NFL DRAFT DFS: 2018 Week 3 Rankings (DRAFT.com)

Why do you need another DFS site? Because DRAFT combines the excitement of a season-long draft into one set of games!  This article has some targets and pre-draft rankings all set for you to jump into some NFL DRAFT DFS action!

Welcome to the NFL week three edition of NFL DRAFT DFS, covering snake drafts on DRAFT.com from FantasyCPR. Every week for the NFL season, I will get my rankings set early in the week, and try to bring you this article with targets and my pre-draft rankings in plenty of time to hit the DRAFT lobby.

Every week, I will cover the main 15-game slate on DRAFT, omitting the Thursday game from this article. If you draft before Thursday night, there may be a few players not in the rankings to add to your rankings.

If you have read my DRAFT articles for PGA and MLB in the past, this set-up will be nearly identical in terms of breaking it down. I will first go over my targets at each position, and follow that up with rankings. Each target will be followed with their overall ranking. Rosters on DRAFT are 1-QB, 2-RB’s, and 2 WR/TE’s, so just five spots. Tournament size varies as far as how many participants are in each DRAFT, but this column will be geared towards the cash games. The most popular of these that I play are the $1 6-man’s and $5 10-man’s. Therefore, I will give my top 50 overall rankings after the targets, with 10 quarterbacks, 20 running backs, and 20 wide receivers. That should cover you for your 10-man contests!

NFL DRAFT DFS Week Two Recap:

I guess I will get the elephant out of the room right off the bat here and say sorry about last week’s “edge” to winning. Phillip Rivers certainly wasn’t bad with his 22.74 DP, but Adrian Peterson was a complete disaster, scoring only 6.5 DP. That’s gonna be enough of that bit. I realized how hard is to nail that third round running back, and they could end up being the difference of whether or not you cash. I personally didn’t go AP heavy, but it was only because of my draft position most of the time. Unless I am 100% on two guys in three drafts minimum, I am going to save the return of “this week’s edge” until the time is right.

My other target QB last week did OK. Seriously how good is Patrick Mahomes? I knew he was good and if you follow me at all, you know I have been on him for months. I have so many shares of him in season-long and best balls on DRAFT, and if you read my stuff you should too. Dude had six touchdowns last week and here is what I learned. Much like MLB on DRAFT, you usually wait for a pitcher until the last two rounds, you can do the same on DRAFT with QB, most of the time.

Mahomes was pretty much a fifth round pick in most drafts, and he went off for six TD’s and 38.8 DP’s. Now this week, I am yet to see him not go in the first two rounds. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins faces the abysmal Bills this week, and Drew Brees will face the Falcons, with 682 yards and five TD’s thus far in two games. Both of those guys can be had late fourth, early fifth round.

Other than Peterson, my other two running backs had decent games. James Conner almost put up a dud, but a late TD helped him to 17 DP, and Saquon Barkley racked up 14 catches for 80 yards on Sunday night, and went for 17.8 DP’s. Barkley was a first round pick though, and truthfully you have to be hoping for 20+ DP out of your top pick to have a chance.

To wrap up the recap, I found just one gem out of three at the WR/TE position last week. Stefon Diggs continues to prove he is one of the top receivers in the league, as he torched the Packers secondary for 128 yards and two scores on 9 catches. He posted 31.4 DP, and that’s exactly what I am hoping to identify here week in and week out. On the other hand, Rob Gronkowski was a complete “L” at just 2.5 DP, and Keenan Allen was also disappointing with less than 10 DP’s. Still entertained? Let’s move on to week 3!

NFL DRAFT DFS: QB Targets:

Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings – (39)

Vikings fans have to be really excited about what Cousins brings to the table. It has been many, many years since this team has had a franchise QB, and they think they have finally found their guy. Last week, the Vikings went into Lambeau to face their rival the Green Bay Packers as they do every year, and Cousins was mighty impressive in his first taste of this rivalry. The game ended in a tie, mostly because of the well publicized kicking woes, but Cousins shined with 425 yards on 35-48 passing, with four TD’s and one INT.

This week, the Vikings are back home, and will face the disastrous Buffalo Bills. The Bills could possibly have the worst defense in the league at this point, and they have given up six passing TD’s through the first two games. Cousins looks like an easy bet for 300 and 3 here, and is my top late round QB target this week.

Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – (40)

In all honesty, when we get to the rankings you will notice I am on board with drafting Mahomes pretty early. If you are picking last in a 10-man, I have seen the Mahomes-Hill combo go there a few times, and I cannot disagree with that at all this week. There are receivers available late, and even a couple of running backs as well that could get the job done to justify those picks that early. However, at least 90% of the time, I will be looking to the end of the drafts for my QB, and Brees is another guy I have my eyes on this week.

The Saints will travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons, and Brees and his favorite target Michael Thomas are off to a blazing start. Atlanta was able to hold off the Panthers last week by a touchdown, but their defense surrendered 24 points to Cam Newton and crew. Meanwhile, the Saints came back from a disappointing week one loss at home to the Buccaneers, to beat the Browns 21-18. Atlanta is favored to win this one, and a shoot-out is expected with a game total of 53. I look for Brees to continue to find Kamara and Thomas, as he has done a great job of doing so thus far this season. Brees can easily be drafted in the last round. I have drafted him mostly in drafts where I end up with Kamara or Thomas as my first pick.

NFL DRAFT DFS: RB Targets:

Kareem Hunt – Kansas City Chiefs – (11)

Hunt has been sort of a disappointment thus far through two weeks of the season, as Andy Reid and his Chiefs continue to destroy teams through the air. Having been a part of two shoot-outs now, the game flow just hasn’t gone the way of the running game, and Hunt received just 16 and 18 carries in each game. More impressive for the Chiefs is the two road wins, and they now will have their first home game this week as they will host the 49ers. If the Chiefs continue to score like they have been, don’t worry, Hunt will get his eventually.

If you remember how Hunt burst on the scene a year ago, it was by taking passes out of the backfield to the house. Surprisingly, through two games, Hunt has just two targets. He caught his first pass of the season last week for a five yard TD. As teams are going to start to adjust for Mahomes, look for Hunt to take advantage. This might be the best offense in the league this year, as they are seven point favorites this Sunday, with a game total of 55.5. I have no problem loading up on Chiefs this week, and if I land a WR in the first round, I may look to Hunt in the second.

Tevin Coleman – Atlanta Falcons – (14)

As long as Devonta Freeman is out, Coleman will be in consideration. Ito Smith is cutting into Coleman’s workload a little bit, but Coleman certainly flashed in his lead role last week against the Panthers. It took him just 16 carries to notch 107 yards, and he also remains a receiving threat as well, as he caught all four of his targets for an additional 18 yards.

This week, the Falcons have the always expected shoot-out with the Saints, and I am looking to have plenty of exposure to this game. I think the Saints defense will have to focus on Julio Jones, and Coleman will be used a ton as a receiver out of the backfield. He has managed to put up decent numbers against two good defenses in the Eagles and Panthers. I think this week, he gets loose for a long TD against New Orleans, and puts up his first 15+ DP game. He posted a three touchdown game last season against the Saints with Freeman healthy, and he is currently pretty steadily a mid-late second rounder.

Matt Breida – San Francisco 49ers – (36)

Ideally, you don’t want to be in this situation at the running back position, but if you end up needing a late round RB, Breida could be your guy. Another player in this massive 55.5 point total game between the Chiefs and the 49ers, Breida broke a long TD last week against the Lions, and ended up with 138 yards on just 11 carries. If the 49ers can stay in this game for a bit, Breida may get some extra looks after his performance last week.

Alfred Morris actually received more carries than Breida (14) but did quite a bit less with them. Morris averaged just 3.4 YPC, gaining just 48 yards. The match-up against the Lions was probably tougher than this one with KC, and Breida amassed 23.4 DP in that contest last week. While I wouldn’t necessarily be “targeting” him, he is probably your best option if say you draft Mahomes and Hill early, as one example.

NFL DRAFT DFS: WR/TE Targets:

Michael Thomas – New Orleans Saints – (3)

Move over for at least a week AB84, there is a new #1 overall receiver in the league at the current minute. The opponents were not the cream of the crop in the Buccaneers and the Browns, but Thomas is off to a blazing start, catching 28 of 30 targets for 269 yards and three TD’s. In the two meetings with the Falcons last season, Thomas had no problem getting open against this defense. He managed 17 catches for 227 yards and two scores. With the drama in Pittsburgh, and the way Thomas has dominated the past two weeks, I am taking Thomas as high as three overall, and this next guy is my Pittsburgh target.

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JuJu Smith-Schuster – Pittsburgh Steelers – (20)

Whether LeVeon Bell or Antonio Brown like it, JuJu Smith-Schuster is special. The drama the black and yellow is going through is seriously awful, and is ruining this teams chances at another Super Bowl run. It appears the egos of Bell and Brown are overshadowing the fact the Juju is off to a hot start, doing his thing with Big Ben, while Bell sits out, and Brown complains.

Pittsburgh will be in Tampa on Monday night to face that awful Buccaneers secondary, and Brown is now back with the team after much ado was made about him missing a day of film. Regardless, this should be another shoot-out, as Ryan Fitzpatrick continued to play out of his mind last week.

Smith-Schuster out-targeted Brown last week. Both of them had an insane amount of targets with Juju seeing 19 and Brown 17, but this is significant. With Bell holding out, this passing game is putting up some good numbers through two weeks. Smith-Schuster has 21 grabs for 240 yards and a TD to this point, and he can be had late second, early third round once again this week. I think the 100 yard game streak continues, and Juju is able to find the end zone at least once Monday night.

Will Fuller – Houston Texans – (43)

Fuller missed week one with a hamstring injury, and made his season debut last week, playing through it. He looked healthy, but has appeared as questionable again this week with the same injury. Fuller grabbed eight balls on nine targets, scoring one TD. Him and second year QB Deshaun Watson were brilliant together last year until Watson went down with injury, and when both are on the field together, they have to be considered in all fantasy formats.

Fuller is way under the radar with his 8.6 projection, and could be a sneaky late round WR if you want to grab your QB early. You’ll have to keep an eye on his status though. He practiced in a limited fashion on Wednesday, and is currently listed as probable, but you never know with a hammy.

NFL DRAFT DFS: Week 3 Rankings: Top 50

My rankings are pretty easy to follow. I have ranked the top 50 overall. Following each player is their DRAFT fantasy point projection in parenthesis. Again, we will have the top ten QB’s, 20 RB’s and 20 WR/TE’s and here they are!

1. RB – Alvin Kamara – New Orleans Saints – (18.5)

2. RB – Todd Gurley – Los Angeles Rams – (20.9)

3. WR – Michael Thomas – New Orleans Saints – (18.8)

4. WR – Antonio Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers – (17.9)

5. RB – Melvin Gordon – Los Angeles Chargers – (16.2)

6. WR – Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons – (16.5)

7. RB – Christian McCaffrey – Carolina Panthers – (16.7)

8. QB – Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs – (21.7)

9. RB – Saquon Barkley – New York Giants – (18.2)

10. RB – Ezekiel Elliott – Dallas Cowboys – (15.5)

11. RB – Kareem Hunt – Kansas City Chiefs – (13.8)

12. RB – James Conner – Pittsburgh Steelers – (14.8)

13. WR – Deandre Hopkins – Houston Texans – (14.3)

14. RB – Tevin Coleman – Atlanta Falcons – (14.2)

15. WR – Tyreek Hill – Kansas City Chiefs – (15.5)

16. RB – Dalvin Cook – Minnesota Vikings – (15.7)

17. RB – David Johnson – Arizona Cardinals – (16.5)

18. RB – Giovani Bernard – Cincinnati Bengals – (14.7)

19. WR – Stefon Diggs – Minnesota Vikings – (13.3)

20. WR – Juju Smith-Schuster – Pittsburgh Steelers – (13.7)

21. WR – Keenan Allen – Los Angeles Chargers – (15.8)

22. TE – Rob Gronkowski – New England Patriots – (13.6)

23. WR – Odell Beckham – New York Giants – (13.2)

24. WR – Adam Thielen – Minnesota Vikings – (12.8)

25. WR – Davante Adams – Green Bay Packers – (13.3)

26. WR – AJ Green – Cincinnati Bengals – (13.0)

27. QB – Tom Brady – New England Patriots – (20.6)

28. WR – Mike Evans – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (13.0)

29. TE – Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs – (12.7)

30. WR – Brandin Cooks – Los Angeles Rams – (12.3)

31. RB – Leonard Fournette – Jacksonville Jaguars – (12.2)

32. RB – Kenyan Drake – Miami Dolphins – (12.3)

33. RB – Jordan Howard – Chicago Bears – (10.8)

34. RB – Chris Thompson – Washington Redskins – (10.8)

35. QB – Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers – (21.1)

36. RB – Matt Breida – San Francisco 49ers – (9.3)

37. RB – Lamar Miller – Houston Texans – (11.2)

38. RB – Corey Clement – Philadelphia Eagles – (12.8)

39. QB – Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings – (19.9)

40. QB – Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints – (19.8)

41. QB – Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers – (19.9)

42. TE – Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles – (12.7)

43. WR – Will Fuller – Houston Texans – (8.6)

44. WR – Chris Hogan – New England Patriots – (9.2)

45. QB – Ryan Fitzpatrick – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – (20.1)

46. QB – Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans – (20.9)

47. QB – Aaron Rodgers – Green Bay Packers – (18.5)

48. WR – TY Hilton – Indianapolis Colts – (10.4)

49. RB – Jamaal Williams – Green Bay Packers – (11.0)

50. QB – Jimmy Garoppolo – San Francisco 49ers – (19.2)

Thanks a bunch for giving this a read, and my plan is to go hard at this article, week in and week out. Any questions for me you can always find me on Twitter. My handle is at the top of the article. Good luck drafting this weekend and happy football Sunday when it finally arrives!