Sunday Night Football for Week 3 features a battle between teams that lost in their respective conference championship games last season, as the Rams visit the Broncos at 8:20 p.m. EDT.
FanDuel and DraftKings both offer DFS showdown contests for the single-game SNF slate. The featured GPP contest on DraftKings is the Sunday Night Showdown, with $15 entries and $250K to first place, while FanDuel's Sunday NFL Primetime Showdown offers $15 entries and $100K to the winner.
Sunday Night Football Starting Lineups
The Rams are projected to start:
- QB Matthew Stafford ($10,400 DK, $11,800 FD)
- RB Kyren Williams ($8,600 DK, $10,400 FD)
- WR Puka Nacua D ($11,600 DK, $11,400 FD)
- WR Davante Adams ($10,200 DK, $12,600 FD)
- WR Jordan Whittington ($3,200 DK, $2,600 FD)
- TE Colby Parkinson Q ($4,200 DK, $5,600 FD)
- K Harrison Mevis ($4,600 DK, $6,200 FD)
The Broncos counter with a starting lineup of:
- QB Bo Nix ($10,000 DK, $10,800 FD)
- RB J.K. Dobbins ($7,400 DK, $8,800 FD)
- WR Jaylen Waddle ($9,600 DK, $9,600 FD)
- WR Courtland Sutton ($7,600 DK, $8,200 FD)
- WR Marvin Mims Q ($2,600 DK, $1,800 FD)
- TE Evan Engram ($3,000 DK, $5,400 FD)
- K Wil Lutz ($4,800 DK, $6,400 FD)
For lineup information, keep updated with our fantasy football news page. Always consult our NFL Starting Lineups page for the latest starting lineup information prior to kickoff.
Our RotoWire NFL Optimizer will help you pinpoint top DFS targets, in addition to the players highlighted below.
Showdown DFS Roster Strategy
Both FanDuel and DraftKings have an MVP/Captain slot for showdown slates, followed by five flex positions. The MVP/Captain has a multiplier of 1.5X for both their fantasy production and salary. DraftKings lineups have a salary cap of $50,000, while FanDuel's is $60,000. DraftKings uses PPR scoring with bonuses for 100-yard receiving or rushing performances and 300-yard passing games, while FanDuel has 0.5 PPR scoring.
Paying up for projected top scorers as your Captain/MVP is usually worth it, though doing so requires taking a leap of faith on a bargain option or two to round out your lineup. Taking the road less traveled with a cheaper player in the Captain/MVP slot helps improve the depth of your lineup and can pay off big in large GPP contests by giving your lineup more uniqueness, but this strategy lowers your floor, as a big game out of your Captain/MVP is a prerequisite to success in DFS showdown contests.
Starting QBs typically carry premium salaries, but it's usually worth it to deploy one or both of those options in your lineup. Starting WRs, RBs and TEs generally offer more upside than defenses and kickers, though the high floors of those last two positions can be useful to fill out a lineup if you aren't a fan of a game's skill position sleepers.
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford regained his MVP form from last season with 327 passing yards and four touchdown passes against the Giants in Week 2 after an uncharacteristically poor Week 1 when he threw for only 155 yards without a TD in Australia. Stafford's uptick in production came despite the absence of star WR Puka Nacua (groin), who is expected to miss a second consecutive game. Considering Davante Adams accounted for the majority of Stafford's Week 2 production, Adams may be the stronger Captain/MVP spot option in the Rams' passing attack against Denver's talented defense.
Bo Nix has posted a 1:1 TD:INT ratio in each of his first two outings this season. His passing output climbed from 131 yards in Week 1 to 288 in Week 2, but Nix has just eight rushing yards this season after racking up 786 yards and nine TDs on the ground over his first two regular seasons. If the 2024 first-round pick remains hesitant to run after undergoing ankle surgery earlier this year, he'll have a hard time justifying his price, as the Rams have allowed the third-fewest passing yards this season.
Running Back
Kyren Williams split carries evenly with Blake Corum ($6,600 DK, $7,600 FD) in Week 2, but Williams has a 2-0 edge in total TDs through two games, as well as a 5-1 advantage in receptions. Both Rams RBs have been exceptionally efficient on the ground, with Williams averaging 5.5 yards per carry and Corum 6.0. Williams' more well-rounded skill set makes him the stronger option and a viable Captain/MVP candidate, but Corum could be a strong value play against a Broncos defense that has struggled against the run in the early going, giving up the fourth-most rushing yards to RBs and three TDs to the position.
Denver also employs a backfield committee, with Dobbins set for early-down touches and goal-line work while RJ Harvey ($7,000 DK, $6,000 FD) is used more in space and as a pass catcher. They both dealt with hamstring injuries last week, clearing the path for rookie Jonah Coleman to take on a larger role, but Coleman (ankle) won't be an option against the Rams. Tyler Badie is on hand for depth should Dobbins or Harvey get banged up again. Based on their roles, Dobbins will be a touchdown-dependent option, while Harvey has the higher ceiling given his involvement in the passing game.
Wide Receiver
Davante Adams had a whopping 195 yards and two TDs in the absence of Puka Nacua (groin) in Week 2. Nacua is officially listed as doubtful for Week 3 and expected to sit out again. Adams should continue to work as Stafford's primary target and makes for a strong Captain/MVP option, even facing off against star cornerback Patrick Surtain.
Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith, Tutu Atwell and CJ Daniels combined for two catches last week in Nacua's absence. The Rams' TEs make for better dart throws in their passing game compared to the team's depth WRs.
Jaylen Waddle broke out for eight catches and 138 yards in his second game with the Broncos after the team's entire passing game was quiet Week 1. He has Captain/MVP-level upside as Nix's No. 1 target.
Denver doesn't lack depth at WR, but Nix's slow start coupled with an approach focused on spreading the ball around has led to lackluster starts for Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims (foot; questionable), Pat Bryant ($5,600 DK, $3,400 FD) and Troy Franklin ($2,400 DK, $2,200 FD), each of whom has no more than 42 receiving yards this season. Of that group, Bryant seems to have the most appeal relative to his price, as the 2025 third-round pick is third on the team with seven targets, trailing Waddle's 13 and Sutton's nine.
Tight End
Terrance Ferguson ($3,800 DK, $4,200 FD) broke out in Week 2, catching six of nine targets for 54 yards and a TD. The 2025 second-round pick has the most appeal in LA's deep TE room, especially since Colby Parkinson (knee) is listed as questionable. Davis Allen, Tyler Higbee and Max Klare could also get plenty of snaps, especially if Parkinson sits, as multi-TE formations have become the Rams' bread and butter. Ferguson's a sneak MVP/Captain candidate if you want to get as many pricey players as possible into your lineup.
Evan Engram was held to one catch in Week 2, but he's still the second-leading receiver on the Broncos after recording four catches for 43 yards and a TD in the season opener. The 32-year-old TE's best days are behind him, but Engram's a fine DFS option at his cost. Both of Nix's passing TDs this season have gone to TEs, with Nate Adkins accounting for the other one.
Kicker/DST
The Broncos ($3,400 DK, $6,600 FD) had arguably the best defense in the NFL last season, as they easily led the league with 68 sacks while allowing the second-fewest yards and third-fewest points. Denver has struggled to stop the run to begin this season, while Stafford was unbothered when facing elite secondaries last year, though that was with Nacua available. The floor here is low, but the Broncos boast one of the league's highest-upside defensive units.
The Rams defense ($5,000 DK, $6,800 FD) bounced back in Week 2, though they faced a backup QB almost the entire game following Jaxson Dart's first-quarter knee injury. The return of Aaron Donald helped cover for the absence of Myles Garrett (knee) on the team's star-studded defensive line, but this unit still needs to prove itself against quality competition after a Week 1 dud against the 49ers.
Wil Lutz is off to a 3-for-3 start this season after converting at least 87.5 percent of his field-goal attempts in each of his previous three seasons with the Broncos. He has quietly become one of the league's most reliable kickers, but the position's inherently low fantasy value means he's unlikely to be featured in many DFS lineups. Harrison Mevis missed his only field-goal attempt in Week 2 and has attempted just 14 field goals in 11 games with the Rams, so he's an unappealing DFS option.
