NFL DFS DraftKings GPP Picks: Week 3 (Fantasy Football)
These are upside plays for large-field GPPs, not a complete player pool. Strong tournament lineups often pair popular cash plays with lower-rostered leverage. Use Betz’s Cash Plays (here) and DFS Rankings (here) alongside these recommendations to construct solid GPP lineups.
Note: Plays are listed by salary, not preference.
For pOwn, this is from my personal weekly projections sheet (lots of data if you are interested; find me in the DFS Discord).
Quarterback
Josh Allen | $8,000 | vs LAC
The cheap QB options will make it tempting to save salary, but Allen is dropping 35+ burgers like he is working the lunch rush at Five Guys. The Chargers rank 29th against the pass through two games, while BUF leads the NFL at 38.5 points per game, and Allen already has five passing TDs plus four on the ground. At just 8.10% pOwn, I am willing to pay for the slate-leading projection.
Projection: 24.84 DK points at 8.1% pOwn, with a 36-point ceiling.
Lamar Jackson | $7,500 | @DAL* (game is in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil).
DAL has already allowed an NFL-high 126 rushing yards to QBs through two games, and now gets the worst possible player to have that problem against. Jackson has run for 181 yards and a TD in both of his two career meetings with DAL, giving him a path to breaking the slate before we even account for the passing production. The best part is the pOwn, sitting below 5% despite carrying one of the stronger ceilings at the position.
Projection: 22.19 DK points at 4.72% pOwn, with a 34-point ceiling.
Joe Burrow | $6,600 | @ PIT
This is not a matchup play as much as it is a stack-construction play. Burrow is projected for sub-2 % pOwn, which gives us a cheap way to build around both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins while getting different. PIT has defended the pass well through two weeks, but Chase and Higgins account for so much of the Bengals’ receiving ceiling that a Burrow double stack can separate. I especially like Burrow + two of Brown/Chase/Higgins builds because the field should be much more concentrated on the individual skill players than the full combination.
Projection: 18.45 DK points at 1.72% pOwn, with a 29-point ceiling.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Brock Purdy | $6,500 | vs ARI
Purdy gives us a middle ground between paying all the way up and joining the cheap-QB builds. He completed 20 of 22 passes for 287 yards and two TDs last week, added another score on the ground, and now leads the NFL with an 80.4% completion rate through two games. We are getting a 20+ point projection under 6% ownership, which is enough upside for me to keep buying into an offense that has been extremely efficient.
Projection: 20.96 DK points at 5.91% pOwn, with a 33-point ceiling.
Running Back
Jonathan Taylor | $7,600 | vs HOU
Taylor has handled 43 carries and seven receptions through two games, giving him 50 touches already while scoring four rushing TDs. He has also topped 120 scrimmage yards in both games, so the workload is doing a lot of the heavy lifting even in a matchup where HOU has allowed just 3.9 yards per carry. With Gibbs, K9, and Cook drawing more attention, Taylor gives us another true workhorse without needing to chase a cheap RB.
Projection: 18.9 DK points at 13.22% pOwn, with a 33.5-point ceiling.
Chase Brown | $6,600 | @ PIT
Brown has already handled 36 carries and eight receptions, including 23 touches last week against HOU (see, go get em, Jonathan Taylor). PIT has allowed 256 rushing yards through two games at 4.3 yards per carry, so this matchup is juicy.
Projection: 16.79 DK points at 10.35% pOwn, with a 27-point ceiling.
Sep 20, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) celebrates a 43-yard reception against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Breece Hall | $6,400 | @ DET
Crazy to think the Jets were almost 2-0 to start the year. Hall showed why the receiving role matters when he turned five catches into 63 yards despite struggling on the ground last week. DET has allowed 294 rushing yards and four rushing TDs through two games at 4.8 yards per carry, giving Hall one of the better matchups in this group. It is a fair price point with such a guaranteed workload.
Projection: 16 DK points at 6.59% pOwn, with a 28-point ceiling.
Quinshon Judkins | $5,500 | vs CAR
Grab your barf bag; I know this is gross. Judkins has not been efficient yet, but the role is there with 24 carries and seven catches through two games, including five receptions last week. CAR has allowed a league-high 448 rushing yards through two games while surrendering six rushing TDs at 6.3 yards per carry. The Lions DST may be one to attack weekly until they right the ship.
Projection: 13.84 DK points at 5.31% pOwn, with a 26-point ceiling.
Wide Receiver
Jaxon Smith-Njigba | $8,600 | @W WAS
Sometimes a sound play is simply paying for the guy smashing everything in front of him. JSN has 17 catches for 277 yards and four TDs through two games, including a ridiculous 9-155-3 line last week with an 82-yard score. The price keeps his ownership reasonable, so until he shows a sign of slowing down, he will continue to be a priority in my player pool.
Projection: 20.61 DK points at 14.38% pOwn, with a 38-point ceiling.
Ja’Marr Chase | $8,100 | @ PIT
The slow start is doing us a favor here. Chase bounced back from a 2-12 opener with seven catches for 75 yards and two TDs last week, yet we are getting one of the best WRs in football at just 7%. Don’t overthink an $8.1k Chase at single-digit ownership when the ceiling can break a slate.
Projection: 18.22 DK points at 7.02% pOwn, with a 36-point ceiling.
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Tee Higgins | $6,100 | @ PIT
Seeing a trend here? A lot of Bengals in this article, and Higgins is another way to lean into that bet. Burrow, Chase, Higgins, and Chase Brown all made the cut, so we are clearly betting on CIN carrying more tournament value than the field expects (with controlled ownership). Higgins gives us a cheaper piece of that passing game, and he fits perfectly in Burrow double stacks with Chase.
Projection: 15.35 DK points at 9.66% ownership, with a 29-point ceiling.
Tetairoa McMillan | $6,000 | @ CLE
Here is my favorite Price-Point-Pivot on the slate. Parker Washington is a cash play at the exact same $6,000 salary and projects for 15.15 points at 21.73% pOwn, while Tet comes in at 14.61 and only 9%. We are giving up only 0.54 projected points and a ton of ownership without sacrificing anything else in the lineup.
Projection: 14.61 DK points at 9% pOwn, with a 28-point ceiling.
Ladd McConkey | $5,900 | @ BUF
This one requires embracing a little discomfort. McConkey played only 45.2% of the snaps last week and saw an 11.1% target share while dealing with a rib injury, which helps explain why we are getting him at just 6.34% pOwn. Add on the Chargers are the NFL’s biggest letdown in 2026, and there is reason for concern. The matchup is the reason to buy the dip, as BUF has allowed the sixth-most yards per target and eighth-most fantasy points per target to slot WRs.
Projection: 13.52 DK points at 6.34% pOwn, with a 24-point ceiling.
Tight End
Trey McBride | $6,700 | @ SF
Another week, another time screaming McBride from the rooftops. Paying $6.7k for a TE will make a lot of builds uncomfortable, and that is exactly why I like it. McBride has caught 17 balls for 136 yards and two TDs through two games, reaching eight receptions in both. While the field gravitates toward the cheaper LaPorta, Schultz, and Andrews options, McBride lets us spend at a position where very few lineups will prioritize its salary.
Projection: 16.2 DK points at 9.03% pOwn, with a 30-point ceiling.
Harold Fannin Jr. | $4,000 | vs CAR
After opening with just two catches, he jumped to five receptions for 54 yards last week since Deshaun Watson looked, dare I say, okish at playing QG. At sub-5 % pOwn, we can save $2,700 from McBride without simply landing on the same midrange TEs the field is likely to use.
Projection: 10.31 DK points at 3.83% pOwn, with an 18-point ceiling.
DST
Lions | 3,500 | vs NYJ
Insane to recommend a unit that allowed 71 points through two games. But DST, DFS points come from sacks, TOs, and hopefully a defensive score. The Lions have already produced seven sacks and two INTs. I am willing to embrace the volatility and bet on the pressure creating a splash play at home rather than chasing the more obvious cheap defenses.
Projection: 7.6 DK points at 2.51% pOwn, with a 29-point ceiling.
Vikings | $3,100 | @ TB
Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores is a madman. Minnesota has blitzed on a ridiculous 79.3% of its snaps, piling up eight sacks and four takeaways through two games. Baker Mayfield has already been pressured on 40.3% of his dropbacks and taken seven sacks, so this is exactly the type of matchup where Flores can turn pressure into the sacks and TOs we need.
Projection: 7.06 DK points at 3.35% pOwn, with an 18-point ceiling.
Last Week’s Milly Maker Winner
A slightly more reasonable 232.38 points won the Week 2 Milly. elidkatz1 took it down with lineup 49 of 150, using all $50,000 without a duplicate. Combined ownership was 96.81%, compared with a 117.26% average among submitted lineups. It even survived a 3.6-point dud from J.K. Dobbins.
Betz’s cash recommendations covered Purdy, Lamb, and Schultz. CMC was the only featured play from my GPP article, leaving five of nine spots outside our combined recommendations (shame). Tucker was the biggest swing, delivering 25.9 points at just 0.7% ownership, while the Patriots added 21 at 5.29%. The lower-rostered hits did serious work.
The separation came from the combinations. Just 13 of 172,761 entries paired JSN, Lamb, and Tucker, and those WRs delivered 109.7 points. Purdy/CMC/Kittle formed an SF double stack with no MIA runback, while putting Kittle in FLEX alongside Schultz produced 47 points from the two TEs. Only about one in six submitted lineups used two TEs, but seven of the top 10 did, including our winner.
| Player Name | Betz – Cash Article | Cash – GPP |
| Purdy | Yes | |
| CMC | Yes | |
| Dobbins | ||
| JSN | ||
| Lamb | Yes | |
| Tucker | ||
| Schultz | Yes | |
| Kittle | ||
| Patriots |
Last Week’s GPP Picks Review
We are all about transparency here, so we audit the picks over the year. Players are considered a hit if they 3x their salary.
| Position | Picks | Hits | Misses | Hit rate |
| QB | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33.33% |
| RB | 15 | 4 | 11 | 26.67% |
| WR | 21 | 4 | 17 | 19.05% |
| TE | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30.00% |
| DST | 8 | 1 | 7 | 12.50% |
| Total | 60 | 14 | 46 | 23.33% |
I had not smoked a dart in over four years. Then Sunday happened and, welp, I needed a smoke. This was the worst performance from the GPP article since I took it over last year, with only one pick meeting our 3x salary requirement. That said, CMC was in the Milly-winning lineup without reaching that threshold, so there is a difference between missing our cutoff and being a useful tournament play.
Moving forward, we will evaluate our picks by the overall ROI of lineups containing them, rather than a blanket 3x salary rule. A player can miss that mark and still do his job in a profitable build, especially when his salary creates room for other players who deliver. That does not mean every cheap play gets a pass or appearing in one winning lineup automatically makes someone a hit. It means we need to evaluate the full combination, because we get paid for lineups, not individual salary multiples.
None of that changes how poorly these picks performed, and we are not retroactively changing this week’s grade. No excuses.
QB: Lamar (2.16x), Daniels (2.34x), and Nix (2.65x) all missed the 3x mark. We chased the QB upside and did not get a big individual performance from any of them. The Nix/Waddle pairing was a better result than Nix’s individual grade suggests, returning 3.27x their combined salary.
RB: CMC (2.83x), Hall (2.29x), Bucky (2.13x), and Chuba (2.48x) all missed the 3x mark but did not destroy lineups. CMC came closest and still landed in the Milly-winning lineup. The other three gave us modest returns, but none delivered the breakout performance we were chasing.
WR: Waddle (3.82x) was our only hit, while Jefferson (1.09x), Pickens (1.59x), Higgins (2.38x), McLaurin (1.35x), and Boutte (1.68x) all missed. The DEN rebound bet paid off through Waddle, but none of the other five even reached 2.50x. Terry and Pickens both missed one or two balls for big plays.
TE: McBride (2.62x), Loveland (0.26x, pain), and Fannin (2.54x) all missed the 3x mark. McBride and Fannin beat my projections, but neither gave us enough to clear our grading threshold. Loveland was the biggest miss, and the recommended Jefferson/Loveland pairing returned just 0.77x their combined salary.
DST: SF (2.11x), PHI (0.81x), BAL (0.91x), and ARI (0.80x) all missed the 3x mark. SF was the only recommendation to return more than 1.00x, and even that was not enough to justify the selection. The Panthers and Patriots defensive TDs made them must-haves for a good day.