This is the most important week of the season for many of you season-long fantasy managers, but it’s just another week in DFS. That’s one of the beauties of playing DFS because your season is never over. We only have two weeks of regular season football, and the Week 18 cards are always a nightmare. With that said, let’s dive into these Week 17 games.
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NFL Week 17 DFS Cash Game Lineup Advice & Picks
The players below are ones I’m looking at for cash game considerations for Week 17
Quarterbacks
DraftKings
Brock Purdy (QB – SF): $7,000 at WAS
Everyone saw Purdy play poorly on Monday night, but DFS managers will still roster him at just $7K in this matchup. Let’s start there because Washington is allowing the second-most passing yards in the NFL. That’s scary against one of the top MVP candidates in the league, and it’s an excellent spot for Purdy to bounce back. The price is what makes him a cash-game option because he should never be eighth in salary in a matchup like this.
Kyler Murray (QB – ARI): $6,300 at PHI
Murray hasn’t even returned to full form yet, and he’s still playing brilliantly. The speedy quarterback has scored at least 18 DraftKings points in four of six games, which matches his season average. That alone is solid from a $6,300 player, especially since Murray has proven to be one of the best players in fantasy before his injury. The matchup is the icing on the cake, with Philly surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
FanDuel
Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI): $9,200 vs. ARI
Hurts hasn’t been the best quarterback in the NFL, but he’s the safest option in DFS because of the notorious “tush push.” He scores a rushing touchdown in nearly every game because of it, scoring at least 22 FanDuel points in 12 of his past 14 games. That’s hard to overlook because Arizona allows the second-most points in the NFL.
Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL): $7,900 vs. MIA
L-Jax has skyrocketed up the MVP ladder, entering this Week 17 game as the frontrunner. It’s rare to see the MVP frontrunner sitting below $8,000, and it’s even more bizarre to see him sixth in salary. We would use him against anyone with all that in his favor, but he should go nuts against Miami. These teams are looking at a 47-point total in what could be the shootout of the week, with the Dolphins posting a 23rd OPRK against opposing signal-callers.
Running Backs
DraftKings
Christian McCaffrey (RB – SF): $9,600 at WAS
It’s hard to believe what C-Mac is doing this year. He’s the horse for one of the best offenses in the NFL, leading all players with 27 DraftKings points per game. That’s why he’s the highest-priced player but the safest cash-game option with his 20-point floor. It’s horrifying to think what he could do to Washington, allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.
Travis Etienne (RB – JAX): $7,200 vs. CAR
This is such a great spot for Etienne to bounce back. He’s been terrible over the past month, but we saw him lead the league in fantasy points for a month earlier in the year. He’s still averaging over 16 DK points per game because of that absurd stretch, but we expect that to be his floor in this matchup. Carolina is allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing rushers, with Etienne and the Jags entering this magnificent matchup as massive favorites.
FanDuel
Alvin Kamara (RB – NO): $7,500 at TB
It’s so strange to see Kamara at just $7,500. This guy has been closer to $9K for most of the year, ranked fifth at the position with 16 FanDuel points per game. That makes it shocking that he’s outside the top-10 regarding salary, especially since Tampa owns a 20th OPRK against opposing running backs. When he played Tampa in his first game of the season, Kamara collected 15 FD points despite playing a limited role.
Kenneth Walker (RB – SEA): $7,000 vs. PIT
Walker was a massive disappointment last week, but this is still one of the best backs in the NFL. This youngster led the league in fantasy points in the final month of last season and is averaging nearly 13 FD points per game in a solid sophomore season. We’re also encouraged that he has 35 carries over the last two games, and that workload should make him an outstanding option against a 28th-ranked Steelers run defense.
Wide Receivers
DraftKings
Tyreek Hill (WR – MIA): $9,300 at BAL
Hill has been in this section all season, and it’s easy to understand why. He’s lapping the position with 26 DraftKings points per game. The next highest is just 20 DK points, with Tyreek totaling at least 26 DK points nine times this year. Facing Baltimore can be terrifying, but there’s not a secondary on this planet that can slow this guy down in Miami’s most important game of the season.
Brandon Aiyuk (WR – SF): $7,000 at ARI
Aiyuk has been a breakout in San Fran this season, and he should be sensational in this matchup. Washington is surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. That won’t sit well against a pass-catcher like this, with Aiyuk averaging 17 DraftKings points per game. Stacking Purdy, Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel is way cheaper than it should be, and these San Fran guys could send a message in this magical matchup.
FanDuel
AJ Brown (WR – PHI): $8,500 vs. ARI
Like Hill, Brown has been a regular in this section all season. AJ ranks second among all wideouts, averaging 15.4 FanDuel points per game. He’s in one of his worst stretches of the year, but we love that he has double-digit targets in four straight fixtures. That type of workload could lead to an upside game against the second-worst defense in the NFL.
Chris Godwin (WR – TB): $6,700 vs. NO
It’s hard to believe that Godwin is this cheap. Players like Gabe Davis, Adam Thielen and Jakobi Meyers are more expensive. That’s laughable because CG has at least 11 targets in three consecutive outings. That role made Godwin a stud in the past, compiling 21 catches for 286 yards in that span. New Orleans is not a scary matchup either, sitting 17th in OPRK against opposing receivers.
Tight Ends
DraftKings
Travis Kelce (TE – KC): $7,000 vs. CIN
Kelce has been in this section every slate he’s been available. He hasn’t been as good as we’ve become accustomed to, but he’s still the league leader in fantasy points among all tight ends. That’s been a regular thing for this guy for five years now, and he’ll definitely be highly rostered at just $7,000. In his last matchup with Cincy, Kelce scored 21 DraftKings points.
FanDuel
Trey McBride (TE – ARI): $6,800 at PHI
If Murray will have a good game, McBride will, too. He’s the only player getting consistent work from Kyler, leading all tight ends in targets over the last month. He’s also averaging 13 FanDuel points per game across his last eight fixtures and could have success since Philly ranks 27th in passing yards allowed.
Defense/Special Teams
DraftKings
Buffalo Bills D/ST: $3,900 v. NWE
Everyone will roster three defenses, and this is one of them. Buffalo enters this home matchup as a 12.5-point favorite in a game with a 41-point total. That means New England is projected to score just 14 points, which is sadly right on par with their season average. They rank dead last in the NFL with 14.1 points per game.
FanDuel
San Francisco 49ers D/ST: $5,000 at WAS
San Fran is the most expensive D/ST out there, but this is a tough spot to fade them. The 49ers are a 13.5-point favorite against a 24th-ranked Washington offense. They’re also a Top 10 defense in every metric, which is horrifying since Washington is surrendering the third-most fantasy points to opposing D/STs over their last five outings.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
