The first two weeks of the NFL season have gone a little bit too much “as expected” if you ask me. Games with high Vegas point total have been high-scoring, and chalky DFS plays have, for the most part, performed well. That makes Week 3 a perfect opportunity to expect the unexpected. Therefore, in GPPs this week, I’m not going to stack up the game with the highest Vegas point total between the Cowboys and Seahawks, and I’ll instead look for some games with sneaky scoring upside.
So, with that, let’s stack’em up for Week 3.
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Stacking Options
Deshaun Watson (QB – HOU): $8,000 / Will Fuller (WR – HOU): $6,000
The primary game with sneaky upside is the matchup between the Texans and Steelers. The Texans have had a brutal early-season schedule facing the Chiefs and Ravens, but Watson has still put up solid numbers, and we all know he has GPP-winning upside. The Steelers have been known to get into some shootouts at home in not-so-obvious spots in the past. Pair up Watson with his primary wideout, Fuller, who was a ball hog in Week 1 with 10 targets — before he injured his hamstring and failed to log a target in Week 2. Fuller is not on the injury report heading into the matchup with the Steelers. You won’t get the Watson/Fuller combo and their big upside lower owned then you will this week. Bring it back with either Diontae Johnson or JuJu Smith-Schuster, depending on his health.
Bring it back with: Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT): $6,300
Joe Burrow (QB – CIN): $7,400 / A.J. Green (WR – CIN): $5,900
Burrow has looked pretty good in his first two NFL starts, and he can put up fantasy production both through the air and on the ground. This week he’ll face an Eagles pass defense that ranks 27th in Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), according to FootballOutisders. Meanwhile, A.J. Green leads the NFL in Air Yards so far this season but doesn’t have much to show for it. Those opportunities have included four red-zone targets, and they should turn into fantasy production soon. Both teams are in desperation with 0-2 records, so look for them to do everything possible to get the “W” this week. DeSean Jackson is always a big-play threat and is a good pivot off of the likely chalk, Miles Sanders.
Bring it back with: DeSean Jackson (WR – PHI): $5,500
Jeff Wilson (RB – SF): $5,200 / 49ers (D/ST – SF): $4,600
The 49ers suffered a slew of injuries last week, including at running back, and that will open up some opportunities for Jerick McKinnon and Jeff Wilson. McKinnon might get more looks in the passing game, but expect Wilson to get the carries near the goal line and to grind out the clock if the 49ers have the lead. He’ll face a Giants run defense that has yielded 109 rushing yards per game to running backs through the first two weeks. The 49ers defense will also need to step up with all the injuries on both sides of the ball, but they should have an easier time with the Giants offense sans Saquon Barkley.
High-Priced Stud
DeAndre Hopkins (WR – ARI): $8,500
Typically, the high-priced stud to pay up for will be a running back, and I was tempted to go back to Derrick Henry this week even though he let us down last week. However, if we look at the wide receiver position on Sunday’s main slate, it’s void of a high-priced option guaranteed the target volume and game environment that Hopkins possesses. The Cardinals have the highest implied Vegas team total on the slate, and Hopkins is a lock for double-digit targets along with some red-zone looks. Find your favorite off-the-board QB/WR stack with a bring it back and then fit Hopkins in as your third wideout.
Low-Owned Fliers
- Ben Roethlisberger (QB – PIT): $7,500
- Kenyan Drake (RB – ARI): $6,500
- Joshua Kelley (RB – LAC): $5,900
- T.Y. Hilton (WR – IND): $6,200
- Marvin Jones (WR – DET): $6,100
- Michael Gallup (WR – DAL): $5,700
- Chris Herndon (TE – NYJ): $5,000
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Brad Richter is a featured writer at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.
