Welcome to the Week 17 DFS Cash Game breakdown and picks article! If you’re new to this article or DFS cash games, please check out my ’10 Rules to Live By’ article.
We are in crunch time here as we are in the second to last week of full schedule DFS. To be fair, it may be the last week of “normal” games as the last week things get pretty wonky as teams that are out of the playoffs, or teams that have a playoff spot secured, start resting players. Interestingly, for the second straight week the main slate also falls on a holiday of sorts. The famed New Years Eve.
On to the Week 17 DFS Cash game picks!
Week 17 DFS Cash Game Picks:
QUARTERBACK
Lamar Jackson
FanDuel: $7900
DraftKings: $7700
It is strange for me to have Jalen Hurts on the slate and for him to not be in this section. This may be only the second time all year this has happened. This is somewhat a gut call and probably goes against the rest of the industry. I like Lamar Jackson over Hurts this week primarily because of his salary. If they were even priced, I would go with the safer Hurts as his Tush Push touchdowns give him an amazing floor. However, Jackson seems to be getting things cooking. He clearly took things personal in last week’s game, and they have another big matchup this week with the Dolphins.
I do like this play better on FanDuel than on DraftKings as his salary is much lower relative to the overall cap on FanDuel than it is on DraftKings. On DraftKings, I will take a much more serious look at playing Hurts over him as Hurts is my preferred pay up option if I am going all the way up to the top.
Tyrod Taylor DraftKings ONLY
DraftKings: $4600
On DraftKings, the other option to strongly consider is Tyrod Taylor. At the price of $4600, it opens up an awful lot. When you pay down like this the question always becomes is the opportunity cost of giving up a high-end quarterback worth it. This play is more about the other players you can fit in versus Taylor himself. The hope would be you could fit in two elite running backs if you go this route.
For Taylor himself, he doesn’t have great weapons. Although he has been known as a running quarterback in the past, he is now 35 years old. On the flip side, he only needs to get you about 15 points to keep you in the hunt. Last week he put up 10.42, but his median projection is sitting at around 16, so he clearly can get there.
Running Back
Zamir White
FanDuel: $6100
DraftKings: $5100
If you have been following along this year, you will not be surprised to find Zamir White listed here. I absolutely love these replacement running backs when they are still priced down but also have the upside to put up a decent score. He has had back-to-back games of 17.5 DraftKings points, so I’m actually pretty shocked he is still priced so low. Last week, he didn’t get in the end zone but put up 145 yards rushing. He is a no brainer set it and forget it play this week.
Christian McCaffrey DraftKings ONLY
DraftKings: $9600
Unfortunately, on FanDuel Christian McCaffrey is just too expensive. On DraftKings, his price puts him fully in play. There isn’t a lot we can say about McCaffrey that you don’t already know. I can point out that he’s only had one game is the last nine weeks where he has scored fewer than 20 PPR points.
Christian McCaffrey 2023 Game Log Week 7-16 Courtesy: FantasyPros
In that week he put up 16.3 fantasy points. This week against the Commanders defense that is No. 23 in yards allowed per carry and No. 32 in pass defense DVOA, he has a great matchup. The 49ers also have a massive 31.5 team total.
Kyren Williams
FanDuel: $9400
DraftKings: $8300
What a surprise Kyren Williams has been this year. He has established himself as a top five running back in the league without question. As a Cam Akers truther, this has been particularly hard for me to swallow. However, I cannot deny him and his fantasy dominance. It’s even crazier considering how poor his workout metrics were.
Kyren Williams Advanced Stats & Metrics
Those look pretty dismal. Now consider this: He is No. 2 among running backs in both rushing yards (1057) and fantasy points per game (20.4) while coming in No. 3 in total TDs with 12. He is getting great opportunities as well with a 83.1-percent snap share (No. 2) and 58 Red Zone Carries (No. 3). On FanDuel, he is the pay up option while on DraftKings, if you go cheap at quarterback, you can fit both him and McCaffrey.
WIDE RECEIVER
Rashee Rice
FanDuel: $7400
DraftKings: $6900
Last week was the Eminem verse of guess who’s back for Rashee Rice. This week he is back again. There is really nothing else I can say about him at this point. He has had a great rookie season and is the No. 1 wide receiver for Patrick Mahomes. One could argue he is also taking the top overall receiver spot from Kelce. His price is still too low for his role.
Zay Flowers
FanDuel: $6300
DraftKings: $5600
For whatever reason their production outpaces their prices on the daily sites. I will continue to hammer the value. As noted in the quarterback section, I like Jackson this week and as such I like his No. 1 wide receiver Zay Flowers. Although they have a good defense, this game could still turn into a shootout. The game total is 46.5. However, I could see that creeping up as we get closer to Sunday.
Chris Olave
FanDuel: $7400
DraftKings: $6800
I absolutely love Chris Olave and Ohio State wide receivers in general. Olave has turned in a solid season and has put up good numbers in recent weeks. He is the focal point of the offense and is way too cheap for his role and skill set. The only concern for him is the abysmal quarterback play by the Saints and particularly Derek Carr this year. Olave has still managed to get it done, and the matchup is good. Tampa Bay is No. 27 in yards allowed per pass.
TIGHT END
Gerald Everett DraftKings ONLY
DraftKings: $3500
This week’s bargain basement at tight end is Gerald Everett. Since Easton Stick has taken over, he has been peppering Everett with exactly eight targets in each of the last three games. If Everett were to get in the end zone, he will end up being a must have in order to cash. Everett is nothing special, but he is a solid player. The main thing he has going for him is the Chargers wide receiver corps is decimated. Keenan Allen, Josh Palmer, and of course Mike Williams are all out. The top option left on the team at wide receiver is the struggling rookie, Quentin Johnston. Austin Ekeler appears to be washed. As you can see, all of a sudden Everett looks like a great option at his price tag.
Trey McBride
FanDuel: $7000
DraftKings: $5700
This is another guy who has been a staple in the article this year. The matchup is a plus. The Eagles are No. 20 in defense against the tight end position. They are giving up 12.45 fantasy points per game to tight ends. The real question is if you can allocate the money to tight end. As covered above on DraftKings, there is a cheap option that you might have to use. On FanDuel, it looks like the decision is between Trey McBride and George Kittle. Given the option, I will take McBride. With far less weapons on the team, McBride has the higher floor.
DEFENSE
Denver Broncos
FanDuel: $3700
DraftKings: $2900
This is definitely a pay down week on both sites. The top option on both websites is the Broncos. As I just mentioned in the tight end section, the Chargers wide receiver corps doesn’t exist, and their backup quarterback is bad. At their price tag, I don’t see a reason to look elsewhere in cash games.
Conclusion
We get a larger slate this week with 13 games. Enjoy it while it lasts, friends. This is the last “normal” week we have in DFS. I happen to enjoy Week 18 as well as I embrace the chaos, but it does scare some people off. It’s important to remember that DFS gamers shouldn’t force things. If you have been following along all year, you should be in the green. There is no reason to change things up now.
For tournaments, if we end up getting Sam Howell in, I like the 49ers/Commanders game. If it ends up being Brissett, I’m less sold on it as I could see him getting destroyed by the 49ers defense. This would make it hard for the Niners to be pressed into keeping their foot on the gas. The off the board option I like is the Rams/Giants. Take Stafford and one of his pass catchers with a cheap wide receiver option on the Giants. I would also take Taylor and a cheap pass catcher with Williams as the run back for the Rams. Fill that up with some of the good chalk and you are good to go!
Best of luck my friends. It has been a fun season!
