It’s easy to let your DraftKings FLEX spot be left up to the amount of salary remaining after you fill out the rest of the squad. That’s the ‘flex-by-default’ strategy, and the purpose of this Week Two DraftKings DFS article is to help you avoid it. You can and should use the FLEX spot to strengthen and diversify your daily league lineups for Week 3 of the NFL season.

A couple of thoughts: 1) You don’t have to spend all the salary cap. A better player in a better situation may force you to leave a few hundred salary cap dollars on the table. Force yourself to roster the best lineup, even if it fails to use the whole cap. 2) As a scientist, I like to use players for which I can build a case based on multiple pieces of evidence. I look at things like opportunities, efficiency, opponent and game flow to start my research. I want as many players that are positive in all categories as I can fit. Having an idea of the players I want before I work with salaries helps me with #1 too.

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Week 3 DraftKings FLEX Options - Daily Fantasy Football Picks

Use this list as your flex cheat sheet; if a player is on here, there’s good reason to roster him in your last spot.

I assume that you have $6,500 or less to work with for this final spot on the roster. I also assume you’ll arrange accordingly so that the player with the latest game start is in the flex in case you should need to swap someone out.

Safe Options - Week 3 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Melvin Gordon - $5,800

If he’s not the first player you lock in this week, you must use him in your flex spot. Gordon and the Chargers are now without Danny Woodhead, facing the Colts who have surrendered the most fantasy points to running backs so far this year, including 3 rushing TDs, in what could easily be Sunday’s highest scoring game. The price says “don’t trust” but the combination of high floor and high ceiling is there with Gordon this weekend.

Marvin Jones Jr. - $6,200

From another potentially high scoring game, Jones has become the top guy in Detroit in just two short weeks. Averaging about 6/100 per game through two weeks, Jones has yet to catch a TD from Matthew Stafford. With Ameer Abdullah out, I expect Stafford to keep throwing. He’s already averaging close to 40 attempts per game and given how much I love Aaron Rodgers this weekend, I think the Lions are going to be playing from behind—a great game script for Jones, and potentially a much lower-owned and thus far disappointing Golden Tate.

DeMarco Murray - $6,300

When you look at the defense fantasy points allowed numbers for Oakland, they scream pass game. No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing QB/WR than the Raiders this season. What makes Murray interesting is that in addition to his 12-14 carries, he’s been targeted seven times in each of the first two games. He’s converted 12 of those for 91 receiving yards already. Much of his rushing yardage against Detroit, a solid run defense, came on one big play, which is worth noting, but the level of involvement and the matchup should provide Murray with the safe floor you’re looking for to round out your lineups. People who were burned by Murray multiple times last year may have a hard time trusting him, which should keep ownership low.

Upside Options - Week 3 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Terrell Pryor Sr. - $3,400

With Corey Coleman out, Pryor vaults to the top spot in a Cleveland offense that you’re probably rightly avoiding in DFS this weekend. However, if you consider that Isaiah Crowell can’t run the ball 97 times in Miami (and Miami is one of the worst run defenses, so I do like Crowell), Cody Kessler is going to have to throw the ball, and there’s really no one there to catch it except Pryor. He’s only caught six of 17 targets and the quality of target is going to be questionable, but there is undeniable upside at this price.

Phillip Dorsett - $4,400

A similar argument can be made for Dorsett, although the quarterback is more than competent, the game flow should be positive for the Colts, and they definitely aren’t letting Frank Gore run the ball more than 20 times, so the passing volume will surely be high in Indy this Sunday. No Donte Moncrief vaults Dorsett to the #2 spot in this receiving corps, and with T.Y. Hilton not playing his best so far, the opportunity for 8-10 targets wouldn’t surprise me.

Michael Floyd - $5,800

I’m not sure how many people love Arizona’s offense against Buffalo this week as much as I do, but the Bills are in real trouble defensively right now. Unable to stop the Jets a week ago, they face an equally or more potent attack from the Cardinals this weekend. I’d say the Cardinals are even under-performing their potential, which could be fully unleashed in Week 3.

Value Options - Week 3 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Dennis Pitta - $3,400

There’s a reason fantasy analysts love Dennis Pitta, and it’s because of what he does on the field for Joe Flacco. He’s healthy, he’s cheap, he’s seen 16 targets so far and converted them to 141 yards, good for second most among tight ends. He’s yet to catch a touchdown, but at this price, against the hapless Jaguars defense, I don’t think an 8/105/1 line would be out of the question.

Cole Beasley - $3,200

Speaking of things that have yet to happen, Dak Prescott is still touchdown-less through 75 attempts (passing). I love the rate that Prescott is throwing the ball but I love even more the rate he’s throwing it to Beasley. At near minimum salary, Beasley has 13 catches on 18 targets for 140 yards. Look around him…most guys in his price range haven’t set foot on a field this season.

Fozzy Whitaker - $3,700

If you’re chasing value in one of the injured running back scenarios, Whitaker is the safest pick. A nice case for Kenyon Drake was made by David Tuchman, but it involved too many what-ifs for me personally. Whitaker is going to get touches, and while they’re going to come against one of the league’s best defenses, Carolina is a good offense with good coaching that will maintain the approach that took them to the NFC championship last year. That approach includes a running back and Whitaker is ahead of Cameron Artis-Payne for now. For what it’s worth, this is not a player or game I’m targeting in Week 3 DFS, I include him just to acknowledge that I value him over Jerick McKinnon, Matt Asiata, or Drake.