Every Week 3 contest on Fantasy GameDay from their salary file: the Ballers captains for Falcons-Packers, Rams-Broncos and Eagles-Bears, the Stars and Classic lineups for the Sunday slate, and the cheap seats the projection rates.
The week's contests, and how the numbers below are built
Fantasy GameDay's Week 3 salary file covers all 16 games. Three are Ballers contests, one game each: Falcons at Packers on Thursday night, Rams at Broncos on Sunday night and Eagles at Bears on Monday night, five players for £25,000 with a non-quarterback captain at 1.5 times and four superflex seats. The Sunday slate is the Stars contest (£45,000, captain plus QB, two RB, two WR, flex and TE) and the Classic (£45,000, no captain, two flexes). Full PPR with four-point passing touchdowns throughout.
The projection used below is the Statz rest-of-season rate per game, which after two weeks of real usage has moved sharply for some players; the weekly matchup number is on the optimiser page for members. Value is projected points per £1,000 of salary, and anything above 3.0 is a seat that pays for itself.
Ballers, Thursday: Falcons at Packers
Bijan Robinson is the captain and it is not close: 25 points a game on the season rate at £7,200, and as captain that is 37.6, twelve clear of anything else in the pool. He is running into a Packers defence ranked eighth against the run, but Atlanta's offence goes through him or it does not go. The optimiser's five is Bijan as captain with Christian Watson (£5,800, 17.1), Drake London (£5,200, 13.3), Matthew Golden (£3,800, 12.3) and Jayden Reed at £2,600 for £24,600 and a projection of 87.4. No quarterback: with Jordan Love at £6,800 for 15 points and Michael Penix at less, the receivers outscore both passers per pound.
The value seats are Golden at £3,800 (3.24 per £1,000) and Reed at £2,600, and the model's five-star Watson receptions over says the Packers' targets concentrate on him with Josh Jacobs out. Tucker Kraft at £3,200 is the tight end if you want one, but the model has him under his receiving line. Fade the Packers backfield: MarShawn Lloyd at £3,000 and Chris Brooks at £2,200 are splitting a run game ranked last in the league.
- Bijan Robinson, captain — RB, ATL · £7,200 · 25.1 a game — at £7,200 — 37.6 with the multiplier. The only elite player in the pool.
- Thursday lineup — CPT Bijan · Watson · London · Golden · Reed — at £24,600 — Four receivers and no quarterback: the passers do not pay in this pool.
Ballers, Sunday night: Rams at Broncos
Davante Adams at £4,400 is the best value in any pool this week, 18 points a game for a mid salary, 4.09 per £1,000, and as captain he returns 27 for less than Puka Nacua costs. Nacua is £6,800 and projects 15.4, and is listed questionable with a hip; Kyren Williams is £6,600 for 15.7 in the game the model builds around his run game; Stafford at £6,200 and Bo Nix at £6,800 are the quarterbacks at 16 apiece. The optimiser's five is Adams as captain, Stafford, Williams, Jaylen Waddle (£4,800, 13.2) and Evan Engram at £2,200, for £24,200 and 79.1 projected.
The cheap seats: Engram and Terrance Ferguson are both £2,200 tight ends at seven points a game (3.25 per £1,000), and Pat Bryant at £2,600 is the Broncos' cheap receiver. If Nacua is ruled out, Adams becomes the whole Rams passing game and the captain call gets easier; if he plays, Adams is still the value.
- Davante Adams, captain — WR, LAR · £4,400 · 18.0 a game — at £4,400 — 4.09 per £1,000, the best value of the week. Two touchdowns last Monday.
- Sunday night lineup — CPT Adams · Stafford · Kyren Williams · Waddle · Engram — at £24,200 — The captain saving pays for the workhorse back and the quarterback.
Ballers, Monday night: Eagles at Bears
The captain is D'Andre Swift at £6,800 (16.7 a game, 25 as captain), with the caveat that he is questionable with an ankle; if he sits, Kyle Monangai at £4,000 inherits the Bears' league-leading run game and becomes the captain instead. Caleb Williams at £7,200 is doubtful with a hamstring and should be treated as unavailable: Tyson Bagent is the projected starter and is not in the file at a price worth playing. Jalen Hurts at £7,800 projects 19.5 and is the one quarterback worth a seat.
The value is Kalif Raymond, £2,400 for 13.6 points a game, 5.66 per £1,000, the highest value figure in any contest this week and the best cheap seat on the site. Luther Burden at £3,600 (10.2) is the other Bears receiver the model rates. The optimiser's five is Swift as captain, Hurts, Burden, Raymond and Monangai for £24,600 and 77.8 projected. Fade Saquon Barkley at £5,600: seven points a game on the season rate is a projection that has stopped believing, and the price has not.
- Kalif Raymond — WR, CHI · £2,400 · 13.6 a game — at £2,400 — 5.66 per £1,000. The best cheap seat of the week; in every Monday lineup.
- Monday lineup — CPT Swift · Hurts · Burden · Raymond · Monangai — at £24,600 — If Swift sits, Monangai takes the captain seat and the freed £2,800 goes to Rome Odunze.
Sunday: the Stars and Classic lineups
The Sunday slate has the deepest pool of the week and the optimiser's Stars lineup spends £44,600 for 174.5 projected points: Kenneth Walker III as captain (£7,800, 27.2 a game, 40.8 with the multiplier), Malik Willis at quarterback (£5,200, 16.6), Jahmyr Gibbs (£8,200) and Chase Brown (£6,200) at running back, Xavier Worthy and Brian Thomas Jr. at receiver (£3,400 each, 14 a game apiece), Bhayshul Tuten at flex (£4,400, 17.4) and Trey McBride at tight end (£6,000, 20.3). The Classic lineup is the same eight with the captain multiplier removed, for 160.9.
The shape is the story: two elite backs and the top tight end, paid for by a £5,200 quarterback and two £3,400 receivers. Willis is the Dolphins' starter in a game the model has going over; Worthy and Thomas are the second targets in Kansas City and Jacksonville, both at 4.2 per £1,000. If you want a different quarterback, Jayden Daniels at £5,800 is priced for his doubtful tag and Josh Allen at £8,600 costs £3,400 more than Willis for eight more points, which is roughly fair and rebalances the whole lineup.
The value under £3,000 on the Sunday slate: Mike Gesicki at £2,400 (11 a game, 4.60 per £1,000), David Njoku at £2,200 who is out with a fibula and should be ignored whatever the number says, T.J. Hockenson at £2,800 (3.83), Keenan Allen at £2,400, Kendrick Bourne at £2,200 and Cade Otton at £2,800. Gesicki is the tight end if McBride's £6,000 is needed elsewhere.
- Kenneth Walker III, captain — RB, KC · £7,800 · 27.2 a game — at £7,800 — 40.8 with the multiplier against a Dolphins defence in a game the model has at 48 points. Listed possible; check Saturday.
- Stars lineup — CPT Walker · Willis · Gibbs · Chase Brown · Worthy · Thomas Jr. · FLEX Tuten · McBride — at £44,600 — Two elite backs and the top tight end, funded by a £5,200 quarterback and two £3,400 receivers.
- Classic lineup — Willis · Gibbs · Tuten · Worthy · Thomas Jr. · FLEX Walker · FLEX Chase Brown · McBride — at £44,600 — The same eight, no captain. Three running backs through the flexes.
- Mike Gesicki — TE, CIN · £2,400 · 11.0 a game — at £2,400 — 4.60 per £1,000. The cheap tight end that lets you afford Walker and Gibbs together.
The verdict
Bijan, Adams and Swift are the three Ballers captains, in that order of confidence, with Monangai on standby for Monday. On Sunday, captain Walker and pay for him with Willis and the two cheap receivers. The injury reports matter more than usual: Williams, Daniels, Burrow and Mahomes are all on them, Swift and Nacua too, and the inactives drop 90 minutes before each kick-off. Build the lineup Wednesday, confirm it Saturday.
Put it to work
- Fantasy GameDay Optimiser Every contest's board: their salaries against the weekly projection, and the cap-legal lineup.
- Injuries Six of this week's key names are on a report.
- How to play Fantasy GameDay Ballers, Stars and Classic explained, with the promo code.