Fantasy Football Week 3 DFS Lineup Built Around Stars: Bijan Robinson, CeeDee Lamb, and More

DFS is tricky when you don't know where to start. Having the choice of every player is like Christmas morning, but you soon find out that you can't afford everyone and must make cuts somewhere. Usually, at least one position must be essentially ignored from a budget perspective if you want a few top players.

Let's look at a DFS lineup built around a discount at quarterback and at least one star at every other position. This is based on DraftKings' player valuations on a $50,000 budget.

Check out FantasySP's target/touch/red zone tool to find players who are getting the most opportunities and might provide value in DFS.

Quarterback

• Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys @ Chicago Bears

I've been hammering the Bears all week, so I won't belabor the point. They have allowed more yards per pass attempt than any other team after finishing second worst last season, and they have also given up the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.

Dak is a bit of a discount play, allowing us to grab a few stars later.

Running Back/Flex

• Alvin Kamara New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks
• Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings vs. Cincinnati Bengals
• Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers

And here are two of those stars! Robinson is a good fantasy play every week regardless of opponent, but I like him even more this week because he faces the Panthers. Carolina gave up more yards per rush attempt than any other team last year, and they rank sixth worst after two weeks. On top of everything else, Atlanta might dominate this game, which would mean a lot of work for the running backs.

Kamara is here for his receiving upside as much as anything else. He's a renowned catcher of the football, and he continued that trend early in the season, catching all eight of his targets (though for just 33 yards). Seattle has also been very vulnerable to running backs catching the ball: Christian McCaffrey had nine receptions for 73 yards in Week 1, and Pittsburgh's duo of Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell combined for seven catches and 102 receiving yards last week.

Mason looked better running the ball than his veteran teammate, Aaron Jones Sr., when they shared work through the first two games. Jones was then put on IR this week, so Mason is left with the clear lead back role. The matchup is decent against the Bengals, and with a backup quarterback in for Minnesota, Mason should see plenty of work.

Wide Receiver

• CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys @ Chicago Bears
• Hunter Renfrow, Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons
• Olamide Zaccheaus, Chicago Bears vs. Dallas Cowboys

I wanted to get at least one top-line receiver, and Lamb is the perfect fit. I already have Prescott, so let's double down on the Cowboys having a big day throwing the ball (that's dangerous, but it's worth the risk when the reward is so great). Lamb is a top-12 receiver in both standard and PPR through two weeks.

With one more big name to come, I had to take discounts on the last two receiver spots. Lower-ranked receivers score more points than lower players at other positions, so wide receiver isn't a bad place to find value players; so many guys put up reasonable scores.

Renfrow had six targets in Week 1 and nine in Week 2, capitalizing in the second game for seven receptions, 48 yards, and two touchdowns (the first week produced just two catches for 11 yards). Renfrow has found volume while quarterback Bryce Young has struggled; he will have a chance to touch the ball if nothing else.

We can say the same about Zaccheaus to a lesser degree. He is the third receiver on the team in snaps played and ranks second for the Bears in targets, third in receptions, and fourth in yards. Six receptions for 54 yards isn't a lot, but 12 targets is intriguing, and Zaccheaus made for a decent low-cost option when savings were needed. Dallas has allowed the fourth-most yards per pass attempt after allowing the third most in 2024.

Tight End

• Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders @ Washington Commanders

If there are savings elsewhere, I am always going with one of the top tight ends. It's a fine position to take a discount at because there's usually not as much separation between players as there is at RB and WR. The cost is also lower than at those other skill positions.

When you can get a guy like Bowers, though, it changes the equation. He operates more like a WR1 than a tight end at times, making it worth forking over extra for his services. Even though I have two cheap receivers, we can think of Bowers as the real fantasy WR2 in our lineup behind Lamb.

Bowers started hot, catching five passes for 103 yards in Week 1. He suffered a knee injury late in the game and was questionable for Week 2. While he played in that game, Las Vegas struggled as an entire unit against the Chargers, gaining just 180 passing yards. Bowers had 39 of those yards on five catches.

Maybe the injury affected him, but it was a tough game against a tough defense. There is a little risk involved if that knee injury lingers. You could go with Trey McBride against the 49ers if you want a safer player, a fine option.

Washington has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to tight ends, though, and that's a team that I want to target. They are in the middle against the pass overall, the same range they sat in last year, but TEs have been able to pick apart the Commanders. That has me ready to pay up for Bowers, even with a little risk.

Defense/Special Teams

• Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans

This is more about the matchup than the team in question. Indianapolis has been successful to start the season, first dominating the Dolphins before winning a tight one against the Broncos last week with a last-second field goal.

Their defense has been good at times, causing three turnovers from Tua Tagovailoa and sacking him three times. The Colts only picked up one interception and no sacks last week, but the Broncos had the best offensive line in football last season and rank first in pass block win rate this year (according to ESPN). I'll give Indianapolis a pass for not excelling against Denver.

The Titans offer a much better chance at fantasy success. Rookie QB Cameron Ward has been sacked 11 times, more than any other quarterback. Part of that is on him, and part of it falls on the offensive line, which ranks 30th in pass block win rate. He hasn't thrown an interception, but Ward lost a fumble in each game and has thrown for just 287 yards.

The Colts are a bit of a discount on the top fantasy D/ST, the Green Bay Packers (against the Browns). You could swap McBride for Bowers and the Packers for the Colts, and I would still like the lineup, but I'll stick with the one I have here as my favorite of the week.