Week 3 Game Scripts to Target in Daily Fantasy Football
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints
Over/Under: 53.00
Falcons Implied Team Total: 28.00
Saints Implied Team Total: 25.00
It appears as though the New Orleans Saints will be a weekly staple of this column. After all, the defense looks bad on the field, but that's certainly good for DFS players -- and this week, the Atlanta Falcons. We'll continue to attack both sides of any Saints matchup until further notice. This game offers plenty of shootout potential as it will again be played in a dome by two high-powered offenses and two defenses that haven't played to the level their talent suggests.
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
FanDuel Price: $8,700
Obviously, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know Alvin Kamara is always a good option. But bear with me, as there are peripheral factors that enhance this matchup for one of the league's most exciting playmakers. For one, Kamara's price is down $300 from last week, offering up a few extra dollars of savings. More importantly, there is no better matchup for pass-catching running backs than playing against the Falcons.
I wrote last week that Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey made for an ideal low-owned GPP stack, and boy did that ever pay off. The Falcons have allowed the most running back receptions in each of the last three seasons, per Evan Silva of Rotoworld, and that's before losing speedy off-ball linebacker Deion Jones and hard-hitting safety Keanu Neal to injury. In Week 1, the Falcons allowed Darren Sproles to catch 4 passes despite Nick Foles only completing 17 attempts. Then, McCaffrey caught a career-high 14 passes for 102 yards last week. Kamara is a must-play in every format this week.
Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons
FanDuel Price: $7,700
Matt Ryan is the eighth-highest priced quarterback on the main slate yet will likely be ranked in the top-five in most weekly fantasy rankings. His Week 1 performance makes more sense when we place it in the context of an extremely humid night on the road against one of the best defenses in the league. Playing at home with 10 days of rest, Ryan looked back to form last weekend and finished as the QB5 in a very high-scoring week for quarterbacks. He's at home again and gets a Saints pass defense that ranks dead-last per numberFire's Passing Net Expected Points model. The price, matchup and high team total make Ryan an elite option in both GPPs and cash.
Others to Consider
Julio Jones ($8,700) will likely be shadowed by Marshon Lattimore, but that wasn't a problem last year when Julio averaged 6 catches for 123.5 yards across 2 matchups in 2017. Lattimore's presence and Julio's price make him more of a GPP option than cash option, but his strong target floor is always there nonetheless.
At just $5,000, rookie Calvin Ridley is technically on the GPP radar, but he still saw just five targets last week. He's a worthy GPP punt but still feels a bit like point-chasing. You can replace Ridley's name with Austin Hooper ($5,200) in the above sentence and get the same result.
Instead, the second-best play on the Atlanta Falcons side is Tevin Coleman ($7,300), assuming Devonta Freeman ($6,800) sits again. Coleman saw 20 touches last week and continued his trend of being an RB2 or better every time Freeman sits. He isn't priced nearly high enough at a 20-plus touch projection.
The concentrated passing attack in New Orleans means only Michael Thomas ($9,000) is worth mentioning outside of Drew Brees ($8,500). I feel like a broken record, but this stack is cash-viable if you can find a way to pay up. Brees has averaged six fewer fantasy points per game on the road for his career, so that makes him less enticing at the elevated price. Thomas is the most expensive receiver on the main slate. It should keep his ownership down but hitting value would likely require him scoring in his third-straight game.
