Week 3 of the NFL is officially in the books, and the Patriots got a scare from Deshaun Watson and the Texans. With a late lead, it looked as if Houston was about to shock the Pats in an early season upset. However, Tom Brady did what he does best – put the Pats on his back and carried them to victory.Â
Brady went 25 for 35 with 378 yards and FIVE touchdowns (good for 39.72 DraftKings Fantasy Points), including the game-winning dart to Brandin Cooks late in the fourth quarter. It was Cooks' second touchdown of the game and his fifth catch. It was his breakout game in New England, as he totaled 131 yards, two touchdowns and 35.1 DraftKings points.Â
The Patriots are now on to Carolina, as the Panthers visit New England. Brady is now the most expensive QB on the main DraftKings slate, but he's certainly proven he's worth the high price tag, even against a tough Carolina defense.
All that said, we do have a number of other players in great spots in Week 4 which features a 12-game DraftKings main slate. Let's jump right into all the info, and as always, you can reach me on the ol' Twitter machine **@SBuchanan24**.
GAME NOTES
Highest Scoring Game
Buffalo Bills vs. Atlanta Falcons - 49 projected points
The Bills vs. Falcons game checks in as our highest projected total of the week with 49 points; the Falcons as 9.5-point leaders. With his salary at $7,400, Matt Ryan has been average at best so far this season, averaging 17.5 fantasy points with a 4:3 TD:INT ratio. The Bills' defense has been stellar thus far, especially against opposing quarterbacks. Through the first three weeks, opposing QBs are completing 63% of their targets for an average of 224 passing yards with four touchdowns. While that all sounds well and good, the Bills have faced Josh McCown, Cam Newton and Trevor Siemien, so it's safe to say the competition hasn't exactly been overwhelming. This is the real first test for the Bills. One noteworthy item to keep a watch on is the status of Julio Jones, who suffered a back injury in Week 3.
Lowest Scoring Game
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets - 39 projected points
The Jaguars are the favorites in the lowest projected scoring game of the week as they take on the Jets. The Jags' defense is the most expensive on this slate at $3,600, and rightfully so. Aside from the 37 points allowed against the Titans, the Jags have held the Ravens and Texans to seven points apiece. Even more impressive is their 13 sacks and four interceptions through the first three weeks. The Jets severely lack offensive weapons, and they're allowing an average of 2.3 sacks per game. For reference purposes, Houston leads with an average of five per game.
DVP MATCHUPS
Format:Â Team vs. Opponent, Defense vs. Position Rank
Worst QB Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | Jacksonville Jaguars | 1st |
| Atlanta Falcons | Buffalo Bills | 2nd |
| Baltimore Ravens | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3rd |
Best QB Matchups
| Team | opp | dvp rank |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | New England Patriots | 32nd |
| Houston Texans | Tennessee Titans | 31st |
| Denver Broncos | Oakland Raiders | 30th |
Worst RB Matchups
| team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | Minnesota Vikings | 1st |
| Oakland Raiders | Denver Broncos | 2nd |
| Atlanta Falcons | Buffalo Bills | 3rd |
Best RB Matchups
| team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | New England Patriots | 32nd |
| Dallas Cowboys | Los Angeles Rams | 31st |
| Buffalo Bills | Atlanta Falcons | 29th |
Worst WR Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1st |
| New York Jets | Jacksonville Jaguars | 2nd |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | New York Giants | 4th |
Best WR Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 32nd |
| Detroit Lions | Minnesota Vikings | 31st |
| San Francisco 49ers | Arizona Cardinals | 30th |
Worst TE Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | San Francisco 49ers | 2nd |
| New York Giants | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3rd |
| New England Patriots | Carolina Panthers | 4th |
Best TE Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Baltimore Ravens | 32nd |
| Carolina Panthers | New England Patriots | 31st |
| New York Jets | Jacksonville Jaguars | 30th |
TARGET REPORT
Last Week's Leaders
| player | team | last week's opp | targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Fitzgerald | ARZ | DAL | 15 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | DEN | BUF | 15 |
| Antonio Brown | PIT | CHI | 14 |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | NYG | PHI | 13 |
| A.J. Green | CIN | GB | 13 |
| Mike Evans | TB | MIN | 12 |
| Julio Jones | ATL | DET | 12 |
| Stefon Diggs | MIN | ATL | 11 |
| Brandon Marshall | NYG | PHI | 11 |
| Christian McCaffrey | CAR | NO | 11 |
Last Three Week's Leaders
| NAME | TEAM | LAST 3 WEEKS TARGETS | AVG TARGETS |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeAndre Hopkins | HOU | 37 | 12.3 |
| Antonio Brown | PIT | 36 | 12 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | ARZ | 34 | 11.3 |
| A.J. Green | CIN | 31 | 10.3 |
| Keenan Allen | LAC | 29 | 9.7 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | DEN | 29 | 9.7 |
| Alshon Jeffery | PHI | 28 | 9.3 |
| Dez Bryant | DAL | 27 | 9 |
| Golden Tate | DET | 27 | 9 |
| Julio Jones | ATL | 26 | 8.7 |
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LINEUP QUICK HITS
QB To Build Lineups Around...
Deshaun Watson ($5,100) -I know, this might be jumping the gun slightly, but I have some sound reasoning for starting Watson this week. First and foremost, he carved the Patriots defense up in Week 3, completing 22 of his 33 passes for 301 yards with two touchdowns for 25.1 fantasy points. His salary is still incredibly low at $5,100. When you factor in his matchup against the Titans, who have allowed an average of 22.67 DK points to opposing QBs, you can see why he's my top QB.
WR To Pair Him With...
DeAndre Hopkins ($6,400) -Another reason I love Watson is the pairing you can make with Hopkins. Through the first three weeks of the season, Hopkins has seen an insane amount of targets (37). With that type of volume, you're getting what feels like a bargain at $6,400. Hopkins lines up on the left side the majority of the time, so he should be matched up with Adoree' Jackson, who has been targeted against 21 times, allowing 13 catches for 143 yards with two touchdowns. At the end of the day, this may not be the best scoring QB/WR combo, but it's certainly one of the most valuable you'll find.
The Top Running Back Will Be...
Ezekiel Elliot ($8,200) -Elliot has had back-to-back tough matchups in the past two weeks, facing the Broncos and Cardinals. He finally is in a very favorable spot in Week 4 as he faces off against the Rams. Through Week 3, the Rams have allowed an average of 133 rushing yards per game with five rushing touchdowns. Elliot should be set loose in this game and pounce on a Rams defense that is averaging 4.4 YPC.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Steveazors) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
