NFL DraftKings Lineup Walkthrough - Week 3
Some may think it’s strange, but I never check how my cash game lineups are doing relative to the field until all of the games are over. I obviously watch all of the games and check the box scores constantly, but I never like to log in and see how much I am currently winning. That number never seems to move in the right direction. Plus, it makes me feel like my teams always have a chance.
My wife, on the other hand, suffers from premature checkulation. She checks her winnings on DraftKings all day. She then counts her money even though she doesn’t have any players left. I kindly try to tell her that her team may not hold, but I am quickly finding out that when your wife is eight and a half months pregnant, you should only tell her exactly what she wants to hear.
After seemingly every running back in the NFL let us down in Week 2, there were some monster fantasy outings at the position in Week 3. It was tough to pick a bad combination at running back, unless of course you had Marshawn Lynch and Jonathan Stewart. Overall, it was an extremely high-scoring week. My main DraftKings lineup score of 182.82 points, which is usually a very good score, likely won’t even min-cash in tournaments. It was still a solid week, but I have yet to hit on that perfect lineup. Let’s take a look at what I did right and where I went wrong.
Quarterback
I had my eye on Fitzpatrick all week. He was listed at a bargain-bin price of $5,100 on DraftKings and he was playing the uptempo Eagles at home. Once the player prop bets came out on Sunday morning, I was sold because it allowed me to spend up at both running back and wide receiver. Fitzpatrick played pretty well, but the Jets had four turnovers that really halted any offensive momentum. He ended up paying off his cheap salary, but it wasn’t a groundbreaking performance by any means.
Running Back
There were so many running backs to choose from this week. I suppose there are every week, but you know what I mean. One player that I had locked into my FanDuel and DraftKings’ lineups was Murray. He had a fantastic matchup against the Browns, who have been shredded by the run over the last two seasons. Murray got off to a slow start, but he finished with close to 150 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. We should continue targeting feature backs against this Browns’ soft run defense.
If you were paying up at running back this week, there were three viable options. Le’Veon Bell is the most talented running back in the NFL and was making his season debut, Adrian Peterson was playing at home against the Chargers, and the game script set up perfectly for a big game from Lynch. I ended up on Peterson because touches are critical in my running back selection process. In a home game against an average run defense, I projected him to see around 25 touches. He did not disappoint, although I was hoping for a little work catching the ball out of the backfield.
Wide Receiver
Brown is the most consistent receiver in the NFL and he has the highest floor of any non-QB on a full PPR site such as DraftKings. The Steelers were projected to score a lot of points against the Rams and until Ben Roethlisberger went down, their offense was moving the ball with ease. Brown finished with a nice day, but it wasn’t nearly as big as some of the other top receivers — Julio Jones, A.J. Green, and Demaryius Thomas.
Speaking of a high floor, Edelman isn’t far behind Brown when it comes to his minimum expected fantasy output each week. He is basically a lock for double-digit, high-success targets each week, which makes him a great cash game option. He finished with eight catches for 86 yards against the Jaguars this week. It wasn’t a monster fantasy performance, but he didn’t kill my lineup, which can be the name of the game in high-scoring weeks.
Even though Marshall finished with ten catches for over 100 yards and a touchdown, he left a LOT on the field. He dropped a few balls and he made one of the worst plays that I can remember in recent years. As he was getting tackled, he decided to pitch the ball backwards. Unfortunately, it was to an Eagles’ player. In the end, we saw another WR1 have a big day against Byron Maxwell, which is something to keep an eye for next week.
Tight End
Three targets? Sad face emoji. One catch for eight yards? Mad face emoji.
FLEX
This is a great example of why you should never lock in your lineup before Sunday. Injuries play a huge role in weekly fantasy football and as the season progresses, the number of injuries will only increase. Once DeMarco Murray was ruled out against the Jets, I knew that I wanted either Ryan Mathews ($3,300) or Darren Sproles ($3,800). Even though Mathews didn’t have the same ceiling (at least that’s what we thought) as Sproles, he was projected to be the primary back. That, along with the $500 savings, was enough to sway my decision. The Eagles came out and ran all over the Jets tough run defense. Mathews gave my lineup a much needed boost.
Defense / Special Teams
Seattle Seahawks
I have three main criteria when selecting a defense and the Seahawks matched all three this week against the Bears. Are they large favorites? Check. Are they playing at home? Check. Does the defense put pressure on the quarterback and create turnovers? Check. The Seahawks were an obvious choice and while they weren’t the highest-scoring defense, the pick still paid off handsomely.