Perfect Week 3 DraftKings DFS Showdown Lineup For MNF Featuring Mark Andrews

Build the perfect DraftKings DFS Showdown lineup for Monday Night Football in Week 3, featuring Ravens tight end Mark Andrews as the key to cashing big.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (89) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Living on an island in the DFS market can be a lonely place, with weeks and weeks of losses.  But what is the goal of being on the furthest outskirts of being a contrarian player? Pretty simple, taking home the whole first prize player pool, and at DraftKings, in their showdown format, that island can deliver life-changing winnings.

Week 3 DraftKings DFS Winners

Last week, two daily gamers won first place at DraftKings on Sunday and Thursday night. SullyBrochill picked up a $250,000 while DukeNasty wheelbarrowed home $500,000 with his winning lineup in the Dolphins/Bills matchup. Here’s his winning lineup:

DraftKings

DukeNasty gained his edge by fading De’Von Achane and rostering Ollie Gordon as his low backend filler. His margin of victory was 0.20 fantasy points over two other lineups that took $70,000 each for the efforts. Those teams took advantage of the Bills' third tight end (Jackson Hawes) catching his first NFL touchdown. 

DraftKing

Tyreek Hill outscored Jaylen Waddle by one fantasy point, but he cost $1,000 more, leading to the Dolphins’ top wide receiver not fitting in a lineup with Hawes. James Cook (23.80) was the highest-scoring player in the game, while Josh Allen rode Dalton Kincaid and Khalil Shakir to a piece of the winning roster.

On Monday night, the Detroit Lions travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens. This week’s contest at DraftKings has an entry fee of $15 with a $500,000 carrot at the top of the mountain. Here’s a look at this week’s top skill players:

Quarterbacks

Shawn Child

Based on my projections, the quarterback is a coin toss position for two reasons. Jared Goff has a better chance of earning a three-point bonus for passing for 300 yards, while Lamar Jackson must battle Derrick Henry for goal-line rushing scores. In addition, DraftKings has Jackson priced $2,400 higher than Goff, allowing more wiggle room to build a Lions quarterback lineup. Unfortunately, Detroit’s top wide receivers are pricey while the Ravens’ backend receiving corps offers more value.

I expect Jackson to outscore Goff in this matchup, and DraftKings scoring favors running quarterbacks.

Running Backs

Shawn Childs

Last year, the Ravens played well against the run (321/1,128/9 – 3.5 yards per rush), but running backs had success catching the ball (80/677/4 on 109 targets – 8.5 yards per catch). Buffalo’s and Cleveland’s back rushed for 185 yards and one touchdown on 38 carries this season, while catching 17 of 20 targets for 103 yards and one score.

Detroit played reasonably well vs. Green Bay (21/71/1 with two catches for six yards) and Chicago (19/91/1 with four catches for 14 yards) running backs over the first two weeks of the season, which aligned with their running back defense in 2024 (1,849 combined yards with 15 touchdowns and 61 catches on 361 touches).

Derrek Henry ($10,200) comes off a poor showing (11/23) against the Browns after running wild in Week 1 vs. the Bills (18/169/2 with one catch for 13 yards). He ran 13 routes last week. 

Over the first two games, Justice Hill has barely touched the ball (14 combined yards with four catches on nine touches). Keaton Mitchell has no touches over the first two games while being inactive in Week 2. Hill can be sneaky at times if the Ravens chase on the scoreboard.

The Lions had Montgomery on the field for 38% of their plays over the first two games, leading to 13.5 touches per game (22/82/1 with five catches for 22 yards).

Jahmyr Gibbs ($10,600) has caught all 13 of his targets this season, but the Lions can’t figure out how to get him into space via the pass (41 yards – 3.2 yards per catch). The Packers’ defense shut him down in Week 1 (9/19), but he looks explosive vs. the Bears (two runs of 20 yards or more, with one gaining 42 yards). 

Wide Receivers

Shawn Childs

The changes in the wide receiver corps in Baltimore have led to Rashod Bateman losing his 2024 momentum (45/756/9 on 72 targets) over the first two games (only four catches for 25 yards on eight targets). He’s been on the field for 73% and 59% of their snaps (WR2) over the first two games. Despite his appearance of weakness, Bateman brings big-play and scoring ability. I view him as an excellent value in this matchup, with the feeling that it is his turn to score.

Zay Flowers ($8,400) has been open early and often over the first two weeks, leading to two high-volume target/touch days (11 and 12). He’s gained 230 combined yards with one touchdown and 14 catches. 

Here’s the snaps percentage and outcomes for the Ravens' other wideouts over their first two games:

• Tylan Wallace – 31% and 59% (0/0 and 2/25/1)
• DeAndre Hopkins – 35% and 18% (2/35/1 and 2/64/1)
• Devontez Walker – 0% and 23% (0/0 and 2/26/2)

Wide receivers have 25 catches for 351 yards and three touchdowns on 37 targets this season. Rome Odunze delivered a beast outcome in Week 2 (7/128/2).

Amon-Ra St. Brown ($10,400) comes off an elite game (9/122/3 on 11 targets) while falling short of expectation in Week 1 (4/45 on six targets) vs. a rising Packers’ defense. He brings a high floor, but he must score to pay off. 

Game flow wasn’t Jameson Williams's friend against the Bears, but he snagged an 85-yard touchdown pass to save his day (2/108/1 on four targets). Green Bay held him to four catches for 26 yards in Week 1.

The Ravens’ secondary was blistered by the Bills in their first game (394 passing yards and two touchdowns), with wide receivers catching 20 of their 30 targets for 240 yards and one score. Cleveland threw the ball 48 times last week, but their wide receivers finished with only eight catches for 84 yards and one touchdown on 19 targets.

The Lions had Isaac TeSlaa on the field for only 20 plays over their first two games, leading to two catches for 42 yards and one score.

Tight Ends

Shawn Child

Last season, the Ravens’ tight ends caught 106 passes for 1,281 yards and a league high 18 touchdowns on 138 targets. Two games into this year, they only have two catches for seven yards on five targets, giving the fantasy market head-scratching thoughts – What happened to Mark Andrews? Should I sit him this week? For me, I see a correction game coming, suggesting that he should be the captain in this matchup due to his lower salary ($4,400).

Tight ends have six catches for 51 yards and one touchdown on nine targets against the Lions this season. Detroit defended the tight end well in 2024 (68/665/3 on 106 targets).

The fantasy market hasn’t seen the best of Sam LaPorta over the first two games (6/79 and 3/26 on 13 targets). Based on his expected season production in fantasy points, he has a favorable salary ($5,400) in this game.

Last season, tight ends had 93 catches for 963 yards and five touchdowns on 127 targets against the Ravens. Their tight end defense has been suspect this year (16/185/1 on 17 targets).

Week 3 Monday Night Football DraftKings DFS Perfect Showdown Lineup

Here’s my Perfect Lineup for this matchup:

DraftKings

This lineup is a good starting point for me. It allows me to flip Rashod Bateman for Mark Andrews at captain easily. I could also rotate in either kicker in the final roster slot. In addition, if a switch to Jared Goff at the expense of Lamar Jackson or Derrick Henry, I can use Aman-Ra St. Brown instead of Jahmar Gibbs.

If I have two receivers from either team, their starting quarterback should be rostered in this matchup.