Everyone comes out of Week 1 feeling great about the information from meaningful games. But, then, Week 2 humbles everyone, reminding the masses that a one-game sample shouldn’t be overweighted. Still, there’s more meaningful data to help with informed lineup decisions. The following suggested players are curated using this season’s data while considering past performance.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Week 3 Matchups
Game: Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots
Spread: BAL -2.5 Points
Over/Under: 43.5 Points
Ravens Analysis: The Ravens have been highly efficient. According to Pro-Football-Reference, they’ve averaged the most yards per play (7.0). They also have a consolidated offense, led by Lamar Jackson. The offense runs through Jackson, Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman. Unfortunately, their exclusion is a product of a numbers game. The Patriots have an underwhelming offense that’s unlikely to push the Ravens. So, Jackson, Andrews and Bateman are fine choices, but I’m fading them for more exciting options in more favorable situations.
Patriots Analysis: Rhamondre Stevenson hasn't shined in the box score. Still, he's New England's running back to use while they're an underdog this week. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Stevenson ran 23 routes versus only nine for Damien Harris in Week 2. So, Stevenson is the team's most attractive pass-catching back since Ty Montgomery is on Injured Reserve (IR).
Further, Stevenson can shine in this matchup. According to Pro-Football-Reference, the Ravens have allowed the second-most receptions (19) and third-most receiving yards (129) to running backs this year. Baltimore also yielded the seventh-most receiving yards (743) to running backs in 2021. So, their early-season numbers don't appear to be an outlier.
Unfortunately, Jakobi Meyers hasn't practiced this week.
Meanwhile, DeVante Parker has looked washed-up, and Nelson Agholor erupted for six receptions, 110 yards and a touchdown on six targets in Week 2. He has a golden opportunity to build on his blow-up game against Baltimore's banged-up secondary torched by the Dolphins last week.
The runway is clear for Agholor to command valuable vertical targets against a secondary that might be without integral players or forced to play them at less than total health. Per PFF, Agholor has had an 11.0-yard average depth of target (aDoT) this year after tallying a 14.8-yard aDoT in 2021. So, he has substantial big-play potential.
Jackson made my suggestion for using the Dolphins DST in DFS look silly last week. Nonetheless, Jackson has taken sacks and thrown interceptions at high rates in recent years, providing a pathway to punt defenses against him paying off. According to StatHead, Jackson has had the sixth-highest sack rate (7.79%) and seventh-highest interception rate (2.8%) out of 34 quarterbacks with at least 400 pass attempts since 2020. New England's DST is most attractive on FanDuel, where they have the second-highest value score at the position in the FantasyPros optimizer.
Game: Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts
Spread: KC -5.5 Points
Over/Under: 50.5 Points
Chiefs Analysis: The Chiefs have the third-highest implied total (28.0 points) on the main slate. In addition, the Chiefs have had extra rest after winning the Week 2 Thursday Night Football game. As a result, they should be fresh and ready to dice up a defensive coordinator Patrick Mahomes has clowned in his career.
Mahomes has also gotten off to a fast start, averaging 297.5 passing yards per game with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions. Further, he's an easy player to double-stack pass-catchers with, enhancing his tournament appeal.
Travis Kelce is the top dog in the passing attack by a wide margin. So, he can be forgiven for last week's mediocre showing. Safety Derwin James has been Kelce's kryptonite, and the Colts don't have a comparable safety in their secondary.
Kelce had eight receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown in a blowout win in Week 1 and should resemble that player in a great matchup. The Colts have allowed the sixth-most DraftKings and fifth-most FD points per game to tight ends this season, despite facing players such as Brevin Jordan, O.J. Howard and Evan Engram. Thus, Kelce is positioned to smash, and he's the TE1 at both DFS outlets with the highest value score for the position at FD.
The following table shows the stats via PFF through two weeks for Kansas City's receivers on the table above.
JuJu Smith-Schuster hasn't been explosive or exciting this year. Still, he's been more productive than Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Smith-Schuster has also played more snaps in the slot, and slot wideout Christian Kirk just eviscerated the Colts. So, Smith-Schuster is an intriguing DFS selection, especially at DK's full-point point-per-reception (PPR) platform.
However, Kirk is a stylistically different slot receiver than Smith-Schuster. Kirk has had a 10.8-yard aDoT this season. So, MVS and Justin Watson are theoretically exciting selections in GPPs. Watson has played 11 of 17 passing snaps in the slot and hauled in a deep touchdown on a shot play last week.
MVS is the higher ceiling play, but he and Watson are nifty tournament darts.
Colts Analysis: The Colts have been a mess on offense through two weeks. Still, Ashton Dulin has been a bright spot. He'll likely face more competition for playing time and targets this week. Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce were out in Week 2. However, Pittman has had limited practice participation, and Pierce has returned to practice in full.
Dulin has been too good to ignore, though. He's had 3.21 Yards Per Route Run (Y/RR), seventh out of 97 receivers with at least five targets this season. Additionally, Dulin has been targeted on a jaw-dropping 30.8% of his routes. Dulin was a small-school player with a tantalizing athletic profile. So, the light might be turning on in his fourth season.
Game: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
Spread: NO -3.0 Points
Over/Under: 41.0 Points
Saints Analysis: Michael Thomas is a bit underpriced on DK. Jameis Winston has attempted nine passes in the red zone this year and Thomas has been on the receiving end of three, scoring a touchdown on each target. Thomas has also led the Saints in targets (17), tied for first in receptions (11) and has been second in receiving yards (122). Finally, Thomas is second on PFF's wide receivers versus cornerbacks matchup-advantage chart for Week 3.
Juwan Johnson is back as a punt after another rock-solid week with eyebrow-raising underlying stats. Johnson has had 12 targets, six receptions and 83 yards. Still, it's his underlying data that's most intriguing. Per PFF, Johnson has had the fourth-most routes (65) on the Saints, been used vertically (11.0-yard aDoT) and moved around the formation (13 passing snaps wide, 19 inline and 40 in the slot). And as I noted last week, Johnson has a sweet athletic profile as a converted receiver.
Panthers Analysis: Christian McCaffrey has played the highest percentage of snaps (86%) among running backs in 2022. He's also tied for seventh in routes (48) among running backs this year. Thus, the usage of CMC has been excellent. Sadly, he hasn't had a vintage blow-up game through two weeks. Nevertheless, CMC has scored a touchdown or bested 125 scrimmage yards in each game. So, it hasn't been all bad. Eventually, he'll blow up with his current usage, and the optimizer ranks him as the RB1 at both DFS outlets with the RB1 value score at FD this week.
Game: Houston Texans at Chicago Bears
Spread: CHI -2.5 Points
Over/Under: 40.0 Points
Texans Analysis: A coach's quotes about player usage often don't amount to much. However, Lovie Smith was genuine when he said it was a mistake to underutilize rookie running back Dameon Pierce in Week 1. Smith corrected the error in Week 2, playing Pierce on 62% of Houston's plays versus 37% for Rex Burkhead. Pierce also didn't lag too far behind Burkhead in routes with 15 compared to 20.
Pierce had 77 scoreless yards on 15 rush attempts and one reception. He could be busy again in a projected close game this week. The matchup is also good. The Bears have allowed the fifth-most rushing yards (256) to running backs this season at a whopping 5.33 yards per carry.
Houston's defense is a desirable punt and stacking option with Pierce. Justin Fields has the highest sack rate (12.09%) and interception rate (4.0%) among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts since last year.
Finally, Nico Collins is a defensible punt. The second-year wideout has combined a good target rate with a high aDoT. According to PFF, he's been targeted on 19.7% of his routes at a 13.1-yard aDoT. Collins' usage should result in better days than he's had so far this year.
Bears Analysis: Chicago's offense is a joke. They're one of only two teams to attempt less than 100 plays this season. Chicago's 97 offensive plays have been the second-fewest, only one more than Seattle's 96 plays. The Bears are also 29th in yards per play (4.5). So, stay far away from this offense in DFS.
Game: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
Spread: BUF -5.5 Points
Over/Under: 52.5 Points
Bills Analysis: Josh Allen has played at an MVP level through the first two weeks. He's averaged 307.0 passing yards per game with seven touchdowns. Allen has also rushed for 33.0 yards per game with a touchdown scamper. He should shine bright in a cupcake matchup this week. According to Pro-Football-Reference, the Dolphins have allowed the most Net Yards Per Pass Attempt (8.4 NY/A) this season. As a result, he's projected as the QB1 at both DFS outlets, with the QB2 value score at FD.
Stefon Diggs has been an unstoppable force through two weeks. He's second in receptions (10.0) and receiving yards (135.0) per game and first in touchdown receptions (four). Thus, Diggs is a fantastic selection. He's projected as the WR4 with a matching value score at both DFS sites.
Gabriel Davis is an intriguing GPP option after missing last week with an ankle injury. However, he's voiced optimism about playing this week.
Hopefully, Davis will pick up where he left off in Week 1. He led the Bills in routes (38) and had four receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown on five targets. However, since Davis is big-play dependent and returning from an injury, he's best reserved for tournaments.
Dawson Knox has had only five receptions for 46 yards on seven targets this season. Still, he's second on the Bills in routes (49) and was a favorite of Allen in the red zone last season. As a result, Knox had 18 targets and six touchdowns inside the 20-yard line in 15 games last year. The Bills have the second-highest implied total (29.0 points) this week. Therefore, Knox has touchdown potential as an integral red-zone piece.
Sadly, the Bills are banged-up on defense.
Buffalo's defense has wreaked havoc this year. The Bills have allowed the fewest yards per play (3.6), tied for first in turnovers (seven) and have had the second-most sacks (nine). If a few of their starters on the injury report play, they're a high-upside tournament pick on defense. The optimizer projects them as the DST1 at DK and FD.
Dolphins Analysis: The Dolphins stormed back from a large deficit last week in a career game for Tua Tagovailoa. He torched Baltimore's injured secondary. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle did damage deep and after the catch. If Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde are ruled out, Hill and Waddle are more viable DFS options. Still, they're not must-use options at the supremely talented receiver position.
Miami's offensive line can screw things up for their passing attack, even if Buffalo's without their stud safety tandem. PFF has graded the Dolphins 19th in pass blocking and graded the Bills first in pass rush. They'd be even more vulnerable if superstar left tackle Terron Armstead is out. Their prized signing in free agency hasn't practiced this week while nursing a toe injury.
Raheem Mostert was listed as an option primarily as a bring-back for a Bills stack. Miami's backfield playing time flipped in Week 2. Mostert's 55% snap share in Week 2 was higher than Chase Edmonds's 51%. Mostert and Edmonds also ran an identical 24 routes. Although, Mostert was more productive, securing all three of his targets for 28 yards compared to only one reception for eight yards for Edmonds. Thus, Mostert might not be game-script dependent. The bar is low for Mostert to deliver value at his modest salary.
Game: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
Spread: MIN -6.0 Points
Over/Under: 52.5 Points
Lions Analysis: The Lions are a fantasy funhouse. First, according to Football Outsiders, they've played at the fastest situation-neutral pace. Second, their defense has allowed the second-most points per game (32.5). Thus, the offense is forced into shootouts.
Jared Goff hasn't turned heads with 235.5 passing yards per game this year. However, he's tossed six touchdowns and only one interception. Further, Goff's 215 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against the Eagles in Week 1 are more impressive in retrospect after watching them dominate Kirk Cousins in Week 2. So, he's a decent GPP option in a possible shootout.
D'Andre Swift has been highly efficient this year. The explosive third-year back has averaged 10.0 yards per carry and 12.4 yards per reception while amassing 262 scrimmage yards, five receptions and two touchdowns. He can stay hot in a great matchup this week. According to Football Outsiders, the Vikings are dead last in rush defense Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) this year. Additionally, Swift's receiving chops make him a stacking candidate with Goff. The lineup optimizer projects Swift as the RB6 with the RB4 value score at DK.
The crown jewel of the Lions is second-year wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown. According to Sports Info Solutions (SIS), he's had the third-highest Target Share (33.8%) this season. ARSB has been white-hot. He's had at least eight receptions in his previous eight games. St. Brown has also scored at least one touchdown in his last six games and seven of his last eight. Finally, he's had at least one rush attempt in six of his last eight games. So, ARSB is a certified stud. He's projected as the WR6 with the WR3 value score at DK and the WR8 with a matching value score at FD.
D.J.Chark was a player I highlighted as a value play to target at FanDuel earlier this week for numberFire. Chark has scored a touchdown, but his receiving marks have otherwise been relatively quiet, with only four receptions and 52 yards. Still, he's second on the Lions in routes (67). Chark has also garnered 12 targets.
Chark's downfield usage is also big-play friendly. According to SIS, he's had the 14th-most Intended Air Yards (210). Chark's 17.5-yard aDoT has also been the 11th-deepest mark for wideouts and tight ends with at least four targets this year. Finally, the Vikings should have allowed a 75-yard touchdown to speedy rookie Christian Watson in Week 1, but he dropped a wide-open pass. Then, Quez Watkins scored a 53-yard touchdown in Week 2.
Chark has the vertical skills to be the next wideout to victimize the Vikings on a deep pass. As a result, he's a nifty stacking option with Goff and ARSB. Chark is also an appealing one-off pick in tournaments who might go overlooked in this probable shootout.
Vikings Analysis: No one will confuse Detroit's secondary with Philadelphia's. So, Justin Jefferson has an excellent chance to rebound from a forgettable game. The Lions have allowed the eighth-most DK and FD points per game to wideouts this year. Additionally, Jefferson has torched the Lions for 7.5 receptions and 125.8 receiving yards per game with one touchdown in four games in his career against them. He's also had at least 124 receiving yards in the previous three meetings. Jefferson should smash, and he's the WR2 with the WR2 value score at DK and FD.
Dalvin Cook should also rebound this week. He's had a slow start to the year, but this is a get-right matchup. The Lions are 23rd in rush defense DVOA this year. It's also exciting looking at Cook's game log against the Lions. Cook was only healthy for one of the two games against the Lions last year but made the most of it, romping for 206 yards and two touchdowns and adding two receptions for 46 yards. Unfortunately, the talented running back was a victim of a lousy game script last week. Fortunately, the Vikings are favored this week and have the highest implied total (29.5 points). Therefore, the projected game script and scoring outlook for the Vikings are great. As a result, we project Cook as the RB3 at DK and FD, with the RB3 value score at the latter and the RB5 value score at the former.
Game: Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets
Spread: CIN -6.0 Points
Over/Under: 45.0 Points
Bengals Analysis: The Super Bowl hangover for the Bengals has been ugly. Joe Burrow has also struggled mightily to generate explosive plays.
The revamped offensive line has also struggled in pass protection, ranking 23rd in PFF's pass-blocking grade. Cincinnati has too much talent on offense to panic about their long-term outlook, but it's a situation best avoided until they show some semblance of life.
Still, the Bengals are a six-point favorite. Cincinnati's defense flopped against backup quarterback Cooper Rush last week. Regardless, the game script should be good against the Jets this week, making Cincinnati's defense a decent option at FD, where we project them for the DST1 value score.
Jets Analysis: Garrett Wilson announced his presence in the NFL with authority last week. Unfortunately, he has stiff competition for targets and Joe Flacco running the offense.
So, instead of investing in the offense, the defense is a viable punt against Cincinnati's sputtering offense and leaky offensive line. Further, Burrow has been an excellent fantasy matchup for defenses. He's had the highest sack rate (8.66%) and 13th-highest interception rate (2.3%) out of 34 quarterbacks with at least 400 pass attempts since 2020. The optimizer projects Gang Green's DST for the second-highest value score at DK.
Game: Las Vegas Raiders at Tennessee Titans
Spread: LV -2.0 Points
Over/Under: 45.5 Points
Raiders Analysis: Davante Adams has had one eruption and one underwhelming contest through two games for the Raiders. Sadly, Adams will almost certainly be more volatile with Derek Carr than with the back-to-back NFL MVP throwing him passes.
Still, Adams has a perfect bounce-back matchup. In fact, he's atop PFF's wide receivers versus cornerbacks matchup chart. Diggs smoked Tennessee's secondary for 12 receptions, 148 yards and three touchdowns. So, the upside for Adams is apparent.
Titans Analysis: The Titans are a rudderless ship on offense. Further, the once mighty Derrick Henry has been an inefficient plodder in his previous five games. Henry didn't clear 3.90 yards per carry in any of his last five games and had 3.10 yards per carry or less four times. Yikes. Gamers should avoid the Titans like the plague.
Game: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders
Spread: PHI -6.5 Points
Over/Under: 47.5 Points
Eagles Analysis: The Eagles are rolling offensively. Jalen Hurts has thrived through two games with new alpha No. 1 wideout A.J. Brown. He's averaged 288.0 passing yards and 73.5 rushing yards per game, passing for one touchdown and rushing for three. However, Hurts' efficiency as a passer has been the most jarring. According to Pro-Football-Reference, he's sixth among qualified quarterbacks with 8.01 Adjusted Net Yards Per Pass Attempt (ANY/A).
Gamers shouldn't expect Hurst to slow down this week. The Commanders are 20th in pass defense DVOA and 31st in rush defense DVOA. Thus, the optimizer projects him as the QB2 with the overall highest value score at both DFS outlets. As a result, gamers should lock Hurts into their cash lineups, and his upside is worth chasing in GPPs.
Brown has taken like a fish to water with his new team. He's second in Target Share (35.0%) and sixth in Yards After the Catch (101 YAC). The YAC monster has parlayed his heavy dose of targets into the seventh-most receiving yards per game (112) and 7.5 receptions per game. Brown is the best stacking option with Hurts.
However, Dallas Goedert and Watkins are also viable stacking options. Remarkably, Goedert has amassed more YAC (103) than Brown, ranking fourth. He's averaging 4.0 receptions and 71.0 receiving yards per game.
Watkins is a big-play-dependent, boom-or-bust tournament dart. The speedy wideout was a cardio superstar in the opener, failing to earn a target on 27 routes. However, he had two receptions for 69 yards and Philadelphia's only touchdown reception of the season in Week 2. The highlight of his touchdown is above.
Miles Sanders is a leverage pick from the likely chalky Hurts, Brown and Goedert. Sanders isn't a bell-cow back. Still, he's the headliner in the backfield, pacing Philadelphia's running backs with a 52% snap share. Sanders also leads Philly's running backs with 32 routes, more than Kenneth Gainwell's 22 and Boston Scott's 16.
The game script will be good if it goes according to the betting line. And, again, Washington's defense is 31st in rush defense DVOA. Finally, Sanders has run well this year. He's rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown, sprinkling in five receptions for 15 yards as a cherry on top. So, Sanders can make the most of this cushy matchup.
The defense can also benefit from a favorable game script. They've had three sacks and four turnovers. Those marks haven't been eye-catching, but a familiar face could help them add to both. Carson Wentz has had the fifth-highest sack rate (7.80%) and 11th-highest interception rate (2.4%) among quarterbacks with at least 400 pass attempts since 2020. If Wentz is forced into catch-up mode, he's prone to taking sacks and turning it over.
Commanders Analysis: Washington's wideouts aren't especially enticing options as standalone plays. Yet, they have bring-back appeal for an Eagles stack. Gamers can essentially pick their flavor at receiver since each has a compelling case for usage.
First, Terry McLaurin has a juicy 14.5-yard aDoT, creating upside for big plays. Second, Curtis Samuel has been a target sponge and used as a ball carrier. Samuel leads the Commanders in targets (18) and receptions (15) and has tied for the team lead in receiving yards (133) with McLaurin. Samuel has also rushed five times for 38 yards and scored a receiving touchdown in both contests. Finally, Samuel is an optimizer darling at DK, owning the eighth-highest value score among wide receivers.
Jahan Dotson has had a modest 10 targets this year. Still, he's made them count. The rookie has seven receptions for 99 yards and three touchdowns. Dotson has two targets and two touchdowns in the red zone, tying for the team lead in both categories with Samuel. In addition, the team's first-round pick has had a few jaw-dropping highlights.
Dotson can't keep up his touchdown pace and will have difficulty maintaining his momentum on only five targets per game. However, while some might be fixated on touchdown regression, there's a chance he earns more targets. Dotson has run the fourth-most routes (93) among wideouts this year.
Game: Jacksonville Jaguars at Los Angeles Chargers
Spread: LAC -7.0 Points
Over/Under: 47.0 Points
Jaguars Analysis: I hesitated to include Travis Etienne in this piece. The speedy running back has had a lower snap share than James Robinson, 44% versus 56%. Etienne has also had only 13 rush attempts to J-Rob's 34. That's not great.
Still, Etienne has run 36 routes compared to 31 for Robinson. Additionally, Etienne has top-shelf speed, which is perfect for a matchup against the Chargers. The Chargers have allowed an eye-popping 5.79 yards per carry and 8.0 yards per reception to running backs this season. Etienne is a risky choice. However, the payoff can be huge for a home-run back, who most gamers will fade.
Chargers Analysis: Justin Herbert has broken rib cartilage and has practiced this week. However, head coach Brandon Staley said Herbert's status will likely not be resolved until Sunday morning. In addition, it's unclear how the rib injury will impact Herbert's performance if he plays. So, the risk outweighs the reward of investing in the Chargers in DFS this week.
Game: Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Spread: TB -1.0 Points
Over/Under: 42.0 Points
Packers Analysis: The Packers haven't found their footing in the passing game without Adams. Their receivers were also featured prominently on the injury report on Thursday.
Even if all of Green Bay's receivers are fine and play this weekend, Aaron Rodgers and the passing attack are unappealing against the Bucs. Tampa Bay is first in pass defense DVOA.
Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon are fades in a potentially tricky matchup against Tampa Bay, too. The Bucs have allowed a modest 144 rushing yards to running backs this year after allowing the fewest yards to them last year.
Buccaneers Analysis: You can't ask for better usage from Leonard Fournette this year. He has the third-highest snap share (81%) among running backs. Fournette has also had a stranglehold on Tampa Bay's receiving work in the backfield, running 47 routes versus only 13 for rookie Rachaad White.
Lombardi Lenny has parlayed his gaudy usage into 22.5 rushes, 96.0 rushing yards, 2.0 receptions and 9.5 receiving yards per game. Unfortunately, he hasn't scored a touchdown. Nonetheless, touchdown variance will eventually break his way, and Fournette's usage has been dreamy. So, Fournette is popping in the optimizer, ranking as the RB7 with the RB1 value score at DK and the RB8 with the RB3 value score at FD.
Mike Evans is suspended for this game. If Chris Godwin and Julio Jones are out, the cupboards will be bare for Tom Brady. However, Breshad Perriman stands out as a useful tournament dart if at least one of Godwin or Jones is out. Perriman ran 27 routes last week and caught three of five targets for 45 yards and a touchdown. He's a one-trick pony as a lid-lifter, but Brady is willing to throw lasers in his direction downfield.
The Bucs have been a wrecking ball on defense. They're second in total defense DVOA, third in yards allowed per play (4.2), tied for third in turnovers (six) and first in sacks (10). Unfortunately, Rodgers hasn't put the ball in harm's way regularly, ranking first in interception rate (0.9%) among quarterbacks with at least 400 pass attempts since 2020. Still, the Bucs have the potential to get sacks as favorites, namely if Rodgers is forced to drop back in obvious passing situations.
Game: Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals
Spread: LAR -3.5 Points
Over/Under: 48.5 Points
Rams Analysis: We project Cooper Kupp as the WR1 with the WR1 value score at DK and FD. His connection with Matthew Stafford has been surreal. Since last year, Kupp has been first in receiving yards per game (114.9), targets (220), receptions (169) and touchdowns (19). Kupp has been on an eight-game touchdown streak since last year, eclipsing 100 yards five times during his touchdown streak. Don't overthink it—lock Kupp in cash-game lineups.
Cardinals Analysis: Arizona's offense has largely been a trainwreck when DeAndre Hopkins has been out. And fake sharp Kliff Kingsbury (hat tip to Adam Levitan of Establish the Run for the nickname) has proven incapable of crafting effective offenses without Nuk. Additionally, when the Cardinals last played the Rams in the Wild Card Round last year, they had only 183 total yards and one offensive touchdown. So, gamers should avoid the Cardinals this week.
Game: Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks
Spread: SEA -1.0 Points
Over/Under: 42.0 Points
Falcons Analysis: Cordarrelle Patterson had an electrifying Week 1 before an underwhelming showing in Week 2. He had 120 rushing yards in the opener and a touchdown, sprinkling in three receptions for 16 yards. Then, he, unfortunately, had only 41 scoreless yards on 10 rushes and zero receptions.
Can he rebound this week? The matchup is good. So, maybe. The Seahawks have yielded 371 scrimmage yards, one touchdown and 18 receptions to running backs this season. Also, while C-Patt hasn't done much in the passing game yet this year, he's still played three passing snaps aligned wide and 11 in the slot. Therefore, the converted receiver is still being moved around the alignment. Finally, Patterson's 2.24 Y/RR was the second-highest mark for running backs targeted at least 30 in the regular season last year. Thus, Patterson has the receiving chops to pop in the passing game.
Seahawks Analysis: The Seahawks have run the fewest plays (95) this year and generated the ninth-fewest yards per play (4.9). Seattle was the only team to run fewer than 1,000 plays last year. My goodness, this offense is a fantasy wasteland. Stay far away from the Seahawks in DFS.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we've got you covered this fantasy football season.
Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
