Week 3 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Lions vs Vikings

Week 3 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Lions vs Vikings

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Week 3 of the NFL season features an NFC North matchup between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds peg the Vikings as 5.5-point home favorites in a game expected to feature plenty of scoring.

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's our start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 3 division showdown.

Jared Goff Fantasy

Start Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions: The Lions' Jared Goff-led offense looks legit so far. Goff's been nothing but productive, throwing for 471 yards and 6 touchdowns (with just 1 interception) to open the year. Amon-Ra St. Brown becoming a full-fledged star along with a more well-rounded pass-catching corps gives Goff the weapons he needs to keep this up. A date with the Vikings should help his case as a top streaming QB as well. Minnesota is giving up a healthy 19.66 fantasy points to QBs per game and has surrendered the fourth-most passing yards in the league so far. Goff is a sneaky-good play for anyone needing help at quarterback this week.

Irv Smith Jr. Fantasy

Start Irv Smith Jr., TE, Minnesota Vikings: Irv Smith Jr. came through in a big way for tight end streamers this past Monday. Smith rebounded from a goose-egg performance in Week 1 to post 5 receptions (on 8 targets), 36 yards and 1 touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. His score came in the red zone, which is exactly what managers are hoping to see more of going forward. Smith looks like he'll be a featured part of this new-look Vikings offense, as his 10 targets rival Adam Thielen (11) and Dalvin Cook (11) for second behind Justin Jefferson (23). Week 2 was a much better idea of what a full-strength Smith can do, and he could thrive once again against a Lions defense giving up the 11th-most PPR points per game to his position (12.6) this season.

Jamaal Williams Fantasy

Sit Jamaal Williams, RB, Detroit Lions: After scoring a pair of touchdowns in Week 1, Jamaal Williams failed to deliver a starter-worthy performance in Week 2. He was solid on the ground, turning 12 carries into 53 yards, but zero TDs and just 1 target led him to a 7-point PPR outing. D'Andre Swift should be back closer to full strength this Sunday, which will cut into Williams' rushing share. The Lions are also slated to trail big as 5.5-point underdogs, meaning the ground attack could be abandoned to keep up with a high-powered Vikings offense. This matchup significantly plays into Swift's strengths given Williams' lack of contribution to the passing game, so it's hard to see the latter being a viable FLEX play here.

Adam Thielen Fantasy

Sit Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings: The long-anticipated drop-off from Adam Thielen in fantasy may finally be here. He's posted single-digit PPR points in back-to-back outings, highlighting his touchdown-dependent nature after failing to cross the goal line in both games so far. More concerning is his claim to being the Vikings' clear No. 2 option. He's tied with Dalvin Cook with 11 targets, and Smith is right behind them at 10. It was also Smith that converted on the team's red zone chance in Week 2, a spot Thielen has normally thrived in. The gap between Thielen and Justin Jefferson is wider than ever, while his lead over other options has noticeably narrowed. Thielen is a risky starting option in Week 3 for a Minnesota squad that could run more than usual to preserve a big lead.

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Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.