NFL DFS game by game breakdown: Week 3

NFL DFS: Oakland Raiders @ Minnesota Vikings

Oakland Raiders

After a disappointing offensive showing against a porous Chiefs defense, the Raiders head to the Twin Cities for a much more difficult matchup.

Derek Carr seemed to revert back to his old self last week with a pair of picks, but his 38 passing attempts are 12 more than week 1, which is encouraging. Regardless of salary, against a stout Vikings defense, this is not a week that I want any part of Carr. If I get any exposure, it’ll be via Tyrell Williams or Darren Waller. Both of their prices have lagged behind their production a bit, as they could both be considered viable value plays.

Waller leads the team in target share (24.19%) as well as the highest catch rate on the team. He’s sub-6k on FanDuel but the Minnesota defense has been stingy over the last two seasons against tight ends, allowing under 10 fantasy points per game, leaving Waller best suited in GPPs. Williams should see a lot of Xavier Rhodes and it’ll be interesting to see how he lines up against a star corner, seeing that he’s operated as the WR2 or WR3 for the majority of his career. He’s tied for the team lead in red-zone targets and comes with touchdown upside, making him a viable GPP value play.

After a ton of volume in week 1, Josh Jacobs didn’t see nearly as much against the Chiefs, but was far more productive with 12 carries for 99 yards. The Vikings ranked 11th in rush DVOA last season and ranked in the top half of the league against running backs last season. Much like the receiving options, Jacobs is best suited in large-field GPPs.

Cash Plays: none

GPP Plays: Waller, Williams, Jacobs

Minnesota Vikings

Due to the fact that the Vikings have gravitated more towards a run-heavy scheme this season, we’ve seen the volume for both Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs take a massive hit. Through the first two games, they’ve racked up 14 and 10 targets respectively. To put that into perspective, through the first two games in 2018, 25 and 19 targets respectively. With the uncertainty of the passing game and the ineptitude of Kirk Cousins so far, it’s hard to trust this trio in cash games.

With that being said, Thielen is still the most reliable wideout in Minnesota and the Oakland secondary ranked dead last in the league last season in pass DVOA. He’s a borderline cash play this week.

Dalvin Cook, however, is easy to trust and is going to be one of the first players that I plug into my lineups. He’s recorded 46 touches through the first two games, 265 rushing yards and a trio of touchdowns. The Raiders ranked 22nd in rush DVOA last season and at $8,300 on FanDuel, an argument could be made that he’s still too cheap.

Cash Plays: Cook, Thielen

GPP Plays: none