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Week 3 FanDuel Tournament Picks

By Kevin English 7:05am EDT 9/24/22

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QB

Kirk Cousins, Vikings ($7,600) vs. Lions

Projected Ownership: 9%

Cousins won’t go totally unowned against the Lions, but he figures to supply some leverage on Dalvin Cook. The veteran RB projects as one of the highest-owned RBs on this slate.

Look past Cousins’ struggles on Monday Night Football and you’ll see the potential within this matchup. Minnesota’s implied for a slate-high 29.25 points against a pass D allowing the 4th most fantasy points to enemy passers.

Of course, he also comes with clear stacking options in Justin Jefferson and/or Adam Thielen. Thielen is especially affordable at just $6,000.

RB

Derrick Henry, Titans ($8,800) vs. Raiders

Projected Ownership: 10%

It feels like there’s a lot working against Henry...

He’s sitting on only 3.1 YPC through 34 attempts. Per Next Gen Stats, he’s faced 8+ defenders in the box on ~30% of his carries — the league’s 6th highest rate.

He’s remained uninvolved in the passing game with only 1 target to date.

The Tennessee offense — with 27 points in 2 games — is underperforming. They rank just 28th in plays per game.

OT Taylor Lewan is out with a knee injury.

So, yeah — that’s a lot to overcome.

But those factors will help take the shine off Henry as a tournament play. He’s still a no-doubt workhorse, especially with Dontrell Hilliard (hamstring) sidelined. Tennessee enters this one as 2-point home underdogs, but to me, this game profiles as a close one throughout.

I’ll gladly take 20-25 carries from Henry at a depressed ownership rate.

Leonard Fournette, Bucs ($7,200) vs. Packers

Projected Ownership: 17%

Fournette made the cash game article, but I think he fits here as a value pick with upside.

The Bucs will be without Chris Godwin and perhaps Julio Jones due to injury. Mike Evans, of course, will serve a 1-game suspension.

Now with Tom Brady potentially limited in his downfield passing, Fournette’s workload looks as secure as ever. He enters Week 3 with games of 23 and 28 opportunities.

Green Bay, meanwhile, just served up 15-122 to David Montgomery.

We might have to recalibrate our brains on Christian McCaffrey’s upside. But for $8,500, I’m willing to get some shares. Dalvin Cook ($8,300) and Joe Mixon ($8,200) project as the expensive chalk, with Dameon Pierce ($5,800) providing a viable salary saver.

WR

Davante Adams, Raiders ($8,700) at Titans

Projected Ownership: 13%

Adams had one of the least efficient games of his career last week, catching only 2 of 7 targets against Arizona. He’s positioned nicely this week with Hunter Renfrow (concussion) already ruled out. Look for a major rebound against a thin Titans secondary.

Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins ($7,500) vs. Bills

Projected Ownership: 6%

Waddle catches the Bills without DBs Micah Hyde (neck) and Dane Jackson (neck). Jordan Poyer (foot) enters Sunday with a ‘questionable’ designation.

Those injuries — and the presence of Tyreek Hill — ensures that Waddle will see favorable coverages. Now it’s on Miami’s O-line to give Tua Tagovailoa enough time to find his playmakers and build off a monster Week 2.

Chris Olave, Saints ($5,500) at Panthers

Projected Ownership: 9%

Olave currently leads the league in air yards (372). Perhaps that means a bit less with Jameis Winston (and his deep ball inconsistency) under center. But Olave has an excellent talent profile to go along with the high-value opportunities.

Even against an ascending Carolina defense, I love the rookie’s Week 3 ceiling.

Michael Pittman ($7,400) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling,($5,600) are a couple of other intriguing options in a game that I like to go over the total.

TE

Dallas Goedert, Eagles ($5,500) at Commanders

Projected Ownership: 14%

I expect Goedert to be the highest-owned TE this week, but that shouldn’t be a deterrent at 14%. He’s simply too cheap for his talent and target profile.

In a plus scoring matchup with Washington, Goedert’s pretty close to a lock for me. Philly’s currently implied for 27 points — tied for 4th most on the slate.

Darren Waller ($6,400) should be a safe bet for 7+ targets with Hunter Renfrow out (concussion). The TE makes for an interesting stack with Derek Carr, and the condensed target tree in Vegas means you can easily add Davante Adams to the same lineup. Dawson Knox ($5,300) is another intriguing play, especially if Gabe Davis (ankle) is inactive. Just note that Knox was limited this week with a foot injury.

DEF

Carolina Panthers ($3,900) vs. Saints

Projected Ownership: 7%

Carolina catches New Orleans at the right time.

Jameis Winston is dealing with several back fractures. Alvin Kamara is expected to play after missing 1 game with fractured rib cartilage.

The Panthers have shown signs of coming together as a young, talented unit. Through 2 weeks, they’ve allowed the 4th fewest yards per play; the 3rd fewest net yards per pass attempt.