Daily Fantasy Football Cash Game Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings Week 3 - Main Slate

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Quarterbacks

Jalen Hurts FD 8100 DK 7600
Opponent WAS
Proj Points FD - 24.1 DK - 24.89

Jalen Hurts is QB4 in DraftKings scoring on the season and leads the position with 147 rushing yards through two weeks. He’s coming out of the gate slinging and the Eagles are coming off a big blowout win over the Vikings on Monday night. The rushing ability gives him such a high floor and this game has the third-highest over/under of the slate (50). I like Hurts as a cash game option because it’s clear the Eagles will keep their foot on the gas on offense and he has big touchdown equity considering how they use him in the running game.

Josh Allen FD 9000 DK 8200
Opponent MIA
Proj Points FD - 23.33 DK - 24.13

Through the first two weeks of the season Josh Allen is QB2 on DraftKings and is tied for the league lead with seven throwing touchdowns. His ranking on the list is even more impressive considering the Bills haven’t even really been in close games and have been able to take their foot off the gas late in both. This game’s 54 total is the highest of the main slate and we could be looking at another shootout similar to what ended up happening last week between the Fins and the Ravens. Give me all of Josh Allen if that were to be the case and spending up here makes sense.

Running Backs

Joe Mixon FD 8200 DK 7600
Opponent NYJ
Proj Points FD - 17.96 DK - 19.86

After two weeks, Joe Mixon leads the league in running back usage with 59 touches (rushing attempts + passing targets). That’s eight more than the next-closest guy (Leonard Fournette) and it’s something we can lean into this week. The Bengals are road favorites again the Jets who have been the league’s worst defense in terms of DVOA through the first two weeks. Mixon’s price isn’t out of control for the amount the team is leaning on him in the offense.

Austin Ekeler FD 8700 DK 8000
Opponent JAX
Proj Points FD - 18.74 DK - 21.72

With Keenan Allen out in Week 2, more of the passing down work went Ekeler’s direction and he finished with 10 targets, turning it into 9 catches and 55 yards. He also added 14 carries though turned that into just 39 yards on the ground. In his 47 offensive snaps, the 24 looks reflected more than 50% usage when he was on the field. He’s not an every down back, but the Chargers are -7 home favorites here against the Jags and this game has a healthy 48 over/under. I like Ekeler in this spot, especially on DraftKings.

Miles Sanders FD 6800 DK 5500
Opponent WAS
Proj Points FD - 12.6 DK - 13.62

Having a running quarterback isn’t always good for the actual running backs, but Sanders has been effective over the first couple weeks of the season. He’s had 30 total carries and put up 176 yards and a touchdown. The rushing yards are good for seventh overall among running backs through the first couple of weeks. Seeing as how the Eagles are favorites here I think we can run Sanders at these price points even with the understanding that he’s not a bell cow back at this point.

Wide Receivers

Tyreek Hill FD 8400 DK 7600
Opponent BUF
Proj Points FD - 18.24 DK - 21.97

Jaylen Waddle FD 7500 DK 6800
Opponent BUF
Proj Points FD - 16.08 DK - 19.43

While this would seem like an overreaction to last week’s monster fourth quarter against the Ravens, it really isn’t. Through the first two weeks of the season, Hill and Waddle rank 2nd and 4th in receiving targets, an unreal number considering they are on the same team. And though some of it is game script moving in the favor of the Dolphins needing to throw more, that just doesn’t tell the whole story. These two have combined to see 59% of Tua’s passing attempts through the first couple of games. This is just where the offense is going and that’s likely to continue in a meaningful way.

This game against Buffalo has a monster total and could be a shootout. Waddle’s DK price hasn’t caught up with the production yet at all and though Hill is expensive, he’s something of a bargain (if that’s the right word) as well.

Amon-Ra St. Brown FD 7800 DK 7200
Opponent MIN
Proj Points FD - 17 DK - 20.91

Amon-Ra St. Brown is WR4 in terms of scoring so far and WR9 in terms of price which is basically all you need to know about the guy on this slate. He’s just coming too cheap for how much Jared Goff is looking his way and the price is set to continue coming up. This is another game with a monster total and the Lions could be playing from behind, helping the game script for ARSB.

Curtis Samuel FD 6300 DK 5100
Opponent PHI
Proj Points FD - 12.37 DK - 15.12

Curtis Samuel actually ranks seventh overall in wide receiver touches through the first two weeks, having seen 20 targets and also five rushing attempts. He is Carson Wentz’s primary receiver right now and that could continue with Washington having at least options in the passing game. His price hasn’t really come up to reflect the opportunity and though the Eagles’ defense has been ok, I think we can play Samuel in cash here.

Tight Ends

Hayden Hurst FD 5100 DK 3900
Opponent NYJ
Proj Points FD - 9.54 DK - 12.1

Hurst has 15 targets through the first two weeks, the fifth-most among tight ends and has been something of a go-to option for Joe Burrow in this offense. It’s a welcome sign seeing as how this is a pass-happy group and this week they are going against what has been, so far, one of the worst defenses in football. I love the price on both sites and for a bad position he offers a solid floor without having to break the bank.

Zach Ertz FD 5200 DK 4600
Opponent LAR
Proj Points FD - 9.14 DK - 11.61

He was a bit hobbled in Week 1 but Ertz made up for it in the second game of the season when he had 11 targets and turned that into eight catchers and 75 yards. The Cardinals were playing catchup so they leaned on the passing even more than normal, but Ertz should still have a higher floor in this offense going forward, especially without DeAndre Hopkins until he returns from suspension.

Defense

New Orleans Saints FD 4300 DK 3500
Opponent CAR
Proj Points FD - 8.56 DK - 8.56

The Panthers rank 23rd on defense through the first couple of weeks and there’s not a lot of hope that it will get better with this group. Meanwhile, the Saints have been above average on the defensive end and aren’t coming at crazy expensive prices on either site.

HOU FD 3800 DK 2600
Opponent CHI
Proj Points FD - 7.4 DK - 7.4

If we are looking to go cheap with our defensive options because of the high variance around the position then I think the Texans are in a good spot here. The Bears’ offense has been atrocious through the first couple of weeks, ranking third to last overall in DVOA there. They refuse to throw the ball with Justin Fields and don’t have great prospects even if that was the way they wanted to go. Meanwhile, Houston has held its own on the defensive end through the first couple of weeks.