The National Football League’s 2017 regular season is coming to a close this weekend. What a magical ride it’s been! It’s also been dogsh*t ride too thanks to a season of endless injuries and owners f*cking up social progress, but this is the final daily fantasy football post of the year so we’ll be focusing on the cheerier stuff. Y’know, mostly correct (so far) observations about the upcoming slate of games and how that could impact your DFS roster. Once this season is over your Sundays are kinda sorta free again and you can go back to dogfights (or whatever it is you do on weekends which I guess could include playoff games). For now? We’re all in the NFL’s pocket for one more Sunday.
I’m Dan and it’s been my pleasure to go on this silly fantasy sports excursion with you cool cats. Apologies for the garbage advice and a humble “you’re welcome” (which is worse) for the stuff that panned out. There’s a strong possibility you’ll be drunk or making the mistake of eating the second half of that brownie on Sunday cuz New Year’s, so let’s just get to the football blab, shall we?
Quarterback
Invest in Jared Goff: Jared Goff’s 2016 rookie campaign was the sort of miserable experience where you had to watch his games through your fingers in a bid not to feel contact shame. One year later and Goff looks like a completely different quarterback and is thriving with Sean McVay (a tween with a fake ID from I understand) serving as the Rams head coach. Goff and Todd Gurley enjoyed big fat fantasy totals in Week 16 against a Titans team who had a serviceable defense and pressure to make the postseason. Jimmy Garoppolo (a.k.a. Bay Area Christ II of this writing) won’t make things easy for the Rams in their Week 17 clash with San Francisco, but the Niners have the second-worst defense vs. QBs in fantasy in 2017. Goff appears poised to have a robust outing on Sunday, especially if Gurley keeps playing like he’s got a secret Game Genie code.
Avoid Andy Dalton: The Baltimore Ravens are looking to clinch a playoff spot and they can do so by playing in the blood of the Cincinnati Bengals and chewing up the husk that is Marvin Lewis in the process. The Ravens have preyed on opposing QBs in 2017 and boast the league-lead for interceptions, uh, intercepted. Baltimore whooped Cincy in a 20-0 blanking in the season opener and nothing about this game or season suggests Andy Dalton will magically torch the Ravens defense in Baltimore. Maintain a healthy distance.
Consider Jacoby Brissett: No, you don’t have to watch the Colts/Texans game on Sunday to roll with Jacoby Brissett. In fact, doing so probably hurts the property value of your home. All that aside, Brissett (a reasonable $5,500 play on DraftKings) gets an excellent showcase to put his talent on display against the hapless Houston Texans. (The fact the Texans have become a punching bag for opposing teams should let you know how this year panned out for Houston football fans.) Houston sits in the bottom three when it comes to giving up fantasy points to QBs and are dead last in the league in terms of plain ol’ (scoreboard) points allowed. Brissett threw for 308 yards, notched two TDs and was all-around a headache for the Texans when they played last.
Running Back
Invest in Alvin Kamara: Alvin Kamara’s fantasy salary is high ($7,900 this weekend on DraftKings) because the dude has proven to be invaluable to the Saints. New Orleans is looking to lock up the NFC South title with a win over Tampa Bay and the combo of Kamara and Ingram are essential to the Saints offense. Ingram lugged the rock more than Kamara last week, but Kamara’s team-high 9 targets in that win underline the threat the third-round rookie possesses. The last time New Orleans and Tampa Bay faced each other, Kamara ran for a touchdown, racked up a TD reception and notched over 150 all-purpose yards.
Avoid Ezekiel Elliott: Outside of the potential for devastating injuries, Week 17’s NFC East clash between Dallas and Philadelphia will be purely academic for the Cowboys. Offensive line issues and a dreadful passing outing did Ezekiel Elliott no favors in a do-or-die game against the Seahawks and that struggle appears destined to repeat itself against an unforgiving Eagles defense. The combo of Elliott’s price tag ($8,700), the Week 16 performance from Dallas’ offense and a stiff challenge versus Philly all signal very tough sledding for Elliott drafters.
Consider Jamaal Williams: Jamaal Williams is expected to get the bulk of Green Bay’s rushing work when the Packers face Detroit on Sunday. That’s excellent news for Williams (a $5,200 bargain on DraftKings) who gets a very beatable Lions defense in the Packers finale. Only the Bills have given up more TDs on the ground to running backs this season and Giovani Bernand demonstrated last week that this trend of Detroit’s defense being a fantasy RB’s dream is chugging along nicely. The rookie out of BYU enjoyed an impressive three-game stretch of totals from Week 12 to Week 14 and Sunday’s matinee in Detroit is an excellent opportunity for Williams to showcase his value as an NFL running back. Also a plus? Packers QB Brett Hundley has been better at getting Green Bay’s offense clicking on the road, rather than Lambeau Field. Give it a think.
Wide Reciever
Invest in T.Y. Hilton: T.Y. Hilton’s 2017 campaign has been far from roses, wedding cake and HJs, which is to be expected when Andrew Luck is in storage as opposed to leading the Colts offense. Week 17 sees the Colts take on the Texans and that is an absolute blessing of a matchup for Hilton who is frankly undervalued at $5,900 on DraftKings. Only the Cowboys have surrendered more touchdowns to WRs than the Texans this season and both Hilton and Colts QB Jacoby Brissett had a fantastic game against Houston earlier this season. Hilton looks like an excellent option this Sunday.
Avoid A.J. Green: It would be painfully Bengals-y for Cincinnati to destroy Baltimore’s relentless defense in a meaningless game for the franchise, wouldn’t it? (Your level of stock in the Marvin Lewis farewell game may vary.) A.J. Green is incredible, but a stifling and suffocating Baltimore pass defense is out to nullify Green and Andy Dalton at every turn. It’s not a friendly matchup for Green or the GMs that snap up him up.
Consider Kenny Golladay: Kenny Golladay has enjoyed precisely one mega outing in 2017 (all the way back in the season opener if you can remember that far), but Detroit’s home date versus Green Bay could prove to be a huge afternoon for the Lions wideout. Featuring the bargain bin salary of $3,300, Golladay gets a very beatable defense in Green Bay and the services of Matt Stafford who hung 361 yards on Green Bay the last go-around. Golladay being targeted a season-high 8 times versus Cincinnati suggests the offense has set the table for an overdue big fantasy total in Week 17.
Tight End
Invest in Rob Gronkowski: New England still has a number one seed to lock-up, so the Pats will still be in search and destroy mode against the Jets on Sunday. Torching New York in the first half could put Rob Gronkowski on the bench, but as long as the Pats need to obliterate their AFC East rival, we can count on Gronk doing Gronk-like things against a Jets defense that’s been pretty kind to opposing tight ends. The last go-around resulted in Gronk notching two TDs in scenic East Rutherford, so if you’re one of them “past performance is the best indicator of future performance” types this is a no-brainer of a pick. Provided Jinder Mahal doesn’t seek revenge, of course.
Avoid Greg Olsen: An injury-plagued season has largely sunk Greg Olsen’s value and while he certainly has the potential to be a factor in a vital Panthers/Falcons showdown, it’s not looking like an afternoon where Olsen’s $5,600 DraftKings salary is justified. The Panthers offense didn’t look on point against the Bucs last week and Atlanta has seen a number of strong outings holding tight ends to meager fantasy totals. It’s not unreasonable to draft Greg Olsen, I’d just be very cautious about doing so.
Consider Charles Clay: The Bills venture to Miami with the goal of keeping the hope of a postseason bid flickering like a flame dancing on a Western New York tailgate table. Charles Clay, an excellent value pick at $3,700, gets the opportunity to run wild on a Dolphins defense that tight ends have been exploiting all year long. Buffalo’s tight end has seen some robust target totals in his last two games (19 targets in that stretch) and Tyrod Taylor likes to keep Clay on his radar. Give the dude your consideration.
Here’s a friendly visual aide confirming that you can nestle your big investments alongside budget-friendly options.
And that wraps up our daily fantasy football coverage for this season. For every NFL chunklet that you need to know for the playoffs and beyond, rely on UPROXX Sports to bring you the new and necessary. Later buds! Thanks again.
