RADIO
We made it to Week 18! Our reward? The Wild West! The season's final week is one of the most difficult as we have the least information we’ve had since Week 1. This is great for the GPP player, but for the cash game player, this is one of the most challenging weeks of the season. As usual, our cash lineups are going to try to stick to the safest options with players who are in the best spots and who have the most to play for. Unless clarity is provided, and it won’t be, you’re not going to see cash game options listed from teams like the 49ers, Rams, or Browns; we just don’t know how they are going to deploy their players with literally nothing on the line.
The GPP player is going to love this week because anything goes. Backups and third-stringers should see more than enough work to justify a spot in your lineup, and their low prices will allow you to put whomever it is you like in the rest of your lineup. This is not a week to invest too heavily because of the uncertainty, but it is one of the more fun weeks to play every year.
I’m super excited for Week 18, and my goal is to create a hierarchy of plays so you know who to prioritize when building your lineups! Remember that this article is written early in the week, so please make sure to check in with our Discord for any updates as practice reports come in throughout the week and a clearer picture starts to come into view. Also, check out our other great NFL DFS articles and NFL DFS tools to help you win big!
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DraftKings NFL DFS Cash Rankings - Quarterbacks
1. Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys - $8,000)
There may not be a safer play at any position than Dak Prescott this weekend. If the Cowboys win this game, they lock up the NFC East and the second seed in the conference, so we know the motivation is going to be there for Dallas. They get to face one of the worst defenses in the NFL, a Commanders team that allowed Prescott to rack up 35.24 DraftKings points in Week 12. The Cowboys will not only want to win this game to lock up their division but to also go into the playoffs with a little bit of momentum.
They are coming off a rough four-game stretch that saw them go 2-2 against Philly, Buffalo, Miami, and Detroit; a treacherous gauntlet of playoff teams. They will want to roll in this cupcake matchup to get back on track. There will be a lot of value popping up at quarterback this weekend as teams announce which starters will rest; I don’t want any of that in my cash games. Give me the best offense in the best matchup with the most to play for and leave that goofy stuff for GPP lineups.
2. Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks - $6,100)
3. Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers - $6,600)
Others in consideration: Nick Mullens, Tyrod Taylor, Justin Fields
Sunday update: Whole-slate cash games are going to be HARD this week. I'm finding that the easiest path for me is to run an early-only cash line with Nick Mullens as my quarterback. If you're playing whole-slate, then you want one of the quarterbacks from the late-slate; most notably Dak Prescott. There's more than enough value on the slate to make him fit and he projects to be the highest-scoring quarterback out there. I'm not getting cute with this position in cash; I'm riding the best guy.
DraftKings NFL DFS GPP Rankings - Quarterbacks
1. Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers - $6,600)
Dak Prescott is likely going to be the most widely rostered quarterback this weekend, leaving opportunities for pivots up and down the slate. As I mentioned earlier, and will mention again, there is going to be a multitude of wacky options available this week as teams sit starters but I’m not looking to use those players as my “top” option in any lineups. Instead, I want a player who is playing well and has something to play for. Jordan Love is the QB5 this year in fantasy and he’s in a situation where the Packers win and they’re in the playoffs. That’s quite the combination of talent and motivation.
When these teams played in Week 1, Love scored 23 DraftKings points; one of eight times he’s scored more than 20 points this year. Love averages 34 passing attempts per game, which is more than enough to sustain two pass catchers; especially when his pass catchers are as inexpensive as they are on Green Bay. It’s easy to grab a bring-back for Chicago, with DJ Moore, Khalil Herbert, and maybe Robert Tonyan (revenge game!) as the only realistic options.
Jordan Love: highest-graded QB in the NFL since week 12 (90.4) 🤯 pic.twitter.com/rAV2cj3Rxd
— PFF GB Packers (@PFF_Packers) January 2, 2024
2. Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys - $8,000)
3. Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars - $6,800)
Others in consideration: Nick Mullens, Geno Smith, Kyler Murray, Derek Carr, Jalen Hurts, Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff
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DraftKings NFL DFS Cash Rankings - Running Backs
1. James Conner (Arizona Cardinals - $6,100)
James Conner is one of the few players who I’m willing to put into my main cash game pool who don’t play for a team with any playoff motivation. I stress “playoff” as the Cardinals will want to end the year strong and head into 2024 with a bit of momentum after beating the Eagles in Week 17 and maybe keeping Seattle out of the playoffs in Week 18.
Conner’s recent run has been incredible, and it’s a total shock that his price hasn’t risen. He’s scored at least 17.9 DraftKings points in each of his last four games, scoring a total of six touchdowns. He’s been the entire running game for Arizona, getting 17 opportunities (carries + targets) in each of those four games.
Seattle may be fighting for a playoff spot, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are horrendous against the run. They’ve allowed 100 or more rushing yards 11 times this year, including each of the last six weeks. Over those six weeks, they haven’t allowed less than 136 rushing yards in any game and have given up more than 160 rushing yards five times. The Cardinals want to run, and this is a team you run on. It’s a great spot for Conner and one you should take advantage of for just $6,100.
James Conner this season:
* 4th among RBs in rush yards over expected (148)
* 5th in rush yds per game (74.2)
* 7th in yards per carry (4.9)Bellcow workload and that type of efficiency is so impressive.
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) January 2, 2024
2. Jordan Mason (San Francisco 49ers - $4,600)
3. Rachaad White (Tampa Bay Buccaneers - $7,600)
Others in consideration: Aaron Jones, Zamir White, Kenneth Walker
Sunday update: The biggest change to my rankings is that I've added Jordan Mason as the second cash option, and he should be the top option. He's so cheap, and he's going to be the chalk (assuming he's not a surprise inactive) in an offense that will be schemed around him. He may be "bad" chalk, but nobody else at this price point is "good". If playing early-only cash, then I'm looking at Rachaad White, Breece Hall, Bijan Robinson (lord help me), Tyjae Spears, and Pierre Strong.
DraftKings NFL DFS GPP Rankings - Running Backs
1. Saquon Barkley (New York Giants - $6,900)
Who in their right mind would want to play any New York Giants player against an Eagles team that needs to gain some positive momentum before the playoffs start next week? Philly is about to lose the division, and the last thing they want to do is head to the playoffs on a loss.
Unfortunately for them, their rushing defense is a mess. They’ve allowed over 100 rushing yards in seven straight games, including five games where they’ve allowed 138 or more rushing yards. In Week 16, Saquon Barkley had 29 opportunities against the Eagles and he produced 19.4 DraftKings points.
He’s 84 rushing yards and two touchdowns away from a 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown season and neither of those goals seems out of reach given how the Eagles have played over the last month and a half (84 yards + 2 touchdowns = 20 DraftKings points). Nobody is going to click on Barkley’s name this weekend. He’s been this cheap only once all year, and he makes for a high-upside one-off play or will be a low-owned bring-back to an Eagles stack.
2. Kenneth Walker III (Seattle Seahawks - $6,500)
3. Tony Pollard (Dallas Cowboys - $6,500)
Others in consideration: Khalil Herbert, Tyjae Spears, Travis Etienne, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jordan Mason, Jaleel McLaughlin, Chase Brown, Pierre Strong Jr.
DraftKings NFL DFS Cash Rankings - Wide Receivers
1. CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys - $9,300)
CeeDee Lamb has developed into the most reliable wide receiver in the NFL over the last 10 weeks. He has no fewer than nine targets in any game since Week 7, and he’s had double-digit targets in eight of his last 10 games. He has scored 16 or more DraftKings points in 11 straight games, including five games of 28 or more DraftKings points. Now go back and read everything I said in the Dak Prescott write-up about motivation and matchup and apply it to Lamb. He’s the clear and easy top wide receiver option in cash games this weekend, and with the value we can find on this slate, it’s easy to get him on your roster.
Here’s 10 straight minutes of CeeDee Lamb terrorizing the NFL in his historic 2023 campaign.
Enjoy‼️ pic.twitter.com/dzqhKnJZE0
— Outl✭w (@OutlawCowboyNFL) December 31, 2023
2. Christian Kirk (Jacksonville Jaguars - $3,000)
3. Greg Dortch (Arizona Cardinals - $4,600)
Others in consideration: DK Metcalf, Jayden Reed, Wan'Dale Robinson, Alex Erickson, Chris Godwin, Davante Adams
Sunday update: The free-est of free squares this entire year is Christian Kirk at the stone minimum price of $3,000. He is expected to be active for the game, and even if he's playing at less than 100% he's going to be involved, and even if he's not his ownership should be so high that he won't hurt you if he does poorly. There will be a plethora of $3,000 guys to choose from, but none of them profile like Kirk and they should all be reserved for GPP lineups.
DraftKings NFL DFS GPP Rankings - Wide Receivers
1. A.J. Brown (Philadelphia Eagles - $8,700)
The Eagles are an absolute mess right now. This counts double for their passing game. A.J. Brown has scored more than 20 DraftKings points just once since Week 8, yet his price continues to hover in the $9,000 range. He’s living off his reputation more than his production, but that’s what makes him a great tournament play this weekend. He’s still getting targets (double-digits in four of the last five weeks), but he hasn’t done anything with them. In those five games, he’s had more than 100 yards just once and he has a total of zero touchdowns.
That production does not correlate with his volume, and positive regression could be headed his way. In GPP lineups, we want to chase upside, and we’ve seen that upside with the Philadelphia offense repeatedly over the last two years. The Eagles will likely come in with a lower-than-expected ownership this weekend given their recent struggles and the superior matchup for the Cowboys. If Philly can find their spark, it could jump you up a tournament leaderboard if Dallas doesn’t explode offensively.
2. Christian Watson (Green Bay Packers - $4,700)
3. DK Metcalf (Seattle Seahawks - $7,200)
Others in consideration: Brandin Cooks, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Mike Evans, D.J. Moore, Adam Thielen, Drake London, Darius Slayton,Michael Wilson
DraftKings NFL DFS Rankings - Tight Ends
1. Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints - $3,600)
I wrote Juwan Johnson up last weekend, but pivoted off of him for Gerald Everett on Sunday. That’s not going to happen this weekend. Johnson came through with a monster performance in Week 17 and is primed to do so again this weekend as the Saints need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Johnson is more than a one-week wonder though, as he has a touchdown in three straight games and has seen a total of 19 targets the last two weeks. Derek Carr loves using his tight ends, and Johnson has emerged as the clear top option at that position for the Saints. He’s usable in both cash and GPP formats this weekend.
2. Jake Ferguson (Dallas Cowboys - $4,900)
3. Evan Engram (Jacksonville Jaguars - $5,400)
Others in consideration: Sam LaPorta, Trey McBride, Darren Waller, Kyle Pitts, Johnny Mundt
DraftKings NFL DFS Rankings - D/ST
1. Detroit Lions - $3,100
The Vikings' offense has been a turnover machine all year long, and now they don’t even know who their quarterback is going to be. Does it matter though? Whether it’s Jaren Hall, Nick Mullens, or Joshua Dobbs, the Lions will have a significant advantage. I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s going to be Mullens, and while he may throw for a lot of yards, he also has six interceptions in only three starts, including four against the Lions in Week 16.
If it’s Joshua Dobbs, he has six fumbles (three lost) and five interceptions in five starts for Minnesota. The worst option for the Detroit defense may be Jaren Hall simply because he doesn’t throw enough to matter. The Lions have a shot at the second seed in the NFC, and that should be enough motivation for them to give it their all on defense. They are averaging nearly three sacks and two turnovers forced per game over their last five games, including a 12 fantasy point effort in Week 16 against the Vikings.
2. Las Vegas Raiders - $3,300
3. Dallas Cowboys - $4,100
Others in consideration: Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers
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