NFL - Draftkings Week 3 First Look
The DFS Slayers First Look is our early look at the upcoming DFS slate, designed to identify the games, players, matchups, and potential value plays that immediately stand out before the week really gets going. We’ll break down the highest-total games, highlight players who could have slate-breaking upside, and point out situations worth monitoring as the week develops. The First Look isn't about locking in lineups or making final picks—it's about getting ahead of the field, identifying the best spots early, and giving you a foundation to build smarter DFS lineups as injury news, projections, salaries, and ownership become clearer throughout the week.
Ravens @ Cowboys - 3:25 PM
Baltimore | Dallas | |
Spread | -3.5 | +3.5 |
Implied Points | 28.0 | 24.5 |
Game Total | 52.5 |
The Ravens-Cowboys game gives us plenty of options. This is the type of game environment we want to target in DFS, with the current total sitting at 52.5 points, the highest on the Week 3 main slate. Both offenses have shown the ability to create explosive plays, while Dallas has allowed strong efficiency through the opening weeks. Baltimore is averaging 29 points per game, while Dallas is at 28.5, and both teams rank inside the top 10 in points per game.
From a DFS perspective, that gives us multiple paths to a ceiling game. Lamar and Henry provide Baltimore's rushing and touchdown upside, while Dak, Lamb, Pickens and Ferguson give us several ways to attack the Dallas passing game. The biggest appeal is that this game has legitimate shootout potential, meaning we aren't relying on one player to carry the entire DFS environment. With six players worth considering across both sides, this is a game I want exposure to in both cash-game builds and tournaments, depending on how DraftKings prices the players.
Player | Salary | Projection |
Lamar Jackson | $7500 | 24.5 DK pts |
Dak Prescott | $6700 | 22.0 DK pts |
Derrick Henry | $7700 | 20.5 DK pts |
CeeDee Lamb | $7800 | 21.5 DK pts |
George Pickens | $6600 | 16.5 DK pts |
Jake Ferguson | $4100 | 13.5 DK pts |
The Cowboys side of this matchup is extremely appealing from a DFS perspective, especially after putting up 37 points against Washington in Week 2. Dak Prescott has completed 48-of-65 passes for 454 yards and six touchdowns through two games, while CeeDee Lamb has already posted 13 catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns on 17 targets, including an explosive 8-153-2 performance last week. The matchup also gets more interesting after what we just saw New Orleans' do against Baltimore. Tyler Shough completed went 27 of 34 for 252 and a Touchdown. Chris Olave caught 8 passes for 86 yards and a score. Juwan Johnson and Devaughn Vele also topped 60 receiving yards, showing that Baltimore can be attacked through the air and that there are opportunities for multiple pass catchers to produce.
That makes Dak and Lamb particularly attractive for DFS, with George Pickens and Jake Ferguson providing additional ways to gain exposure to the Dallas passing game. Baltimore held up better against the Saints early, but New Orleans ultimately moved the ball efficiently through the air and scored 24 points in the comeback victory. With Dallas already averaging 32 points per game and clearly being the superiour offense. This matchup carries a 52.5-point total, and there is legitimate ceiling on this side of the game. A Dak/Lamb stack is one of the first combinations I’ll be considering, with Pickens or Ferguson becoming more interesting as salary savers.
The Ravens side starts with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, and both come into this matchup with plenty of upside. Jackson had a quieter Week 2 against New Orleans, finishing with 235 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception while adding 34 rushing yards, but he opened the season with 324 passing yards, 40 rushing yards and two total touchdowns against Indianapolis. That rushing ability gives Lamar one of the highest ceilings on any slate, especially in a game carrying a 52.5-point total. He has also historically performed well against Dallas, averaging 28.3 fantasy points in two career games against the Cowboys.
Henry is equally intriguing after being somewhat underutilized against New Orleans. He finished Week 2 with 68 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, but that came after an explosive Week 1 performance in which he rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. The encouraging part is that Henry still produced 87 total yards and a touchdown in a game where Baltimore only scored 17 points, and he has historically had success against Dallas, averaging 5.74 yards per carry with three touchdowns in two career matchups. If this game develops into the high-scoring environment Vegas expects, Henry's combination of volume and touchdown equity gives him legitimate slate-breaking upside.
Chargers @ Bills - Noon
Chargers | Buffalo | |
Spread | +7 | -7 |
Implied Points | 21 | 28 |
Game Total | 49.5 |
The Chargers-Bills game is one of the more interesting DFS environments on the Week 3 slate, and the biggest reason is Buffalo’s offensive ceiling. The Bills have scored 41 points in each of their first two games, while Josh Allen has already racked up 582 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns without throwing an interception. He just posted a five-touchdown performance against Detroit, including 69 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.
The other side is where this gets particularly interesting for DFS. The Chargers are 0-2 and have scored just 28 points combined, but that could actually create the game script we want: Buffalo gets aggressive, Los Angeles is forced to throw, and both quarterbacks have opportunities to pile up volume. The market currently has Buffalo favored by 7 points with a 50–50.5 point total, making this one of the highest-scoring projected games on the slate
Player | Salary | Projection |
Josh Allen | $8,000 | 23.5 DK pts |
James Cook | $6,900 | 17.2 DK pts |
Justin Herbert | $5,800 | 18.5 DK pts |
Omarion Hampton | $6,800 | 15.4 DK pts |
Ladd McConkey | $5,900 | 12.7 DK pts |
Dalton Kincaid | $5,500 | 12.6 DK pts |
The Bills offense is one of the biggest reasons this game stands out as a DFS environment, and it starts with Josh Allen. Through two games, Allen has completed 40-of-60 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns without an interception, while adding 92 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 20 carries. That's an enormous fantasy floor and ceiling combination, especially with Buffalo scoring 41 points in Week 2 against Detroit. Allen accounted for all five of Buffalo's touchdowns in that game, throwing for 248 yards and three scores while adding 69 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The rushing production is particularly important for DFS because Allen continues to have significant red-zone value rather than simply relying on passing touchdowns.
James Cook has also established himself as the clear lead back. He has 34 carries for 192 yards (5.6 YPC) through two games and erupted for 135 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries against Detroit. Even more encouraging, Cook was the only Bills running back to receive a carry in Week 2, giving him a very concentrated rushing workload. The one concern is that Allen continues to dominate the goal-line work, and Cook has only four catches for 16 yards on seven targets, limiting his receiving floor. Dalton Kincaid, meanwhile, has arguably been Buffalo's most productive receiving option, leading the team with 12 catches for 225 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets. He exploded for 7-95-1 against Detroit and has already produced 100-yard-level receiving efficiency despite seeing only 14 targets. If Buffalo's offense continues to score at this rate, Allen, Cook and Kincaid give us three legitimate DFS paths into the Bills' projected points.
The Chargers have been disappointing offensively through two weeks, scoring just 14 points in each game, but that actually creates an interesting DFS angle against Buffalo. Justin Herbert has thrown for 401 yards and two touchdowns on 54 attempts, averaging 200.5 passing yards per game, and the Chargers could be forced into significantly more volume if they fall behind as the seven-point underdogs.Omarion Hampton is the other Chargers player I want exposure to. He has received 35 carries through two games, turning them into 137 yards and two touchdowns, while adding another 21 yards on two receptions. His 23-carry, 94-yard performance against Las Vegas showed the workload is there, although the efficiency has been mediocre at just 3.9 yards per carry. Ladd McConkey is the preferred receiving option, leading the Chargers with 8 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets. The injury is worth monitoring—McConkey is currently listed as questionable with a rib issue—but if he's active, his combination of target share and big-play ability makes him the most appealing Chargers pass catcher for me. Tre Harris is another tournament option after averaging 18.3 yards per catch, including a 53-yard reception, while Quentin Johnston has seen 11 targets but has converted them into just three catches.
Jets @ Lions
New York | Detroit | |
Spread | +6.5 | -6.5 |
Implied Points | 20.5 | 27 |
Game Total | 48.5 |
The combination of Detroit’s offensive ceiling and the potential for the Jets to be forced into a pass-heavy game script gives us arguably the best game environment of the week. Detroit is coming off a 41-point performance, while the Lions are currently implied for around 27.5 points in a game with a 48.5-point total. If the Lions move the ball efficiently and build a lead, New York should have to throw more, creating additional opportunities for Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. That gives us multiple paths to fantasy production on both sides, while Detroit's concentrated offense allows us to target the game through Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Goff or LaPorta. For DFS, that's exactly what we're looking for: a game with a strong projected total, concentrated offensive usage, and a realistic path to both teams producing fantasy-relevant players.
Player | Salary | Projection |
Jahmyr Gibbs | $8,800 | 22.5 DK pts |
Amon-Ra St. Brown | $7,900 | 22.4 DK pts |
Jared Goff | $6,300 | 20.7 DK pts |
Garrett Wilson | $6,700 | ~15.5 DK pts |
Breece Hall | $6,600 | ~15.0 DK pts |
Sam LaPorta | $5,400 | ~12.0 DK pts |
On the Detroit side, I really like the concentration of fantasy production. Jared Goff has thrown for 533 yards and six touchdowns through two games, and the Lions just showed how much ceiling this passing game has with 327 yards and four touchdowns against Buffalo. Amon-Ra St. Brown has been especially impressive, already commanding 27 targets, turning them into 19 catches for 209 yards and four touchdowns. That 13-target, 9-142-2 performance against Buffalo is exactly the type of workload we want to see in DFS.
Jahmyr Gibbs is just as interesting because he isn't dependent on the rushing game. He has 45 carries for 208 yards and two touchdowns, but he's also caught 11 passes for 91 yards and another touchdown. That gives him 56 touches and 299 total yards through two weeks. Add in Sam LaPorta, who has 15 targets, 11 receptions, 100 yards and a touchdown, and Detroit gives us several players who can benefit if this game reaches or exceeds its 48.5-point expectation. The Lions' defense has also allowed 30 points per game, which helps the DFS environment because we don't necessarily need Detroit to completely shut down the Jets for the Lions' offense to stay aggressive.
Detroit has already shown some vulnerability defensively, while New York has concentrated usage around a few key players. Through two weeks, Breece Hall has 210 scrimmage yards on 45 touches, including seven receptions, and he just caught all five of his targets for 63 yards against Green Bay despite managing only 29 rushing yards. That receiving role is important here because if Detroit gets ahead, Hall can remain involved without needing the Jets to run the ball efficiently. He also opened the season with 118 total yards and a touchdown, so there is legitimate volume and multi-touchdown upside.
Garrett Wilson is the other Jets piece I want exposure to. He's seen 14 targets through two games, turning them into 11 catches for 136 yards and a touchdown, and he's caught at least five passes in both games. He also just scored against Green Bay on five catches and seven targets. The Jets don't need to dominate offensively for Wilson to have a strong DFS game; if Detroit's offense puts pressure on New York to throw, Wilson's target volume gives him a very straightforward path to production. Adonai Mitchell is an interesting deeper tournament option as well, with nine catches for 123 yards on 15 targets through two games.
Favorite Stacks (First Look)
Dak Prescott ($6,700) + CeeDee Lamb ($7,800) + Jake Ferguson ($4100) W/ Derrick Henry ($7,700)
Geno Smith ($4,900) + Adonai Mitchell ($4,300) + Breece Hall ($6,400) W/ Jahmyr Gibbs ($8,800)
Josh Allen ($8,000) + James Cook ($6,900) W/ Omarion Hampton ($6,800)
*** Note: These are currently my favorite stacks from the three highest-scoring game environments on the Week 3 main slate. This is a First Look at the slate, and these preferences can change throughout the week as more injury news, matchup research, projected ownership, and other information becomes available. Be sure to check back as we get closer to Sunday, when the player pool and preferred stacks will be finalized.
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