UPDATED 9/21 @ 7:22am ET

Two weeks of the 2025 NFL season have come and gone, but Week 3 is upon us, and Week 3 NFL DFS lineups need to be constructed! The NFL DFS WR Coach aims to be your one-stop shop for all things at the wide receiver position for your Week 3 daily fantasy football lineups. Each week, we’ll break down the wide receiver position to help you build smarter, sharper DFS lineups, regardless of whether your goal is to build bankroll through cash games or chase big payouts in GPPs. We’ll highlight the top-tier studs, the best value plays, and the mispriced players in the mid-tier to help gain an edge! Without further ado, let’s dive into the Week 3 DFS WR Coach, exclusively at Fantasy Alarm!

NFL DFS Week 3 WR Coach for Fanduel & DraftKings Fantasy

This week’s slate lacks high-end upside from a game perspective, as just one game has a total of 47 or more points, which is that Chicago-Dallas game, which, to be fair, could be a fantasy bonanza! Three teams are touchdown favorites, and injuries at the quarterback position give us a Jake Browning vs. Carson Wentz showdown this weekend. After sifting through the data and crunching the numbers, I’ve identified my top plays at the position this week, and there should be a receiver or two at every price point to give you plenty of options when building your NFL DFS lineups this week, headlined by Dallas star CeeDee Lamb.

NFL Week 3 Wide Receivers

Quick notes on the slate:

This is a living, breathing resource, and it will be updated as the week goes on, based on injury news, practice reports, etc. By Sunday, you may see some players removed who were earlier featured, or perhaps some players added as the week goes on.

 

 

 

NFL DFS WR Top Tier Picks for Week 3

Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams - DraftKings: $7,700 | FanDuel: $9,000

The Rams clearly tried to get the Matthew Stafford to Davante Adams connection going last week, but even in a game where Adams saw 13 targets, Nacua saw nine targets and took a handoff 45 yards for a score. Back in 2023, Nacua went for 71 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles (11 targets). In Week 12 against the Eagles last season, he caught nine of 13 targets for 117 yards. In the playoffs, he caught six of 14 targets for 97 yards. The Eagles sit in Cover 3 or Cover 6 nearly half of the time, and in 2024, Nacua accounted for a 31.2% target share and 4.18 yards per route run against these coverages, per Fantasy Points.

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings - DraftKings: $7,500 | FanDuel: $8,900

Jefferson is still looking for that big breakout game in 2025, and even though JJ McCarthy won’t be out there, perhaps a switch to veteran Carson Wentz is just what Jefferson needed. This Cincinnati defense isn’t any good, and I would really like to see more of Jefferson in the slot. This year, he’s lined up there just 20 percent of the time, which would be the lowest in his career by over five percent. Dax Hill’s struggles in slot coverage would benefit Jefferson if he were to go to the slot more, so you could look to Adam Thielen if you want some exposure to this game without paying top dollar. Kevin O’Connell has done good things with experienced veterans, and for the most part, we’ve seen this offensive scheme be very friendly to quarterbacks (and Jefferson).

Nico Collins, Houston Texans - DraftKings: $7,300 | FanDuel: $7,800

The Houston offense has underwhelmed to say the least, and Nico Collins was two bad throws away from having his second TD on Monday night in Week 2. In his last three games against Jacksonville, he’s put up 104, 151, and 119 yards. The Jags aren’t as man-heavy as they were last year on the defensive side of the ball, and they are sitting in Cover 4 at one of the highest rates in the NFL thus far. In 2024, Collins posted 4.34 yards per route run against Cover 4, per Fantasy Points.  I’d expect the good times to continue against the Jags in Week 3, at least for Collins.

Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals - DraftKings: $8,100 | FanDuel: $9,600

Joe Burrow will miss the next three months, but Chase was peppered with targets from Jake Browning. Browning got into the game during the second quarter, but if you look at just the second half, which was solely with Browning, Chase caught six of seven targets for 83 yards, while notching 0.29 targets per route run, 3.46 yards per route run, and 36.8 first read rate, per FantasyPoints. Minnesota’s corners grade out quite poorly via Pro Football Focus, and in particular, Byron Murphy has allowed a 152.7 passer rating when targeted, per PFF.

Jaxon-Smith Njigba, Seattle Seahawks - DraftKings: $6,500 | FanDuel: $8,000

Cooper Kupp made a nice appearance last week, but JSN is still the guy. Furthermore, the Saints have allowed the eighth-highest yards per route run to the perimeter this season, per Fantasy Points, and on the perimeter this year, JSN has posted 4.58 yards per route run and 0.71 fantasy points per route run. Do with this what you will, but the Saints have the second-highest pass rate over expectation this year, so teams have been wanting to throw the ball against them. The price point is a bit more approachable on DraftKings compared to FanDuel.
 

 

 

NFL DFS WR Mid-Tier Picks for NFL Week 3

DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers - DraftKings: $5,700 | FanDuel: $6,800

UPDATE 9/19: Christian Gonzalez has worked up to limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday, potentially setting the stage for his season debut. This would impact Metcalf, as even in return from injury, I'd expect Metcalf to see a lot of Gonzalez.

Calvin Austin may be dominating the air yards, and is an intriguing play himself this week, but Metcalf has a solid 20% target share and 0.21 targets per route run, per PFF, and the Patriots have been a bit of a pass-funnel for opposing teams through two weeks. They are banged up at cornerback, and as long as Christian Gonzalez is off the field, I love Metcalf’s outlook against this defense that has allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to wideouts through the first two weeks of the season.

Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers - DraftKings: $5,100 | FanDuel: $5,700

UPDATE 9/19: Tucker Kraft hurt his knee on Thursday, and if he were to miss Sunday's game, I'd expect more ownership for Golden.

Golden has a 22.5 aDOT, and while he and Jordan Love have yet to connect on the big one, this feels like the week it happens. The injury to Jayden Reed should bump up his playing time, and this Cleveland Browns secondary has allowed a 118.8 passer rating on passes 20+ yards downfield, per FantasyPoints. Golden has primarily lined up out wide and on the perimeter. Cleveland has allowed a 15.1 aDOT, 2.06 yards per route run, and 136.3 passer rating (3rd-highest in NFL), per Fantasy Points.

Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears - DraftKings: $5,300 | FanDuel: $6,400

The breakout is here, ladies and gentlemen. Through two weeks, Caleb Williams only has eyes for Odunze, who has averaged 9.5 targets per game this year, along with 46.4% of the air yards, a 27.9% target share, and 2.14 yards per route run, per Fantasy Points. Did you see what Russell Wilson and Malik Nabers just did to this Dallas defense? This game should push into the fifties, which bodes well for the Chicago passing attack, particularly Odunze against this Dallas team that has allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to wideouts.

Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans - DraftKings: $5,100 | FanDuel: $5,500

UPDATE 9/19: Ward has worked up to full practices this week, so I do expect him to play Sunday. However, this is still a great spot for Ridley.

If Charvarius Ward misses this game, which is possible due to not practicing at all last week, Ridley is going to feast in this one. He has a healthy 23 percent target share through the first two weeks, per Fantasy Points, and if the Colts are going to keep scoring, Ward is going to be forced to try to keep up. Albeit very early in the season, the Colts rank in the bottom-third of the league in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers, and they have allowed the second-highest first down per route run on the perimeter (0.135) this year, per Fantasy Points.

 

 

 

NFL Week 3 DFS WR Value Picks

Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns - DraftKings: $4,500 | FanDuel: $5,500

There aren’t many weaknesses in this Green Bay defense, it seems, but when attacking this secondary, the slot is the way to go. Javon Bullard is the team’s primary slot man, and not only is he one of the most targeted slot corners in the league, but he’s allowed an 87.5% catch rate, per PFF. Through two weeks, Tillman may not have the most impressive numbers, but he’s found the end zone twice, and his 0.30 fantasy points per route run is second-best on the team, per Fantasy Points.

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

UPDATE 9/19: Tucker Kraft hurt his knee on Thursday, and like I mentioned earlier with Golden, Wicks could become even more popular, especially on DraftKings.

The early exit for Reed had a dramatic impact on Wicks’ playing time. After running a route on just 47.8 percent of the team’s dropbacks in Week 1, that mark jumped to 64.7 percent in Week 2, per Fantasy Points. We’ve seen Wicks produce big time games when given more opportunities, and he posted 0.55 fantasy points per route run last year against man coverage, per FantasyPoints, which Cleveland has played half of the time this year. The Browns are one of just two teams to have allowed four or more receiving touchdowns to the position.

Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars - DraftKings: $4,900 | FanDuel: $5,600

Hunter is averaging seven targets per game through the first two weeks of the season, and though he’s yet to top 35 yards in a game this season, I expect that to change this weekend. Jalen Pitre and C.J. Gardner-Johnson have been poor in slot coverage this season, and Hunter’s athleticism with the ball in his hands is huge against a Houston defense that missed tackle after tackle on Monday night in Week 2. If Brian Thomas plays, I expect a shadow (or close to it) from Derek Stingley, and the weakness of this Houston defense is slot coverage (and middle of the field).

Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee Titans - DraftKings: $3,700 | FanDuel: $5,100

Ayomanor has at least six targets through the first two games of the season, and his touchdown last week helped push him to 15+ fantasy points in PPR setups. While I love Calvin Ridley this week, it’s hard to overlook Ayomanor, who clearly has a rapport with Cam Ward, and the rookie wideout actually leads the Titans in air yards share (41%), targets per route run (0.27), and fantasy points per route run (0.39), per FantasyPoints. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the injury report for the Colts, because if they are going to trot out backup cornerbacks on the perimeter, we will definitely be looking here.

Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos - DraftKings: $4,000 | FanDuel: $5,200

We aren’t simply chasing points with Franklin here in Week 3. He’s cementing himself as one of the leaders of this Denver receiver rotation, and the Chargers have allowed the fifth-most yards to the slot, and seventh-most fantasy points, per Fantasy Points. Franklin has been the only receiver of note out of the slot for Denver this year, as he’s posted 4.67 yards per route run and 0.33 missed tackles forced per attempt, per FantasyPoints. Of corners with at least 30 coverage snaps in the slot, Still’s 2.04 yards per snap is the third-highest in the NFL, per PFF.

Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts - DraftKings: $4,400 | FanDuel: $5,400

UPDATE 9/19: After a DNP on Wednesday, Downs returned to a full practice on Thursday.

With L’Jarius Sneed likely keeping tabs on Michael Pittman, Josh Downs is going to have an advantageous matchup in this one. Tennessee ranks in the bottom seven in the NFL in terms of receiving yards and yards per route run to the slot, per Fantasy Points, and of corners with at least 30 coverage snaps in the slot. McCreary’s 2.48 yards per snap is the second-highest in the league, per PFF.

 

 

 

NFL DFS WR Fade for Week 3

Drake London, Atlanta Falcons - DraftKings: $6,000 | FanDuel: $7,300

Carolina has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to receivers thus far, despite allowing 25+ points in each of their first two games. Despite averaging nearly 10 targets per game through the first two weeks, London only has 11 receptions for 104 yards. Atlanta is nearly a touchdown favorite, and with the Panthers allowing the sixth-most yards per carry on the ground, I’m expecting a heavy workload for Bijan Robinson, and not too much stress will be placed on Michael Penix’s left arm. Without finding the end zone, I’m not sure how London pays off his price, especially on FanDuel.

NFL Week 3 WR Play of The Week

CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys - DraftKings: $8,000 | FanDuel: $8,800

Without Kyler Gordon, the Bears don’t have an answer for slot receivers. Did you see what Amon-Ra St. Brown just did to this team? Lamb hasn’t exactly been elite out of the slot this year, but back in 2024, he was pretty effective. The star wideout has at least 11 targets and 110 receiving yards in both games to begin the season, and the Bears have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to wideouts in 2025.

Check out the NFL DFS Week 3 projections table below to help build your NFL DFS Week 3 lineups. Be sure to also check out not just the NFL Week 3 DFS WR Coach, but the rest of our NFL DFS Coaches, Watch List, and NFL DFS Playbook as you build those winning daily fantasy football lineups for Week 3 of the 2025 NFL regular season.

 

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