Week 18 is one of the trickiest cash game slates of the year for DFS purposes, but that creates a bigger edge for those of us willing to grind the available information and find the best plays. There are teams in must-win situations who we can trust to give their all and also cheap plays who will enable stars and scrubs-type lineups that can dominate.
Heading into Week 18, these are the best cash game plays as things stand.
Week 18 DFS Cash Game Advice & Picks
Quarterbacks
Bo Nix (QB – DEN) vs. Chiefs | DraftKings: $6,400/FanDuel: $7,800
The Broncos’ future beyond Week 18 is simple — win and they’re in the playoffs; lose and it’s time to book tickets to Cancun. The Chiefs are preparing to rest most starters we would be concerned about Bo Nix facing as they’ve secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
The last time these teams met, Nix scored 16.1 points, completing 22 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns, but he failed to add anything on the ground, putting up a season-low -5 rushing yards, well below the 24.06 he normally averages.
If the Chiefs rest starters and the Broncos have to win, betting on Nix to have a fantasy-relevant day seems fair, particularly with him coming off 21-point games in his last two starts.
Bo Nix got the 4th-most Pro Bowl fans votes among AFC QBs.
Bo only tailed Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
Bo received more votes than Patrick Mahomes. pic.twitter.com/bZ0KkwhTaZ
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) December 31, 2024
Michael Penix Jr. (QB – ATL) vs. Panthers | DraftKings: $5,400/FanDuel: $6,900
Perhaps this is slightly risky, given that Michael Penix Jr. has yet to hit 12 points in a single game, but it feels like a big day is coming. The lowly Panthers have been plucky, but have nothing to play for this week and looked abject in Week 17.
Meanwhile, the Falcons simply have to win to have any chance of making the playoffs, and even then it might not be enough. The Panthers have allowed the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season and their defense ranks 30th against the pass in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average). If Penix is going to prove he’s a better option than Kirk Cousins then dominating poor defenses would be a good start.
Joshua Dobbs (QB – SF) @ Cardinals | DraftKings: $4,000/FanDuel: $6,000
The ‘Passtronaut’ returns to grace us with another start and gets a revenge game against the Arizona Cardinals for whom he started eight games in 2023 before being traded to the Vikings when Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles.
After a bumpy Week 1 game where Joshua Dobbs scored one fantasy point, he averaged 17.7 points through his next seven games with the Cardinals and then increased that in his four full games for the Vikings to 17.9 points. Dobbs is on his 10th NFL team. While the 49ers have nothing but pride to play for, they won’t want to lose to the Cardinals this week.
Sam Darnold (QB – MIN) @ Lions | FanDuel: $8,100 (FanDuel-Only Play)
With the Sunday Night Football game included in FanDuel’s offerings, the game of the week is available and should have heavy consideration. The Lions have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year. As the injuries mount up, they’re struggling to play defense in a meaningful way with three of their last four opponents scoring over 30 points.
Sam Darnold has been excellent this year, completing a higher rate of passes than Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen, and throwing for more yards than either of them, too. This game will determine the No. 1 seed in the NFC along with the kings of the NFC North, making it incredibly hard to ignore.
Sam Darnold…MVP candidate??? pic.twitter.com/TVGMaMoCTS
— NFL on CBS ???? (@NFLonCBS) December 30, 2024
Running Backs
Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL) vs. Panthers | DraftKings: $8,500/FanDuel: $9,200
If the idea of playing Joshua Dobbs is a little too out there for you in cash games, let’s talk Bijan Robinson then. From Week 9 onwards, Robinson was the RB2 with 21.3 PPR points per game. He ranked fourth in rushing yards per game, scored the second-most rushing touchdowns and averaged four more touches per game than over the first half of the season with the Falcons finally leaning into his talents.
The Panthers have allowed 10 different running backs to finish as top-12 options against them, including Robinson, who scored two touchdowns and 25.5 points in Week 6. Most recently, they allowed Bucky Irving to total 190 yards in Week 17. The Falcons must win this game to have any chance, and their best chance of dominating will be with Robinson.
Bucky Irving (RB – TB) vs. Saints | DraftKings: $7,700/FanDuel: $7,900
Speaking of Bucky Irving, he finds himself in a similar situation to Robinson. Irving and the Buccaneers face a must-win game to find their way into the playoffs and keep the Falcons out while facing a Saints defense that ranks 30th in run defense DVOA. They have also allowed the fifth-most running back fantasy points.
Irving has been prolific in his rookie season, grabbing the starting role from Rachaad White‘s clasps and averaging 124.8 total yards per game since Week 12. The Saints just allowed Ameer Abdullah to have a career-best 115 rushing yards against them 141 games into his career, so it’s hard to imagine them stopping the ascending Irving.
Love this run from Bucky Irving. Sooo many RBs would simply take the hole on the right, Bucky draws the Mike LB into the mess before bouncing right.
Irving gets caught up on the blocker a bit, but still, his creativity makes him one of the NFL's most fun RBs to watch each week. pic.twitter.com/fp6rH8GHc5
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) January 2, 2025
Michael Carter (RB – ARI) vs. 49ers | DraftKings: $4,700/FanDuel: $5,800
The Cardinals placed James Conner on injured reserve (IR) this week after a season where he set career highs in games played, rushing attempts and rushing yards. There is no sense in playing Conner in a meaningless game with the Cardinals eliminated from contention. His loss is Michael Carter’s gain.
Carter has had two games this year with double-digit touches, returning 48 yards and 81 yards. Carter scored 9.8 and 10.1 points, respectively, in those games and should see enough volume this week to bring him back into contention.
The Niners have allowed nine different backs to finish as a top-12 back against them this year, including five different players since the start of Week 10, as their season went down the toilet. There’s nothing but pride on the line here, but Carter is playing for a job in 2025 and should be motivated plenty.
Rico Dowdle (RB – DAL) vs. Commanders | DraftKings: $5,700/FanDuel: $7,100
The Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago, but they have a chance to exact some revenge on their division rivals and former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who has openly said this game and the seeding of the playoffs matters to him.
The Commanders’ defense continues to be a major weakness for this team, ranking 26th in run defense DVOA. They have allowed more fantasy points to running backs than any other position. Since Week 11, they’ve allowed three running backs to score over 24.8 PPR points. Eleven players have totaled 95+ yards against Dallas this season.
With Ezekiel Elliott released, there is no barrier to Rico Dowdle seeing almost every running back touch in this game. He comes into this contest in strong form having averaged 111.6 yards over his last six games.
J.K. Dobbins (RB – LAC) @ Raiders | DraftKings: $6,300/FanDuel: $7,500
The Chargers are in the playoffs already but they have little to play for in this week’s game with the Raiders. Win and they travel to the Texans; lose and they’ll travel to Baltimore, who firmly dismantled them in Week 12. Even Jim Harbaugh’s crazy attitude can see the more favorable fixture there and there’s little doubt he’d love to get a playoff win in his return to the NFL.
In J.K. Dobbins’ return from IR in Week 17, he saw 20 touches for 83 total yards and a touchdown. He should play a dominant amount of snaps until this game is out of sight with the Raiders ranked 25th in run defense.
Wide Receivers
Justin Jefferson (WR – MIN) @ Lions | FanDuel: $9,500 (FanDuel-Only Play)
Since Week 12, when Justin Jefferson inexplicably had only two catches for 27 yards, he’s averaged 7.8 touches per game for 108 yards and one touchdown per game. In that period, Jefferson has had two games over 32 PPR points. He could well be poised for another against a Lions team that can’t stop anyone.
The Lions have allowed nine receivers to score 18+ PPR points, including Keenan Allen in both Weeks 13 and 16. Ricky Pearsall just put up 147 yards against them in Week 17. If you’re playing on FanDuel, this game is a must to focus on with Jordan Addison ($7,100) also a great play.
Brian Thomas Jr. (WR – JAX) @ Colts | DraftKings: $7,300/FanDuel: $8,000
It’s not wise to get yourself mixed up in arguments about the Pro Bowl. Yet, it’s hard not to feel like Brian Thomas Jr. deserved to get in after he caught 80 receptions for 1,179 yards and 10 touchdowns on a miserable Jaguars offense. The Jaguars and Colts have nothing left to play for but pride and possibly the futures of their coaching staffs, which should keep them playing enough to be fantasy-relevant, with neither defense capable of stopping much.
Thomas has had 85+ yards in each of his last six games, scoring five touchdowns in that period and averaging 22.3 points per game. The last time these teams met in Week 5, Thomas scored 23.2 points. His competition for catches has dwindled somewhat since then.
The fantasy WR1 over the course of the 2024 fantasy playoffs:
Brian Thomas Jr. pic.twitter.com/93Ca55BWci
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) January 1, 2025
Jameson Williams (WR – DET) vs. Vikings | FanDuel: $6,500 (FanDuel-Only Play)
There’s no doubt Jameson Williams can be a more volatile player than Amon-Ra St. Brown, whose style of play lends itself more to cash games typically, but with this matchup, we might want to prioritize exposure to the game overall rather than worrying about which players we pick.
Williams, for his part, has been excellent, scoring touchdowns in each of his last four games and scoring over 24 PPR points in each of his last two games.
Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN) vs. Chiefs | DraftKings: $6,400/FanDuel: $7,300
It felt like Courtland Sutton might be set for regression this year after scoring 10 touchdowns on 59 receptions in 2023. While the touchdowns have regressed to seven, he’s more than made up for it by seeing a career-high 72 receptions and having his most yards since 2019.
The Broncos have to win this game and the Chiefs are likely resting star cornerback Trent McDuffie, which will make Sutton’s life somewhat easier. Sutton has scored 15+ points in eight games this year and should have an excellent chance to do so again this week.
Davante Adams (WR – NYJ) vs. Dolphins | DraftKings: $7,000/FanDuel: $7,800
The Jets have been a weird team this year. The things they’ve fixated on have made it hard to predict at times, but in what could be Aaron Rodgers‘ last game, in this poorly transpired stop in his career, the build-up to his 500th passing touchdown might be the weirdest.
Rodgers has talked about how much it would mean to him to have Davante Adams catch this touchdown and Adams also talked about it last Friday:
“Obviously, I’d love to,” Adams said Friday after practice, via ESPN. “I got 200, I got 400, so it would be dope to get 500 as well.”
Perhaps the Jets would be better suited to concentrating on other details at this point, but it seems noteworthy all the same, with Adams having nine catches for 109 yards and a touchdown when these teams met in Week 14. Miami has struggled to defend the pass for much of the season and Rodgers should be able to capitalize here.
Tutu Atwell (WR – LAR) vs. Seahawks | DraftKings: $3,800/FanDuel: $4,700
The Rams have nothing to play for and Sean McVay has shown previously he’d rather rest starters than worry too much about playoff seeding, which should result in Tutu Atwell seeing an uptick in play.
Of course, Atwell will be catching passes from Jimmy Garoppolo rather than Matthew Stafford, but Atwell has shown out well when called upon this year, scoring an average of 12.3 points in the four games where he played over 50% of the snaps, never dipping below 11.3.
Olamide Zaccheaus (WR – WAS) @ Cowboys | DraftKings: $4,500/FanDuel: $5,800
The disrespect in this pricing is clear. Olamide Zaccheaus has scored 23.3 and 24 PPR points in the last two weeks, making him the WR6 in those two weeks as he firmly took control of the Commanders’ No. 2 WR role.
Dan Quinn has said he wants to be seeded as highly as possible and the Cowboys’ defense has struggled all year, allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers and ranking 19th in DVOA. At this price, Zaccheaus is one of the easiest clicks of the week.
Kliff Kingsbury said for the first two months he called Olamide Zaccheaus "Oz." Finally Dyami Brown told him, "He hates being called OZ. It's O.Z."
"It's like the whitest mistake ever," Kingsbury said.— John Keim (@john_keim) January 2, 2025
Tight Ends
Brock Bowers (TE – LV) vs. Chargers | DraftKings: $6,600/FanDuel: $7,300
Yet another week where we ask ourselves, “Is Brock Bowers on the slate?” If the answer is yes, try and jam him into lineups. Bowers has broken multiple records in recent weeks as well as being named a Pro Bowler and will likely be a first-team All-Pro, or at worst second-team, before long.
Bowers has scored 15+ points in eight games this year and could go crazy if the Chargers start to pull starters later in the game with one eye on the playoffs.
Zach Ertz (TE – WAS) @ Cowboys | DraftKings: $4,000/FanDuel: $5,400
It’s year 12 for Zach Ertz in the NFL. While he doesn’t have much speed to speak of these days, he’s still savvy enough to be a solid contributor and finished the year as the TE7 in total points and TE10 in points per game.
The last time these teams met, Ertz scored 15.8 points, scoring a touchdown and catching six passes. If the Commanders do go for it in this spot, Ertz should have another good day.
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