid starting 0-3.
Tennessee’s young secondary was no match for the Bills, and there was little pass rush with Harold Landry (ACL) out for the season. If Carr can get comfortable on the road in this one, he can light it up with Adams. Slot receiver Hunter Renfrow is out with a concussion. I also expect the game to be close with both teams knowing how important it is to avoid 0-3.
Flex: Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions) vs. Vikings
It worked so well last week, so let’s ride Amon-Ra St. Brown again until he disappoints. As mentioned last week, St. Brown tied the NFL record by logging his eighth-straight game with at least eight catches. He tied Antonio Brown (2014) and Michael Thomas (2019), but he is the first player to do it across a span of two seasons, and they just happen to be his first two in the NFL.
St. Brown has been on a tear going back to late last year. He already had 10 catches for 86 yards and a game-winning touchdown to beat the Vikings in his last meeting with them.
We just saw the Vikings allow the Eagles to have four 69-yard receivers on Monday night. St. Brown has 10 more catches and 10 more targets than the next closest Detroit receiver. He is also 114 yards ahead of Josh Reynolds, the second-leading receiver on the team.
Expect him to play at a high level again on Sunday.
