The Week 3 NFL DFS Yahoo main slate begins Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT and features 13 games. Bye weeks won't come into play until Week 5, but teams playing on Thursday Night Football (Falcons-Packers), Sunday Night Football (Rams-Broncos) and Monday Night Football (Eagles-Bears) are excluded from the main slate.
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) Yahoo DFS football contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared toward head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS football contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers. NFL DFS Yahoo lineups consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit. Suggested Yahoo DFS picks for Week 3 include a QB-WR stack that has failed to live up to expectations but has a nice bounce-back opportunity, as well as a RB and WR who have found early success on new teams.
QUARTERBACK
Baker Mayfield, TB vs. MIN ($27): Both teams in this game dealt with some inclement weather last week, as the Vikings benefited defensively from rainy and windy conditions against the Bears while Mayfield sat through an hour-long weather delay in the final minutes of the fourth quarter before Tampa Bay's comeback bid came up short in an embarrassing loss to the Browns. Mayfield hasn't been sharp in an 0-2 start (1:1 TD:INT), but his 68 touchdown passes since the start of the 2024 season are the third most over that span, trailing only Jared Goff (77) and Matthew Stafford (70). There will be chunk plays available through the air against Brian Flores' risky defensive strategy of blitzing on more than two-thirds of Minnesota's defensive snaps. Jordan Love threw for 387 yards in Week 1 against the Vikings, and Mayfield will try to put the Bucs on his back to avoid starting 0-3.
Honorable Mentions: Josh Allen, BUF vs. LAC ($42); Brock Purdy, SF vs. ARI ($38); Lamar Jackson, BAL at DAL ($37)
Against the Grainers: Tyler Shough, NO vs. LV ($35); Geno Smith, NYJ at DET ($22); Sam Darnold, SEA at WAS ($21)
RUNNING BACK
Kenneth Walker, KC at MIA ($38): Walker's Chiefs tenure is off to a scintillating start, as he produced 191 scrimmage yards and two TDs against the Broncos in Week 1 before adding 178 scrimmage yards in Week 2 against the Colts. The reigning Super Bowl MVP should keep rolling against a Dolphins defense that has allowed a league-high five TDs to RBs through two weeks. Three of those scores have come through the air, along with a league-high 115 receiving yards, and Miami's also giving up over 100 yards per game on the ground to the position. The Chiefs have little reason to put Patrick Mahomes under much stress as heavy favorites in his third game back from a torn ACL, so expect plenty of runs and quick passes to keep Mahomes from taking unnecessary hits.
Tony Pollard, TEN at NYG ($17): Pollard has been the engine that drives Tennessee's offense the past couple of years, and he's coming off four consecutive seasons with at least 1,288 scrimmage yards and five TDs, dating back to his time in Dallas. The Titans are just 3-16 since the start of last season, but they will face an opponent in their own weight class in Week 3, taking on a deflated Giants team that won four games last year and just lost starting QB Jaxson Dart (knee) for the season. Tennessee will likely lean heavily on the ground game against a Giants defense that's giving up 5.6 yards per carry to RBs and has allowed two receiving TDs to the position. Both Pollard and change-of-pace RB Tyjae Spears ($14) are dealing with ankle soreness, but Pollard participated in practice Thursday, unlike Spears.
Honorable Mentions: James Cook, BUF vs. LAC ($33); Chuba Hubbard, CAR at CLE ($27); Aaron Jones, MIN at TB ($23)
Against the Grainers: David Montgomery, HOU at IND ($27); Travis Etienne, NO vs. LV ($24); Emanuel Wilson, SEA at WAS ($10)
WIDE RECEIVER
Garrett Wilson, NYJ at DET ($26): Wilson has caught 11 of 14 targets for 136 yards and Geno Smith's lone passing TD of the season, putting the star WR on an early pace to top 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth time in five NFL seasons. The Jets will likely air it out as they try to exploit Detroit's leaky secondary and keep pace with the Lions' high-powered offense. Detroit's 30 catches and 437 yards allowed to WRs are both league-high totals through two weeks. If you're pressed for cap space, fellow Jets WR Adonai Mitchell ($14) is a nice bargain option, as Mitchell can also stretch the field and has actually drawn one more target than Wilson this season.
Mike Evans, SF vs. ARI ($25): Evans has shown excellent chemistry with Brock Purdy, catching nine of 10 targets for 103 yards and a TD through two games with the 49ers. The veteran WR frequently gets banged up and had a precautionary exit from San Francisco's previous game after the team built up a substantial lead, but Evans is likely to do plenty of damage while he's in the game Sunday considering the Cardinals just surrendered a whopping 155 yards and three touchdowns to Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Evans is one of the league's premier red-zone receivers, having scored at least 11 TDs six times, including in 2023 and 2024.
Emeka Egbuka, TB vs. MIN ($18): Both Egbuka and Chris Godwin ($17) are strong bargain targets against Minnesota's porous secondary, either as standalone options or part of a Buccaneers stack with Mayfield. Green Bay's WR duo of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden combined for 242 receiving yards and two TDs against the Vikings in Week 1, which was a more representative performance than Minnesota's 9-3 Week 2 win against the Bears when both teams were hindered by the weather. Egbuka has established a passable floor with 8.8 fantasy points in each of the first two games this season, but the 2025 first-round pick could be set for a breakout performance to kickstart his sophomore season after exceeding 100 receiving yards thrice as a rookie.
Honorable Mentions: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA at WAS ($41); Chris Olave, NO vs. LV ($38); Josh Downs, IND vs. HOU ($18)
Against the Grainers: Parker Washington, JAC vs. NE ($31); George Pickens, DAL vs. BAL ($23); Jameson Williams, DET vs. NYJ ($19)
TIGHT END
Dalton Schultz, HOU at IND ($17): Schultz was the only trustworthy target for C.J. Stroud last week in the absence of WR Nico Collins (hamstring). The veteran TE caught 12 of 14 targets for 140 yards while Stroud connected on only nine of 26 passes intended for Houston's underwhelming group of healthy WRs in the Week 2 loss to the Bengals. Still available for just $17, Schultz is my recommended TE pick for a second consecutive week, this time going against a Colts defense that has allowed the most yards and points in the NFL this season, not to mention a 9-101-1 line on 11 targets to Travis Kelce last week.
Honorable Mentions: Travis Kelce, KC at MIA ($25); Brock Bowers, LV at NO ($20); Mark Andrews, BAL at DAL ($16)
Against the Grainers: Isaiah Likely, NYG vs. TEN ($22); Pat Freiermuth, PIT vs. CIN ($13); Oronde Gadsden, LAC at BUF ($11)
DEFENSE
Tennessee Titans at NYG ($11): This unit performed admirably last week, picking off Jalen Hurts twice. Head coach Robert Saleh had solid defenses during his time in that role with the Jets, and he returns to familiar territory at MetLife Stadium to take on a Giants offense helmed by turnover-prone QB Jameis Winston in the aftermath of Dart's knee injury. Winston completed only 11 of 27 pass attempts with an interception in relief during the Week 2 loss to the Rams, and he has 114 interceptions in 109 NFL appearances (89 starts). Going the affordable route on defense is generally advisable, and Tennessee's D/ST unit has a high ceiling at a modest valuation in this matchup.
Honorable Mentions: Seattle Seahawks at WAS ($19); Carolina Panthers at CLE ($16); Kansas City Chiefs at MIA ($15)
Against the Grainers: Buffalo Bills vs. LAC ($13); Houston Texans at IND ($13); New York Giants vs. TEN ($12)
