NFL Daily Fantasy Football Recommendations for Week 3 – Running Backs

If there was ever a time to pay up for running backs in DFS, Week 3 might be it. There are several elite stars in a position to thrive, which could make them worth their hefty price tags. Let’s dive into the matchups and highlight some players across the price scale who are worth considering. Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter and try our NFL Lineup Optimizer to help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

CASH TARGETS

Christian McCaffrey, CAR at ARI
FanDuel = $8,900
DraftKings = $8,700

One of the more disappointing stat lines of the Week 2 came from McCaffrey, who rushed 16 times for only 37 yards against the Buccaneers. He also caught just two of his six targets for 16 yards. He was coming off of 209 total yards and two touchdowns in Week 1 and is one of the most lethal running backs in the league, so don’t read too much into one bad outing. This is an excellent chance for him to rebound against the Cardinals, who have a bad defense and have allowed the fourth-most rushing yards in the league through two games.

Ezekiel Elliott, DAL vs. MIA
FanDuel = $8,800
DraftKings = $8,900

This should be a laugher with the Cowboys likely to destroy the Dolphins at home. The Dolphins have given up 102 points so far, allowing the most rushing yards in the league along the way. Elliott was eased back into action during Week 1 after sitting out the preseason while negotiating a new contract, but he bounced back last week to record 111 yards and a touchdown in his 23 carries. The likely blowout could limit Elliott’s carries in the fourth quarter, but he will likely have done plenty of damage by that point.

Dalvin Cook, MIN vs. OAK
FanDuel = $8,300
DraftKings = $7,800

While the Vikings’ passing attack has some concerns, Cook looks like he is in store for a monster season if he can stay healthy. He’s received at least 20 carries in both of the first two games, totaling 265 yards and three touchdowns. It was also encouraging to see him involved in the passing game last week against the Packers when he caught all three of his targets for 37 yards. With the Vikings focused on getting Cook more work, he once again carries a tremendously high floor into this matchup against the Raiders.

GPP TARGETS

Matt Breida, SF vs. PIT
FanDuel = $5,900
DraftKings = $5,400

Breida figured to be in line for an expanded workload last week with Tevin Coleman (ankle) unable to play. Surprisingly, he was only on the field for 29.2 percent of the 49ers’ offensive snaps compared to 47.2 percent of the time for Raheem Mostert. Some of that might have been because the 49ers were up, giving them an opportunity to provide Breida with some extra rest. He still made his time on the field count, turning 12 carries into 121 yards. At this cheap price, he is a great tournament option in the likely event that Coleman sits again.

Frank Gore, BUF vs. CIN
FanDuel = $5,700
DraftKings = $4,400

This is a matchup to exploit with the Bengals allowing the third-most rushing yards in the league so far. I’d be all over Devin Singletary in this game, but his status is in doubt after he suffered a hamstring injury against the Giants. Gore ended up receiving 19 carries in that contest, finishing with 68 yards and a touchdown. He’d likely be in line for an expanded workload if Singletary sits, so be sure to monitor this situation closely leading up to kickoff. ***UPDATE*** Singletary has been ruled out.

Rex Burkhead, NE vs. NYJ
FanDuel = $4,600
DraftKings = $3,900

The Patriots have blown out their first two opponents, so they haven’t needed to ride Sony Michel or James White to a heavy workload. Burkhead was on the field for 45.7 percent of their offensive snaps in Week 1 and 23.6 percent of the time in Week 2. Even with his reduced role last week, he still had 68 total yards. This figures to be another blowout with the Jets down to Luke Faulk at quarterback, so expect Burkhead to be involved once again. At this cheap price, rolling with him in tournament play could provide value while freeing up a significant portion of your budget to spend elsewhere.

PLAYERS TO AVOID

Joe Mixon, CIN at BUF
FanDuel = $6,500
DraftKings = $5,500

The Bengals’ offensive line is a disaster, which isn’t going to make things easy for the talented Mixon. He has 17 carries through the first two games for only 27 yards, some of which can be attributed to him dealing with an ankle injury in the opener. While he’s not overly expensive, it’s difficult to justify spending this much to get him into your entry considering his limited upside.

Phillip Lindsay, DEN at GB
FanDuel = $6,400
DraftKings = $4,300

After barely out-snapping Royce Freeman (53.1 percent to 46.9 percent) in Week 1, Lindsay fell behind Freeman (47.6 percent to 52.4 percent) last weekend. These two will likely have a pretty even split moving forward, capping both of their upsides. Lindsay’s price isn’t terrible on DraftKings, but he’s still pretty unappealing, especially if Singletary sits and you can deploy Gore for only $100 more.

Author Bio:

Mike has been covering fantasy sports since 2007, joining Lineup Lab in 2017. An avid player of both season-long fantasy leagues and DFS, Mike’s work has appeared on numerous sites, including RotoWire, SportsLine and Sports Illustrated. He’s also been featured on DraftKings’ nightly show, The Sweat, and was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.