NFL DFS Week 3 Example Lineups: Top Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel Contests

Updated: Sunday 9/21 at 11:45am ET

Are you ready to start building some winning NFL Week 3 DFS lineups? Have you caught up on on all the latest NFL news? Have you read through our DFS coaching articles? Have you made your way through the NFL Week 3 DFS Playbook? Watched the DFS Show? Built some DFS lineups on your own? If you've answered yes to all of those questions, then you are ready! We've got a fantastic main slate of games from which to choose and, as I'm sure you already know, we're pretty amped up about the lineups we're building here for Week 3. Traditionally, Week 3 has been very good to us, so let's keep that momentum rooling!

Just a few notes here about the lineups below...

The cash lineups were built solely off the players I put in the DFS Playbook. These are the guys who, unless I have indicated otherwise, offer up the higher floor and will help you cash in your Double-Ups and 50/50s. For GPP tournaments, particularly the large-field ones, you need to find alternative routes to the cash line. I will utilize players from the Playbook and the DFS Dart Board to fill in the gaps, but what I am looking for are some lower-owned stacks that make sense based on expected game flow and other news. 

You may also see in the GPP lineups, there may be some names I haven't discussed this week on the site, but have talked about during the week on the Fantasy Alarm Show or even on the Fantasy Alarm Sunday Gameday Show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. You will also notice, though, that others on the site have mentioned some of these players in places such as the position coaches, so it's not like we're trying to hide anything from you. The only time, and I mean the only time you will see a player in a GPP lineup who hasn't been discussed is if we are using a stack and need a player from the other team coming back. Sometimes, correlation is needed.

Again, these lineups are meant to serve as examples for you; a sounding board, as I said. They are not meant for you to plug in as your own. That's the lazy way and we don't condone it. We are trying to teach you how to be a better DFS player; we aren't lineup-sellers. You should be creating your own lineups using all the information we provide you throughout the week and then coming here to see if there is anything you may have missed or simply for an alternative perspective.

**Be sure to check the Playbook and Dart Board for late changes

Best of luck to you this week and let's make some money!

SUNDAY MORNING NOTES:

According to Adam Schefter:

Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba had what one source described as “a bug” Saturday that is unlikely to affect his availability today vs. the Saints, but the team wants to see how Smith-Njigba is feeling today just to make sure, which is why it designated him as questionable.

Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka, who is expected to play today vs. the Jets despite hip and groin injuries, is expected to have his snaps monitored and potentially limited based on how he feels during the game

Vikings elevated RB Cam Akers and G Henry Byrd to the active roster for Sunday’s game vs. the Bengals.

Saints are signing WR Kevin Austin to the active roster, per Robert Bailey and Drew Rosenhaus.

Colts removed the questionable tag from TE Tyler Warren, who is now good to go for Sunday’s game against Tennessee.

Cowboys added CB Trevon Diggs to the injury report today due to a knee injury, and he is questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Bears.

Patriots downgraded CB Christian Gonzalez to out for Sunday’s game against the Steelers.

Players listed for out Sunday include J.J. McCarthy, Ryan Kelly, Justin Skule, Shemar Stewart, Jayden Daniels, Noah Brown, John Bates, Justin Fields, Jermaine Johnson, Josh Reynolds, Jay Tufele, Chris Godwin, Tristan Wirfs, Alex Highsmith, Joey Porter, Will Shipley, A.J. Terrell, Daron Bland, T.J. Edwards, Kyler Gordon, Jaylon Johnson, Jaylon Jones, Evan Engram, Dre Greenlaw, Will Dissly, Elijah Molden, Jayden Reed, Michael Hall, J.C. Latham, T’Vondre Sweat, Mike Danna, Kristian Fulton, Darius Muasau.

OTHER NFL NEWS:

49ers WR Jauan Jennings (ankle/shoulder) is questionable to play in Week 3 against the Cardinals.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Packers TE Tucker Kraft (knee) is expected to play in Week 3 against the Browns.

Chargers TE Will Dissly (knee) will not play in Week 3’s game against the Broncos.

Broncos ruled out TE Evan Engram (back) for Week 3 against the Chargers.

WEATHER REPORT:

IND/TEN – possible showers/storms, but more likely after the game rather than during

GB/CLE – chance for a downpour with 10mph winds but unlikely to affect the game

NO/SEA – very light rain is possible but nothing to impact the game

DAL/CHI – chance of showers around gametime

GPP STACKS:

As a reminder, when you're stacking in GPP, you always want to run someone back from the opposing team. One-sided games often turn to a running back seeing higher-than-usual volume or the back-ups start to play. For a stack to really pop, the other team needs to keep things competitive. 

Chalk Stacks (Expect High Ownership): 

*Cowboys: Dak Prescott, CeeDee lamb, George Pickens or Jake Ferguson (Swift or Moore coming back)

*Bears: Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, DJ Moore or Olamide Zaccheaus or Colston Loveland (Javonte Williams coming back)

*Vikings: Carson Wentz, Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson or Adam Thielen (Chase Brown or Ja'Marr Chase coming back)

*Chargers: Justin Herbert, Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen or Quentin Johnston (Dobbins coming back)

Colts: Daniel Jones, Michael Pittman, Tyler Warren or Alec Pierce (Pollard coming back)

Patriots: Drake Maye, Kayshon Boutte, Stefon Diggs or Hunter Henry (Warren coming back)

Commanders: Marcus Mariota, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel or Zach Ertz (Jeanty or Bowers coming back)

*Eagles: Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith or Saquon Barkley (Kyren Williams coming back)

*49ers: Mac Jones, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings or Christian McCaffrey (Conner coming back)

Possible Lower-Owned Stacks:

*Cardinals: Kyler Murray, Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr (McCaffrey coming back)

Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka (Hall coming back)

Broncos: Bo Nix, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin or Marvin Mims (Harris or Hampton coming back)

Raiders: Geno Smith, Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers (Croskey-Merritt coming back)

Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas Jr, Travis Hunter or Brenton Strange (Chubb coming back)

Seahawks: Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp or AJ Barner (Kamara coming back)

*Texans: C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, Christian Kirk (Etienne coming back)

Jets: Tyrod Taylor, Garrett Wilson, Jeremy Rickert or Josh Reynolds (Irving coming back)

Bengals: Jake Browning, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins (Mason coming back)

*Falcons: Michael Penix, Drake London, Kyle Pitts or Darnell Mooney (Hubbard coming back)

Dart Throw Stacks:

Steelers: Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith or Calvin Austin or Pat Freiermuth (Stevenson coming back)

Panthers: Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan, Ja'Tavion Sanders or Xavier Legette (Bijan Robinson coming back)

Packers: Jordan Love, Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden or Tucker Kraft (Judkins coming back)

*Rams: Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams (Barkley coming back)

Browns: Joe Flacco, Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman or David Njoku (jacobs coming back)

Saints: Spencer rattler, Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson or Rashid Shaheed (Walker coming back)

*denotes favorite

SECRET LINEUPS?

If you were listening to SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio on Sunday morning or caught my late-night (early for Alaska though) message in Discord, there's a game that, the more I looked into it, the more I wanted to be invested for DFS GPP contest. I feel like it has the chance to pop for us in tournaments and it's a nice pivot off the usual DAL/CHI or CIN/MIN. Some of the plays are in the Playbook, but in the realm of full disclosure, I always want to make sure that if I'm playing something, I want to give you the option of playing it as well. The players who did not make this week's Playbook or Dart Board from these lineups were fringe or, in one case, so good, you don't really need me to tell you, do you? 

So in addition to our regular cash game and GPP tournament example lineups, I also posted the SECRET lineups that only Fantasy Alarm subscribers get. Good luck to you this week and here's to all of us cashing!!