PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 03: Philadelphia Eagles Running Back D'Andre Swift (0) carries the ball in the first half during the game between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles on December 03, 2023 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)
This game is a huge one for Hurts because the Eagles’ offense needs to get back into sync if they want to make another run at the Super Bowl. They play a Cardinals defense that allows the fourth-most touchdown passes and the sixth-highest yards per attempt. This is as good a get-well spot as there is, and I think you must ride Hurts to DFS glory.
Well, the bubble may have burst on Brock Purdy’s chances to win the MVP, but that doesn’t mean he’s not an outstanding quarterback in a nut matchup. I expect San Francisco to have a big rebound weekend and Purdy to be at the center of it. The Commanders have let up 33 passing touchdowns, which is the most in the league, as well as the third-most passing yards. The 49ers should be able to score at will, and Purdy should be good for at least 22 fantasy points, if not more.
On Christmas Day we saw the Chiefs probably play the worst game of football that we’ve seen from them in the past five years. That all changes in Week 17 as they get to play a Bengals defense that is clearly missing some of its more talented players. The Bengals allow a whopping 8.17 YPA as well as the fifth-most passing yards in the league. They also have given up the sixth-most rushing yards to opposing quarterbacks which could be a sneaky source of points for Mahomes too. If there was ever a week to stack Mahomes in DFS, this is it.
The Eagles have let up tons of yards and fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, and playing Murray with Trey McBride gives you a cheap way to get some exposure to this game. Correlate the play with either D'Andre Swift or A.J. Brown and you are putting yourself in a great leverage situation with minimal ownership.
He’s the cheapest QB on the main slate and rostering him allows you to get players like Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill into your lineups. It’s a risky strategy, but it could pay off huge dividends.
If you are the lucky fantasy manager who drafted Kyren Williams this season or picked him up on the waiver wire, you are probably in your fantasy championship game right now. The thing that we love the most about him is that he gets tons of touches, and he will continue to do so against a Giants defense that’s allowing 4.58 YPC and the third-most rushing yards in the league. For DFS purposes, he’s a touchdown monger, so he is the perfect type of running back to roster if you don’t want to pay up for Christian McCaffrey.
D’Andre Swift, Eagles
The Eagles are the team to start with in terms of fantasy production in Week 17. They’re playing a Cardinals defense that allows the second-most rushing yards as well as 4.60 yards per carry, which is an absurdly high number. The Eagles’ offensive line is so good that they should be able to make huge holes for Swift to run through. Swift’s second-half explosion helped to seal the Giants game, and I see him having another big game against Arizona.
At first glance, it doesn’t feel like this is a great matchup for Robinson, but let’s not forget that the Bears have given up almost 200 more receiving yards to opposing running backs than any other team in the league. They allow an 82.4% catch rate as well as 7.45 yards per target and the second-most receiving touchdowns to opposing RBs. We know how much Arthur Smith loves to use Robinson as a receiver and this is the perfect game for him to do it. While he may not score touchdowns, I see Bijan piling on the PPR points.
I'm not sure Isiah Pacheco plays in this game as he’s dealing with concussion symptoms and they want him to be ready for the playoffs. CEH can be played as part of a Chiefs stack or a one-off on FanDuel, as his TD equity is one of the highest at his position.
I’m leaving White here ONLY if Jacobs is out. He’s a beast who should be able to go off in the dome against an Indianapolis defense that has given up some big games to opposing running backs.
Deebo Samuel is a very frustrating player to roster on a fantasy team because of his inconsistency. When he’s good, it can be argued that he is one of the best 10 receivers in the game. However, there are weeks where he just doesn’t produce and it hurts your chance to win a fantasy championship. This feels like a Deebo week. The Commanders play a ton of zone coverage, and they allow 9.73 yards per target. They also allow the most receiving yards to opposing wide receivers and the second-most touchdowns. I think this is the game where Deebo helps his fantasy managers win a championship and his DFS investors win some money.
There’s always one player on a slate who can be called a slate-breaker. Shaheed has that kind of slate-breaking ability. I see this game as a potential shootout because the Buccaneers’ defense has been leaky in the secondary and they use a lot of zone coverage, which is exactly the defense that Shaheed shreds. The Buccaneers give up 9.02 yards per target and the most receiving yards in the league. If Derek Carr is willing to take some chances downfield, Shaheed might be able to win people tons of money.
Are you buying into the D.J. Chark revenge narrative? I think I might. The Jaguars have been beaten with explosive plays regularly this season, and Chark is arguably the Panthers' best deep threat. Bryce Young has started to look better recently, and this could be the cheap WR play you need to take down a GPP.
While Chark is more of the GPP flier, Douglas is the safe cash game play. He’s the most talented receiver on the Patriots and should be able to find crevices in the Bills' secondary. The Patriots are still playing to win, so look for Douglas to be in the 10-15 point range in this contest.
When last we saw Kelce, he was slamming his helmet on the sideline, disgusted with his performance and that of his team. If there was ever a get-well situation, it’s having the opportunity to play the Cincinnati Bengals, who are awful against opposing tight ends. The Bengals give up the most receiving yards, most receptions, and the highest catch percentage to opposing tight ends. I think Kelce is a no-brainer play; Even though he’s disappointed most of the season, this may be the week that you had to have him.
I’ve picked on the Rams’ defense almost every week with opposing tight ends. From Jake Ferguson to Isaiah Likely to many others, the Rams just have had a major failing here. They allow the second-most touchdowns, the fifth-most receiving yards, and the fifth-most yards per target to opposing tight ends. I really like the Waller play if Tyrod Taylor starts at quarterback as expected.
Trey McBride, Cardinals
Pair him with Murray or correlate him with an Eagles receiver. His price is climbing, but I can argue he’s better than any wide receiver at the same price.
The Texans struggle covering the tight end, and with C.J. Stroud back it’s possible this game turns into a Texas shootout. Most will be looking to DeAndre Hopkins as the source of fantasy production, but Okonkwo is half the price and should give about 75% of the stats.
Denver is the worst team against opposing tight ends, and Easton Stick is going to need to use Everett as an outlet receiver with the Broncos' pass rush looming. Instead of taking a shot on a $3K WR in the flex spot, Everett might be a safe source of 10-12 fantasy points.
