I had rested my NFL Week 3 squad's success on the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos getting into a shootout. That didn't happen. Raiders and Broncos played to a 20-19 Denver victory. Because the shootout didn't happen, my NFL Week 2 Classic Team only produced around 140 points. That's not going to do it on DraftKings where you must foreshadow based on part gut, part research, and a ton of luck.
I've taken a different approach with my NFL Week 3 DraftKings Classic Team. While Week 2's team relied on a shootout in a game between a couple of rivals (in hindsight that doesn't make any sense!), my Week 3 team relies on quality matchups and the hope that what happened in Week 1 and Week 2 doesn't happen in Week 3.
I kept Patrick Mahomes off my team even though he's thrown 10 TD passes in two games. I put Alvin Kamara on my team at a hefty salary even though he failed to score a TD in Week 2. I left Kamara's Saints' teammate wide receiver Michael Thomas off the team even though he's averaging over 37 fantasy points per game.
Fingers crossed that I at least cash this Sunday.
NFL Week 3 DraftKings Classic Team
QB Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars, $5,600
Bortles threw 4 TD passes against the New England Patriots in Week 2. Sure, he could bounce and have a bad game, but that's unlikely because he's playing against the Tennessee Titans' defense. The Titans allow 255.5 passing yards per. Bortles should be a lock for at least 300 yards passing. If he's able to add 3 TD passes, which he should because like all teams Tennessee will try and stop Jacksonville's rushing attack, Bortles could be one of the top fantasy quarterbacks on DraftKings this Sunday.
RB Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears, $6,500
Howard hasn't scored a TD yet this season. That should change in Week 3. Chicago's opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, allow 136 rushing yards per game. The Cards allow over 294 passing yards per, but Chicago doesn't pass the ball as much as they rush the ball.
Jordan Howard should have no trouble dominating the Cardinals' defense. If he can catch 5 to 10 passes while adding another 50 receiving yards, all the better. Plus, Howard's backup, Tarik Cohen, is banged up.
RB Corey Clement, Philadelphia Eagles, $4,300
Clement is a feast or famine addition to this week's DraftKings squad. No doubt if Darren Sproles and/or Jay Ajayi plays, Clement marches to the famine category. If both Sproles and Ajayi are out, and that looks more than possible, Clement should garner the most carries. He split carries with Wendell Smallwood, but Clement rushed for 30 yards and a TD from his 6 carries in Week 2 while Smallwood only rushed for 28 yards off 7 carries in Week 2.
Philly should rush the football more this week versus a better than it looks Colts' defense that allowed the Bengals to rush for over 100 yards in Week 1 before shutting down Washington's bad rushing attack in Week 2. I'll cross my fingers that Clement gets the bulk of the work.
WR Keelan Cole, Jacksonville Jaguars, $5,600
If I put Blake Bortles on my team, I must add his top target, right? Wide receiver Keelan Cole caught 7 passes for 116 yards and a TD against the Patriots. Like I wrote above, Jacksonville's opponent on Sunday, the Tennessee Titans, give up a ton of passing yards each game.
Not only that, but Cole's easily Bortles' favorite target. In the win over the Pats, Bortles targeted Cole 8 times. Cole caught 7 of the 8 passes for 117 yards and a TD. He caught 3 of 4 targets in the Jags' first game for 54 yards. He should provide a similar performance on Sunday to what he did in Week 2 versus the Patriots than what he did in Week 1 against the Giants.
WR Devin Funchess, Carolina Panthers, $5,000
He has yet to score a TD. That should all change this Sunday versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Funchess caught 7 of 9 targets for 77 yards in Week 2. In Week 3, he's got a decent match up versus a bad Cincinnati Bengals' secondary ranked 22nd in the NFL. The Bengals allow 332 passing yards per game.
Carolina QB Cam Newton will be without TE Greg Olsen while Cincy should apply resources to stopping RB Christian McCaffrey from catching every Cam pass. That will leave Funchess open for plenty of catch and runs. He could break out with a massive game in Week 3.
WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts, $6,700
Hilton hasn't practiced this week. He has said that he's ready to go, though. If he does go, he and quarterback Andrew Luck could take advantage of a Philly defense that's allowing 309 passing yards per game. Tampa Bay quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick dominated the Eagles' secondary in Week 2.
Hilton already has 12 catches for the season. I think he's on the cusp of a 10 to 12 catch game with at least 1 touchdown. The Colts should have no luck rushing the football, which means they must throw.
TE Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks, $3,300
In 2 straight games, Dissly has 6 catches for 147 yards and 2 TD catches. Seattle listed wide receiver Doug Baldwin as doubtful. Russell Wilson might count on Dissly even more in Week 3 because Seattle faces the Dallas Cowboys who rank 23rd versus opposing tight-ends. Like Clement, Dissly is a feast or famine addition. Hopefully, he'll feast on Dallas defenders.
Flex – RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints, $9,500
Kamara didn't score a TD in Week 2. He rushed 13 times for 46 yards. He caught all 6 of his targets for 53 yards. Kamara should bounce back with a huge game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. He wasn't great in both New Orleans versus Atlanta games last season.
I believe he steps it up on Sep. 23. The Falcons are without their best linebacker, Deion Jones. They're also without safety Keanu Neal. Without Jones and Neal, Atlanta's defense should find it impossible to stop Kamara from huge gains in the rushing attack. If the Falcons try to stop Kamara from rushing the football, Drew Brees will throw it to him.
DST – Chicago Bears, $3,500
Chicago plays the worst offensive team in the NFL on Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals. Not only are the Cardinals 0-2, they've also scored a total of 6 points in 8 quarters. That's how amazingly bad Arizona's offense is.
Chicago should dominate Zona from the outset. Don't be surprised if the Bears sack quarterback Sam Bradford 6 times while forcing around 3 turnovers. One of the turnovers could go for 6 points, just like it did in Week 2 when Prince Amukamara picked off Seattle QB Russell Wilson and ran it in for the score.
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