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Many of us aren’t in fantasy football championship matchups in Week 17, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the DFS. Now is the time to focus your skills on winning cold, hard cash by building successful cash or tournament lineups. I’m in the same boat as you. Let’s strap in and take down some of these tournaments.
These are some of my favorite DraftKings plays for Week 17 based on price and projections from FantasyPoints.com. Remember this Sunday slate is smaller thanks to all of the early week games played already.
QUARTERBACK
Baker Mayfield ($6900) - Always a threat for multiple touchdowns, Mayfield faces a Panthers defense that allows the fifth most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. These two teams met in Week 13, and Mayfield struggled with just 12.2 DK points. I think that could steer people away from his ownership. I don’t mind Mayfield for a tournament lineup because, even though he’s pricey, he has things in his favor. He’s at home. His team has a lot to play for. He’s trying to get Mike Evans to 1000 yards. In my mind, Tampa is going to push the pace, and Mayfield gets at least two touchdowns. Fantasy Points has Mayfield projected as QB 7 on the week.
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Aiden O’Connell ($5100) - Playing against the Saints at this point isn’t even fair. They have nobody left on this roster. It’s basically a high school team. The beauty of playing AOC is that the Raiders can’t run the ball. It wouldn’t shock me if O’Connell had to drop back 35 times on Sunday.
There are several situations where a backup quarterback might be in play due to injury.
Joe Flacco ($4900) - I would love this play if Anthony Richardson were ruled out. Flacco can and will rip the ball down the field against a hapless Giants secondary. Watch for news on Richardson, and be prepared to save money with Flacco. This will open up tons of opportunities to build fun lineups. I’d also pair Flacco with Josh Downs and Michael Pittman.
RUNNING BACK
Jonathan Taylor ($7900) - JT has run for 218, 107, and 96 yards in his last three outings. He’ll face a Giants team who just gave up 94 yards and two touchdowns to Bijan Robinson. This is very expensive, but if you have the money, I can see JT paying off with multiple scores.
Bucky Irving ($6700) - The rookie from Tampa is a stud. He’s going to see 15+ touches in this game, which should give him a great chance at scoring. The Panthers allow the most fantasy points to opposing RBs. In Week 13, he torched Carolina for 185 total yards, which was good for 27.5 points. I have no doubt he put up similar numbers. Fantasy Points has Irving projected as a top-5 RB this week.
Alexander Mattison ($5600) - A plus matchup versus Tennesee where Mattison should see volume in the run game. Last week, Mattison played on 67% of the Raiders' snaps. While only mustering 27 yards, he did score. What I like is that Mattison also saw seven targets. That workload could turn into 15 points at a value price.
WIDE RECEIVER
Brian Thomas Jr. ($6800) - So, a super stud rookie receiver who has 10+ targets in four straight games. Yeah, I can get behind that. Thomas is the entire Jaguars offense right now. In his last two outings, he’s seen 27 targets, which equated to 237 yards and three touchdowns. I’m not scared of the Titans defense. Thomas just smoked them for 16.6 points in Week 14.
Wandale Robinson ($4400) - A value play that is purely based on target volume. Robinson has 32 targets in his last three outings. There’s a chance his teammate Malik Nabers will miss this game with an injury or at least be severely hampered. I see another major target hog day for Robinson vs the Colts.
Dontayvion Wicks ($3900) - Here’s a deeper option that I like. We’re not sure of Christian Watson’s health, so Wicks could have a massive role in a game that has shootout written all over it. Minnesota allows the most points to opposing receivers. When Watson is out, Wicks thrives (or should). He’s a tournament play, which I’d stack with Jordan Love or in a game stack with Sam Darnold.
TIGHT END
Chig Okonkwo ($3600) - Likely a chalk play, but with good reason. The price is incredible and his production of late is that of an elite talent. Mason Rudolph has thrown Okonkwo 21 balls in their past two games. The Titans TE has turned those into 19 and 13.9 point weeks. Don’t overthink this. He’s the second option on a team that can’t run the ball. Easy play.
DEFENSE
Las Vegas Raiders ($2600) - Did you see that Saints try and play offense last week? Spencer Rattler has no business on an NFL field, and the Raiders, while not great, will reap the benefits of his awfulness. The Saints allowed 17 points a week ago to the Packers DST, thanks to three sacks and scoring zero points. It wouldn’t shock me if they copied that stat line on Sunday.
Dallas Cowboys ($2500) - It’s highly unlikely that Jalen Hurts will play on Sunday for Philly. That means a banged-up Kenny Pickett or third-stringer Tanner McKee will start. Dallas is still playing very hard on defense. With 10 sacks and six turnovers in their last two, I can see Big D making life miserable for the Eagles. Weather could also be an issue for this one.
