Tag: Week 17 Fanball

Primetime DFS Domination: Week 17

Lineup recommendations for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 17 DFS fantasy football primetime slate.

The massive popularity of small DFS slates has propelled us to expand our DFS coverage. I will give you my favorite lineup for the Primetime Slate each week. We will release these as soon as both sites release their pricing.

Recommended Primetime DFS lineups

DK Lineup: QB Jared Goff ($6.8k), RB Bijan Robinson ($8.2k), RB Brian Robinson Jr. ($6.1k), WR Jameson Williams ($6.0k), WR Deebo Samuel ($5.7k), WR Jamison Crowder ($3.5k), TE Sam LaPorta ($4.9k), FLEX George Kittle ($6.0k), DST Atlanta Falcons ($2.7k)

FD Lineup: QB Jared Goff ($7.9k), RB Jahmyr Gibbs ($9.0k), RB Bijan Robinson ($8.9k), WR Jauan Jennings ($6.9k), WR Jameson Williams ($6.4k) WR Ray-Ray McCloud ($5.7k), TE Sam LaPorta ($6.3k), FLEX Zach Ertz ($5.0k), DST Atlanta Falcons ($3.7k)

Considering the price and potential weather, Jared Goff and Brock Purdy are the best options. I’d love to use Jayden Daniels to take advantage of his rushing ability. That said, the rain could hurt his passing numbers, and the rookie’s price is considerably more than everyone else. Michael Penix Jr. has the arm to be successful, but the weather scares me since this is only his second pro start. If the weather report improves, consider using him as a pivot. 

Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs are the preferred pair to play. On DK, fitting them both under the cap is sketchy, at best. You will probably have to choose one or the other. Brian Robinson Jr. is the preferred pivot from whichever stud you fade. If Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) plays, he also would be a pivot. Patrick Taylor earned the start last week, and he was meh. With all the injuries the Lions have on defense, Taylor could produce a better line this week. This keeps him in mind as a volume pivot. Tyler Allgeier sees enough snaps (including goal-line work) to consider as an RB2/flex, if you don’t use Bijan. Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. are both dart throws who could see additional playing time this week if Brian Robinson remains in the coach’s doghouse because of recent fumbles.

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It will be virtually impossible to fit Amon-Ra St. Brown under the cap unless you go silly-cheap at RB. That is fine since Jameson Williams has produced on par with Amon-Ra recently. My WR1 comes down to Jauan Jennings, Terry McLaurin (ankle), Deebo Samuel and Drake London. The price of McLaurin is higher than the others, but if he plays, he is the best choice. The prices of the other three players are very similar, making them virtually interchangeable. Williams will probably be my WR2. Darnell Mooney is the only obvious pivot there. It becomes very sketchy at WR3. You can either spend up for a better TE or serviceable WR3. Ray-Ray McCloud and Tim Patrick are the safest WR3 choices. You also could punt with any of the Commanders’ depth WRs or Kalif Raymond (foot) if he returns as expected this week.

The TE position is gross this week. On FD, you can either pay up for George Kittle and then shaft yourself at WR or use the slightly cheaper Sam LaPorta. Zach Ertz is the discount pivot. He also makes a solid flex play. Kyle Pitts also is cheap. He also is absolutely unreliable. If you like lighting money on fire, play him.

Saturday DFS Domination: Week 17

Lineup recommendations for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 17 DFS fantasy football primetime slate.

The massive popularity of small DFS slates has propelled us to expand our DFS coverage. Here are my favorite lineups for this Saturday-Only Slate.

Recommended Saturday-Only DFS lineups

DK Lineup: QB Joe Burrow ($7.2k), RB Kyren Williams ($7.5k), RB Antonio Gibson ($5.2k), WR Ja’Marr Chase ($8.4k), WR Ladd McConkey ($6.6k), WR Kendrick Bourne ($3.3k), TE Stone Smartt ($3.4k), FLEX Marvin Harrison Jr. ($5.2k), DST Los Angeles Rams ($3.2k)

FD Lineup: QB Joe Burrow ($8.0k), RB Kyren Williams ($8.5k), RB Antonio Gibson ($5.3k), WR Ja’Marr Chase ($9.6k), WR Cooper Kupp ($7.6k) WR Ladd McConkey ($7.2k), TE Stone Smartt ($5.0k), FLEX Kendrick Bourne ($4.8k), DST Los Angeles Rams ($4.0k)

Joe Burrow (wrist/knee) carries the same injury designations he has played through most of the season. I’m less concerned about the injury than the matchup. Still, he has played at an elite level for several weeks, so he remains the top option on the board. If I pivot from him, it will probably be with Bo Nix or Justin Herbert. Kyler Murray also may be in play, but offensive line injuries in front of him are disconcerting. Fade Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye.

Injury and job split concerns surround the RB depth chart. Kyren Williams and Chase Brown are the top options on the docket, but you must get creative at WR/TE to fit both. Still, one of them must be your RB1. James Conner (knee) would be a great pivot if he’s cleared to play. His backup, Trey Benson (ankle), also is beaten up. Both are officially questionionable. He could be a decent RB2 pivot if Conner is out. Michael Carter would get the start if they were both out. He could finish as a volume RB2, but he’s a stretch play, at best.

We also don’t know how the Chargers’ backfield will shake out. J.K. Dobbins (knee) has missed several weeks and is questionable. Even if he plays, he likely will be on a snap count. Gus Edwards (ankle) coming off a big week but has been ruled out. The backfield could end up being led by Kimani Vidal. If so, he would instantly vault to the top of my RB2 rankings. But there’s so much uncertainty that both the rookie and Dobbins fall more into the flex/punt range.

Denver also features an island of misfit toys at RB. Good luck choosing which of Jaleel McLaughlin, Javonte Williams, and Audric Estime to play from week to week. Cincy’s defense sucks, so whoever leads this backfield could produce serviceable numbers, but choosing between them is fantasy Russian roulette. Finally, we have New England. The coaches have announced that Antonio Gibson may take over as the primary ball carrier from Rhamondre Stevenson. If this is true, Gibson makes an interesting case to be the RB2 on this slate. Of course, this could be coachspeak, which would destroy your chances. That said, I trust the move here.

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At WR1, you have your choice of Ja’Marr Chase or Puka Nacua. Puka’s matchup is easier, but can you really ignore the ceiling that Chase presents? If you fade Chase, please use Tee Higgins at WR2, assuming he plays through a questionable tag. The other WR2 choices are Cooper Kupp, Courtland Sutton, and Ladd McConkey. The top-WR3 choice is Marvin Harrison Jr., since his ceiling is far above any of the other No. 3 choices. Quentin Johnston, Demarcus Robinson, the Patriots trio (Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne), and Devaughn Vele are the reasonable pivots there. Michael Wilson, Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, Joshua Palmer, and Andrei Iosivas are dart throws, at best.

Trey McBride has a solid matchup, but he never scores. Considering the depth this week, he should be an easy fade. Mike Gesicki is my favorite pivot. Will Dissly (shoulder) may return from his two-game absence. It may be too late for him, though, as Stone Smartt may have wrestled the top spot from him. If Dissly is out, Smartt is a lineup lock. Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are both seeing consistent targets for New England. I prefer Henry, but both are playable and either could be your flex. Tyler Higbee returned from a nearly year-long injury absence and immediately scored a TD. He should see a higher snap share this week, making him a low-ceiling pivot. Much like their RBs, the Denver TE room is a hall of horrors. In a favorable matchup, Adam Trautman is the one I would choose. Thankfully, I don’t have to.

Christmas DFS Domination: Week 17

Lineup recommendations for DraftKings and FanDuel for the Week 17 DFS fantasy football Christmas Day slate.

The massive popularity of small DFS slates has propelled us to expand our DFS coverage. Today, I offer you a holiday present as a bonus money-making opportunity for the Christmas Day slate. So, let’s ho, ho, go, and unwrap all the loot under the tree.

Recommended Christmas Day DFS lineups

DK Lineup: QB Lamar Jackson ($8.0k), RB Derrick Henry ($8.2k), RB Kareem Hunt ($5.2k), WR Nico Collins ($8.3k), WR Rashod Bateman ($4.8k), WR Marquise Brown ($4.5k), TE Mark Andrews ($4.3k), FLEX Pat Freiermuth ($3.9k), DST Pittsburgh Steelers ($2.8k)

FD Lineup: QB Lamar Jackson ($8.6k), RB Derrick Henry ($9.2k), RB Isiah Pacheco ($5.9k), WR Nico Collins ($9.1k), WR Rashod Bateman ($6.2k) WR DeAndre Hopkins ($6.1k), TE Pat Freiermuth ($5.3k), FLEX Dalton Schultz ($5.5k), DST Pittsburgh Steelers ($4.0k)

FB Lineup: QB Lamar Jackson ($7.8k), RB Derrick Henry ($7.7k), RB Kareem Hunt ($5.3k), WR Nico Collins ($7.3k), WR Zay Flowers ($6.2k), WR/TE Marquise Brown ($4.3k), TE Mark Andrews ($4.4k), FLEX Travis Kelce ($5.4k), SUPERFLEX Patrick Mahomes ($6.6k)

Lamar Jackson is expensive, but deservingly so. He is the safest play on the slate. C.J. Stroud has arguably the best matchup, but he also will be without two of his three starting WRs from earlier this season. Stroud and Patrick Mahomes will be the pivot options. We can ignore Russell Wilson, the cheapest QB on the slate, unless George Pickens (hamstring) returns.

Choosing not to play Derrick Henry is certainly a decision. On a weak RB board, it’s a decision that was probably influenced by drinking some expired egg nog. If you fade Henry, Joe Mixon would be the pivot. Financially, rostering both of them is next to impossible, unless you get gross at WR. RB2 should be one of the Kansas City Chiefs. After last week, Kareem Hunt seems the safer option, but Isiah Pacheco is a fine choice as well. Their prices are virtually interchangeable. Jaylen Warren outproduced Najee Harris last week. That performance came against a stout run defense, which led to featuring Warren more in the passing game. KC also is tough against the run, suggesting Warren may outproduce Harris once again if you choose to use one of them at flex or RB2. A concussion knocked Justice Hill (concussion) out of last week’s game. Clearing the protocol in a short week seems impossible. This suggests that Rasheen Ali and Keaton Mitchell may see some play. Mitchell has been a healthy scratch the last three weeks, but he looked electric when presented with an opportunity last season. Either of them, Samaje Perine, or Cordarrelle Patterson could be punt options.

Saint Nico Collins should bring the presents as your WR1. There isn’t a pivot. He should have 100% ownership. WR2 will be a choice between Zay Flowers (shoulder), George Pickens (hamstring), and the three Chiefs (Marquise Brown, Xavier Worthy, and DeAndre Hopkins). If Flowers is a no-go, Rashod Bateman also can be a consideration. At WR3, I’m going to play one of the remaining Chiefs, Calvin Austin, or Robert Woods. The punt options include: Nelson Agholor (concussion), Tylan Wallace, Van Jefferson, John Metchie (shoulder), JuJu Smith-Schuster, Ben Skowronek (hip), Mike Williams, and Xavier Hutchinson. None of them are very appealing.

We have two stud TEs, Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce. We also have two solid TEs facing crappy TE defenses: Pat Freiermuth and Dalton Schultz. With the shortage of depth talent to choose from on this slate, I will probably choose one of these four as my flex. Noah Gray and Isaiah Likely should see enough volume to consider as punt plays.