Greetings, friends, and welcome to Week 18 of our Main Slate GPP Advice series. As always, we’ll be focused on GPP contests and players you can use to fill out your lineups while saving some of your budget. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite GPP targets for this week.

As I mentioned in this week’s DFS Pricing Exploitation piece, Week 18 is pure madness. Some teams are completely eliminated. Others have already secured their playoff spots, and the risk of injuring players outweighs the potential benefit of moving up a spot or two in playoff seeding. And some have locked up their spot entirely and are openly resting players. Oh, and COVID is still a factor. This is why most season-long leagues avoid the final week of the season. For DFS, this presents unique opportunities. We’ll take a look at some of them below.

GPP means we are going to look for value and take big swings. You shouldn’t have every player below in your DFS lineups. These are players with upside to target so that you can save money to use on higher-priced studs. We are going to identify value. We are going to monitor injury situations. We are going to take some risks. And most importantly, we are going to make some money.

As a general reminder, these are how most FanDuel and DraftKings contests are formatted:

• FanDuel $60,000 salary cap, 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex, 1 DEF ($6,667 average price per position)
• DraftKings: $50,000 salary cap, 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex, 1 DEF ($5,555 average price per position)

Have questions or just want to talk football or DFS? Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher with questions or feedback anytime.

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The players below are ones I’m looking at for large-field tournament considerations for Week 18 main slates:

Quarterbacks

FanDuel

Matthew Stafford (LAR - QB) : $7,400 vs. SF

We tarted Matthew Stafford in this space last week, as well. He responded with borderline QB1 numbers depending on format, completing 26 of his 35 passes for 309 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The concerning trend is that he has thrown six interceptions over his last three games, and he only threw for 197 yards in Week 16. However, he has been a QB1 in five of his last six games and threw the ball 41 times in his last matchup with the 49ers. His projections outpace his price this week, and his roster% should be low thanks to his recent struggles.

Trey Lance (SF - QB): $7,000 vs. LAR

This one is obviously contingent upon Jimmy Garoppolo not playing again in Week 18. But if it's the Trey Lance show again, I'll have him in a number of DFS lineups this weekend again. Lance finished as a QB1 last week and always has that kind of upside with his ability and in this offense. He has a tougher matchup against the Rams this week, but that could end up being a good thing in DFS in what is a must-win game for the 49ers. As I have talked about all season, the running ability provides a solid floor, and Lance has come a long way from where he was earlier this season.

DraftKings

Case Keenum (CLE - QB): $4,800 vs. CIN

Baker Mayfield is having surgery and will not play in Week 18. The Browns don't really have a young developmental quarterback worth starting in this game, which means we're likely going to see Case Keenum at the helm in a game that doesn't mean anything for the Browns. Now, the Browns are very unlikely to win this game and may rest a bunch of their starters. But they're also probably going to be losing for most of the game and have nothing to fear. That means Keenum could throw the ball 30+ times, and he's essentially free on DraftKings at $4,800. This is a dart throw in GPP contests, but if you can get a free quarterback who is expected to throw a lot (and could fill up the box score with garbage time stats), that's a worthwhile gamble.

Taysom Hill (NO - QB): $6,200 vs. ATL

Taysom Hill has his flaws as a quarterback, but those flaws matter more to the New Orleans Saints than they do to fantasy managers. For fantasy managers and DFS players, Hill has a unique skillset and offers a high floor thanks to his running ability. If you have read this series throughout the year, you know we often target these high-upside, high-floor mobile quarterbacks in GPP contests. He has finished as a QB1 in three of his last four contests and has a very favorable matchup against a checked-out Falcons team this week.

Running Backs

FanDuel

Jaret Patterson (WAS - RB): $6,600 vs. NYG

Jaret Patterson filled in admirably for Antonio Gibson last week, rushing 12 times for 57 yards and a touchdown and catching all five of his targets for 41 yards in a loss to the Eagles. Gibson missed the game due to a positive COVID test and has already been activated this week, but the Football Team (I can't wait for them to be named anything else so I can stop writing that) has been eliminated and has nothing to play for in Week 18. Gibson is a young running back who has been banged up all season. I just can't see them giving him a big workload this week, and they may sit him down entirely. Patterson's price has jumped up significantly, but he's still just RB22 on FanDuel this week. The Giants stink, and both teams will be somewhat checked out this week. That should mean a ton of work for Patterson, an undrafted free agent continuing to audition for a future role.

Samaje Perine (CIN - RB): $6,500 vs. CLE

With Joe Mixon reportedly ruled out for Week 18 and Joe Burrow also not playing, it could be the Samaje Perine show in Cleveland against the Bengals. Neither team has much to play for. The Browns have been eliminated, while the Bengals have secured at least a home game in the first round of the playoffs. Perine is RB24 on FanDuel this week but should see RB1 volume, making him an ideal lineup builder.

DraftKings

Elijah Mitchell (SF - RB): $6,000 vs. LAR

Last week, Elijah Mitchell rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries and caught both of his targets for 11 yards and a touchdown, and his price...didn't change on DraftKings? Ok then. He is RB20 on DraftKings this week, but I have him projected as a clear RB1. As with Lance above, the Rams are a tougher defense this week. But the 49ers need to win this game to ensure they make the playoffs, and they've leaned on Mitchell whenever he has been active this season.

David Montgomery (CHI - RB): $6,800 vs. MIN

David Montgomery has been a value in DFS for a few weeks now. He has two straight RB1 finishes, receiving 28 touches in Week 16 and 24 touches in a Week 17 win over the Giants. He is priced as RB10 on DraftKings but should offer Top 5 production based on his projected volume and the points Minnesota has been allowing to opposing running backs. This isn't the biggest swing for GPP contests, but his +6 projection:price comparison is second only to Elijah Mitchel and Devin Singletary among projected RB1s.

Wide Receivers

FanDuel

Jaylen Waddle (MIA - WR): $6,800 vs. NE

There are a few players who have appeared in these articles a handful of times this season. Another way of saying that is there are a few players who have been consistently undervalued by DFS sites who have made us a nice chunk of money this season. Jaylen Waddle is one of those players, especially in the second half of this year. Waddle has received double-digit targets seven times this year and in three of his last four games, and he has finished as a WR1 in two of his last four games. The Dolphins don't have anything to play for in Week 18, but Waddle is in striking distance of the NFL rookie receptions record. Expect them to feed their young wideout on Sunday.

Brandin Cooks (HOU - WR) : $7,100 vs. TEN

Over the last few weeks, it hasn't seemed to matter to Cooks who is at quarterback for the Texans as long as he is healthy. He has 32 targets over his last three games, catching 22 of them for 269 yards and three touchdowns. In Week 18, with a ton of other unknowns around the league, he is WR 12 on FanDuel and should receive his usual target share.

DraftKings

A.J. Brown (TEN - WR): $7,000 vs. HOU

Against the Dolphins last week, A.J. Brown caught just two of his five targets for 41 yards. However, the Titans ran away with that game in a blowout and didn't have to throw the ball very often. In Week 16 against the 49ers, Brown caught 11 of his 16 targets for 145 yards and a touchdown. The Titans can clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage with a win in Week 18. Expect them to feed Brown the ball early and often to close out the season with an important win.

Breshad Perriman (TB - WR): $5,000 vs. CAR

Unless you have been under a rock or were on a cruise ship (my preferred vacation) without internet access or television last week, you've heard about the Antonio Brown situation. He is no longer with Tampa Bay, and Chris Godwin is already on injured reserve. That leaves a healthy Mike Evans as the only remaining starting wide receiver paired with some combination of Breshad Perriman, Tyler Johnson, Cyril Grayson Jr., and Scotty Miller. Perriman is WR35 on DraftKings this week, and he's a big swing in GPP contests. But he also has all of the upside in the world in this offense with Tom Brady as his quarterback. This is a dart throw, but it's a worthwhile one.

Tight Ends

FanDuel

Dawson Knox (BUF - TE): $6,000 vs. NYJ

The tight end position has not been fun over the last several weeks. I have been sticking to tight ends who I have projected as around TE5-TE10 to try and find the sweet spot between projections and price. This week, we have Dawson Knox at $6,000 against a checked-out Jets team. Knox was held without a catch last week and only had one catch against the Jets in Week 10. Not great. But the Jets have struggled against tight ends lately and have nothing to play for in Week 18, while the Bills can clinch the AFC East with a win. Knox has four touchdowns in his last five games, and I'm banking on another one in Week 18.

DraftKings

Zach Ertz (ARI - TE): $5,300 vs. SEA

We have been talking about Zach Ertz a bunch in this space over the last couple of months, and I have been going out of my way to try to talk about other tight ends. But the tight end position has been gross in DFS, and Ertz keeps being undervalued by both FanDuel and DraftKings. When I look at my projections compared to his price, I just have to keep rolling him out there in lineups. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, or something. $5,300 isn't a huge discount on DK, but it's $1,000 cheaper than Rob Gronkowski this week. Ertz has received 33 targets over his last three games, and Seattle has struggled against tight ends all season and has nothing to play for in Week 18. Giddy up.

Defense/Special Teams

FanDuel

Buffalo Bills (BUF - DST): $4,500 vs. NYJ

FanDuel made it easy for D/STs this week. The Bills are projected as our top overall D/ST but are priced as D/ST6, while we have the Buccaneers as D/ST2 despite them being priced as D/ST10. With those values, I didn't dig much deeper this week. If you can find those discounts from two of the top-rated defenses against two of the worst offenses in football, it isn't worth digging deeper and taking bigger risks.

DraftKings

Washington Football Team (WAS - DST): $3,100 vs. NYG

The New York Giants have perhaps the worst offense in football. On top of that, they are playing with a third-string quarterback who was only signed a few weeks ago and is working without a few of his top weapons. Oh, and he's playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league and for a team that fired their offensive coordinator a few weeks ago. What could go wrong? The Washington Football Team defense is depleted and has been up-and-down this season, but they have a strong defensive front and are playing against arguably the easiest matchup in the league this week. $3,100 is pretty much free.

Want to keep the conversation going or just have a question? Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher with questions or feedback anytime.

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Mike Maher is an editor and featured writer at FantasyPros and BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive, follow him on Twitter @MikeMaher, and visit his Philadelphia Eagles blog, The Birds Blitz.