Winners Club: Bets and Fantasy Advice to Follow for Week 3
Well, the 49ers rolled the shorthanded Giants on Thursday night, as expected.
San Francisco was installed as a hefty 10.5-point favorite against New York and easily covered that number in a 30–12 triumph. It was a big outing for the Niners’ skill-position players as Brock Purdy threw for over 300 yards and Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle all put together strong fantasy performances.
That was the first of three games with double-digit spreads for NFL Week 3, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of matchups that project to be tight this weekend.
In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:
- Who to start and sit for fantasy football
- NFL Week 3 score predictions and picks
- Best college football bets for Week 4
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Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions
This is set up to be a tough week for injuries around the league and it began with both Saquon Barkley (ankle) and Brandon Aiyuk (ankle) sidelined on Thursday. Joe Burrow (calf) is questionable, Austin Ekeler (ankle) might be out again and Jaylen Waddle (concussion) might not suit up Sunday. Yikes.
With so much uncertainty heading into the weekend, allow Michael Fabiano to help you lock in your lineup with his Start ’Em, Sit ’Em advice and positional player rankings.
Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QB | RB | WR | TE | K & D/ST
Player Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | FLEX | K | D&ST
Jen Piacenti also has you covered with DFS picks for Sunday. She’s honing in on the Chargers-Vikings game, which has the highest over/under of the week, and likes both Justin Herbert and Kirk Cousins as potential quarterback options.
NFL Week 3 Picks and Lines
Before we get into this week’s games, let’s talk weather. Tropical Storm Ophelia could impact three games on the East Coast: Bills-Commanders, Colts-Ravens and Patriots-Jets. The New England-New York game already has the lowest over/under of the week at 36.5 points and rain and wind could see that contest turn into even more of a slogfest.
The projected shootout between Los Angeles and Minnesota and a Rams-Bengals Super Bowl rematch headline the best games to bet this week. Gilberto Manzano, Matt Verderame and I ranked the five best and shared our score predictions, against the spread and over/under picks.
Manzano also picked five over/under bets he likes this week. He's in on the over in a division showdown between the Texans and the Jaguars, who are coming off a disappointing nine-point showing in a loss to the Chiefs.
If player props are more your thing, Piacenti shared six picks she likes for this weekend’s games. She has the over on Cousins’s passing yards against the Chargers. Are you sensing a trend about this showdown in Minnesota?
The MMQB crew also picked every game straight up. More than half of the writers have the Titans upsetting the Browns on the road. I can’t say I disagree.
Lon Horwedel/USA TODAY Sports
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Titans vs. Browns (-3.5) | Total: 39.5
1 p.m. ET (FOX): Falcons vs. Lions (-3.5) | Total: 46.5
1 p.m. ET (FOX): Saints vs. Packers (-1.5) | Total: 41.5
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Broncos vs. Dolphins (-6.5) | Total: 47.5
1 p.m. ET (FOX): Chargers vs. Vikings (-1.5) | Total: 54.5
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Patriots (-2.5) vs. Jets | Total: 36.5
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Bills (-6.5) vs. Commanders | Total: 42.5
1 p.m. ET (FOX): Texans vs. Jaguars (-8.5) | Total: 44.5
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Colts vs. Ravens (-8.5) | Total: 43.5
4:05 p.m. ET (CBS): Panthers vs. Seahawks (-6.5) | Total: 41.5
4:25 p.m. ET (CBS): Bears vs. Chiefs (-12.5) | Total: 47.5
4:25 p.m. ET (FOX): Cowboys (-12.5) vs. Cardinals | Total: 42.5
8:20 p.m. ET (NBC): Steelers vs. Raiders (-2.5) | Total: 43.5
7:15 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN+): Eagles (-4.5) vs. Buccaneers | Total: 45.5*
8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN, ESPN2): Rams vs. Bengals (-2.5) | Total: 43.5*
*Monday Night Football doubleheader
Ohio State-Notre Dame Headlines Huge CFB Week
Two top-10 teams are set to meet Saturday night in Indiana when No. 9 Notre Dame hosts No. 6 Ohio State. The Buckeyes, who beat the Fighting Irish at home a season ago, are 3.5-point road favorites. Sam Hartman and Audric Estime have led Notre Dame to a 4–0 start and Kyle McCord has OSU undefeated as well. Something has to give.
See which way I’m leaning in this heavyweight matchup.
Matt Cashore/USA TODAY Sports
The other showdown between ranked teams that caught our attention is No. 14 Oregon State against No. 21 Washington State. The Beavers and the Cougars are the only two teams left standing in the Pac-12 (after this season) and they both have high-powered offenses, led by quarterbacks DJ Uiagalelei and Cameron Ward, respectively. Oregon State is a 2.5-point road favorite, having knocked off Washington State at home last season.
Get the best play for this conference opener.
For more college football wagers, see which way Pat Forde and Richard Johnson are leaning this weekend with half a dozen top-25 matchups on the docket. They’re split on a most-anticipated matchup between No. 10 Oregon and No. 19 Colorado. Can the Buffs cover the 20.5-point spread in Eugene?
Top 25 Action
3:30 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 19 Colorado vs. No. 10 Oregon (-20.5) | Total: 69.5
3:30 p.m. ET (CBS): No. 15 Ole Miss vs. No. 13 Alabama (-6.5) | Total: 55.5
3:30 p.m. ET (FOX): No. 22 UCLA vs. No. 11 Utah (-6.5) | Total: 52.5
7:30 p.m. ET (CBS): No. 24 Iowa State vs. No. 7 Penn State (-14.5) | Total: 39.5
Other Games for Your Consideration
12 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 4 Florida State (-1.5) vs. Clemson | Total: 55.5
7 p.m. ET (ESPN): Arkansas vs. No. 12 LSU (-17.5) | Total: 54.5
7:30 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 3 Texas (-14.5) vs. Baylor | Total: 48.5
In Other News
Bryce Young Not Expected to Play Sunday: The Panthers’ rookie quarterback could be out against the Seahawks due to an ankle injury that kept him out of Thursday’s practice. Andy Dalton would start in Young’s place in Seattle if the No. 1 pick is sidelined.
Cowboys Cornerback Trevon Diggs Tears ACL: Diggs suffered the injury in practice Thursday and will miss the rest of the season. This is a big blow to Dallas’ defense as Diggs, a two-time Pro Bowler, is tied for the NFL lead in interceptions (18) since he was drafted in 2020.
Ranking the Playoff Hopes of 0–2 NFL Teams: The Bengals are perhaps the most surprising winless team through two weeks, but people also had higher hopes for the Chargers, Vikings and even Patriots. See which 0–2 team has the best shot of making a run to the postseason.
The Matchups That Will Decide Every Week 3 Game: Will the Broncos’ pass rush be able to get to Tua Tagovailoa quickly? And how will Joshua Dobbs fare against the Cowboys defense? Read up on the key matchups for all 15 games this weekend.
Thanks for reading Winners Club and be sure to follow us @SI_Betting and @SI_Fantasy. And if you’re so inclined, I’m @Kkylewood. Enjoy your weekend, I’ll be back in your inbox Monday morning.
