NFL Week 3 Yahoo! Million Dollar Baller Picks Using Awesemo’s Premium Rankings (FREE)

Yahoo fantasy football is running a $1,000,000 contest with a $20 entry fee and 50,000 entries and zero management fee for Week 3. Generally this flagship daily fantasy tournament does not fill more than 80-90% in the third week, which provides extra value for gamers. Let’s get into some Yahoo Daily Fantasy Picks for NFL Week 3, including Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray and more.

Yahoo Daily Fantasy General Strategy & Picks

The critical thing to remember is that this is a half-PPR site, and the minimum salary is $10, with an average salary per player of $22. This week Kyler Murray is at the top of the pricing list at $39. The complete scoring parameters can be found here.

One of the most valuable features of the Awesemo.com premium content is the personal player rankings from Alex Baker, for all of the main sports. The players grade out separately for each DFS site with ratings for both “projected points” and “value,” receiving an A through E report card-style grade.

As a sneak preview, for this article, I will be sharing grades.

Quarterback

If you have played football on Yahoo or Yahoo fantasy baseball, you know that the strategy is to look for the cheapest quarterback or pitcher that is tolerable so you can look for more secure points and upside elsewhere. In the recommendations below, I will be highlighting several discount options at the other positions so you can build a framework that will allow lineup construction for a top-shelf quarterback along with his favorite target and still have enough salary cap to run it back with the top option on the opposing team.

Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens at Detroit Lions – $36

Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value A

The Lions have the fifth-best passing DVOA, but they are bottom three against the run. That plays right into the strengths and game plan for the Ravens. Lamar Jackson is carrying a questionable tag for an illness, but he is fully expected to play on Sunday. In his first two games Jackson topped 230 passing yards with a score in each game. The rushing is where he really comes through for his backers and he has 28 carries for 193 yards already this season and he had two rushing scores on Sunday Night Football getting his first career win against Kansas City.

Kyler Murray – Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars – $39

Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value B

Kyler Murray is going to be vying for the top quarterback honors on Yahoo for the third week in a row. For those looking ahead already it is unlikely he makes this article a fourth straight week with a trip to Los Angeles to face the Rams. Murray has seven passing touchdowns and a pair of rushing scores through the first two games of the season. This week DeAndre Hopkins – $34, has been unable to practice with a rib injury which could lead to even more of the offense responsibility falling on Murray. In the event Hopkins is out then rookie Rondale Moore – $18 and A.J. Green – $12 become interesting plays. Christian Kirk – $16 is also in the mix if you have a few extra dollars and can upgrade from Green.

Daniel Jones – New York Giants vs. Atlanta Falcons – $25

Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value A

This is the perfect matchup for Daniel Jones who is currently the best point per dollar option on Yahoo according to the Awesemo projections. Atlanta should keep the tempo at a high level in this game since they need their offense to clean up after their abysmal defense. With a both their rushing and passing DVOAs checking in at 27th on the season, Jones should have a field day. Darius Slayton – $14 is an interesting value option to pair with his quarterback. It is clear that Sterling Shepard – $23 is the WR1 over Kenny Golladay – $16 and his salary could keep The Masses away.

Running Back

We want to keep in mind that while running backs are very important, Yahoo fantasy uses half-PPR, which will not penalize running backs that are not as active in the passing game.

Chris Carson – Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings – $26

Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value C

Last week Chris Carson rushed for two scores against the Titans but had just 31 rushing yards and no receiving yards in the overtime loss. In the season opener he had 91 rushing yards with 26 receiving yards against the Colts. Sunday’s matchup against the Vikings is a good one with the high potential to turn into a track meet. Carson has the ability to contribute to all facets of the game while also having solid touchdown upside. This is lining up to be the week he puts it all together with 100+ yards and a score.

Najee Harris – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals – $19

Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value A

Rookie Najee Harris only had ten carries last week after getting 16 in the opener. However, he did bring in all five targets for 43 yards and a touchdown turning in a nice fantasy performance. Pittsburgh is just favored by a field goal against the Bengals, and this could be a bit of a slog. Cincinnati does have the second best rushing DVOA in the league through two games, but the salary for Harris is a steal for someone who should see 20 touches and is active in the rushing and passing game plan.

Saquon Barkley – New York Giants vs. Atlanta Falcons – $24

Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value C

Even with the short week, Saquon Barkley had more snaps, carries and receptions in the second game. It was a surprise to see him on the field as much as he was for Thursday Night Football, though that in turn has given him a “long week” and he is not even on the injury report.

Wide Receiver

The top-shelf Yahoo fantasy options are typically priced in the mid-$30 range. Often, they are best paired with their quarterbacks for tournament upside rather than risking downside as solo plays.

Chris Godwin and Mike Evans – Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams – $22

Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value B

Antonio Brown is on the COVID list which should help consolidate the many passes of Tom Brady – $37 to Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. The matchup is far from easy as the Rams are a top five passing defense, but the volume could be off the charts. Even in the Yahoo half-PPR scoring format the fantasy production can really add up quickly.

Calvin Ridley – Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants – $27

Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value D

Russell Gage is out with an ankle injury so suddenly Calvin Ridley is the last man standing with Julio Jones having taken his talent to Nashville. Through two weeks Ridley has 18 targets and a dozen receptions with one score. The 114 yards does seem a little paltry, but all it will take is one 40-yarder to get him right back on track and among the league leaders in that category. This is a solid 15-20% discount.

K.J. Osborn – Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks – $13

Awesemo Grade: Points C, Value A

Though this does feel a little like chasing points, K.J. Osborn followed up his surprising Week 1 volume by getting into the end zone for his first NFL touchdown last Sunday. Through two games he has 15 targets for 12 receptions, 157 yards and a score. While he is definitely fourth in the pecking order among the other receivers and Dalvin Cook, the lack of tight ends has opened up targets to be distributed elsewhere.

Tight Ends

Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers – $31

Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value D

Travis Kelce is essentially a top end wide receiver. Last year he was second in the league with 1,416 receiving yards, six with 145 targets and fifth with 105 receptions. While he is only a few months younger than Rob Gronkowski he has not been called upon for nearly the same volume of run blocking responsibilities which has helped preserve his health. The matchup against the Chargers is shaping up to be a high flying one.

Darren Waller – Las Vegas Raiders vs. Miami Dolphins – $29

Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value D

This is quite the salary boost for Darren Waller who was only $22 last week in his matchup against the Steelers. The Raiders are somehow poised to make some noise and become a 3-0 squad on Sunday in their matchup against Miami who will be without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Derek Carr loves to pepper Waller with targets and with Josh Jacobs out for a second straight week, Waller becomes the primary offensive option for Las Vegas.

Defense/Special Teams

This week, there are a couple of exciting bargain options.

Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears – $12

Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value C

This is pretty straightforward with the Browns who actually are a little underrated by the fantasy community. They are at home and will be hosting a rookie quarterback in Justin Fields making his first start. Though Fields has seen some game action, this is not an easy opening matchup.

Buffalo Bills vs. Washington Football Team – $11

Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value A

The Bills also get a great matchup against a relatively raw quarterback in Taylor Heinicke. The biggest difference between Fields and Heinicke is that the latter has had several seasons and training camps under his belt.

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Eric "EMac" MacPherson won the 2007 Fantasy Baseball grand prize (trip for two to the MLB All-Star game) in the Roto format on ESPN. He won again in 2008, this time in the H2H format. As one of the early adopters of daily fantasy sports, EMac has been providing content for baseball and basketball as well as both professional and college football since 2012 for a variety of websites including DraftKings Playbook, FanVice, RotoWorld, Daily Fantasy Bootcamp, and RotoGrinders. He is well into his third decade of fantasy sports and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Follow him on Twitter @EMacDFS or contact EMac by emailing [email protected].

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