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Last week’s late-swap oriented strategy went belly up. But I think there is a case to go back to the well if the Dalvin Cook situation comes down to the wire. With only two strong game environments in the late window, many will steer clear of the Vikings backfield if we don’t have any clarity when people finalize their lineups. If this occurs, we can expect Cook or Alexander Mattison to be among the best projected plays on the slate and under-owned. Giving yourself the ability to take advantage either way is profiting from uncertainty.

It is fascinating to see which usage trends the market buys into and which they are selling after two weeks. Robert Woods has fallen behind Cooper Kupp in the Rams pecking order thus far, but his Week 2 usage was actually strong in a vacuum. He is now $1100 cheaper than Kupp, and projected for nearly half the ownership. Meanwhile, for Los Angeles’ other franchise, Mike Williams has looked every bit a co-alpha alongside Keenan Allen. Draftkings has responded, with only a $200 gap in salary. Nonetheless, ownership is projected to remain much heavier on Allen.

The matchup with Minnesota looks better for Russell Wilson at first glance. However, he has only scored 1.5 more points per game on DraftKings than Kirk Cousins. Now you have two quarterbacks more evenly matched. However, the pricing is not. Although Wilson might slightly have the edge in expected points score, the pricing is not. By pivoting down to Cousins you save $1,300, which is the difference between Cooper Kupp and Sammy Watkins or Christian Kirk: Massive. This makes Cousins an ideal quarterback for the DFS Week 3 matchups.

The Buccaneers/Rams may mirror the Cowboys/Chargers game from Week 2. Significant assumed point total, two underrated defenses, and two brilliant systems on both sides of the ball. However, I’m still attacking this game. From what we have seen so far, both secondaries seem to be the weaknesses of these teams. Carlton Davis and Jalen Ramsey are the only players who you don’t want to attack for this game in these DFS Week 3 matchups. However, predicting their roles in these games is difficult. 

Courtland Sutton exploded in Week 2, posting nine receptions for a 159 yards and finishing as the WR4 on the week. He saw 261 Air Yards, which is more than five times the amount he saw in Week 1 with Jerry Jeudy on the verge of a breakout. With Jeudy out of the lineup for the foreseeable future, Sutton is locked in as the Broncos go-to alpha receiver. At $6,00,0 he should be locked into cash lineups. However, with the Broncos and Jets unlikely to shoot out, he is best left out of your tournament lineups.

Emmanuel Sanders continued to have problems connecting with Josh Allen in Week 2, catching two of his six targets for 48 scoreless yards. Regardless, Sanders remains the downfield target of choice for Allen, remaining behind only Stefon Diggs in Air Yards on the Bills. He has a tough matchup against a Washington secondary, and for that reason, he is best suited as a tournament dart-throw this week. 

From the set of highest total games this week, Tom Brady makes the most sense as the QB for tournament lineups. He’s going against the “scariest” defense of the bunch and has virtually no rushing upside (half yard QB sneak TDs aside). As a result, he shouldn’t see a massive roster percentage. This week, our recommended pairing is Chris Godwin. He’s cheaper than Mike Evans while having a more consistent role in both games. He’s being featured in the slot (68 Slot Snaps ranks No. 5 among qualified wide receivers) and the red zone (his 5 Red Zone Targets rank No. 1) en route to 19 targets so far (No. 11).

Daniel Jones gives us all the ingredients we seek for tournament QBs. On top of all of that, he’s top three in QB carries and rushing yards so far. All that together has resulted in a top five fantasy QB this year. He gets the friendly Atlanta Falcons defense this week fresh off surrendering massive days to Jalen Hurts and Tom Brady. Sterling Shepard has seized the alpha role in New York. He leads the league in receptions with 16. He’s doing his damage out of the slot (his 75 Slot Snaps ranks No. 3) and near the line of scrimmage (his 9.4 Average Target Distance ranks No. 52).

The Panthers are hot. The team hasn’t trailed for a single snap, Sam Darnold is on pace to set career highs in True Passer Rating and True Completion Percentage, D.J. Moore has been a low-end WR2, and Christian McCaffrey has been as elite as he’s ever been. Given this matchup, deep threat Robby Anderson could be in for a huge night.

The Texans are not. Rookie Davis Mills steps in for Tyrod Taylor, which is a massive downgrade. Brandin Cooks has been the shining star thus far, dominating target and air yards shares. The Texans need a miracle to win, and Cooks is the only reliable fantasy option on this team.

This new season-long mini-series is brought to you by the RotoUnderworld Game Analyst Team. The Game Analyst Team consists of over 75 individuals that chart and re-watch every snap from every game in the NFL between game end, and Monday afternoon. The guys you have generally not heard from before stop in to drop some tidbits from their weekly game charting process in hopes to give us a sneak peek into the depth of the games each Sunday.

The High Value Touch DFS Index is here to help you find the best plays for the dollar in DFS. This is done by looking at leaders in Carries Inside The 10-Yard Line Per Game and Targets Inside The 10-Yard Line Per Game and comparing their prices on DraftKings and FanDuel to create a rating. We look at these touches close to the end zone because touchdowns lead to fantasy points, and fantasy points lead to cashing our lineups in DFS!

Jonathan Taylor increased his per-game average of carries inside the 10-yard line with five in Week 2 after having three in Week 1. He is No. 1 in carries inside the 10-yard line. The worry this week isn’t Taylor himself, but rather Carson Wentz, who sprained both ankles and seems unlikely to play in Week 3. With having a backup quarterback starting, will that hurt Taylor’s opportunity? On the flip-side, Tennessee is No. 13 in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game at 106.5. He is definitely someone I will roster this week if I am playing multiple lineups.

Fantasy Football leagues aren’t won at the draft. They’re won by the subsequent moves made via trades and the waiver wire. Studs like Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown have had rough enough starts to the season to convince holders that it might be time to jump ship, despite having solid opportunity shares and a proven history of elite talent.

Noah Fant is the locked-in number two in the Broncos offense, but hasn’t yet had “the game” to jumpstart his breakout. James White is a bonafide weekly flex play in PPR leagues given his current role with the Patriots. Finally, Leonard Fournette is the cheapest bell-cow back currently on the trade block.

Patience. It can be very hard to stay patient on a high pick like Saquon Barkley, but he draws a favorable matchup against the Falcons after many sat him last week against Washington. He showed signs of a return to form on a 41-yard run against Washington last week. Yet, he has shown little else with a bad offensive line and suspect play calling. If there was as good a time as any, Barkley has a chance to breakout Week 3 against Atlanta.

Marquez Callaway WR1 season has gotten off to a rocky start. He has 3 receptions on 6 targets in two weeks. J.C. Jackson brings another tough matchup this week. Jameis Winston is also coming off a rough outing with 2 interceptions in Week 2. The Patriots have 5 interceptions and held apposing QBs to 210 yards or less in Weeks 1 and 2. Both Callaway and Winston have a tough opponent in Week 3.

Justin Fields looks set for his first start this season against Cleveland with Andy Dalton out with a knee injury. He should spark the offense with his scrambling ability. He is a starter in SuperFlex leagues right away and can be immediately considered for QB-streaming teams. He has elite scrambling ability and a fine pair of WRs in Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney. Fields could be just what the doctor ordered to ignite the team and the fan base.

We discussed K.J. Osborn as a player dynasty managers should add. At this point, he should be added in all formats. Operating as the third option in the Minnesota passing attack, he followed up a seven-catch opener with five more catches this past weekend, including a 64-yard TD reception. Osborn could be the next in a long line of University of Miami WRs to have solid NFL careers.