NFL Week 3 is quickly upon us, and no, we don’t have a two-game Monday Night Football slate. There’s also no random game in Brazil on a Friday night. This is a pure week in the NFL season with 13(!) games on the main slate, and we even get a nice four-gamer in the afternoon window on Sunday. The sample size for our data is growing with each passing week, so let’s look at the latest trends for the NFL DFS Week 3 D/ST Coach!

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 3 D/ST Coach for FanDuel & DraftKings Fantasy

We’re two weeks into the season, and we’ve yet to see any D/ST really pop on the main slate. The San Francisco 49ers were the Play of the Week in Week 2, but they didn’t quite break the slate, returning only five fantasy points. They did record three sacks and a fumble recovery, but they gave up 21 points to the lowly New Orleans Saints.

The New England Patriots, without Christian Gonzalez, put up a solid 13 fantasy points for our lineups. It certainly helped that they had a kickoff returned for a touchdown, because they did give up 27 points, which was a bit of an eyesore. The Rams came through nicely for us, scoring eight fantasy points as they sacked Cam Ward five times, but they still allowed 19 points. Overall, it’s been rather tame for the first two slates, so let’s try and break glass in with the NFL DFS Week 3 D/ST Coach!
 

NFL Week 3 Defense/Special Teams

With two games for every team in the books, we’re starting to get a better look at what we can expect from these defenses going forward. A two-game sample size still isn’t much, but we will get better and have more information to work with as the season progresses.

This slate features one game glaring at us with a high total, and both those D/ST’s are fades this week as you’ll read later in the article. But 6-of-13 games on this slate feature totals at or below 43.5 points. We have injuries to keep an eye on as well because Sunday’s inactives could really open up possibilities for a very cheap D/ST in this article.

Check out the NFL DFS Week 3 D/ST Coach as you get an early jump on building your winning NFL DFS lineups! 

 

 

 

NFL DFS D/ST Top Tier Picks for Week 3

Seattle Seahawks – DraftKings: $3,600 | FanDuel: $4,800

If you’re wondering why the Green Bay Packers aren’t in this section, then I suggest you just scroll to the bottom of the article. I will never leave them off this article unless they’re playing in primetime.

But the Seattle Seahawks are a nice, affordable pivot as the second-most expensive option on DraftKings and FanDuel. This defense doesn’t do anything exceptional in terms of its pass rush. They rank outside the top 20 in blitz rate (11.4%) and sacks rate (5.1%), which is a little odd because they rank third in pass rush win rate (49%). Perhaps this D/ST is in store for some positive regression with their sack totals.

But even if they aren’t, this is still a very good secondary that has a pair of interceptions in each of their first two games. They held both the 49ers and Steelers to 17 points on offense.

I would feel much better about this matchup if Nick Emmanwori and Devon Witherspoon were able to suit up as well. Both were inactive last week, and neither practiced on Wednesday. If they can’t go, I still think this group is worth playing against Spencer Rattler, who has yet to win a game in his career and now has to go into a tough road environment.

Indianapolis Colts – DraftKings: $3,300 | FanDuel: $4,700

They aren’t my favorite play in the top tier, but I would be a fool if I didn’t include them in here, given the matchup. The Colts are 4.5-point road favorites against the Tennessee Titans, and the game has an implied team total of 43.5 points.

Cam Ward threw his first career touchdown last week, but he’s also been sacked 11 times through his first two career games, and the Titans' offense has scored a total of 31 points.

The Colts' pass rush isn’t spectacular, which is a big reason why I’m not considering them great plays like the Seahawks or Packers. And truthfully, there are cheaper options I’d rather play on this slate. But at the end of the day, they’re going against a weak offensive line and a rookie quarterback, so that warrants an acknowledgement in this article.

 

 

 

NFL DFS D/ST Mid-Tier Picks for Week 3

Atlanta Falcons – DraftKings: $3,200 | FanDuel: $3,800

The Atlanta Falcons have the potential for a great defense. And the fanbase has begged the organization for a better pass rush for years, and they may finally have it. Through two games, the Falcons rank fifth in defensive EPA/DB (-0.10). They put on an absolute show Sunday night against the Vikings, where they collected six sacks and forced four turnovers. Even in Week 1, they only had one sack, but they were still top 10 in blitz rate that week. Through two weeks, the Falcons are top five in pressure rate (40.3%), blitz rate (35.8%), and sack rate (10.4%) while they’re top 10 in pressure to sack rate (25.9%). 

The Dirty Birds go on the road to Carolina in Week 2, and they’re surprisingly favored by 5.5 points in Charlotte. Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers are not massive threats on offense, although the addition of Tetairoa McMillan is paying quick dividends. But this is a spot where I expect the Falcons' pass rush to thrive, and that could translate to some turnovers as well. If playing Bijan Robinson at running back, this D/ST is a great correlation play as well.

Houston Texans – DraftKings: $2,700 | FanDuel: $3,400

The Texans are in a unique spot this week, but the pricing is great as they’re pretty affordable on both sites. The one concern I have is that they’re playing on a short week, and they’re 0-2, so the vibes aren’t great in the locker room.

But we’re focusing solely on the defense, which hasn’t been a problem as they’ve given up just 34 total points through two games. They are susceptible to getting beaten on the ground, but the Jacksonville Jaguars offense isn’t exactly coming into this game hitting on all cylinders either. Brian Thomas looks afraid of getting hit while running routes over the middle. Trevor Lawrence still has accuracy issues. Travis Hunter was outproduced by Dyami Brown and Parker Washington last week. So let’s take advantage of this little discount on Houston, shall we?

Through two games, the Texans are top five in pressure rate (41%), pass rush win rate (57%), and they’re top 10 in sack rate (9.0%) and blitz rate (33.3%). They are underdogs on the road for this tilt against the Jags, but the defense should show up with their pass rush, and Derek Stingley can be a massive disruptor to Jacksonville’s passing attack.

 

 

 

NFL Week 3 DFS D/ST Value Picks

New York Jets – DraftKings: $2,200 | FanDuel: $3,300

It seems wild to put the Jets in this article, especially since they’re fourth-worst in defensive EPA/DB at 0.31 in the NFL. But we should really monitor the injury reports and decide if we want to play the Jets on Sunday morning. The Buccaneers have certainly made noise through two weeks, and the emergence of Emeka Egbuka has been fun to watch. But is there a weakness?

Possibly. The offensive line is incredibly beat up. Tristan Wirfs, the league’s best left tackle, hasn’t played yet. He’s practicing in a limited capacity, but it’s no guarantee he suits up this week. If he’s active on Sunday, then we downgrade the Jets. But if he’s out, then the Jets are still in play. But let’s move on to the rest of the offensive line.

The Bucs lost starting guard Cody Mauch for the rest of the season with a torn pec. Starting right tackle Luke Goedeke was questionable heading into Monday night’s game, and he left the game with a knee injury. So the Bucs may be down three starting offensive linemen for this matchup.

Per Next Gen Stats, Baker Mayfield averaged 3.31 seconds to throw with Goedeke on the field compared to 2.23 seconds to throw once Goedeke left. The Jets aren’t great, but the Bucs could easily be sitting at 0-2 as opposed to 2-0. If they’re without Wirfs and Goedeke on Sunday, I think we can use the Jets as a punt in addition to the next D/ST.

Update: So as of early Sunday morning the Bucs have ruled Tristan Wirfs OUT. Cody Mauch's season is over due to an injury and Luke Goedeke has been placed on IR. Per Ourlads, the Bucs starting offensive line for Sunday (from left-to-right) will be Graham Barton (2024 1st round NFL Draft pick), Elijah Klein (2024 6th round NFL Draft pick), Ben Bredeson (PFF grade 56.2 in 2024), Luke Haggard (went undrafted in 2023 and has spent two years on the practice squad with zero reps in an actual NFL game), and Charlie Heck (his pass blocking looked atrocious Monday night).

Cleveland Browns – DraftKings: $2,200 | FanDuel: $3,000

If you need an absolute punt this week, then I’m perfectly fine playing the Browns. The Browns are underdogs at home, but the defense is great. The offense is comically bad, so they’re masking the great level of play from the defense.

They’ve allowed 91 rushing yards through two weeks against the likes of Chase Brown, Lamar Jackson, and Derrick Henry. And they also haven’t given up 200 passing yards to an opposing quarterback, and they’ve played Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson.

If they could get a few turnovers, that would certainly help, but the Browns still have six sacks through two games. They should definitely be in the “value” section of this article, but listing them as the cheapest D/ST on DraftKings and FanDuel is a little insulting, and they’re well worth punting if your lineup requires the salary relief. For the Browns being this cheap, we’re still getting a team that ranks sixth in pressure rate (39.3%) and sack rate (9.8%) while they’re top 10 in blitz rate (32.8%).

I will add the caveat that while this is a D/ST preview, this is also a potential breakout game for Matthew Golden. I can’t believe I’m taking a break from my article to feature a wide receiver, but it needs to happen. The injury to Jayden Reed creates more opportunities for Golden against the Browns. Per Fantasy Points Data, Golden has the best average separation score against man coverage at 0.647, while Rome Odunze is second at 0.600, and the Browns have played the most man coverage through two games. Golden should’ve scored twice in Week 2 against Washington, but hopefully that goose egg keeps other DFS players away. Even Jordan Love said, “there’s gonna be opps for other guys, but definitely M.G.”

 

 

 

NFL DFS D/ST Fades for Week 3

Dallas Cowboys – DraftKings: $2,700 | FanDuel: $3,200

Chicago Bears – DraftKings: $2,600 | FanDuel: $3,700

This game is a rather easy fade as we have plenty of other D/ST’s to pay up or pay down for. Everyone witnessed the shootout the Dallas Cowboys got into last week, and that’s an offense that could get into competitive, high-scoring games on a regular basis.

This Cowboys/Bears game has the highest implied total on the slate (50.5 points) and the second-highest total for all of Week 3. The Bears are third-worst in defensive EPA/DB at 0.34, and the Cowboys are second-worst at 0.35, so I’m not expecting either defense to play a significant role in this matchup.

It’s a great matchup to get exposure to at the skill positions, but we can safely leave these two defenses out of our player pool when building lineups.

 

NFL DFS Week 3 D/ST Play of the Week

Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $3,700 | FanDuel: $5,000

You all are going to be sick of the Packers by the end of the season. In season-long fantasy leagues, I prefer to stream defenses. Sometimes I’ll keep teams for a week, maybe two, or possibly three, and just play the matchups. The Green Bay Packers are really the only D/ST I feel comfortable rostering every single week for the rest of this season.

The addition of Micah Parsons just elevates this team to its own elite status. Through two games, they’ve made good offenses look rather incompetent. In Week 1, they gave up just 13 points to the Detroit Lions, and they allowed 246 total yards of offense while collecting four sacks. In Week 2, on a short week playing on Thursday, they gave up 18 points to the Washington Commanders and just 230 total yards of offense. They’ve only allowed 97 rushing yards through two weeks.

So what should we expect with the Packers visiting the Cleveland Browns with extra rest? Vegas is viewing this as a low-scoring affair with the Browns' offense struggling, and I tend to agree. This game has one of the lower implied totals on the slate at 41.5 points, and the Packers are big favorites by 8.5 points. That gives Cleveland an implied team total of roughly 16.5 points.

Through two weeks, the Packers rank 7th in defensive EPA/DB (-0.05), and that’s been against two of the more respected offenses in the league. The Packers and the Chargers are the only two teams not to surrender a first-half touchdown yet, and Green Bay may keep that trend going in Week 3.