NFL DFS Salary Scroll: Initial Observations for the Week 3 Main Slate

Last week's FanDuel NFL DFS main slate is barely in the rearview mirror, but it's never too early to look ahead to the next main slate.

With that in mind, let's peek ahead to this coming Sunday's main slate and see what early-week observations stand out.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

NFL DFS First Look at the Week 3 Main Slate Salaries

The Saints Are Marching In (with Higher Salaries)

Just like everyone predicted, the New Orleans Saints boast the most productive offense in the NFL through the first two weeks of the season. New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has been a large reason why New Orleans has combined for a league-high 91 points in their first two games, which has led to FanDuel increasing the salaries of a few members of the Saints for the Week 3 main slate.

Derek Carr has the made the jump from $7,200 to $7,900, Alvin Kamara went from $7,800 to $8,400, and Rashid Shaheed is now $6,300 after carrying a $5,800 salary in Week 2. Better days are ahead for Chris Olave -- who remains at a $6,700 salary -- and it remains to be seen if Taysom Hill ($5,000) misses time due to a chest injury.

According to PFF, Carr leads all QBs in adjusted completion percentage (90.9%) while logging the fifth-most yards per attempt (8.7) on the eighth-highest average depth of target (9.3). Carr has now tallied 21-plus FanDuel points in back-to-back weeks despite the Saints being involved in blowouts in both games, which has limited him to 39 total pass attempts.

Kamara is coming off a four-touchdown performance in Week 2, and he's notched a total of 65.5 FanDuel points in his first two contests. Meanwhile, Shaheed has a valuable deep threat role in this offense, and Olave was a yard away from landing in the end zone on an impressive catch in Sunday's lopsided win over the Dallas Cowboys.

New Orleans will host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, and it will be another chance for the Saints to prove their early success on offense isn't a fluke. While the Eagles have yet to play in Week 2, they surrendered the 11th-most FanDuel points per drop back (0.50) in Week 1 versus the Green Bay Packers, via NextGenStats.

The Days of Jordan Mason Being a Salary-Saving Option Are Long Gone

FanDuel sets salaries for the upcoming main slate on Sunday night, so they got caught in an awkward spot making Jordan Mason only $5,500 in Week 2 with Christian McCaffrey sidelined for the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers went from saying that CMC could potentially play with a calf and Achilles injury to placing him on injured reserve, meaning he'll miss a minimum of four games.

With McCaffrey inactive again on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, Mason dominated the backfield workload for the second consecutive week. As the featured back for the 49ers, Mason is registering an 81.0% snap rate and 96.2% red zone snap rate while posting an impressive 1.12 rushing yards over expected per attempt and 50% rushing success rate to begin the season.

Mason has now achieved 100-plus rushing yards and a score in back-to-back games while playing in a Kyle Shanahan offense that excels at dialing up successful run plays. After operating as a fantastic salary-saving option in Week 2, Mason now possesses a massive $8,300 salary in Week 3, making him the fourth-highest salaried RB on the main slate ahead of a "road" matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams.

With an $8,300 salary entering Week 3, Mason now has a higher salary than the likes of Joe Mixon ($8,200), Jonathan Taylor ($8,000), Jahmyr Gibbs ($7,900), Derrick Henry ($7,800), and De'Von Achane ($7,700). Given the usage Mason is seeing in a dynamic offense, it's hard to argue against him being one of the highest-salaried RBs in Week 3 -- and moving forward.

Rams Pass-Catchers See Salary Increases After Injuries to Kupp and Nacua

Following the placement of Puka Nacua on injured reserve after the team's Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Rams could be without Cooper Kupp in Week 3. Kupp suffered an ankle injury in the blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2, and he was seen wearing a walking boot leaving the game, which isn't a positive sign for his status for the upcoming week.

With Nacua and Kupp potentially out for the Rams in Week 3, FanDuel has preemptively raised the salaries of the ancillary pass-catchers in LA. Demarcus Robinson gets an increase from $5,200 to $6,100, Tyler Johnson goes from $4,000 to $5,800, Tutu Atwell jumps up to $5,500 from $4,600, Jordan Whittington gets a slight increase to $4,600 from $4,300, and Colby Parkinson is now $5,300 after holding a $4,800 salary in Week 2.

It's hard to like any of the Rams pass-catchers entering Week 3's bout versus the 49ers despite a perceived increased workload sans Nacua and Kupp. Robinson's 31.3% air yards share and 13.4 average depth of target are positives, but he's producing just 1.23 yards per route run on a -4.3% catch rate over expected through two games.

Atwell didn't get involved in the passing game until the game was out of hand versus the Cardinals, and Johnson disappointed with 2 catches for 20 yards in Week 2 after he had 5 receptions for 79 yards in the season opener.

Whittington and Parkinson are interesting options, but injuries along LA's offensive line are also making things difficult for Matthew Stafford to have time in the pocket. Even though the pass-catchers on the Rams should see more playing time if Nacua and Kupp are both inactive, it's hard to have any confidence in any of them in a tough matchup -- especially if they are rotating a handful of wideouts.

Chris Godwin's Salary Still Hasn't Caught Up

Entering Week 3, Chris Godwin is seeing an increased salary of $6,600 after possessing a $6,200 salary in Week 2. That being said, I still don't believe Godwin's salary reflects the usage he's receiving in a new-look offense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Across the first two weeks, Godwin leads the Bucs in target share (32.7%) and yards per route run (4.26) as he's seeing more snaps out of the slot again under new offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Godwin has garnered a team-high 32 slot snaps thus far, which has led to him being a go-to weapon for Baker Mayfield.

Most importantly, Godwin is tied with Mike Evans in receiving touchdowns (2) after scoring 3 or fewer touchdowns for the second consecutive year in 2023. This is due to Godwin playing on 100% of Tampa Bay's red zone snaps and the fact he's seeing more downfield targets while Mayfield has been extremely efficient under center.

Godwin is currently averaging 21.3 FanDuel points per game in his first two outings this season, giving him the third-most FanDuel points per game among WRs on the Week 3 main slate. There shouldn't be a $1,700 gap between Evans and Godwin in Week 3.

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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.