DFS PROS favorite plays: Week 17

Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 16 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Top-ranked DFS PRO Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite Daily Fantasy Football plays at various salary ranges for Week 16 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

QUARTERBACKS

MATT RYAN- $6500 DRAFTKINGS, $7800 FANDUEL

Matt Ryan strolls into Week 17 with a dream matchup vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ryan has been super consistent all season and is averaging 21.9 DraftKings points per game. Tampa Bay is allowing 269 passing yards per game and ranks 23rd against opposing quarterbacks. This is not a game with playoff implications but I will target it for the shootout potential and high over-under. The ideal pairing would be with either Julio Jones or Austin Hooper for your stack.

JAMEIS WINSTON- $6600 DRAFTKINGS, $8100 FANDUEL

I mentioned above that this game has zero playoff implications which worries me a bit but it’s still a game to target due to it being the highest total of the slate at 48 points. Winston is far from perfect and not the quarterback that I would build my franchise around but I don’t mind playing him for DFS purposes. He has averaged 23 points per game and has 30-40 point upside. Combine that with the fact weather shouldn’t be a concern in Tampa and this Atlanta defense is suspect to say the least and we have the upside we need with Winston. We can find a cheap pairing with Howard or Watson and stack them with Winston in Week 17.

RUNNING BACKS

SAQUON BARKLEY-  $8700 DRAFTKINGS, $9300 FANDUEL
I will play the trends and if you have followed my column the last 2 weeks I was on Barkley. I told everyone I was doubling down on him last week and I will continue playing him for a 3rd straight week. Barkley has reclaimed his role just in time for fantasy drafts next season where he will be in the mix again in the top 5. Barkley is coming off a 33 and 46 point performance the last 2 weeks and now faces the Eagles with upset on his mind. Narratives are a real thing and I think Barkley would like nothing more than to end the season strong and ruin the day for their rivals in the Eagles.

AARON JONES- $8200 DRAFTKINGS, $8000 FANDUEL

Aaron Jones has quietly scored 19 touchdowns on the season and I can almost guarantee he will hit 20 before the end of the season. Jones has averaged 21 fantasy points per game and has come on strong towards the end of the season. This matchup versus the Lions is one of the best on paper and I think the Packers will dominate this game and exploit the weak run defense of the Lions. Detroit ranks 29th against opposing running backs and Jones should be a lock of 1-2 touchdowns and another 100 yard game in week 17.

WIDE RECEIVERS

JULIO JONES- $8500 DRAFTKINGS, $8500 FANDUEL
Just like Saquon Barkley, Julio Jones is making a late-season push for next year’s fantasy drafts. He is coming off of a 41 and 29 point performance the past 2 weeks and should be in line for another monster game versus the Buccaneers. As the time I am writing this Julio has had limited practice participation so keep an eye on the reports but this has been the case in previous weeks. If Julio plays he will be a top 5 wide receiver by the day’s end. If for any reason he misses pivot to Russel Gage for an extreme value.
A.J. BROWN- $7000 DRAFTKINGS, $7200 FANDUEL
A.J. Brown will be looking to eclipse the 1000 yard mark in Week 17 and with only 73 yards to go, I believe he finds a way to exceed the mark. He has been great in 4 of the last 5 games and has exceeded 25 DraftKings points in the 3 of the 5. He gets a great matchup in Week 17 versus the 22nd ranked team versus wide receivers. Houston has been beaten through the air and has allowed 270 yards per game passing. I love the pairing of Tannehill to Brown in my tournament lineups on both sites.

TIGHT ENDS

TYLER HIGBEE $5600 DRAFTKINGS, $6900 FANDUEL

The late-season trends continue and this article is feeling more like a second half of the season awards show. This is Higbee’s fantasy performance over the past 4 weeks on DraftKings: 26.7, 21.6, 26.1, and 22.4. That’s the best tight end streak that I can remember, and I would bet my fantasy dollars that continues in Week 17. Just like the rest of the tight ends all season Higbee lit up the Cardinals for 26.7 fantasy points in Week 13 and he will be a lock in all my lineups at tight end.

AUSTIN HOOPER- $5800 DRAFTKINGS, $6000 FANDUEL

Hooper started the season very strong and then went down with an injury and hasn’t really been the same. A matchup versus the Buccaneers should change things for him. Hooper has averaged 15 points per game and provides a safe floor at a volatile tight end position. Factor that with how bad Tampa Bay covers the tight end, almost a league-worst 29th and we should have a safe floor with upside for both cash games and tournaments.

DEFENSES

PACKERS- $3000 DRAFTKINGS, $4800 FANDUEL

The Green Bay Packers have rounded out to a balanced team on both sides and their defense has been consistently good over the past 4 weeks. The Lions have all but given up on the season and I love to see a matchup of a solid defense fighting for playoff seeding versus a team full of injuries and an unstable quarterback. The Packers provide a nice value on both sites along with a solid floor to mold your lineups with.

STEELERS- $3000 DRAFTKINGS, $3500 FANDUEL

The Steelers defense was priced down on both sites prior to the announcement that the Ravens will be sitting most of their offensive starters. They went from having to defend the future MVP, Lamar Jackson, to now a matchup against RGIII and a crew full of backups. Combine that with the fact the Steelers have something to play for and we have a great value defense. The Steelers defense has averaged 11 points per game, has a great matchup, and is the best salary saving defense with upside in Week 17.

Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than seven years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.