We got our first taste of NFL action on Thursday night, and it was a pretty bland serving of football. While the Redskins and Giants didn’t entertain us much, they at least wet our appetite for the main course on Sunday. Many players are available to choose from, so let’s take a look at some guys I think will be very popular picks as well as some that will probably be ignored. Remember, like all my articles, all salaries appearing will be from DraftKings.

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QBs likely to be highly owned:

Tom Brady ($7700):
After opening the season with two excellent performances, Brady gets to face the Jaguars at home. Not only is this a good spot for Brady, but he has two elite weapons to throw to in Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski. Many people have him as their number one QB play this week, and I expect his ownership percentage to reflect that. He’s likely to have a great game, but he’s also likely to be heavily owned as well.

Ben Roethlisberger ($7200):
Next to Brady, Big Ben has been the highest scoring QB so far. Le’Veon Bell returns this week, giving Ben another option in the passing game as well as loosening up the defense in St. Louis. After a monster game last Sunday, I expect Ben to be a very popular choice in week 3.

Carson Palmer ($6600):
Palmer returns home from a huge outing Chicago to face the Niner defense that Big Ben ripped apart through the air. Besides having a great game last week and a great matchup this week, Palmer also has a very reasonable price for players to work with while choosing their lineups. All of this adds up to a very highly owned QB in Arizona this Sunday.

QBs likely to be ignored:

Drew Brees ($7500):
Now I’m not saying I like Brees’ spot this week. However, if he does start this week, I think he might be the least owned QB on the board. He has a high salary, is coming off a game where he looked awful and is now battling a shoulder injury. If you have the stones to play him and he plays well, you will be among the tiny minority to do so.

Marcus Mariota ($6100):
Coming off a real stinker last week, Mariota gets to come home and play against a Colts secondary that is licking its wounds. I think the bad game from last week will throw enough people off of the Mariota bandwagon that he becomes a contrarian play. Considering the defense he’s playing and the offense he’s going to have to keep up with, I think Marcus is a very interesting contrarian play.

Ryan Fitzpatrick ($5100):
No one ever actually wants to start this guy do they? Not usually, unless you’re looking to surf against the grain, which is exactly what I think this pick will accomplish. Fitzmagic gets to face an Eagles secondary that has been dreadful, and looked very good to me on Monday night. I think people looking to play a QB at this price will choose Blake Bortles over Fitzpatrick, making him a mostly ignored QB on Sunday.

RBs likely to be highly owned:

Adrian Peterson ($7500):
Peterson went off for nearly 200 total yards last week, and choked away two great goal line opportunities. Minnesota gets a good matchup this week vs a soft Chargers run D. I think everyone knows that the Vikings want to feed their best player, and as a result I think that everyone will want AD on their team come Sunday.

Marshawn Lynch ($7400):
The Packers kept Lynch in check on Sunday night, and Marshawn couldn’t have been happy about it. He will get to take out his frustration this week against a super soft Bear defense. It is very well known how well Lynch performs at home, and it’s also no secret how bad the Bears defense is. To me this means that Marshawn will be a top three owned RB, if not the highest owned outright.

Dion Lewis ($4200):
Lewis is averaging over 20 ppg on Draft Kings after two games, and has a dirt cheap price point. Between how successful he’s been in the league’s best offense, his juicy matchup, and his salary, this man will be coveted by many this weekend.

RBs likely to be ignored:

C.J. Anderson ($6200):
Denver’s offense has been pretty underwhelming so far, and CJ is no exception to that notion. He’s averaging 6.4 ppg, sharing some carries with Ronnie Hillman and is rumored to be dealing with a toe injury. Considering that, I expect people to be shying away from Anderson this Sunday. Something many won’t think about is that Denver has had an extra 3-4 days of rest, and I think CJ will be a major benefactor of that layoff. Jump back on the Anderson bandwagon before everyone else does.

Carlos Hyde ($5400):
Following his opening Monday night performance, Hyde could have run for office in San Francisco. After leaving the game in Pittsburgh early last Sunday, I’m guessing a lot of people that rostered him were regretting that decision. Heading into Arizona to face a solid Cards run defense, Hyde’s matchup is not very appealing. Because of that, I think he will not be sought after by many players this week. While I don’t like his chances a lot, I do think the Niners will try to feature him, and if they succeed it will be with Hyde having a big game.

LeGarrette Blount ($4000):
In poker, we call this one FPS, or fancy play syndrome. While that’s usually not a smart strategy in poker, it’s perfect for trying to win a large field GPP. Blount has gotten almost no action this season after being suspended for the opening game. Dion Lewis has been excellent in place of Blount and it’s hard to imagine him losing touches going forward. By this line of thought, I expect Blount to be one of the least rostered players of the week. Here’s where the fanciness kicks in; Bill Bellichick loves to mix up his RBs, as I mentioned in my week 3 preview. This figures to be a game where the Pats will be pounding the ball a lot in the second half while trying to run clock. I have a sneaking suspicion that Bill will turn to his loyal steed Blount in this game. If I’m right and he does, it will pay off mightily. If I’m totally wrong, you can blast me for it on Twitter. Sound good?

WRs likely to be highly owned:

Julio Jones ($9000):
This is an easy one. Jones has been dominant this year, and has a great matchup. He’s going to be highly owned every week unless he loses a leg in an accident. To avoid being redundant, this will be the last week I post him here, because he will be a top 5 owned receiver almost every week.

Antonio Brown ($8900):
His matchup isn’t as good as Julio’s, but he will be highly owned for the same reasons as him: he dominates week in and week out. Just like Julio, I’ll stop listing Brown here so I don’t sound like a broken record by week nine.

Julian Edelman ($7000):
If Edelman keeps playing like he has been this season, I might have to stop listing him as well, because he’s going to be highly coveted every week. Tom Brady’s favorite target behind Gronk (and not far behind) gets a plus matchup this week and has a very high floor in ppr scoring. He’s been finding the end zone lately, ballooning his point totals and ownership numbers alike.

Donte Moncrief ($4800):
Moncrief has been Andrew Luck’s most productive target by a mile so far. TY Hilton’s health and Andre Johnson’s increasing age are major reasons why that is true, but Moncrief has also looked really sharp in his first two games this season. Due to his high scoring and low price point, I think he’ll be widely owned this Sunday, as his $4800 salary makes him an easy fit into many lineups.

WRs likely to be ignored:

Brandin Cooks ($7100):
Much like his quarterback, I can’t imagine many people are looking to play Cooks this week with the current circumstances being what they are. By the same logic I used for Brees being low owned, I think Cooks will be ignored in similar fashion. Assuming Brees plays, Cooks will run the shorter routes that Brees will have an easier time completing with his bum rotator cuff. I’m not very confident he’ll have a big game, but if he does, I’m very confident you’ll be one of few reaping the benefits of it.

Mike Evans ($6600):
Evans has zero points on the season and is still commanding a reasonably big salary. Those two factors combined with doubts about Evans’ hamstring should scare most people from investing in him come Sunday. I think those interested in owning part of Tampa Bay’s passing game will choose the cheaper and so far more productive Vincent Jackson. Much like CJ Anderson, I think this could be the game where Evans returns to his highly touted form.

TEs likely to be highly owned:

Rob Gronkowski ($7400):
Gronk’s high price tag could serve as a deterrent of ownership, but I think his dominance will ultimately make him a highly chosen man at the tight end position. For all the reasons his listed New England counterparts should be highly owned this week, I expect the same for the man-beast known as Gronk.

Travis Kelce ($5000):
Kelce is Alex Smith’s favorite target, and is establishing himself as an elite TE. Those looking for a discount on Gronk will likely look to Kelce first, and I think that makes him a highly owned guy going into Monday night.

Tyler Eifert ($4800):
Eifert has nearly 50 points in two games, and is almost forty percent cheaper than Gronk. He should remain highly owned until he has a bad game or gets hurt.

TEs likely to be ignored:

Jimmy Graham ($5800):
Ignored is too strong of a word to describe Graham’s ownership potential this week, but I think a lot of people will pass on him because of his high salary and bad game vs the Packers. Word is that he’s very unhappy with how he is being used in Seattle, and I have a feeling Pete Carroll will try to cheer Graham up this week. Oh, and the Bears terrible defense is coming to town as well.

Martellus Bennett ($4600):
Funny how things change so fast in the NFL. I had Bennett as a highly coveted guy last week. After losing his starting quarterback and gaining Kam Chancellor, I think a lot of people will pass on the Bears TE as a result of his poor matchup and lack of QB throwing him the ball. I’m not crazy about his chances to succeed, but I think he has the highest upside of any Bear this weekend.

Defenses likely to be highly owned:

Seattle D ($3400):
Seattle has been struggling to be the defense we all expect them to be, but they’ve been missing their best player and on the road. All-World safety Kam Chancellor returns to the Seahawks D as they return to Seattle for their home opener. I would expect them to be highly owned vs almost any team this week, but with the Bears hobbling into town, I expect they’ll be the highest owned defense.

Jets D ($3000):
Todd Bowles’ defense has been dominant so far, and they play at home against a stumbling Eagles offense that is trending into the ground. At a reasonable price point, I expect many to roster the Jets on Sunday.

Defenses likely to be ignored:

Texans D ($3200):
Houston has been pretty awful on defense thus far, and everyone knows it. Somehow they’re the second most expensive choice on defense. Even though they’re at home with a good matchup against a rookie QB, I think many people will pass on JJ Watt and co. If Jameis Winston looks like he did in week one, this could be a sweet contrarian play.

Rams D ($2900):
Everyone thought the Rams would dominate in Washington last week, but they fell far short of that. Now they face the freight train that is the Steeler offense. I don’t expect many people to oppose the Steelers here by choosing the STL D, despite the Rams pass rush and loud home field. Big Ben can be dominant, but he also likes to extend plays and take chances that can result in big plays the other way.

There you have it. Like I said earlier, I could be wrong about some of these projections. If I am, I’ll gladly eat large amounts of crow. You can find me at @sbrounder on Twitter. Check back on Saturday for my injury report update.