Daily Fantasy Football Week 3: DraftKings, FanDuel Top Picks, Best Value Plays

There are many ways to enjoy fantasy football, and daily fantasy is one of the most popular. Given the rash of injuries the NFL has already seen this season—Ben Roethlisberger, Nick Foles, Drew Brees, Quincy Enunwa, David Njoku, to name a few—it isn't difficult to see why.

Sometimes, you just want to do your draft over. Fortunately, with DFS games, you can. The question heading into Week 3 is whom should you draft?

Here we will examine some of the top Week 3 plays for FanDuel and DraftKings based on factors such as matchup, projected role and player health. We will also dig into some value picks based on DFS pricing.

Top Week 3 Picks, Draft Prices

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens: $7,000 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys: $6,500 DK, $8,400 FD

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers: $8,700 DK, $8,900 FD

Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings: $7,800 DK, $8,300 FD

Sony Michel, RB, New England Patriots: $6,000 DK, $6,800 FD

Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers: $7,000 DK,, $7,800 FD

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $6,900 DK, $7,600 FD

Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions: $6,600 DK, $7,000 FD

George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers: $5,600 DK, $5,600 FD

Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens: $4,600 DK, $6,800 FD

New England Patriots D/ST: $3,800 DK, $5,000 FD

Green Bay Packers D/ST: $3,400 DK, $4,500 FD

Value Picks

Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers: $4,700 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel

Gary Landers/Associated Press

We've already discussed some of the injuries from the early 2019 season. San Francisco 49ers running back Tevin Coleman is part of the casualty list with an ankle injury. That's bad for the 49ers, but it's great for backup running back Raheem Mostert.

Along with Matt Breida, Mostert is now a focal point of the team's backfield. He should remain that way for as long as Coleman is sidelined. What does that mean for fantasy? Well, in Week 2, Mostert racked up 151 combined rushing and receiving yards with three receptions and a touchdown.

In Week 3, Mostert will face a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that has allowed 445 yards per game this season, fourth-most in the NFL. This is the home opener for San Francisco. Expect the 49ers to get up early and to grind out the second half with Breida and Mostert.

Frank Gore, RB, Buffalo Bills: $4,400 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel

The team Mostert torched in Week 2 was the Cincinnati Bengals. Though the Cincinnati defense looked decent against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, it was atrocious against San Francisco in Week 2.

The Bengals have allowed 165.5 yards rushing per game, third-most in the NFL.

This means the Buffalo Bills—who largely employ a run-oriented offense—should have a terrific matchup in their home opener. Veteran Frank Gore could well be the leader of Buffalo's rushing attack.

Gore hasn't been a reliable fantasy option this term—he's averaging just 2.9 yards per carry. However, the Bills may be without rookie home run hitter Devin Singletary, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. If Singletary cannot go, the Bills will lean on Gore and T.J. Yeldon instead.

"I promise you, nobody here is worried about Frank Gore and backup T.J. Yeldon," tight end Lee Smith said, per Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News.

John Brown, WR, Buffalo Bills: $5,500 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

While the Bills are likely to lean on the running game in their home opener, there should still be plenty of big-play opportunities for wide receiver John Brown.

Brown has emerged as one of Buffalo's biggest weapons and perhaps quarterback Josh Allen's favorite target. He's caught seven passes in each of the first two games and has 195 yards and a touchdown. After spending last season with the Baltimore Ravens, Brown should also have his fair share of familiarity with the Bengals defense.

That defense, by the way, is giving up an average of 236 passing yards. Cincinnati may not be as bad at defending the pass as the run, but this is still a mediocre unit. In Week 2, four 49ers players produced at least 50 receiving yards.

Brown should be in store for another big outing.

O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $3,800 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard has been a major fantasy disappointment this season. He has just four catches for 32 yards, which is precisely why head coach Bruce Arians has challenged him to be better.

"He's got so much talent, and he can play a heck of a lot better than he's playing," Arians said, per Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com.

Expect to see a motivated Howard against the New York Giants, who also present a favorable matchup. This season, New York has allowed 321 passing yards per game, third-most in the NFL.

Howard should show fans and fantasy managers alike that he can indeed play better than he has been.