Melvin Gordon should be a popular Week 3 pick following Danny Woodhead‘s injury
Welcome to the Week 3 edition of the FanDuel value plays. In Week 2 there were several injuries to some key players, which really opens the door for value options this week. We never want to root for an injury to a player, but the value created from the injuries should make lineup construction extremely easy for this week. Let’s go ahead and take a look at my favorite Week 3 value recommendations.
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Quarterback
Dak Prescott (DAL): $7,100 vs. CHI
Prescott has been a solid real-life quarterback, but not a great fantasy quarterback in two games. I think Prescott may look great in both universes in a matchup against the Bears this weekend. The Bears were already an average defense, at best, but they took a beating on Monday night losing two starting linebackers and their starting defensive tackle for multiple weeks. Prescott should have no problem moving the ball down the field and hopefully scoring multiple touchdowns.
Other Notables
- Ryan Tannehill (MIA): $7,400 vs. CLE
- Carson Wentz (PHI): $7,200 at PIT
Running Back
Melvin Gordon (SD): $7,100 at IND
I normally like to stay under $7,000 for my value running back recommendations. However, it’s too hard to pass on Gordon here at only $100 more. With Woodhead out for the rest of the season, Gordon is going to have a heavy workload each week. This week he has an outstanding matchup against the Colts, who have struggled to stop the run for years.
Theo Riddick (DET): $6,400 at GB
Riddick is another value option who benefited from an injury last week. Earlier in the week Ameer Abdullah was placed on IR, so Riddick will be seeing the lion’s share (pun intended) of the carries for awhile. Regardless of how the game goes, Riddick will still be used since he has been an integral part of the Lions’ passing game.
Other Notables
- Frank Gore (IND): $5,700 vs. SD
- Charles Sims (TB): $6,300 vs. LA
- Jerrick McKinnon (MIN): $5,300 at CAR
Wide Receiver
Sterling Shepard (NYG): $6,500 vs. WAS
Coming into the season I was not high on Shepard. I thought the volume would be there, but I didn’t think he would be an efficient receiver, but I have been wrong so far. Through two games, Shepard has played on 94.8% of the Giants’ offensive snaps and has caught 11 of his 12 targets for 160 yards and a touchdown. With Josh Norman likely to cover Odell Beckham Jr. for a good portion of the game, Shepard should see Breeland quite a bit. Breeland was solid last season, but he has not looked too great through two games this year.
Tajae Sharpe (TEN): $5,800 vs. OAK
Sharpe didn’t have a game against the Lions, but that was mostly due to being lined up against Darius Slay for most of the day. Sharpe still leads the Titans in targets with 18 and he has a much better matchup against the Raiders in Week 3. The Raiders have allowed eight passing touchdowns and 819 receiving yards through two games this season.
Phillip Dorsett (MIA): $6,000 vs. SD
Dorsett will benefit from Donte Moncrief being out with a shoulder injury for the next four to six weeks. With Moncrief out, the Chargers’ defense will likely focus on trying to stop T.Y. Hilton, which should allow Dorsett to have a lot of one-on-one coverage in Week 3. The Chargers have a poor secondary and this game is expected to be a shootout, so Dorsett is in a great spot to return excellent value at this salary.
Other Notables
- Devante Parker (MIA): $6,200 vs. CLE
- Stefon Diggs (MIN): $6,400 at CAR
Tight End
Dennis Pitta (BAL): $5,000 at JAC
I know that it is early in the season, but Pitta has looked like the 2012 version of himself through the first two games. Pitta currently leads the Ravens in targets, receptions and receiving yards this season. Even if Pitta fails to find the endzone again in Week 3, he is still a safe option since he is targeted frequently by Joe Flacco.
Other Notables
- Trey Burton (PHI): $4,500 at PIT
Kicker
Josh Lambo (SD): $4,500 at IND
Lambo is not a spectacular kicker by any means. However, he plays on a team with a good offense and this week they have a great matchup against the Colts. Lambo should have plenty of opportunities to score some points in this game.
Other Notables
- Chris Boswell (PIT): $4,600 vs. PHI
D/ST
Miami Dolphins: $4,600 vs. CLE
Similar to Josh Lambo, the Dolphins don’t have a great defense, but they do have a great matchup at home against the Browns. The Browns will be using their third starting quarterback of the year in the form of Cody Kessler. Reports have said that Kessler is not close to being ready to play in the NFL, and to make matters even worse, the Browns will be without Corey Coleman, who broke his hand in practice yesterday. This has all of the makings for an ugly game from the Browns’ perspective, which means the Dolphins are a great option in DFS this week.
Other Notables
- Buccaneers (TB): $4,500 vs. LA
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Kaz is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Kaz, follow him @DraftStars_Kaz. You can find more of Kaz’s work at DraftStars.net.
