Postseason Shootout | RealTime Fantasy Sports

Bender's Favorite NFL DFS Pickem Picks: Week 3

Fri Sep 20 8:05pm ET
By HOWARD BENDER
Fantasy Writer

NFL Week 3 has arrived and, so far, we’re having an absolute blast. While the fantasy community is crying over the injuries to players like Christian McCaffrey, A.J. Brown and Cooper Kupp, those of us locking into NFL DFS Pickem contests are doing very well and building our bankroll. Are you ready to join in? You have to be!

If you’re 0-2 in your fantasy football league and are ready to pack it in for the season, then start playing DFS Pick Em contests and make your Sundays more enjoyable. If you’re dominating in your leagues, then you must know a little something about football, so why not make some additional cash as the season progresses? What I love most about Week 3 is that we have two weeks’ worth of data to study, we are seeing more patterns with regard to coaching and scheme tendencies and, best of all, we are already finding some under-the-radar players who are primed to help us win some money.

If you haven’t played the DFS Pickem format, allow me to help you along because it’s easy to play and a great opportunity for you to increase your bankroll throughout the season. All you do is make your picks for players to produce more or less than their designated stat line and if you are right, you can earn up to 40 times your wager (minimum wager of $1). Pick correctly for two players and you will 3x your money. Three correct picks will get you a 6x return, four is 10x and so on, up to 40x for six correct picks. You should give a look at the full contest rules, but that’s the gist of it for how to play.

Last week we went 3-2 which wasn’t too bad actually. I handed out five picks in total, including my Pick of the Week and set up two 3-pick contests. My Pick of the Week, Derrick Henry was the base and then I put Chris Godwin and Aaron Jones with him in one and then Allen Lazard and Travis Kelce with him in the other. The first hit for 6x and the second lost, but my winnings easily cover that loss, so we finished up in the green.

Let’s keep that momentum rolling this week!

Pick of the Week:

Gus Edwards – MORE than 34.5 rushing yards

It’s no secret that Jim Harbaugh and his offensive coordinator Greg Roman want to run the football. The Chargers rank seventh in rushing attempts, third in rushing yards, second in rushing yards per game and third in yards per carry. We knew this was the offense they were rolling out and so far, not a single disappointment. But what has flown under the radar has been the carry-split. Fantasy owners are always more concerned with who is leading the backfield in touches, but for our purposes here. It doesn’t matter so long as both backs are touching the football.

Let everyone focus on J.K. Dobbins and what his stat lines are. We don’t care. Yes, he’s the flashier guy and yes, he’s put up the most yards so far, but that has not changed the game plan at all and Harbaugh and Roman are content to keep splitting it down the middle. This match-up against the Steelers feels like a throwback to the leather helmet days and we expect Edwards to see his usual number of carries. He only had 26 yards in Week 1, but turned in 59 last week and with how slow and methodical we expect this game to play out, the running backs are going to be key. Edwards is the grunt and his coaches will continue to give him the work to weaken that Pittsburgh defensive line. Will he hit the 35-yard mark? I say he does.

Other Favorite Week 3 Picks:

Greg Dortch MORE than 28.5 receiving yards
Rashid Shaheed MORE than 49.5 receiving yards
D’Andre Swift MORE than 2.5 receptions
Geno Smith MORE than 1.5 passing TDs

Bender's Favorite NFL DFS Pickem Picks: Week 3

The Paur Report