We’re into Week 3 of the 2022 NFL season and most avid fantasy football owners think they have everything figured out. At the very least, we’re getting a better idea of which teams are good, bad, and in between, so it gets easier for NFL DFS players to find worthwhile stacks and sleepers when creating lineups for FanDuel and DraftKings contests.
At least, that’s what we think right now. It’s still early in the season, so it’s important not to throw caution to the wind entirely. You can trust some of the two-game sample sizes that teams have, but in order to create good daily fantasy football lineups, it’s important not to overreact to these stats when searching for stacking opportunities.
Stacking is becoming one of the most prevalent strategies among NFL DFS players. Why? Well, when you have two players on the same team, they can both score on the same play. That creates opportunities for double points and raises the lineup’s ceiling. Even if you have an RB-defense stack, the scoring can often be correlated.
WEEK 3 DFS: Top values
There are a few different ways to approach stacking. You can roll with top-tier players in top offenses to raise the floor of your lineup, or you can go with contrarian options that provide you with key lineup differentiation. Often, rolling with more contrarian choices is a good strategy in DraftKings and FanDuel tournaments while choosing safer stacks helps in cash games.
DraftKings and FanDuel remain the top DFS platforms worldwide, but DraftKings has the more variable pricing. That makes it a bit easier to craft creative stacks, especially when targeting cheaper receivers. That’s not to say you can’t stack on FanDuel; it’s just sometimes harder to find value when doing so.
Below are some of our favorite sets of teammates for Week 3 DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.
WEEK 3 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo
Week 3 NFL DFS Picks: Top cash game stacks for DraftKings, FanDuel
QB Matthew Stafford, WR Cooper Kupp, and TE Tyler Higbee, Rams at Cardinals (DK/FD Stack)
Stafford averaged 256.3 yards and threw at least two touchdowns in three games against the Cardinals last year. Kupp averaged 7.7 catches for 82.7 yards in those contests and scored twice. Higbee only played in two games, but he still averaged five targets per contest.
Noticing a pattern here? Yes, the Rams tend to have offensive success against the Cardinals. This should continue into 2022, as Los Angeles still has a stronger roster than Arizona does and Sean McVay has a 10-1 career record against the Cardinals. Thus, it’s safe to assume that he will have a good game plan in place for his best offensive weapons at each position.
WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
QB Derek Carr, WR Davante Adams, and TE Darren Waller, Raiders at Titans (DK Stack)
Carr and Adams had trouble connecting against the Cardinals, but that was largely thanks to a great game from Arizona’s top cornerback Byron Murphy. The Titans won’t be able to pose as much of a threat.
Tennessee couldn’t guard Stefon Diggs in Week 2. The veteran receiver pulled in 12 catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns as the Bills routed the Titans. Adams could be similarly positioned to succeed, especially if Tennessee’s top cornerback, Kristian Fulton (hamstring), continues to miss time.
As for Waller, he caught his first touchdown of the season against the Cardinals, who have struggled against tight ends thus far, and has averaged five catches for 64.5 yards through two contests. The Titans have been good against tight ends but that could be more matchup-related than anything.
Las Vegas’ offense isn’t going to be as explosive and dominant as the Bills were against the Titans on “Monday Night Football,” but Carr, Adams and Waller still profile as good plays this week. If you’re looking for high-floor options, look no further than this high-flying trio.
WEEK 3 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
RB Christian McCaffrey and Carolina D/ST, Panthers vs. Saints (DK/FD Stack)
Some may not like the idea of trusting Matt Rhule’s defense, but they have been pretty good through two weeks. The only times they have struggled badly is in sudden-change situations.
Of the Panthers’ 45 points allowed, 13 have come off three turnovers. If they can clean those up, they will be able to limit offenses better than the numbers show. And since Jameis Winston dealing with four fractured vertebrae in his back, Carolina could force some turnovers as the Bucs did against the Saints last week.
If you’re rolling with the Panthers’ defense, then going with McCaffrey is a solid choice. The Saints are typically good against the run but have started this season as a middle-of-the-pack run defense. Even if they do contain McCaffrey, as they have in seasons past, he can still do damage as a receiver, as he proved by totaling 65 yards on five catches in the lone game he played against the Saints last year.
WEEK 3 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em
Week 3 DraftKings, FanDuel Picks: Best stacks for daily fantasy football tournaments
QB Marcus Mariota, WR Drake London, and TE Kyle Pitts, Falcons at Seahawks (DK/FD Stack)
The Falcons aren’t the most exciting team in the NFL, but they have a good matchup this week against the Seahawks. Seattle’s defense has played well at times this year, but it’s still worth noting that they are one of nine NFL teams that is allowing more than 400 yards per game to begin the season.
Atlanta can take advantage of this. The Falcons don’t have a lot of offensive weapons, but Mariota is a great scrambler, which gives him a high floor. London has 19 targets through two games and is averaging 18.5 DraftKings fantasy points per game this season.
Meanwhile, Pitts hasn’t been productive, but the Seahawks just let Ross Dwelley get open for a 38-yard score last week. Pitts could have a similar breakaway play if all goes well.
All of Atlanta’s stars are relatively cheap despite this being such a favorable matchup. The Falcons have scored at least 26 points in each outing, too, so if they repeat that against the Seahawks, odds are that Mariota and Co. will have a nice day against Seattle’s young secondary.
QB Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia D/ST, Eagles at Commanders (DK/FD Stack)
Pairing a quarterback with a defense may seem counterintuitive, but it’s good contrarian stack to help earn lineup differentiation in Week 3.
Hurts has been a dynamic playmaker for the Eagles through two weeks, and a lot of that is thanks to his ability to run the ball. He is second on the Eagles in both rushes (28) and rushing yards (147) behind only Miles Sanders. Hurts has been the bigger red-zone threat, though, generating three scores on the ground.
Hurts should be asked to help the run game again in Week 3 against a Commanders defense that has been porous at times in 2022. That gives him a high floor, while his passing ability gives him high upside.
The Eagles defense is in a similar spot to Hurts. The Commanders aren’t bad on offense, but quarterback Carson Wentz is prone to untimely turnovers and was just strip-sacked for a safety last week. That was against the Lions; the Eagles should prove a much tougher nut for Wentz to crack.
RB Aaron Jones, RB AJ Dillon, and Green Bay D/ST, Packers at Bucs (DK Stack)
Last week, we went with a two-RB stack involving the Patriots. This week, we’ll do it with the Packers in a situation that looks a lot more favorable.
The Packers only use two running backs in Jones and Dillon, so by putting them in our lineup, we are basically guaranteed 100 percent of the team’s running back production. Last week, that would have worked to the tune of 35 DK points for Jones and 7.7 for Dillon.
Yes, having two backs playing for the same team can limit a DFS lineup’s ceiling. That said, if you can round out your lineup with high-upside wideouts, this can actually be a great way to give your tournament lineup differentiation. If both players go off, then you will be among the few who benefit from playing both since most will avoid it.
The Packers D/ST may look like a bold pairing for these two to some, but the stop-unit looked very good against the Bears on “Sunday Night Football.” That may not mean much going against Tom Brady, but he will likely be without the left side of his offensive line and three of his top four receivers.
If that happens, the Bucs won’t be able to move the ball, something they have struggled to do in their first two wins.
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