Noto's NFL DFS Key Personnel: Week 3

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious)

Created Sep 24, 2026

Last Updated 2026-09-26 03:01:21 Premium Content Part of the product NFL DFS

A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. So, who better to walk you through all of the key NFL DFS positions each week? Noto has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career, and he will mix it up in all different types of contests. In his Key Personnel article for Week 3, he will walk you through his favorite NFL DFS picks, ways to pivot away from the chalk, and overall strategy for the upcoming featured slate.

Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.

We all have a love/hate relationship with fantasy football. Well, we all love fantasy football, but we have a love/hate relationship with the results. After a great Week 1, I stepped on far too many landmines in Week 2. I tried to avoid any biases from Week 1, but it’s tough when we don’t actually know the ins and outs of these teams yet.

Looking ahead to Week 3, we don’t have any of the super obvious values like we’ve had on the first two main slates. Pricing does feel a bit tighter this week, which could lead to more double tight end builds than usual. I’m taking a super simple approach to this slate. I am going to have at least 2 players from the Jets and Lions game in every lineup. I’ll get into the specifics throughout the article, but I expect a shootout in this one, and the game isn’t as owned as it should be.

Cheers to a profitable Week 3!

Shoot me a DM on X or in the RG Discord if you have any questions.

NFL DFS Top Picks & Plays: Noto’s Key Personnel for Week 3

As always, this table essentially serves as a cheat sheet for the Key Personnel. It lists the Core Plays, Strong Plays, and Sprinkle Plays, and you can sort by position or by the strength of play. There’s also an injury tab that allows you to see all of the key injuries each week.

Top Quarterback Plays

Tier 1 – Core Plays

Sometimes DFS is simple and we complicate it. The Niners had a dream matchup at home against the Dolphins last week, and I faded Brock Purdy ($6,500 DK / $8,200 FD) because I was worried about a blowout. He put up 28 fantasy points despite the lopsided scoreboard. The Niners have one of the highest team totals (28) on the slate again, only this time they are facing the Cardinals. There’s nothing about this matchup that jumps off the page, but I expect Arizona to have a bottom-10 defense by the end of the season. The Niners are 3rd in pass rate over expectation (PROE) this season, and Purdy continues to make plays with his legs. His expected fantasy points per game (XFPPG) is the 4th best among quarterbacks this season.

I was high on Tyler Shough ($5,400 DK / $7,500 FD) entering the season, but he’s surpassed all expectations in the first 2 games. And really, he’s scored almost all of his fantasy production over his last 6 quarters (and OT), as he struggled mightily in the first half against the Lions in Week 1. Shough has averaged 24 fantasy points per game this season, which is extremely solid at his price point. The crazy part is that his XFPPG is at 31 per game. Essentially, he has left fantasy production on the table. The Saints are playing at the league’s fastest pace, and now they have their home opener against the Raiders. I’m not sold on Las Vegas having a good defense. I could see this game turning into a shootout.

Tier 2 – Strong Plays

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