4 Best FanDuel NFL DFS Stud Picks for Week 3

Hitting on high-salary players is the first step to having success in NFL DFS on FanDuel.

These players take up the biggest chunk of your salary cap, and they need to deliver quality performances for your lineup to reach its ceiling.

With some help from our NFL DFS projections, here are four studs to target on this week's main slate, which starts at 1 p.m. ET.

All betting odds come from the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NFL DFS Stud Plays for Week 3

Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

FanDuel Salary: $7,900

We've yet to see a true ceiling game from Baker Mayfield in 2025, but that's not a major surprise. Some TD regression was bound to happen after Mayfield ran hot in the touchdown department last season, but he's also had to deal with a new offensive coordinator and multiple injuries on that side of the ball.

Even so, Mayfield's delivered 22.6 and 19.9 FanDuel points (FDP) despite facing a pair of quality defenses. That won't necessarily be the case in Week 3 against the New York Jets.

After finishing 2024 with the 20th-ranked schedule-adjusted pass defense, New York is 21st through two weeks of 2025. They've let up the seventh-most FDP per dropback and ninth-most yards per attempt.

That's good news for Baker after he averaged 22.7 FDP against bottom-half pass defenses in 2024. And even with the moving pieces around him, Mayfield's looked sharp early on. He's top 10 in EPA per dropback and continues to be a sneaky-strong contributor on the ground (39 and 33 rushing yards). There's obvious room to grow, too, given the wide gap between his raw passing yards (191 per game) and his aDOT (8.8)/air yards (307.5).

It doesn't hurt that this is Baker's first home game of the season. Last year, Mayfield averaged 23.2 FDP at home, clearing 28 FDP in four of nine games. He failed to reach 20 FDP at home just twice, offering a rock-solid floor in a plus matchup.

Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

FanDuel Salary: $9,500

Bijan Robinson's salary isn't friendly, but there aren't a ton of high-salary quarterbacks or receivers worth getting to this week. Even at $9,500, Bijan is my favorite running back to roster for Week 3's main DFS slate.

Robinson is coming off a monster performance on Sunday Night Football which saw him net 21.3 FDP on the back of 32 adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets) and 168 total yards. He could've posted an even bigger day had the Atlanta Falcons' lone touchdown not gone to backup RB Tyler Allgeier.

Bijan has now cleared 20 FDP in both games this season, and the underlying utilization backs it up. He ranks eighth among running backs in snap rate, fourth in route participation, and second in adjusted opportunities per game. He's top 10 in running back rush attempts and running back target share -- the latter of which is the key to his upside in Week 3.

After averaging 4.2 targets with a 13.2% target share in 2024, Bijan's been much more involved as a pass-catcher early in 2025. He's up to 6.0 targets and a 19% target share through two games. As such, he's one of the more game script-immune running backs in fantasy.

That could pay dividends in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers. Carolina was far and away the best running back matchup in 2024, and they've looked vulnerable early in 2025, especially in the passing game. They've given up the sixth highest target rate to running backs thus far, and Bijan saw nine targets against them across two 2024 matchups. He finished those two games with 24.0 and 30.3 FDP.

Another busy Bijan receiving game could certainly be in the cards against Carolina this time around. Notably, the Panthers have played zone at the second highest rate in 2025 after running the 10th most zone last season. Per PFF, Robinson was targeted on 19.8% of his routes against zone last season -- the second-highest mark on the Falcons.

With rushing and receiving upside against one of the softest defenses in football, Robinson is my favorite high-salary back on the Week 3 main slate.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks

FanDuel Salary: $8,000

Jaxon Smith-Njigba's salary has finally reached $8,000 after two monster usage games to open the year. But with the four wideouts ahead of him saddled with either a backup quarterback, tough matchup, and/or less-than-ideal weather conditions, JSN is my favorite high-salaried receiver in Week 3.

It's hard to argue with his 2025 utilization. JSN has commanded 23 targets through two games, recording 17 receptions and a pair of 100-yard efforts. He's finished with 17.9 and 17.3 FDP despite not yet crossing the goal line.

Those are stellar marks even at face value, but they're even more impressive in the context of the Seattle Seahawks. While the Seahawks are bottom three in pass rate over expectation (-7.7% PROE), JSN has been the clear focal point when they take to the air. He leads the league in target share (44.2%) and air yards share (57.5%) while ranking second in downfield targets (6.5 per game).

In the softest matchup he's seen to this point in the season, those market shares could again result in a strong fantasy outing for the third-year wide receiver. The New Orleans Saints enter Week 3 ranked 18th in adjusted pass defense despite not yet facing a prolific passing attack. Seattle is far from the greatest show on turf, but Sam Darnold has proven capable when he has time to throw. Lucky for him (and JSN), the Saints have the second lowest pressure rate in the league through two weeks.

JSN has the usage to warrant his $8,000 salary. With the Seahawks tied for the third highest implied total on the main slate, we could finally see the scoring come alongside the hefty target totals in Week 3.

Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals

FanDuel Salary: $7,000

The high-salaried tight ends haven't really paid off in DFS this season. But given Trey McBride's early utilization, he could buck that trend in Week 3.

Through two games, McBride leads all tight ends in target share (29.6%) and air yards share (28.8%). He's earned a target on over a quarter of his routes run.

The result? In Week 1, McBride turned 9 targets into 6 receptions, 61 yards, and 9.1 FDP. Last week, he recorded another 6 receptions -- this time for 78 yards and 10.8 FDP.

McBride has still yet to score a TD in 2025 after entering the season as the poster boy for positive touchdown regression, but I trust that those target totals will result in touchdowns sooner or later.

Now, typically I'd shy away from tight ends against Fred Warner and the San Francisco 49ers. But we saw Juwan Johnson fry them for 13.4 FDP on 9 targets last week, and they haven't exactly contained McBride in recent matchups. Across their last three head-to-head clashes, McBride has gone for 15.2, 8.3, and 16 FDP. He earned 31 targets across those three games, putting up 53, 65, and 102 receiving yards.

Our NFL DFS projections peg McBride for 6.2 receptions, 60.8 yards, and 11 FDP -- second most at the position. On a week where value isn't hard to come by, McBride certainly warrants consideration.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.