Welcome to the last full NFL slate for cash games in 2020. Week 17 tends to be a little on the crazy side and resembles a preseason slate, but it can still be fun playing cash games.
Below are the players I am considering as my cash game core for this week’s main slate. I value consistency of volume and opportunity combined with potential upside when putting together my cash game lineup. Have a solid process, be sure to have FantasyPros notifications set up for Sunday morning, and remember to have fun!
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Quarterback
Lamar Jackson (BAL): $8,000 @ CIN
If the Ravens win, they are in the playoffs. There should be enough value on this slate to fit in Jackson if you want to pay up at quarterback. He has 30+ DraftKings fantasy points (DKFP) in two of his last three games and four straight 20+ games.
Mitchell Trubisky (CHI): $5,600 vs. GB
Trubisky has 20+ DKFP in three of his last five games, including 24.6 last week. Five weeks ago, he had 21.68 DKFP against the Packers. If paying down at quarterback, he has a good floor.
Others to Consider:
- Deshaun Watson (HOU): $7,700 vs. TEN
- Ryan Tannehill (TEN): $7,000 @ HOU
- Drew Lock (DEN): $5,000 vs. LV
Running Backs
Derrick Henry (TEN): $9,400 @ HOU
Tennessee has motivation, Henry is a stud, and the Texans’ run defense is terrible. This is a no-brainer in cash. Don’t overthink it. Henry rushed for 212 yards and two touchdowns (40.4 DKFP) in the early-season matchup with the Texans, who just gave up 20+ fantasy performances to both Giovani Bernard and Samaje Perine last week.
Myles Gaskin (MIA): $6,500 @ BUF
His 33.9 DKFP last week against Las Vegas was the eighth time in nine games this year that Gaskin finished with double-figure fantasy points. He has at least 19 touches in six of his last seven games. Gaskin will be the workhorse running back in a game Miami should win. Buffalo doesn’t have much need to play its starters. Last year, the Bills sat everyone of consequence during Week 17.
Melvin Gordon (DEN): $5,700 vs. LV
Gordon might not be what he once was, but he should get most of the volume in a game that should see a decent amount of scoring since neither team is good. Gordon has 16 touches in each of the last three games. We’ll take that at this price, especially with Phillip Lindsay out. Gordon has double-digit fantasy points in three of his last five games, and the matchup is also nice. After getting gashed by Gaskin, only the Texans and the Lions have given up more fantasy points to the running back position than the Raiders’ 29.2 this season.
Others to Consider:
- Jonathan Taylor (IND): $7,400 vs. JAC
- D’Andre Swift (DET): $6,300 vs. MIN
- Giovani Bernard (CIN): $5,400 vs. BAL
- Malcolm Brown (LAR): $4,300 vs. ARI
- Ty Johnson (NYJ): $4,300 @ NE
- Rodney Smith (CAR): $4,000 vs. NO
Wide Receivers
Davante Adams (GB): $9,200 @ CHI
You should be able to fit in Adams with all the value in Week 17. He is a stud. This is another spot where you don’t need to overthink it too much, even though he is costly. Aaron Rodgers loves throwing to the target monster, who can be treated like a running back on DK. Playing him in the flex is not a bad move if you need to. Adams has 30+ DKFP in six of his 12 games this season.
Justin Jefferson (MIN): $7,600 @ DET
Jefferson has double-digit fantasy performances in six of his last seven games. He also received at least 10 targets in five of those contests. If you are into narratives and motivation, Jefferson is 111 receiving yards away from the NFL rookie record and 47 yards from the Vikings’ record.
T.Y. Hilton (IND): $5,800 vs. JAC
Week 3 was the last time the Jaguars didn’t allow at least 15 DKFP to a wide receiver. If that trend holds true, somebody from the Colts is going to go off. Hilton has at least 9.0 DKFP in five straight games, including two where he eclipsed 20. He has 31 targets in his last four games.
Amari Cooper (DAL): $5,800 @ NYG
I have been on Cooper all season, waiting for his patented explosion game. Even though it hasn’t come, he’s had a quietly consistent season. The Cowboys’ overall troubles have evidently limited Cooper, but he did have 121 receiving yards last week on only four catches. That tells me he still has big-play ability. At this price, getting someone who has earned double-digit fantasy points in 12 of 15 games this season is a nice value.
Others to Consider:
- A.J. Brown (TEN): $7,200 @ HOU
- Diontae Johnson (PIT): $6,700 @ CLE
- Robby Anderson (CAR): $5,600 vs. NO
- Russell Gage (ATL): $5,100 @ TB
- Jamison Crowder (NYJ): $5,000 @ NE
- Jerry Jeudy (DEN): $4,200 vs. LV
- Josh Reynolds (LAR): $3,200 vs. ARI
Tight Ends
Mark Andrews (BAL): $5,800 @ CIN
Five straight double-digit fantasy performances make Andrews the “safest” pay-up option this week at tight end. He has caught six balls in each of his last three games against the Bengals, including three touchdowns in the last two. Andrews saw 25 targets in those matchups with Cincinnati and is coming off an 11-target game last week against the Giants.
Irv Smith (MIN): $3,900 @ DET
Smith has double-figure fantasy points in five of his 10 games this season, including 23.3 DKFP last week against the Saints. We can’t expect another multi-touchdown game, but he’s a strong option at this price given his expected usage. The Vikings gave their 2019 second-rounder nine targets last week in the absence of Kyle Rudolph, who won’t play in Week 17.
Others to Consider:
- George Kittle (SF): $6,000 vs. SEA
- Austin Hooper (CLE): $3,800 vs. PIT
- Evan Engram (NYG): $3,700 vs. DAL
- Cole Kmet (CHI): $3,000 vs. GB
Defense/Special Teams
Cleveland Browns DST: $2,500
The Browns tend to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback, and this week they get back-up Mason Rudolph. They have recorded at least nine fantasy points in three of their last five games, so if you are paying down (which I am), the Browns make a great option.
Others to Consider:
- Baltimore Ravens DST: $4,200 @ CIN
- Miami Dolphins DST: $2,900 @ BUF
- Arizona Cardinals DST: $2,800 @ LAR
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Jamy Bechler is a regular contributor to FantasyPros for NBA, NFL, and PGA. You can send him questions and follow him on his DFS twitter @WinningDFS101. When he is not playing DFS, Jamy is an author, host of the “Success is a Choice” podcast, and a leadership consultant, working with businesses and teams across the country (including the NBA). Even though he offers his advice on players and contests, after additional information and consideration, he may end up using different players and strategies than what he recommended in this article.
