Quarterbacks
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
$8,200 DRAFTKINGS
$8,700 FANDUEL
It was close up top between Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Kyler Murray, but the consistency of what Mahomes does in September is as good as it gets. Mahomes has a passer rating of 125.5 with 3,984 yards, 38 touchdowns and 1 interception in 12 games in the month of September in his career. The dude just flat-out balls and is averaging 32 points per game to start the year. This should be another close game with a over/under of 55, which should bring out the best in Mahomes. The Kansas City defense is not putting Mahomes in a position to coast late in the game, which provides the opportunity for another ceiling game. I will have shares of Jackson and Murray as well, but I give a slight lean to Mahomes in Week 3.
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
$7,600 DRAFTKINGS
$8,400 FANDUEL
This is a juicy matchup for Wilson and the entire Seattle offense. Coming off a horrible loss last week against Tennessee, I think Russell comes out cooking and doesn’t let his foot off the gas in this one. We have another game against a weak defense here, along with a total of 55.5, which is one of the highest on the board. A full-game stack is in play here, where I love going with Russ, DK, and Tyler Lockett, then running it back with one of the opposing players from Minnesota. Russell has a 146.9 QB rating through two weeks and has thrown for 597 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. The consistency that Russ brings each week, combined with the matchup and potential low ownership, provides the leverage you need to take down a tournament in Week 3.
Running Backs
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
$8,600 DRAFTKINGS
$9,700 FANDUEL
Henry exploded in Week 2 with a monster stat line, which carried fantasy owners. Henry rushed for 182 yards, 3 touchdowns, and caught 6 passes for 55 yards in a comeback victory versus Seattle. As much as I like him this week, I am not expecting a repeat performance from last week. I’m expecting a three-down back with a heavy workload in a game, where Tennessee should be pounding the rock often versus a backup quarterback in Indianapolis. With question marks surrounding the rest of the high-end running backs, Henry is the safe play for cash, if you can afford him. But keep an eye out on the injury report as we have several questionable running backs, which could open up value at the position.
Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
$6,600 DRAFTKINGS
$7,500 FANDUEL
I’m going back to the well here with Harris in Week 3. The matchup combined with the price tag is too good to pass up. I know there is a lot of chatter surrounding Clyde Edwards-Helaire and his price tag, but I don’t see a reason to play a highly owned running back who falls short week after week. Harris and the Steelers offense as a whole have disappointed for the most part, but this matchup should provide Najee some breakout potential. Harris is more of a tournament play for me, and I am hoping some value opens from now until Sunday. Austin Ekeler is also in play, and if no value opens up, I will split my exposure to both Ekeler and Harris.
Wide receivers
DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
$7,300 DRAFTKINGS
$7,200 FANDUEL
The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and it’s about time for the monster Metcalf game. We played this round-robin game last year between Lockett and Metcalf. After every great game from Lockett, the odds keep swinging back in favor for Metcalf. I don’t dislike Lockett at all, and I will have rosters with Wilson stacked with both Lockett and Metcalf. The targets are split down the middle with each of the receivers totaling 16 through two games, but it just happens to have paid greater dividends so far for Lockett. As I noted above, the matchup is great and arguably the best on the board, so load up on both of these receivers and feel free to game stack this entire game in tournaments. If you need to pivot down, both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are in a great spot if Antonio Brown is out this week.
K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings
$3,500 DRAFTKINGS
$5,100 FANDUEL
With all the high-end players we want in our lineup, Osborn sticks out as a value play in a great game environment. I’m shocked that neither site has raised his price after great performances in consecutive weeks. Osborn has been targeted 15 times through two games and caught 12 passes for 167 yards and 1 touchdown. As we have seen through the first two games, this Seattle defense has major holes, and no lead is safe. This should be a back-and-forth affair with Minnesota most likely trailing, which should be a nice boost for Osborn and the Vikings. If you have the salary, feel free to load up on some shares of Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson in game stacks as well.
Tight ends
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
$8,200 DRAFTKINGS
$8,500 FANDUEL
Fade Kelce if you have the courage. Kelce has started the season with two 25-plus-point performances on DraftKings. You would have to go way back in the game logs to find the last time Kelce had a game under 20 points. The Chargers secondary slowed down the Dallas Cowboys, but the Kansas City offense is levels above the Chargers’. Kelce is the alpha dog, and he is the first option Mahomes looks to no matter where Kansas City is on the field. Combine that with a 55-point over/under, and we should expect another 100-yard, 20-point performance in Week 3. Lock him up in cash and be confident that you can find value plays in tournaments to pay up for the best tight end in the game.
Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
$5,500 DRAFTKINGS
$5,500 FANDUEL
With Antonio Brown on COVID-19 reserve, feel free to load up Gronk shares. There will be some regression coming with Gronk’s touchdown output, but at $5,500 on DraftKings and an average of 24.5 points per game, he is looking really good in a game with a total of 55.5 points. If Gronk can find ways in back-to-back weeks with Brown on the field, you can surely expect another big week with Brown presumably off the field. Between the three stud pass catching options in Tampa, I think Gronkowski finds his way to lower ownership than Godwin and Evans. I will be buying shares in both tournaments and in cash games.
Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than eight years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, expert chat, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.
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