Squirrel's Nuts & Bolts: Falcons - Packers TNF Showdown Strategy (Week 3 NFL DFS)

Sep 24, 2026

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 3 of the NFL season kicks off with an NFC Showdown between the Falcons and the Packers, who play their home opener at Lambeau Field after starting the year with two road games. Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. ET, and the Packers are favored by 4.5 points at home with the total set at 43.5 points.

The Falcons come in at 0-2 after a 20-13 loss in Pittsburgh and a 34-3 loss at home to the Panthers, and the big news is that Michael Penix Jr. makes his first start since a partially torn ACL ended his season in Week 11 last year. Penix threw for 1,982 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions in nine starts before the injury. Cooper Rush and Jack Strand combined for five interceptions and one touchdown pass in his place, and Atlanta ranks last in the league in passing yards and has yet to run a play from inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Bijan Robinson is the one thing that has worked. He has 37 carries for 155 yards and 254 yards from scrimmage with a touchdown through two games, a year after setting the franchise record with 2,298 scrimmage yards and earning first-team All-Pro honors. Drake London has six catches for 80 yards on nine targets after going for 919 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games last season.

The Packers blew a 22-10 third-quarter lead in a 39-22 loss at Minnesota, then beat the Jets 20-17 in overtime on a 26-yard Trey Smack field goal. Jordan Love has thrown for 532 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Christian Watson has 10 catches for 188 yards and three touchdowns on 19 targets, the seventh-most targets in the league, and Matthew Golden has 10 catches for 153 yards on 18 targets. Tucker Kraft is back from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 season after eight games and has five catches for 80 yards. Jayden Reed is out with a neck injury, and Josh Jacobs remains on the commissioner's exempt list, which leaves a backfield of MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson, and Chris Brooks. Johnson, acquired from the Steelers on August 30, led the group with eight carries for 32 yards against the Jets after not getting a carry in Week 1, while Lloyd has 19 carries for 57 yards and a receiving touchdown.

This Showdown gives us a Falcons offense getting its quarterback back against a Packers team that has leaned on its passing game through two weeks. Let's break down this Thursday night NFC Showdown, highlight the key plays, and uncover the strategies that could help you climb the leaderboards.