Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football Week 3: Lineup picks, advice for tournaments
Sometimes, NFL teams just have to take a shot downfield, and we're taking a few shots with our Week 3 lineup for Yahoo daily fantasy football tournaments. Our central strategy revolves around a Cowboys stack and some value players who might be written off by the NFL DFS masses after a poor week.
And before your wrinkle your nose too much at our picks, just remember that last week's perfect DraftKings lineup had several surprises in it, including J.J. Nelson and the Buccaneers defense.
When it comes to trying to take down a big GPP tournament, don't be afraid to go off the board and leave money on the table.
WEEK 3 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football Week 3: GPP lineup picks
QB: Dak Prescott, Cowboys at Cardinals ($35). Prescott and the Cowboys are coming off a poor game, but he still put up decent numbers. We're banking on the public being scared off by his slow start and his sore ankle. We'll take the chance against a Cardinals team allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to quarterbacks.
RB: Lamar Miller, Texans at Patriots ($22). Miller has rookie D'Onta Foreman breathing down his neck for playing time -- something everyone saw last Thursday night. Good. Our theory is that Foreman only saw so many carries because of the quick turnaround after Week 1. With 11 days to rest up for this game, Miller should see more touches, and against the Pats, who are allowing a league-leading 6.0 yards per carry, that could translate to big things. New England has also had trouble with receiving backs, and Miller has had at least 26 receiving yards in each of the first two games.
RB: Joe Mixon, Bengals at Packers ($14). It's really bad to start 0-3 in the NFL, and the Bengals, who have yet to score a touchdown this year, are faced with that reality. Marvin Lewis might very well be coaching for his job. When your back is against the wall, what do you do? You get the ball to your best playmakers. Mixon has done little this year, but he's likely Cincinnati's most talented back, and even though he's been surprisingly silent in the receiving game, he's led Cincinnati in carries in each of the first two games. We're guessing he puts it all together this week in a game where the Bengals will have to keep their foot on the gas pedal for 60 minutes.
WEEK 3 DFS:
DK cash lineup | DK GPP | Top values | Top stacks | DFS lineup builder
WR: Dez Bryant, Cowboys at Cardinals ($31). Arizona was among the worst teams at covering wide receivers last year, and it's carried over to this season. The Cardinals have allowed the sixth-most FPPG to WRs (26.5) despite having faced the Colts in one of their two outings. Bryant and Prescott don't always look like they're on the same page, but this is a good spot to stack them.
WR: Devin Funchess, Panthers vs. Saints ($14). Picking on the Saints is almost too easy at this point, but many will attack this game by going with Kelvin Benjamin or one of Carolina's RBs. We'll go the value route with Funchess, who stands to see an uptick in targets, particularly red-zone targets, with Greg Olsen out.
WR: Kenny Golladay, Lions vs. Falcons ($18). Golladay was a complete non-factor in the Lions Week 2 win in New York, catching one of three targets for eight yards. Many in DFS contests are likely jumping off the bandwagon, but Golladay is still just as likely as anyone in the Lions' receiving corps to score in a given week. Detroit will have to put the ball in the end zone to keep up with Falcons, and with Vic Beasley (hamstring) out, Matthew Stafford will have more time to set up deep shots downfield to the rookie.
TE: Jack Doyle, Colts vs. Browns ($17). When it comes to covering tight ends, the Browns simply can't do it. Couldn't do it last year (league-leading 11.3 FPPG allowed), can't do it this year (14.2 FPPG allowed). Doyle received eight targets last week, racking up 79 yards against a Cardinals' defense that typical defends TEs well. Jacoby Brissett will once again key in on Doyle, who should be open all day.
FLEX: Jarvis Landry, Dolphins at Jets ($23). This might be a trap, but after a 13-catch, 15-target season debut, Landry feels almost automatic in this half-point PPR format, especially against the Jets. Even in tournaments, you need players with high floors, and Landry should provide that. Ameer Abdullah ($19) and Theo Riddick ($18) are strong considerations here, as Atlanta has been among the worst teams in the NFL at covering backs as receivers since the beginning of last year.
D/ST: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Giants ($17). There are plenty of good D/ST choices this week, with the Steelers likely being the most chalky since the London-bound Ravens aren't available in many contests. Philadelphia isn't exactly safe, but they're a big-play unit that should do well at home against a reeling Giants team. Eli Manning is always capable of popping up for a big game, but he looks like a statue in the pocket, and given New York's offensive line woes, that should lead to opportunities for the Eagles.