Many of us have seen our season-long fantasy football aspirations come to a screeching halt with the playoffs now underway. Luckily, one of the best parts of DraftKings is the opportunity to pick a new squad every week with their variety of DFS contests.
There has been plenty of NFL action already this week. In addition to two games on Christmas, the Thursday Night matchup, and the three games on Saturday- there is still a full slate of games on Sunday. While the eight games across the afternoon are a lighter slate than we are accustomed to, plenty of playoff-seeding stakes are on the line.
Here is a breakdown of some players with a great opportunity to outperform their price point in Week 17. Be sure to get some superstars in your lineup, but here are some lower-budget names who could help you win your competitions!
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Quarterbacks:
Kenny Pickett ($5,500)
The Philadelphia Eagles are set to be without Jalen Hurts after he suffered a concussion last week in the loss to the Washington Commanders. In roughly three-quarters of the action that Kenny Pickett received, the former Steelers quarterback completed 14 of his 24 pass attempts for 143 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Pickett also added 13 rushing yards. He finished as the 27th-ranked quarterback last week based on DraftKings fantasy scoring.
The situation should be different this week with the Eagles having a whole week to prepare Pickett under center. In addition, Philadelphia will be facing the Cowboys. While Dallas has played better football in recent weeks, they rank 30th in points allowed, 27th in yards given up, 22nd in passing yards conceded, and 29th in net yards per pass attempt. The Cowboys have not held an opponent below 300 yards of total offense since Week 10.
Pickett enters the week as the 10th most expensive quarterback. With limited options due to the number of games, Pickett has a chance to shine. The former 20th overall pick has 24 games of experience as a starter and a favorable matchup against a struggling Cowboys defense. The Eagles are loaded with offensive talent and can simplify things by allowing players like A.J. Brown, Saquon Barkley, and DeVonta Smith to make plays. Expect him to outperform expectations and for Pickett to lead the Eagles to officially clinch the NFC East division title with a victory.
Aidan O’Connell ($5,100)
It has been an up-and-down season for Aidan O’Connell and the entire Raiders organization. Last year’s 135th overall pick has played in seven games this season and served as a starter in five different matchups. Overall this season he has completed 63.2% of his passes for 1,156 passing yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions.
While the Raiders’ season outlook is bleak, O’Connell is playing for future job opportunities whether this is on the Raiders or elsewhere. He has a great opportunity to make a strong case for himself as he faces the New Orleans Saints this week. The Saints enter with a 5-10 record ranking 30th in yards allowed, 28th in passing yards given up, and 23rd in net yards per pass attempt. O’Connell has thrown for as many as 340 passing yards in a game this season and ranked 10th among quarterbacks in fantasy points in Week 13.
This is a risky play but an extremely important matchup for O’Connell. Expect the Purdue product to be focused on putting forth one of the best performances of his career and give the Raiders something to think about as the offseason approaches. The Saints defense has been struggling in a major way and the 26-year-old could not ask for a much better opportunity. Consider taking a chance on the 15th most expensive quarterback as you save funds for some other positions.
Running Backs
Ameer Abdullah ($5,100)
It has been years since Ameer Abdullah was relevant from a fantasy football or DFS perspective. From 2018-2023, Abdullah played for four different teams and carried the ball a total of 102 times for 433 yards and did not reach the end zone on the ground. While he did add 805 receiving yards and six touchdowns through the air across these six years, he has seen his level of opportunity grow with the Raiders in recent weeks.
This season, Abdullah has run the ball 46 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns while adding 37 receptions for 228 yards and three touchdowns through the air. He has seen his offensive snap percentage rise as high as 90% over the past five weeks and had a season-high 85 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown last week. He was 15th among all running backs in fantasy production in Week 16.
At 31 years old, Abdullah still has plenty of pop in his game and has flashed the ability to make a man miss in space. Expect the Raiders to continue to incorporate him into the offense and for the veteran to make his presence felt in this game. He likely will not win you the week, but it takes just one snap for this to be a different story. He has received 10+ touches in four of the past five weeks and if he sees this level of opportunity, Abdullah should be able to turn it into a positive day.
Raheem Blackshear ($4,000)
The Carolina Panthers received some negative injury news as Chuba Hubbard was placed on IR due to a calf injury. Hubbard ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing yards and leaves some major shoes to fill in the offense. With Miles Sanders already down for the season and Hubbard joining him on IR, Raheem Blackshear was the only other running back on the 53-man roster. Carolina also signed Mike Boone to the active roster who is expected to play a role in the backfield, but count on Blackshear to see the greatest level of opportunity.
Across his three-year NFL career, Raheem Blackshear has carried the ball just 40 times for 136 yards and three touchdowns. All three of these touchdowns occurred in his 2022 rookie season. Blackshear saw his only three carries of the season last week which he took for 13 yards. There is not much of a sample size to gauge what the Virginia Tech produce can or can’t do at the NFL level. But opportunity is the greatest indicator of production and Blackshear started the day as the only healthy running back on the Panthers roster.
As the Panthers prepare to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, expect Blackshear to play a notable role in the offense. The 26-year-old will likely see the highest level of opportunity in any game of his career thus far and if he is successful it could change his trajectory as a player. The Panthers are still fully focused on Bryce Young continuing to develop, and the organization will not skip any steps that could risk this. Expect them to continue to rely on the run game and for Blackshear to see enough opportunity for a successful week.
Wide Receivers
Jalen Coker ($4,300)
Injuries have derailed what has been an otherwise extremely successful rookie season for Jalen Coker. The undrafted rookie has tallied 23 receptions for 381 yards and a pair of touchdowns across the nine games he has played. While he is expected to be available for this week’s matchup, Coker continues to battle through a quad injury. This did not prove to be a problem as Coker returned from a three-week absence in Week 15 and he tallied 110 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The Panthers will face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week who have struggled to stop the pass this season. They rank 22nd in points allowed, 26th in yards given up, 31st in passing yards allowed, and 21st in passing touchdowns conceded. Coker has seen an average of 4.1 targets per game and is averaging 42.3 receiving yards in the matchups he has played.
Once again the priority for the Panthers is the continued development of Bryce Young. The former number-one overall pick is playing at a high level and will need his wide receivers to continue to produce. Expect there to be enough volume for Coker to make some plays and for the rookie to continue playing his way up the offensive pecking order. Count on him to outperform his pricepoint as the 33rd most expensive wide receiver in Week 17.
Parker Washington ($4,200)
The Jacksonville Jaguars have been a disaster this year and will make some significant changes once the offseason hits. But the season continues and Parker Washington has emerged as one of the more positive storylines as the season winds down. On the season overall, Washington has tallied 27 receptions for 344 yards and a touchdown. 226 of these receiving yards and the lone touchdown have come across the past four weeks following the injury to Trevor Lawrence.
Since Mac Jones stepped in at quarterback, Parker Washington has seen his outlook increase greatly. This is not uncommon for backup quarterbacks as they typically have more familiarity with some of the players lower on the depth chart as they are more often paired with them in practice or Jones may simply view things differently than Lawrence does. In either case, 68.6% of his receiving production has occurred since Jones stepped into the starting lineup.
Jacksonville is set to face off with the Tennessee Titans this week. The Titans enter with a 3-12 record and rank 31st in points allowed and 21st in passing touchdowns conceded. Washington caught all six of his targets for 54 yards last week and has been thrown the football 26 times across the past four weeks. Expect Mac Jones to continue making him a larger part of the offense and don’t be surprised if Washington breaks out for his biggest game yet.
Tight End
Brenton Strange ($4,000)
Another member of the Jaguars showing some intriguing flashes to end the season is Brenton Strange. The former Penn State tight end is in his second season in the NFL and has tallied 36 receptions for 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His level of opportunity expanded once Evan Engram was put on injured reserve. It seemed Strange had his full breakout in Week 15 when he tallied 11 receptions for 73 yards which made him the third-highest-scoring tight end based on DraftKings scoring. Unfortunately, Strange was limited to just two receptions for 22 yards on four targets last week.
Despite this, Strange saw his price point increase from $3,500 last week to $4,000 this week. Tight end has been an especially volatile position from a fantasy football perspective this year. Few guys have produced at a level that is deserving for them to be in your every-week lineups and this is a position that is worth taking a risk with.
The Titans have allowed four touchdowns to tight ends this season and an average of 40.5 receiving yards per game. It was surprising to see the Jaguars scale back his offensive role following the success in Week 15, but coaching has been a point of concern surrounding the Jaguars from start to finish this season. While it comes with a risk, look for Strange to shake off last week and have a great chance at his third touchdown of the season against a defense that allows the second-highest passer rating in the red zone.
Jake Ferguson ($3,700)
It has not been the season that Jake Ferguson or the rest of the Dallas Cowboys imagined. The Wisconsin product entered the season as one of the rising stars at the tight end position but has been unable to fully live up to this. On the season overall, he has tallied 54 receptions for 464 receiving yards and has yet to make his way into the end zone. After recording 71 receptions for 761 receiving yards and five touchdowns last year, this is underwhelming from Ferguson.
The issues with the Cowboys are far deeper than the tight end. The organization did not do enough in the offseason and Dak Prescott saw his season cut short due to a hamstring injury. While the bigger picture conversations will wait for the offseason, Ferguson has a chance to continue producing and end his season on a high note.
The Cowboys will face off with the Philadelphia Eagles this week who have been vulnerable against opposing tight ends. Ferguson will also further climb up the list of offensive weapons following CeeDee Lamb being shut down due to injury. Ferguson has still tallied at least one reception in every game this year and an average of 38.7 receiving yards per game. Expect him to be heavily involved in the Cowboys’ attack and Ferguson to outperform his pricepoint as the 10th most expensive tight end in Week 17.
Defense & Special Teams
Cleveland Browns Defense & Special Teams ($2,400)
The Cleveland Browns enter this week with a 3-12 record and a far larger focus on rebuilding this offseason than winning games. However, the team received some surprising injury news ahead of this week’s matchup as Tua Tagovailoa has been downgraded to doubtful due to a hip injury ahead of the Dolphins matchup in Cleveland. This would be a massive blow to Miami’s chances and it should not be forgotten the complete standstill that occurred for the Dolphins during Tagovailoa’s absence earlier this season due to his concussion. Tyler “Snoop” Huntley is expected to step into the starting lineup if Tagovailoa is unable to go.
Tagovailoa missed four games with the concussion in addition to the bye week earlier this year. The Dolphins went 1-3 in these games and produced passing outputs of 140, 78, 179, and 149 passing yards. Miami had an average of 10 points per game across this stretch.
While the Browns’ defense has its issues, Miami simply has not been able to generate enough production without Tagovailoa at quarterback. Expect this to be a low-scoring football game in which neither team can inflict the necessary points to put the other away. Save some money for the positional players and plug in the Browns this week as the fourth cheapest option.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
