NFL DFS Main Slate Advice | Picks, Stacks, Strategy Projections for Week 3 | DraftKings

Kickstart your excitement for Week 3 of the NFL DFS main slate as we delve deep into the best value plays across every position, all thanks to our trusty NFL Optimizer, aka The Domination Station. I’m Mike, better known as @MadnessDFS on Twitter (X). Don’t forget to follow me for real-time updates and insights, and keep an eye out for my comprehensive DFS content throughout the NFL season, extending seamlessly into the NBA season as well, exclusively here at DFS Army.

Let’s dive right in and set the stage for an exhilarating week ahead!

Quarterbacks:

Geno Smith ($5.7k vs. Carolina Panthers)

Geno comes in as our top point-per-dollar quarterback option on the week against a bad Panthers team. He bounced back in a big way last week against the Lions in week 2 with 26.12 DraftKings points and should be able to keep it rolling here. He also dropped 22.56 DraftKings points in this spot last season, so the matchup should certainly be there. He also has some elite stacking options with guys like DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and even Jaxon Smith-Njigba if you need to save some salary. The Panthers were able to hold Derek Carr to a pretty meh fantasy day, but this is easily the best offense they’ve played this season. We have him projected for 19.7 DraftKings points giving him a 3.46 point-per-dollar projection and the highest ceiling of these three top-rated quarterbacks.

Mac Jones ($5.3k at New York Jets)

I gotta be honest… I don’t love this spot for Mac Jones against a really good Jets defense, that said he’s been good so far this season relative to his salary. He actually leads the league through two weeks with 96 pass attempts which is why he does look pretty good here even in a tough matchup. He’s averaged 18.05 DraftKings points on the season but the trouble does come with finding stacking options with him and this smorgasbord of receiver options. Kendrick Bourne leads the team with a 22.89% target rate with Hunter Henry behind him at 15.6%, then a handful of guys with 10.8%, so I guess those are the two guys you’d look to target, but I think Rhamondre Stevenson might honestly be my favorite of them given the floor/ceiling. The optimizer has him projected for 17.81 DraftKings points giving him 3.36x his DraftKings price tag.

Ryan Tannehill ($5.0k at Cleveland Browns)

Tannehill cracks the top three for the second straight week after a great week last week against the Chargers after a bad week 1. The issue with him is probably going to be pass attempts, he had the production on just 24 attempts as this team’s first option is going to be to turn around and give the ball to Derrick Henry. This Cleveland defense is also pretty legit holding down Joe Burrow in week 1 and Kenny Pickett last week, which probably doesn’t bode well for Tannehill’s skill level. The obvious stacking option is DeAndre Hopkins who easily leads the team with a 34% target share, but someone like Treylon Burks makes sense as a GPP stacking option as well. I don’t hate throwing Henry in a lineup with him due to his ability to turn a dump-off into a 60-70 yard touchdown either. We have him projected for 16.26 DraftKings points giving him 3.25x his DraftKings price tag.

Click here for full Quarterback projections: Domination Station Optimizer

Running Backs:

Joshua Kelley ($5.4k at Minnesota Vikings)

Kelley is going to benefit again from Austin Ekeler being out, making him the lead workhorse back for the Chargers. He was certainly disappointing last week but had a brutal matchup against probably the best frontline against the run in football against the Titans. He gets a great bounce-back spot here against a bad Vikings defense and we get an excellent leverage spot on the public who may be gun-shy after playing him last week. The nice thing was he dominated backfield snaps seeing 79% of the snap share, so he’s going to be out there and given opportunities. The Vikings currently rank 20th against the run on the season, Kelley is a guy I’m going right back to here. The optimizer has him projected for 16.05 DraftKings points giving him 2.97x his DraftKings price tag.

Dameon Pierce ($5.2k at Jacksonville Jaguars)

Man, Pierce just isn’t even getting an opportunity to be productive, he’s getting hit right as he gets the ball with how bad the offensive line has been. Hopefully, they can get a bit healthier here or they can try and get creative with getting him the ball because he’s one of the better playmakers in this offense. He’s only seen a 45% snap share in their first two games but that could be due to game script which could certainly be an issue again against the high-flying Jags in this one. He scored 20.3 DraftKings points in this matchup last season and looks like a nice value here and again could get some leverage on the public who have been burned by him. The Domination Station has him projected for 14 DraftKings points giving him a 2.69x his price tag.

AJ Dillon ($5.7k vs. New Orleans Saints)

I need to caveat this play first because this projection is under the assumption that Aaron Jones will miss again as he did last week. If Jones plays, I’ll be off of Dillon as a whole against a tough Saints defense. Dillon hasn’t looked great to start the season but the opportunity is certainly there with at least 15 touches in his first two games and if Jones is out again they’ll need to get him involved. The Saints currently rank 10th against the run on the season which isn’t great, but again the opportunity is the big thing in this price range and yet another running back that people may be skittish on playing due to his performance as chalk last week. The optimizer has him projected for 15.29 DraftKings points giving him a 2.68x point-per-dollar projection.

Click here for full Runningback projections: Domination Station Optimizer

Wide Receivers:

Rondale Moore ($3.2k vs. Dallas Cowboys)

If you’re looking for a dirt-cheap turd option, Moore may be your guy. He’s played at least 65% of the snaps in each game this season, the issue being the matchup and this offense. The offense may still be able to get you there most weeks, but this Cowboys’ defense might be the best in the league, and are going to get to Joshua Dobbs early and often. He’s certainly not a floor-play type guy, but can certainly bust a screen for a big touchdown or use his speed to get open on a deep route or two. The optimizer has him projected for 8.49 DraftKings points which isn’t great, but he doesn’t need to do a ton at this price tag as he comes in with a position-high 2.65 point-per-dollar projection.

Stefon Diggs ($8.1k at Washington Commanders)

Diggs is quite the opposite of Moore, he’s going to give you a great floor and a great ceiling as we’ve already seen this season. The Bills offense got it going last week putting up 38 points and hopefully carry that into week 3 here. He easily leads the team with a 28.4% target share and is very clearly the go-to option for Josh Allen. It helps that the Commanders rank 26th against receivers on the season as well. He ranks second in the league in receptions on the season as well. We have him projected for 21.32 DraftKings points giving him 2.63x his DraftKings price tag and has the highest ceiling of these top-value receivers.

Zay Jones ($4.5k vs. Houston Texans)

Zay Jones is more of a tournament guy that I’ll include in my Jaguars stacks and gives me some hesitancy as a one-off, but the price tag certainly works especially given his upside. He’s fourth on the team in target share at 17.1% behind Ridley, Kirk, and Engram. That said, I think the second receiver on this team is going to be a crap-shoot every week behind Ridley, last week it was Kirk. An interesting stat though… he ranks seventh in the league in QB rating per target, so when Lawrence looks his way, it’s generally good for the offense. The matchup is also excellent against this Texans defense, we have him projected for 11.72 DraftKings points and 2.6x his DraftKings price tag.

Click here for full Wide Receiver projections: Domination Station Optimizer

Tight Ends:

Luke Musgrave ($3.3k vs. New Orleans Saints)

Musgrave is a guy I’m going to be high on until his price tag comes up, which deservedly so, it hasn’t yet. The Packers’ offense was slowed by the Falcons’ ball control in week 2 but he looked great in week 1 against the Bears and certainly has the athleticism to crush this tag. He ranks first among tight ends in air yards and actually second in receiving yards which tells you all you need to know about the current state of the position. The Saints do rank first against opposing tight ends on the season which isn’t great, but at the price tag, I like the upside we’re getting. The optimizer has him projected for 9.82 DraftKings points and 2.98x his DraftKings price tag.

Chig Okonkwo ($3.2k at Cleveland Browns)

Chig was a lot better in week 2 than he was in week 1 accompanied by some better quarterback play by Tannehill. I touched on Tannehill in the quarterback section and Chig is certainly in play as a cheap stacking option or as a one-off. The Browns’ defense is great and ranks third against opposing tight ends on the season which isn’t great, but similar to Musgrave, he doesn’t need to do much at this price tag at a position that hasn’t been good this season, and one we might look to save some salary at. The Domination Station has him projected for 8.81 DraftKings points and 2.75x his DraftKings price tag.

Travis Kelce ($7.2k vs. Chicago Bears)

It’s always good when a guy with a high price tag also rates as a great point-per-dollar option. The matchup is elite against this Bears’ defense which may be the worst in the league, so Patrick Mahomes and this offense should do whatever they want in this one. He returned last week and immediately saw nine targets and is Mahomes’ go-to option in the receiving game. This is an elite stack and one I’ll look to get to a good deal. The Chiefs have the highest implied total on the slate at 30, showing how great of a matchup this is. He has the highest ceiling by a good margin of these guys and the highest ceiling of any tight end on the slate. We have him projected for 19.7 DraftKings points and 2.74x his DraftKings price tag.

Click here for full Tight End projections: Domination Station Optimizer

Defense/Special Teams:

Denver Broncos $2.5k – This Broncos defense is a lot better than they’ve shown from a fantasy perspective to start the season. They do get a tough matchup against the high-flying Dolphins offense but could force Tua into making a few mistakes.

Houston Texans $2.5k – Lawrence and the Jags struggled last week but the Chiefs offense is a lot better than the Texans, so this is a price play more than anything if you’re looking to punt the position. We currently have them projected for over eight fantasy points.

Washington Commanders $2.4k – The Commanders D has produced nicely this season with at least 10 DraftKings points in each game but will have their hands full in this one against the Bills. They’ve had some easy matchups against the Broncos and Cardinals but that’s not to say they can’t force Allen to make a few mistakes as we’ve seen already this season. He’s not afraid to throw a few high-risk balls which could turn into turnovers, and the talent is certainly there on this defense.

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