Week 3 of the NFL Season is already here. We better enjoy the large Main Slate this week, because the bye weeks will start in only two weeks. The Main Slate in Week 3 features some games that should be blowouts. The Jaguars are favored by 8.5 over the Texans, the Dolphins are favored by 7 over the Broncos, the Ravens are favored by 7.5 over the Colts, the Cowboys are favored by 12.5 over the Cardinals and the Chiefs are favored by 12.5 over the Bears. A slate with heavy favorite’s means there should be some high scores in DFS. We need to do our best to get some of the players from these teams who are predicted to score a lot of points Sunday.
DRAFTKINGS CASH CONTEST PICKS
PATRICK MAHOMES ($8,300): I do not need to spend too much time explaining why we should pay up for Mahomes this week. He is arguably the best QB in the NFL and he is facing one of the worst defenses in the league. Mahomes should pass for over 300 yards and at least 3 TDs Sunday.
TONY POLLARD ($8,000): Pollard is my No. 1 RB on this slate. He is average 25 touches per game and 95 yards. Saquon Barkley scored 27.9 DK Points vs. the Cardinals last week. Now it is Pollard’s turn to score over 25 DK Points in the desert.
KENNETH WALKER III ($6,200): I used Walker last week and it paid off. He scored 2 TDs and 18.4 DK Points. Now Walker gets to face the Panthers Defense that is giving up the third-most DK Points to the RB Position. I expect the Seahawks to pound the ball vs. the Panthers and that should mean another big game for Walker.
KEENAN ALLEN ($7,600): I wanted to pay up for Justin Jefferson in my Cash Contest lineup, but I could not make his high price-tag fit. I will pivot to Allen. He has scored nearly as many DK Points this year as Jefferson, but he is $1,700. The Chargers vs. Vikings game will likely be a shoot-out. Allen should score around 20 DK Points in Week 3.
ZAY FLOWERS ($5,400): Flowers had a big game in Week 1, but I wanted to see how the Ravens would use him in Week 2, once Mark Andrews returned to the lineup. Flowers remained the top WR for the Ravens and the No. 2 target behind Andrews. Now Flowers gets to face a Colts’ Defense that is giving up the second-most DK Points to the WR Position. Flowers should be a good value pick Sunday.
NICO COLLINS ($5,300): So, how good has Collins been this year? His 20 targets are the sixth-most in the NFL, his 226-yards are the fifth-most in the NFL and his 22.3 DK Points per Game are the third-most on the slate. So, why is he priced at $5,300? That is a good question. I will take advantage of the discount this week.
ZACH ERTZ ($3,500): Ertz enters Week 3 as the most targeted TE in the NFL. He is averaging nine passes per game thrown his way. The Cardinals will likely be playing from behind Sunday. That means they will have to pass the ball a lot. Ertz should once again have double-digit targets and score double-digit DK Points for your Cash Contest lineup.
TAYSOM HILL ($3,300): I typically do not play a TE in the Flex Position, but is Hill really a TE. He is a QB, RB, WR and TE all in one. It is hard to predict what we will get from Hill each week, but the game Sunday sets up well for him. The Saints will be without their top-two RBs (Alvin Kamara and Jerome Williams). Hill had 9 carries for 75 yards last week when Williams went out of the lineup. He should be busy running, catching and possibly throwing the ball vs. the Packers.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS ($2,400): I am going to punt the Defense Position in the Cash Contest lineup. The match up vs. the Bills sound pretty bad for the Commanders, but really it isn’t. Washington is averaging 10.5 DK Points per Game this year and the teams facing the Bills are averaging 9 DK Points. The weather could get ugly Sunday. I like the Commanders Defense at home on a sloppy field vs. a QB who likes to turn the ball over.
* If the weather is foretasted to be really bad in Baltimore, I will switch ZAY FLOWERS to CHRIS KIRK. Zay Jones is out, so Kirk should get a lot of targets.
DRAFTKINGS TOURNAMENT CONTEST PICKS
TOURNAMENT STACK: The Chargers vs. Vikings game has an Over/Under of 42.5 Points and the Vikings have an implied total of 27.5 Points. That is the second-highest on the slate (behind the Chiefs). I will stack KIRK COUSINS + JUSTIN JEFFERSON + JORDA ADDISON in this shoot-out and run it back with MIKE WILLIAMS. The Cousins + Jefferson + Addison stack has averaged 71.61 DK Points per Game this year. Our lineup should score well if we can get 70+ DK Points from three players. Williams has the second-best match-up on the slate according to Pro Football Focus. This should be a huge game for Williams.
RAHEEM MOSTERT ($6,000): Mostert is the bell-cow RB for the Dolphins. He is getting 16 touches per game and is averaging 20.9 DK Points per game. I used Brian Robinson Jr. in my Tournament Contest lineup last week vs. the Broncos and he rewarded me with 28.9 DK Points. I will try to get the same production from Mostert Sunday in Miami.
KENNETH WALKER III ($6,200): The match up for Walker is really good this week, so I will play him in my Cash and Tournament Contest lineups. The Panthers have a good pass defense and the Seahawks have some injuries to their WR’s. The Seahawks should play “ground and pound” football Sunday. I just need Walker to do what he did last week and this will work out well.
SAM LAPORTA ($4,000): Laporta is off to a great rookie season. He has scored the sixth-most points at the TE Position. Now he gets to face the Falcons Defense that has given up the 11th most points to the TE Position. I like Laposta this week, but I will love him if Amon-ra St. Brown is out or limited.
TANK DELL ($3,600): Nico Collins will be a popular pick Sunday. I will pivot to his teammate, Tank Dell. Last week was the first game that Dell started for the Texans. They threw him the ball 10 times and he turned it into 20.2 DK Points. His match up vs. CB Darious Williams is the best for the Texans according to Pro Football Focus. Dell is just too cheap to pass up on the Main Slate.
WASHINGTON DEFENSE/ST ($2,400): I have the Commanders Defense in my Cash Contest lineup and I will play them in my Tournament Contest lineup too. The front four for the Commanders should put enough pressure on Josh Allen to force him to throw an interception or two.
FANDUEL CONTESTS
Scoring for FanDuel is similar to DraftKings but there are some differences you need to know. FanDuel DOES NOT award 3 bonus points for 300-yard passers or 100-yards rushing / receiving. The game also awards ½ point per reception compared to 1 point on DraftKings. We need to focus more on players who can score touchdowns on FanDuel and less on players who catch a lot of passes. The scoring is not as tight as it is on Daftkings so it is easier to pay up at the QB and TE position. My lineups for the two sites will be similar but I will have to make some changes based on the scoring and prices for the players.
FANDUEL CASH CONTEST PICKS
FANDUEL TOURNAMENT CONTESTS PICKS
NFL BEST BETS FOR WEEK 3
Wagering on the NFL is legal in many states now. I will include my top-three picks for the NFL each week. I have a lot more experience playing Fantasy Football, but I started to have some success in beating the books last year. I also know a lot of people in Las Vegas from my seven years living in the city. They will give me some advice and I will share it with you.
TAKE THE TEXANS VS. THE JAGUARS OVER 44 POINTS
TAKE THE CHARGERS VS. THE VIKINGS OVER 54 POINTS
TAKE THE RAMS +2.5 OVER THE BENGALS
(Season Record: 4-2)
PLAYER PROP PICK: MIKE WILLIAMS OVER 59.5 RECEIVING YARDS
(Season Prop Record: 1-0)
ONE & DONE PICK
Good Luck This Week!
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