Week 3 Game Scripts to Target in Daily Fantasy Football

Indianapolis Colts vs. San Diego Chargers

Over/Under: 51.50
Colts Implied Team Total: 27.00
Chargers Implied Team Total: 24.50

Starting this week, FanDuel's main NFL slate will be Sunday Only, meaning that this matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers has the highest over/under on the main slate. With piles of points potentially poised to be put up in this game, there should be plenty of juicy daily fantasy options. Let's dig in!

Travis Benjamin, WR, San Diego Chargers

FanDuel Price: $6,900

With both Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead out for the year, Travis Benjamin will be the focal point of both San Diego's offense and daily fantasy players' lineups this week, and for good reason. Benjamin has led the Chargers in targets both weeks this season and is coming off of a 6-catch, 115-yard, 2-score week. In Week 3, he'll get an even more friendly matchup against Indy's injury-riddled defense that ranks 28th in Adjusted Defensive Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per play this season.

Vontae Davis returned to practice this week, and if he ends up suiting up, Benjamin would be a less attractive fantasy option. However, with the volume he is set to receive, he remains in play regardless. Per the Rotoviz Game Splits App, the Chargers have played in just two games with at least a 50-point over/under since the beginning of last season. In those games, Philip Rivers has chucked the ball 51 times for 402 yards per game. In 13 games during that span with at least a 45-point over/under, he's thrown 42 times for 306 yards per game.

If this game turns into the shootout it is projected to, the Chargers could go very pass-heavy, especially as road underdogs. The game script and matchup sets up very well for a monster game from Benjamin, whose price hasn't yet come to account for his new role.

Frank Gore, RB, Indianapolis Colts

FanDuel Price: $5,700

Frank Gore isn't the flashy way to attack this game, but the path of least resistance against the Chargers is certainly on the ground and Gore is Indy's workhorse back, accounting for 79.4 percent of their carries through two games.

As Raybon pointed out in his piece covering Vegas odds, "Winning teams rush for 35 more yards and double the touchdown output of losing teams, which equates to winners averaging roughly 6.5 more fantasy points per game. Favorites average a lower -- but still very significant -- figure of 2.8 more rushing fantasy points per game than underdogs."

While the 33-year old back isn't one we usually associate with upside, Gore has increased touchdown potential this week and should make good use of extra volume against San Diego, who ranks 31st in Adjusted Defensive Rushing NEP per play this season after ranking as the second-worst rush defense last year too, according to our metrics.

If you think Indy gets up early in this one, forcing San Diego to go pass-happy, pairing Gore with Benjamin makes a lot of sense from a game script perspective.

Others to Consider

Andrew Luck is certainly in play in tournaments given Indy's implied team total, but he has actually performed worse from a fantasy perspective over the past three seasons when playing in games with an over/under of 51-plus, and San Diego has been decent against the pass, ranking 10th in Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play this season.

T.Y. Hilton may end up being a terrific play at just $7,400 with Donte Moncrief out, but unless we hear whether or not he'll be shadowed by lock-down corner Jason Verrett, it's tough to trust him in cash games. Verrett has covered the slot just 5 percent of the time this season, and Hilton has run 62 percent of his snaps from the slot. Keep an eye out for more information on this situation leading up to lineup lock. If Verrett does shadow, Phillip Dorsett could end up being a fantastic play at just $6,000 as he steps into a larger role in Moncrief's stead.

For San Diego, Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon, and Antonio Gates are all firmly in play in tournaments. The game script doesn't set up favorably for Gordon, but he has been running exceptionally, and the Colts haven't been able to stop anyone on the ground, ranking 29th in Adjusted Defensive Rushing NEP per play.