Week 18 DraftKings NFL DFS Lineup Picks - Sunday Main Slate: Baker Mayfield, Bijan Robinson, Mike Evans, and more

January 4, 2025

Joe Nicely's DraftKings NFL DFS picks and lineup sleepers for the Week 18 (January 2025) Main Slate. His top daily fantasy football lineups to target for DraftKings DFS contests.

Thanks for joining us for the final Main Slate of the NFL regular season! This is always a unique slate, as we not only have to identify strong plays, but we must also juggle the varying motivations of different teams. That word - motivation - will be a popular theme in this week's article.

These DraftKings lineup recommendations are based on matchups, projected DK points and ownership, overall upside/talent levels, and opportunity, as well as factors such as Vegas odds, home-field advantage, and more. There are quite a few great plays available on DK for Week 18, and this article includes a couple of my favorite options for each position.

Also, be sure to check out our weekly FanDuel DFS lineup picks and lots of other great NFL DFS articles and NFL DFS tools to help you win MORE this season! Good luck with your DraftKings DFS lineups -- let's dominate this Week 18 slate together!

DraftKings Quarterbacks - Week 18 DFS Picks

Baker Mayfield - NO at TB ($7,000)

Fresh off a monster Week 17 outing in which he threw for an eye-popping 359 yards and five TDs against Carolina, Baker Mayfield has this Bucs squad on the brink of the NFC South title and a postseason appearance. With Tampa on a playoff quest in recent weeks, Mayfield has been nothing short of spectacular, racking up an average of 28.72 DraftKings points per game over the Bucs' last four.

BAKER MAYFIELD WAS ROBBED FROM BEING A PRO BOWLER…

• 4,279 passing yards (3rd)
• 39 passing touchdowns (2nd)
• 386 of 538
• 71.7% completion percentage (T-2nd)
• 107.6 passer rating (4th)
• 3 rushing TDs
• 42 total TDs

BAKER IS THE BEST QUARTERBACK IN THE NFC.

😤😤😤 pic.twitter.com/FQ94TgmeHP

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 2, 2025

Facing a straightforward win-and-in scenario this week, Mayfield and company will be highly motivated to score early and often against the Saints. Ravaged by injuries down the stretch, New Orleans has coughed up 20+ points in three straight and has relinquished the NFL's sixth-most passing yards this season.

Joshua Dobbs - SF at ARI ($4,000)

With all the moving parts and differing motivations in the final week of the regular season, we can occasionally find players who are drastically underpriced. That's the case in Week 18 with Niners quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who is priced at a stone minimum of $4,000 even though he's been named San Francisco's starter for the regular-season finale with Brock Purdy on the shelf with an elbow injury.

Dobbs isn't your typical backup QB, as he has legitimate NFL experience under his belt, as well as a history of success from a DFS perspective.

A dangerous runner, Dobbs picked up 421 yards and six TDs on the ground across 12 starts with the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings last season. His rushing ability brings an enticing DFS floor to the table - especially when considering his dirt-cheap price tag on the Week 18 Main Slate.

DraftKings Running Backs - Week 18 DFS Picks

Bijan Robinson - CAR at ATL ($8,500)

There has been no better run defense to target in 2024 than the Panthers. Carolina has been the league's worst team against the run this season by virtually every metric, ranking dead last in the NFL in DraftKings points allowed to the RB position. The Panthers are the only team in the league that's allowed more than five yards per carry and more than 2,000 rushing yards to enemy running backs in 2024.

Facing a must-win Week 18 scenario, the Falcons won't be shy about leaning on their superstar back, Bijan Robinson. The second-year pro has been the definition of a dual-threat RB this season. Robinson stands fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (1,286) and third among running backs with 59 receptions. Atlanta's electric star will feast in this juicy matchup.

Blake Corum - SEA at LAR ($5,600)

The rookie has been firmly stuck behind Rams workhorse and Sean McVay favorite Kyren Williams on the L.A. depth chart this season. However, with Williams and multiple other Rams starters slated to sit in Week 18, Corum is primed to see a sharply expanded workload in the regular-season finale.

It sounds like #Rams HC Sean McVay will rest his starters on Sunday, even if the Rams are in a position to move up from the #4 seed (in case of a Bucs victory) to the #3 seed with a win

McVay also stated that he’s “excited about watching Blake Corum get a heavy workload” pic.twitter.com/82mAiNele5

— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) December 31, 2024

Many thought the former Michigan superstar would could into Williams' volume as the season progressed, though that was far from the case.

Despite his lack of usage, Corum has displayed athleticism and burst in his limited 2024 opportunities. He draws a plus matchup against a Seahawks team that has already been eliminated from playoff contention and ranks 24th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed to the RB position this season.

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DraftKings Wide Receivers - Week 18 DFS Picks

Mike Evans - NO at TB ($8,000)

Motivation is a common thread that runs through the Week 18 slate every year. To say Mike Evans will be highly motivated this week would be a massive understatement, as Evans will be chasing the trifecta of the postseason, history, and money against the Saints.

He's famously topped 1,000 receiving yards in every season of his prolific 10-year career and enters the regular season finale 85 yards short of that mark. In addition to that historic streak, Evans has contract incentives that would pay him $3 million if he catches five or more passes and tallies 85 or more yards against New Orleans.

Bucs WR Mike Evans is not just 85 receiving yards shy of extending his record for most consecutive 1,000 yard seasons to begin a career, he’s also 5 catches and 85 yards away from earning a $3M escalator on his 2025 base salary.

A chance for the playoffs and big💰 in Week 18.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 2, 2025

With arch-nemesis Marshon Lattimore no longer patrolling the Saints secondary, Evans has a clear path to reaching all of his goals on Sunday. With their season dead in the water months ago, New Orleans has little chance of slowing down this high-octane Tampa passing attack. The Saints have allowed the NFL's fifth-most receiving yards to the WR position in 2024.

Josh Downs - JAX at IND ($5,300)

Busting as DFS chalk in Week 17, this profiles as a nice rebound spot for Josh Downs. Joe Flacco is expected to again be under center for the Colts in the final game of the season against the abysmal Jags. Despite just getting four looks last week, Downs has been Flacco's favorite receiver when he's suited up in 2024, garnering 52 targets with Flacco in the lineup.

In Jacksonville, Downs pulls a smash spot. He reeled in nine of 12 Flacco targets for 69 yards against the Jaguars in a Week 5 shootout. Jacksonville ranks dead last in the NFL in yards per target (9.13) allowed to opposing wide receivers this season.

DraftKings Tight Ends - Week 18 DFS Picks

Trey McBride - SF at ARI ($6,500)

Perhaps the toughest position to put a finger on in this unique week, multiple starting TEs will be rested or limited this week. We've seen no reports of that being the case for Trey McBride in the regular-season finale.

Here is Trey McBride’s 98th catch — and first touchdown of the season. pic.twitter.com/GGzkkSOwO5

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 29, 2024

McBride crossed the milestone marks of 100 catches and 1,000 receiving yards last week while also recording his first TD of the year in Arizona's Week 17 loss to the Rams. The stat padding should continue this week against the Niners and a depleted defense that's been ravaged by injuries in 2024.

Jake Ferguson - WAS at DAL ($3,900)

If you're looking to pay down at the TE position, Dallas' Jake Ferguson does catch the eye as a solid option. Long out of the playoff hunt, there should be no reason for the Cowboys to make any major lineup changes in Week 18, which means Ferguson should again be one of the primary weapons in this CeeDee Lamb-less offense.

Since returning from an injury in Week 14, Ferguson has posted modest stat lines, though he's averaged a stout six targets per game across Dallas' last four. I'll take the volume at this $3.9k price point in the environment of this slate against a Washington defense that's yielded the league's third-most receiving TDs (eight) to the tight end position this year.

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