Quarterback Matchups to Target in Week 17 - Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., Mason Rudolph

John's favorite QB matchups to exploit for Week 17 of 2024 - DFS quarterbacks to target on DraftKings and FanDuel. These QB matchups are GPP and cash game opportunities.

It's Week 17, the second-to-last game of the 2024 NFL regular season. There are only two more chances to make great picks at the quarterback position for Daily Fantasy Sports before the playoffs come. Generally, this gives you a better chance to get QBs at more reasonable prices against terrible defenses.

And that's something we usually want to bet on. Sometimes, the prices just don't make sense for the real NFL matchups that are coming up. Of course, it doesn't always lead to great production, but one good strategy is to take a chance on a cheap player so you can load up at other positions.

Let's dive into some DFS picks to target in Week 17.

Bo Nix ($6,200 DK, $7,600 FD)

Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals

This game seems to have all the makings of a shootout. Nix may have to throw early and often, and the Broncos' offense might be forced to score plenty of points to keep up with the Bengals. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow has thrown three or more touchdowns in his last seven games, and his team ranks sixth in offensive points per game this season.

JOE BURROW IS ICE COLD IN DECEMBER pic.twitter.com/UDr5foQlvt

— Chaston Scott (@CinCity808) December 26, 2024

With the playoffs on the line, the Bengals have a ton to play for. And Denver is also at risk of missing the postseason. If they lose out and Cincinnati wins out, the Bengals will go and the Broncos will stay home, meaning this game is extremely impactful.

Denver's offense has also been very productive this season, ranking 10th overall in points scored per game, and putting up 33.2 points per contest in their last five outings. Nix has been a primary architect of this, tossing 16 touchdowns in his last six efforts.

What a DIME by Bo Nix on the run! 🎯 🟠 🐎 🔵 #TNFonPrime #NFL pic.twitter.com/hQUUeeKX74

— OutOfSightSports🚀™️ (@OOSSports) December 20, 2024

Cincinnati has fielded a very poor defense this year as well, allowing the 5th-most points per game and 5th-most yards per game to opposing offenses, largely buoyed by them giving up over 230 passing yards per contest. This is an ideal matchup for the Broncos rookie, who's elevated his game since the start of the season.

His price seems to be depressed despite being a great fantasy option for most of the season. But he's one of our favorite picks this week. And Vegas has the over/under at 49.5 points -- generally, it's a good idea to be on games that have such high projected overall scores.

Michael Penix Jr. ($5,400 DK, $6,600 FD)

Atlanta Falcons @ Washington Commanders

Penix didn't have a great day last week, but his pass-catchers catching serious cases of butterfingers and not seriously catching the footballs thrown their way had a lot to do with it. The Falcons scored twice on defense, putting them up by plenty of points and allowing Atlanta to settle into a more conservative game plan.

Kyle Pitts welcome to the gulag pic.twitter.com/jFwdcRvPtS

— Tre’Shon (@tre3shon) December 22, 2024

This drop by tight end Kyle Pitts was simply unforgivable, and it led to Penix's first interception of his career. That was entirely on the TE, not on the QB. In fact, Penix showed a ton of poise in his first start and showcased his elite sack avoidance. Not taking a sack despite 14 (!!!) pressures is admirable.

He made plenty of NFL-level throws, showed great pocket awareness, was able to progress through his reads (unlike Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams), put his arm strength on display, and overall engineered good, clean offensive play.

Michael Penix Jr. was comfortable in the pocket, threw out breakers on time, and was able to work over the middle of the field

Penix Jr. also didn't take a sack despite being pressured 14 times pic.twitter.com/sdPmB0sSJO

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) December 22, 2024

He'll likely have a much better game script in Week 17. The Falcons will face the Washington Commanders, a team that generally doesn't turn the ball over often (five turnovers in Week 16 was an aberration), and scores a ton of points. Putting 36 on the board despite that lack of "taking care of the football" was impressive.

Atlanta has a porous pass defense, and it's easy to see why Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Terry McLaurin could carve it up on Sunday. Much like the Bengals/Broncos matchup, this one seems to have some nice shootout potential.

Mason Rudolph ($5,000 DK, $6,700 FD)

Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Rudolph is another cheap option we like. Again, as a reminder, the cheap QBs will allow you to spend more of your DFS cash on other quality players at other positions. The fact that he's cheaper than New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler on both DraftKings and FanDuel is... interesting.

MASON. RUDOLPH. 💪

Flashbacks for sooo many OSU fans right there. pic.twitter.com/Yhxe5hKv0e

— Reagan Harris (OSU Mart) (@OKSTMart) December 22, 2024

He'll now face the league's worst pass defense. Jacksonville allows a full 0.4 more yards per pass attempt than the second-worst team in the NFL in that category this season, and they allow such an absurd EPA (expected points added) on passing plays that it's historic.

The 2020 Lions are the ONLY team in the past 25 years with a worse pass defense than this year’s #Jaguars (circled below) pic.twitter.com/1vKeObc7Wc

— Gus Logue (@gus_logue) November 21, 2024

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell didn't do so well against them in Week 16, but he was a bit of an outlier. For most of this season, starting whichever QB and his best WRs played against the Jags has been a good idea. And with Rudolph being so cheap, it seems like he's a good option for Week 17.

He's done fine in his last two starts anyway. He scored 16.8 and 17.4 PPR fantasy points in Week 15 and Week 16, so he's shown that even though he's not played much this season, he's still a serviceable QB. In fact, in his last four starts, he averages just over 18.5 FPPG.

All Mason Rudolph does is throw TDs

pic.twitter.com/PpS9IKgRAG

— Barstool Pokes (@BarstoolOKST) November 3, 2024

It's fairly common in the NFL to see backup quarterbacks on some teams sitting on the bench while the team's starter plays worse football. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy has clearly outplayed the man ahead of him, Will Levis, this season. But Levis is younger, and the Titans wanted to see if they could develop him.

That hasn't worked, so Tennessee gets an upgrade at signal-caller, and you get a steal in your Daily Fantasy Sports games. We think you should take advantage of it.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your DFS contests!

More Weekly DFS Analysis