MLB Best Bets – Free (Wednesday 7/24)
Josh Gross
Finding the best anchors for your DFS lineup is the best way to start lineup construction, so each week in this space, I’ll be taking a look at a skill-position breakdown of players who stick out on FanDuel. Whether it’s because of matchup or usage or anything else, these are players who should feature heavily in lineups in Week 3.
Quarterbacks | FanDuel Week 3 picks
Lamar Jackson should eat in Week 3
($8,400, at Detroit)
Look, this isn’t a cheap play, but if you want a dude with some mega upside, Lamar Jackson is your guy. In a scintillating come-from-behind victory, the signal-caller was utterly brilliant last week in gaining his first win against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs for his career. And we know that Jackson possesses that Konami code ability on the ground — so far in two games this season, he’s logged 193 passing yards. With Detroit getting shredded through the year, Jackson makes for a no-brainer.
Check out the FTN Tool to see how teams allowed points to opposing positions.
Consider Justin Herbert at a slightly lower price for elite production
($7,500, at Chiefs)
For the Chiefs, it’s been two games, two fast-paced affairs and two shootouts. How about we make it three games in a row? The Chargers, who laid a bit of an egg last week, should be involved in a high-scoring matchup in Kansas City this weekend against the Chiefs, or at least Vegas seems to think so with an over/under at 55.5 points. With 88 combined dropbacks in the first two weeks, Justin Herbert is clearly a focal point of the offense we cannot ignore.
Running back | FanDuel Week 3 picks
If you can afford the pricey Derrick Henry, spend up
($9,700, vs. Indianapolis)
The demise of Derrick Henry was greatly exaggerated across the board after Week 1, and if you needed a pleasant reminder, last week’s monster Week 2 effort snapped us all back in line. But what’s even more exciting for the workhorse back is his quite sudden involvement in the passing game. He now has 10 targets in the first two weeks, and he caught all six passes a week ago. As slight favorites, the gamescript favors a heavy workload for Henry, and him becoming a true every-down back is a terrifying prospect.
Ty’Son Williams could be a major value this week
($6,400, at Detroit Lions)
If you are trying to find a cheaper running back option this week that could provide 5X value on FanDuel, Ty’Son Williams may be your guy. Let’s examine the why — the Lions allowed a whopping 29 touchdowns via the ground in 2020, and they were pretty cordial in Week 2, as they allowed Aaron Jones to pile up four touchdowns (admittedly, three via the pass game) against them. In Week 1, Elijah Mitchell gashed them on the ground for 19 carries and 104 yards and a score. Williams is too cheap this week.
Wide receiver | FanDuel Week 3 picks
Keenan Allen makes for a nice stack with Justin Herbert this week
($6,900, at Kansas City Chiefs)
There aren’t too many superlatives we need to highlight as part of the Charger offense this week — Kansas City is struggling on defense, allowing 65 points so far in two games. Baker Mayfield carved this defense up in the first week for 321 passing yards. That all bodes very well for us in DFS. Keenan Allen owns a 24.4% target market share so far this year. If you want to rock Herbert, don’t forget about Allen, too.
Rondale Moore makes for a sizzling tournament option
($5,600, at Jacksonville)
The curious case of Rondale Moore certainly is a bit of a head scratcher. He plays on less than 50% of his team’s snaps (46%), which isn’t exactly a mark we overly desire. But, when he’s in there, he’s certainly making a very loud plea to head coach Kliff Kingsbury for some more time. He leads the team with 13 catches, and he should have a large role against a Jacksonville defense that’s gotten utterly roasted so far.
Tight end | FanDuel Week 3 picks
Noah Fant could be a slate breaker this week
($5,600, vs. New York Jets)
With breakout candidate Jerry Jeudy hitting IR, quite a few targets were suddenly vacated in the Teddy Bridgewater-led offense for the Broncos. Noah Fant is one guy who has seemingly picked up a large portion of that slack. He has posted 14 targets good for a target market share of over 20% this season. Fold in a forgiving Jets defense, and Fant makes for a nice play.
