One day away from the start of Week 3, well technically Thursday night was the start, but who likes Thursday night football anyways. Like always, I hope these articles are helping you with fantasy football, whether it be DFS or season long. Please upvote and comment on your Week 3 plays and if you would like to see anything change in these articles. If you haven't already, check out yesterday's posted Week 3 QB Article and TE Article.
Last weeks picks were kind of all over the place. Top priced players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones didn't have a high return relative to their price but others such as Golden Tate, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Quincy Enunwa, and Devin Funchess all worked out well. It's also important to keep in mind the strategy of stacking. That is, if I am playing DeShaun Watson but didn't necessarily post a WR from his team in the WR article, I likely will still be trying to fit 1-2 of his receivers in. That being said, lets get into the WR Week 3 article.
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The WR position this week is similar to last week in that there are a ton of different ways to go. Again, I will be focusing on stacks with my QB but there are still number of one-off plays that I will be trying to fit in across all of my lineups. Unfortunately, the value at WR is starting to be limited but we do have a ton of value plays at RB this week which should open up some cap space to fit high priced WRs.
$7,900 / vs. NO / ATL + 1.5
Julio Jones was somewhat of a disappointment last week vs. a very beatable Carolina Panthers secondary but in terms of high priced receivers, he tops my list again this week. He still got a very respectable 9 targets in Week 2 although that was a major decrease from the 19 targets he received Week 1 but that was certainly something we all outlined as an anomaly. The downside is that he didn't receive a single red-zone target against the Panthers but I doubt that carries over into the Week 3. This week he lines up against the New Orleans Saints secondary, a group that was absolutely torched by Fitzpatrick aka Fitzmagic Week 1. I don't really put much weight in the Saints defensive performance last week since they had the easy task of facing the Cleveland Browns and Tyrod Taylor who has just been terrible this year and may not be starting any longer. The total of this game is currently 53 points which positions NO/ATL as one of the highest projected scoring games on the day. Atlanta is a small favorite at home but I have no doubt in order to win, they are going to have to throw the ball a ton. Jones is the clear obvious favorite to lead the team on Sunday in targets and should see plenty of scoring opportunities in the red-zone. There really isn't much more to be said. An elite receiver with ridiculous usage in a high total game facing one of the worst secondaries in football. High floor and high upsides, Julio Jones looks as good as any Week 3 vs. the New Orleans Saints. Fire him up.
$5,900 / vs. NYG / HOU + 6
Although the Giants secondary and defense in general isn't that bad, entering Week 3 they have no one to stop the Houston Texans receivers. Eli Apple, their best cornerback, will be sitting out with an injury leaving a backup cornerback to guard the likes of DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller. I am high on both Hopkins and Fuller (stacking both with Watson) this week but I am throwing Fuller into the article today based on price and recent performance. Watson and Fuller have been nothing short of magical together. Just last week, Fuller and Watson connected for 113 yards and a TD on 8 receptions. No surprise, Watson's stats were much better Week 2 with Fuller on the field compared to Week 1 when Fuller missed due to injury. And this dates back into 2017 as FanSided - FantasyCPR pointed out, Watson is a much better QB when Fuller plays.
However, industry touts keep saying Fuller is a big-play only WR that is due for some major regression. I mean looking at his stats over the past year, you will notice Fullers big games came with minimal targets. Fuller scored 7 TDs over 4 weeks with Watson on just 13 catches and 22 targets. Thats a rediculous clip that can't be sustained on such low volume of opportunity. However, what I liked about Fullers 2018 return in Week 2 was that he recited a total of 9 targets. That is his highest target total since Watson entered the league and a great sign that we may have a more reliable volume player coming along in Houston. If Fuller can maintain 8-10 targets, we may be able to expect great things or at the very least the boom / bust type of player might be mitigated to something more reliable on a weekly basis. In any regard, both Fuller and Hopkins are in a prime matchup vs. the Giants this week in a game in which I love Deshaun Watson as a play. Fuller priced sill pretty low on DraftKings at $5,900 makes for a great play in a great matchup with rising opportunity.
$8,300 / vs. NYG / HOU + 6
See all of the above on Will Fuller and multiply that with Hopkins. Elite play, just a more obvious one over Fuller. Don't forget about him.
$5,000 / vs. CIN / CAR + 3
We picked Funchess last week believing that his usage would increase in the absence of Greg Olsen, similar to last year. That logic played out quite well as Funchess is coming off a 7 reception, 77 yard game against the Falcons. His target total increased from 5 in Week 1 to 9 in Week 2 that also included 3 red-zone targets (0 Week 1). These are all great signs and show in fact that Cam Newton does rely more on Funchess when Olsen isn't on the field. Even more encouraging is that Cam looked his way 3x in the red-zone and who doesn't like opportunities to score. We mentioned in the QB Article that the Bengals secondary is rated average but has given up huge yardage through the first couple weeks of the season, meaning Cam Newton and Funchess should have plenty to take advantage of. Funchess' price still remains relatively depressed at $5,000 which is a value we should continue to take advantage of. Almost a 100% increase in usage in addition to great red-zone opportunity, Funchess is a quality value play this week that I am looking to plug into most of my lineups.
$3,700 / at CAR / CAR + 3
Tyle Boyd is coming off arguably his best career performance to date, catching 6 balls against Baltimore in Week 2 for 91 yards and a TD. His target share and as a result total receptions increased dramatically from Week 1 to Week 2, something we like to see. More importantly, Boyd is an extreme value this week at only $3,700 on DraftKings. Andy Dalton seems to have developed a good relationship with the young receiver and has targeted Boyd a total of 27x since Week 16 of 2017 (4 total games). If Boyd is turning into a legit #2 threat in Cincinatti, we should be looking to take advantage of his super low price tag before it begins rising. Carolina has a decent defense but their secondary is lacking. I would imagine A.J. Green will garnish the most attention from the Panthers giving Boyd great opportunity to capitalize. The Panthers have one of the more stout run defenses in the league in addition to the fact the Bengals starting running back, Joe Mixon, will be missing this game. To me, this means the Bengals will have to rely on the pass more than normal, setting up game flow and opportunity for the Bengals receivers. Boyd stands out as easily the best on paper value play WR in Week 3 and someone that I will be focusing in on.
$7,300 / at LAR / LAR + 7.5
The battle for LA.....isn't that a movie or something? This is my contrarian GPP play that I think will go overlooked in Week 3. The simple fact is, Keenan Allen, when healthy is one of the best receivers in the league. He has a great relationship on the field with Phillip Rivers and has already seen 19 targets across 2 games this season. The Chargers are decent underdogs in this matchup which should mean Rivers will be playing from behind and throwing a lot in this game. Keenan Allen is clearly his most talented receiver and favorite target. He looks to him all over the field, including the red-zone. Most people will be scared off the Chargers players simply due to the notion that the Rams have one of the best, if not the best defense in the league. However, with a heavy workload and an elite QB throwing to him, Keenan Allen should get his this week. A great contrarian play, I'm putting some weight on Allen this week to have a big game.
Emmanuel Sanders - $6,400 - Broncos
Golden Tate - $6,800 - Lions
Keelan Cole - $5,600 - Jaguars
That about wraps up the WR position for Week 3. I hope you are enjoying the articles and are using them to your advantage each week. Good luck out there and lets win some money!
Sourced: AtlantaFalcons.com / AthlonSports.com / CatScratchReader.com
