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.

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.

DFS PROS favorite plays: Week 16

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 15 of the NFL. Find out who Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

QUARTERBACKS

LAMAR JACKSON- $8000 DRAFTKINGS, $9300 FANDUEL

Lamar Jackson is the favorite for the MVP and has received the most votes for the Pro Bowl. There is a very good chance he won’t be attending the Pro Bowl because these Ravens are for real. Not too long ago, Jackson was sitting in the green room of the NFL draft with his head down waiting to be drafted. He was left as the last man in the room and is now he is carving up defenses and taking names. Take advantage of his dual-threat capabilities in Week 16 and let others make the mistake of not paying up for him in cash games. I love Lamar in a dream matchup versus the Browns for both cash games and tournaments so find value elsewhere and lock him in.

DAK PRESCOTT- $6400 DRAFTKINGS, $8000 FANDUEL

This is a must-win game for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys versus their in-division rival Philadelphia Eagles. Prescott wasn’t needed much in a Week 7 massacre of the Eagles when he put up 21 points in a 37-10 victory. This time he will be going on the road and I expect more of a back and forth game where Dak will be needed to throw for four quarters. Prescott has averaged 23 points on the season and gets a cupcake matchup versus the 23rd ranked defense against opposing quarterbacks. This secondary will be exploitable and I love the Prescott to Cooper stack for tournaments.

RUNNING BACKS

SAQUON BARKLEY- $8300 DRAFTKINGS, $8800 FANDUEL

I had Saquon higher than most professionals last week and I will double down on the call this week. He’s coming off a 33 point performance on DraftKings in Week 15 and I can see a way he matches or exceeds that in Week 16. The Redskins are ranked 27th against opposing running backs which should leave gaping holes for Barkley in both the running and passing game. I like Barkley for both cash and tournaments and I believe he outscores all the other top-end backs who have tougher matchups this week.

JOE MIXON- $6600 DRAFTKINGS, $7800 FANDUEL

Over the course of the season, I have yet to call on Mixon or many Bengals to carry my fantasy teams, but this will be the week to buy low on Mixon on DraftKings at $6600. Mixon is coming off 3 strong games against tough defenses and now gets to carve up a league-worst run defense in the Miami Dolphins. Barkley just dropped 33 points on this Dolphin defense and at this price on DraftKings I will be happy with a 20+ point performance. Mixon has two consecutive 100 yard games and I think he is line for a third straight in Week 16.

WIDE RECEIVERS

MICHAEL THOMAS- $7700 DRAFTKINGS, $9000 FANDUEL

The award for the top fantasy wide receiver this year goes to Michael Thomas and it’s not even close. He has gone for 33 fantasy points in his last two games and is averaging 25 on the season. Thomas should be a lock in your cash games and the first receiver chosen. Find value elsewhere and find a way to lock in Thomas versus the 19th worst defense against wide receivers. Barring any injury, I don’t see any way he gets less than 20+ points versus the Tennessee Titans in Week 16.

AMARI COOPER- $7200 DRAFTKINGS, $7700 FANDUEL

I like to target Amari Cooper more when he’s playing at home in Dallas but this matchup is too juicy to turn down. Like I stated above this is a must-win for Dallas if they want to make a playoff run and I believe Cooper steps up and claims his title of an “Elite Receiver” after this game. He has a safe floor on the season and has averaged 17 points per game. Couple that with the fact he is going against an Eagles secondary who ranks 27th against opposing wide receivers and we now have a safe floor with high upside. Cooper hauled in 5 receptions for 106 yards in their first matchup and I think he outdoes that in Week 16.

TIGHT ENDS

ZACK ERTZ- $6400 DRAFTKINGS, $6900 FANDUEL

With all the injuries the Eagles have on offense Ertz is the safe way to attack this Cowboys defense. The Eagles will have to keep pace with the Cowboys in what I expect to be a high scoring back and forth affair. Ertz is getting the majority of targets in the passing game and is the first option whenever they get in the red zone. He has the upside to double the points of any tight end of the slate and is averaging 15 points per game. He comes in as my number 1 overall play at tight end in Week 16.

JACOB HOLLISTER– $4200 DRAFTKINGS, $5700 FANDUEL

There is a simple rule in fantasy football over the past 3 years. Target the tight end against the Arizona Cardinals. For whatever reason, the Cardinals love to leave tight ends wide open every single week and that is the reason I will be targeting Hollister. Take the discount with Hollister who has come on towards the end of the season and pay up at wide receiver instead. This should be a double-digit game for Hollister and I wouldn’t be surprised if he found a way to exceed 15 or even 20 DraftKings points this week.

DEFENSES

RAVENS- $4000 DRAFTKINGS, $4500 FANDUEL

This Raven defense is getting stronger every week and I believe they are a true Super Bowl contender. I think this week they make another strong statement by embarrassing Baker Mayfield. I personally think Mayfield is less than mediocre and the Ravens will apply pressure all day and force him to make mistakes, take sacks, and crumble with frustration. This receiving core has already abandoned ship. The Ravens are smelling blood in the water and will be fishing for turnovers.

BRONCOS- $3500 DRAFTKINGS, $5000 FANDUEL

The Broncos get a home matchup in the cold confines of mile high. This Denver defense is better than people believe and I think they go under-owned this week. After an impressive Thanksgiving day game David Blough and this Lion offense has sputtered. Blough has 5 turnovers now in 3 games and should be in line for a couple more in Week 16. Lock in these Broncos at home for both cash games and tournaments.