Introducing the NFL DFS Week 3 RB Coach article! Injuries made it a tough week for two of fantasy football's true bell cow RBs but let’s first focus on the positive. Other than my mistakenly suggesting that New York Jets RB Breece Hall (24.4 DK pts/20.9 FD pts) should be a fade in Week 2, the NFL DFS RB coach had a pretty good week. 

Los Angeles Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins was my top play, and he certainly gave you a bang for your buck! He was moderately priced (DK $5,400/FD $6,800) and he produced like a champ (23.1 DK pts/22.6 FD pts)!

 

 

 

Dobbins is a bit pricier this week, but he’s still an affordable NFL DFS Week 3 RB option (DK $6,400/FD $7,200). The Chargers will continue to run the ball and they’re offensive line, fueled by rookie RT Joe Alt, has done a good job in protecting QB Justin Herbert and creating holes for both Dobbins and RB Gus Edwards.  

Jonathan Taylor (18.5 DK pts/17.5 FD pts) and Saquon Barkley (17.6 DK pts/15.6 FD pts) did well as top tier picks and Tony Pollard (15.2 DK pts/12.7 FD pts) and Brian Robinson (17.6 DK pts/17.1 FD pts) provided good value as well. They provided similar scoring to Derrick Henry (16.6 DK pts/16.1 FD pts) and Kyren Williams (15.2 DK pts/13.2 FD pts), who were my mid-tier picks (Don’t expect me to be so forthcoming with my previous week’s results in future columns when I’ve had a bad week). 

I may stay away from Williams for a week or two. TDs have propped up his fantasy production and he’s only averaging 2.5 yards per carry. With the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive line being a bit banged up I’ll watch Williams from the sidelines this week.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 3 RB Coach For FanDuel & DraftKings Fantasy

As the season progresses it’s going to get a little easier to identify weak run defenses that can be targeted by the NFL DFS Week 3 RB Coach. However, there’s other things to consider when looking for an NFL DFS RB such as their value based on their DFS price and their expected game script. 

An NFL DFS RB playing for a team that’s expected to win a game by a large margin can be very attractive and I have no problem inserting them in my DFS lineup, however there can be a downside to that situation. 

Sure, the team winning by a large margin will look to run out the clock and might run the ball a ton in the second half, but if the game gets totally out of hand, a team might pull their primary back and use his backup in garbage time. 

A good example of this came in last Thursday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins. The Bills had a big lead and by the fourth quarter their primary back James Cook, who had already had a big game, was on the sidelines and his backup Ray Davis was the RB carrying the ball the rest of the way. 

The box score tells you that Cook rushed the ball 11 times and Davis ran the ball nine times. It looks like the Bills backfield is almost a 50/50 split…until you take a closer look at how the game unfolded. 

 

 

 

NFL Week 3 Running Backs

Last week may have been a good one for the NFL DFS RB Coach but it certainly was a tough one for Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (fractured fibula) and Houston Texans RB Joe Mixon, who suffered an ankle injury. 

The Chiefs signed Kareem Hunt to their practice squad but in Week 3 they’ll probably roll with alligator pet owner and undrafted free agent Carson Steele (who seems pricey at DK $5,400/FD $5,200) and Samaje Perine (DK $5,500/FD $6,200). Perine is probably the safer play between the two, but both are a bit risky.

Mixon’s injury isn't expected to be a long-term issue but as this article is being written his Week 3 status is not yet known. With Dameon Pierce (DK $4,800/FD $5,100) dealing with his own injury (hamstring) a very affordable Cam Akers (DK $4,700/FD $4,000) might see extensive playing time against the Minnesota Vikings and could end up being an NFL DFS Week 3 RB Coach sleeper.  

Let’s move on from all the negative RB injury talk and look for some NFL DFS Week 3 RB’s that you can slide into your fantasy lineups and help you win some cash! These are my favorite NFL DFS Week 3 RB picks and hopefully by the end of Week 3 they’ll be your favorites as well!

 

 

 

NFL DFS RB Top-Tier Picks For Week 3 

Alvin Kamara, RB New Orleans Saints - DraftKings: $7,500 | FanDuel: $8,400

At an age (29) when most NFL DFS RBs are winding down their careers, Kamara is enjoying a renaissance. He has the sixth most rushing yards (198) and his 5.7 Y/A would be his highest since his rookie season when he led NFL RBs with 6.1 Y/A. 

The Saints’ offense is firing on all cylinders and leading the NFL with 91 points scored and as this article is being written, their matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles has the second highest expected point total on the slate (49.5). You’re going to want to get a piece of the Saints’ offense into your DFS lineups. 

Kamara is averaging 34.5 DK points and 32.775 FD points this season, and the Eagles run defense gave up chunks of yardage to Falcons NFL DFS RBs in Week 2. Even if by some chance the Eagles limit Kamara on the ground, he has the ability to add to his fantasy production by using his pass catching skills. I had my doubts about Kamara coming into this season but I’m an NFL DFS Week 3 believer in him now!

 

 

 

NFL DFS RB Mid-Tier Picks For Week 3

Zach Charbonnet, RB Seattle Seahawks - DraftKings: $6,000 | FanDuel: $6,700

Kenneth Walker hasn’t officially been ruled out for Week 3 but while the Seahawks are downplaying his oblique injury his availability against the Miami Dolphins is in doubt. Charbonnet showed you why he is one of the most important RB handcuffs to roster in season long fantasy football against a tough New England Patriots run defense in Week 2. 

His 17.9 DK fantasy point and 15.4 FD point performance also showed you he’s a pretty good DFS option when he’s a starting RB. The Dolphins have already given up four TDs to RBs this season (3 on the ground and 1 through the air) and are allowing 4.96 Y/A to opposing NFL DFS RBs. Charbonnet is affordable this week and he’s an all-purpose back with pass catching abilities. 

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB New England Patriots - DraftKings: $6,300 | FanDuel: $6,900

The Jets haven’t been able to stop the run dating back to last season and with injuries to LB Jermaine Johnson II (season ending torn Achilles) and ILB C.J. Mosley getting carted off the field on Sunday (foot) opposing running backs should continue to feast against them. 

Stevenson is a pure bell cow back and the focal point of the Patriots’ offense. He’s another all-purpose back who is very good at catching the ball out of the backfield, but the Pats want to run the ball down their opponents throats this season. 

They’ve called the fifth highest percentage of run plays in the NFL this season and Stevenson is averaging 23 rush attempts per game compared to just 13 last season. Stevenson is averaging 20.8 DK and 19.54 FD fantasy points per game and should continue to produce on Thursday night. 

 

 

 

NFL DFS RB Value Picks For Week 3 

Zack Moss, RB Cincinnati Bengals - DraftKings: $5,600 | FanDuel: $6,100

Moss is clearly the Bengals’ primary back and he has a good matchup against a Washington Commanders run defense that actually made New York Giants RB Devin Singletary look good last Sunday. 

The Commanders are giving up 4.63 yards per carry to NFL DFS RBs this season. Game script calls for the Bengals, who are desperate to get their first win of the season, to cruise to a big home victory on Monday night. 

The overall expected points total is the third highest on the slate. As we alluded to earlier in the article, if this game is a total blowout Chase Brown (Moss’ handcuff, DK $4,600/FD $5,200) could also be in play with some late game touches. He’s a bit risky but Brown’s pass catching ability could help his DFS production since the Commanders have already allowed RBs to catch nine passes against them. 

Jerome Ford, RB Cleveland Browns - DraftKings: $5,800 | FanDuel: $6,500

The New York Giants let Aaron Jones run all over them in Week 1, and in Week 2 they couldn’t stop Brian Robinson so why would I think they’d be able to stop Ford in Week 3? Ford often gets overlooked as an NFL DFS RB but according to Next Gen Stats, he was clocked at 21.29 mph during his 36-yard rush in the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. 

It was the NFL’s second fastest run of the 2024 season. D'onta Foreman (DK $4,400/FD $5,600) did have twice as many carries as Ford in Week 2 but as our @rotobuzzguy Howard Bender reminds us much of his work came when the Browns were already up by two scores. Let’s face it the Giants’ run defense has been so bad that both Ford and Foreman could be viable NFL DFS Week 3 RBs.

 

 

 

NFL DFS RB Fades For Week 3

Najee Harris, RB Pittsburgh Steelers - DraftKings: $5,600 | FanDuel: $6,400

With Jaylen Warren (DK $5,300/FD $5,500) a week removed from his preseason hamstring injury he cut into Harris’ Week 2 playing time, with each RB playing 31 snaps. Harris still got more carries (17) than Warren (9) but Warren was more productive (4.7 Y/C compared to Harris’ 4.1). They even split the two goal line carries. 

Their opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers, have given up the ninth fewest PPR fantasy points to RBs this season but the third most receptions (13) to the position. I’m not interested in either Harris or Warren as NFL DFS Week 3 RBs but since Warren typically plays more passing downs than Harris, he might be the better DFS option in Week 3.

Rachaad White, RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DraftKings: $6,100 | FanDuel: $7,000

White suffered a groin injury in Week 2 but was able to play through it and he should be active in Week 3, but with an anemic 2.0 yards per carry and Bucky Irving breathing down his neck I’m not putting him in any of my NFL DFS lineups right now. 

White played twice as many snaps as Irving in Week 2 (34 to 17) but Irving had more carries than White (9 to 7). Buccaneers RBs have a very good matchup against the Denver Broncos but their backfield could end up being a 50/50 split before long. Just in case that timeshare happens this week, I’m not willing to overpay for White in Week 3.

 

 

 

NFL Week 3 RB Play Of The Week 

Jordan Mason, RB San Francisco 49ers - DraftKings: $6,200 | FanDuel: $8,300

Mason has been outstanding in place of the injured Christian McCaffrey, averaging 22.8 DK fantasy points and 22.29 FD fantasy points this season. He’s a steal at his $6,200 price tag on DraftKings and I’m even willing to pay top-tier pricing on FanDuel. 

With Deebo Samuel expected to miss the next couple of weeks due to a calf strain Mason will be an even bigger part of the 49ers’ offense moving forward. He has a great matchup against a Rams run defense that has given up the third most rushing yards (309) to RBs this season.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 3 RB Projections