With the regular fantasy football season finished, week 17 offers one of the best opportunities to try out daily fantasy football.
This week delivers plenty of sleepers and should feature a surprise or two.
Here’s the best starts and sleepers for the week 17 Daily Fantasy Football lineup on DraftKings.
Quarterbacks
Best Start – Drew Brees
The volume for Brees will be there and I’m not sure how much Atlanta can do in stopping a top-tier passer. The Falcons are a bottom-10 pass defense and the last time Brees faced the Falcons, he almost went for 400 yards. The only obstacle to Brees going for major points is his touchdown output. Because of that, I like to back Brees in Daily Fantasy, since you know the yardage will be there. He’s expensive in DFS, but the Falcons don’t play much defense, and if Brees can find the end zone, he has the ability to put up major points.
Sleeper – E.J. Manual
There’s not much to go on here, other than Manual would basically be worth nothing. He’s the lowest price on DraftKings and he’s squaring off against a bottom-half pass defense that’s been atrocious in December. And how much of a drop-off is Manual from Tyrod Taylor? The Bills have the best rushing attack in the NFL, so that should open up some opportunity for Manual to have chances at tossing a few touchdowns. For the price, it’s tough to pass him up during a week where backups could rule the week.
Running Backs
Best Start – Melvin Gordon
Normally, I would take Le’Veon Bell in this spot based on the matchup with the Browns. However, I don’t trust that he’ll play the whole game. So I’ll go with Gordon, who I anticipate will make his return against a Kansas City rush defense that ranks among the bottom-10 in the NFL. When he plays, Gordon has been pretty much a guarantee double-digit fantasy performer. That shouldn’t stop at home against a Chiefs squad that may not have as much in the tank as many believe. If Gordon plays, I’m putting him as my top pick for DFS in week 17.
Sleeper – Todd Gurley
Who would have thought Gurley would be a sleeper this season? That’s how far he’s dropped thanks to a Los Angeles team allergic to offense. He had a decent week last week against a terrible San Francisco rush defense, but it was still disappointing based on the matchup. But you can’t go wrong with the price (he’s at $5,300, more than $5,000 less than the top running back) based on his volume. He’s still generating more than 20 carries on a regular basis, and Arizona’s defense hasn’t been its regular self recently. That may be the case once again this week, so I’m all in on the Gurley sleeper train for week 17.
Wide Receivers
Best Start – Julio Jones
I know there is still an injury concern, but with other wide receivers, like Odell Beckham and Antonio Brown, likely absent, I have to consider Jones as the best option. He didn’t play much last week against Carolina, but still led the team in receiving. If he can improve upon his playing time, his volume should go up, thus giving way to another 100-yard day. New Orleans is terrible against the pass, so the Falcons shouldn’t have much trouble moving the ball. It doesn’t hurt, either, that both teams should move the ball with little resistance, meaning Jones should see plenty of volume.
Sleeper – Eli Rogers
Rogers’s role has expanded in recent weeks for Pittsburgh, which should lead to another solid outing in week 17. All signs point to Pittsburgh resting its starters for at least some of the week 17 game against Cleveland. That will open the door for Rogers to earn more targets, and in the last two weeks, he’s gone for 159 yards receiving and one touchdown in a secondary role. As a primary option, those numbers could increase, making his $4,000 price an easy one to pick up for this week’s lineup.
Tight Ends
Best Start – Charles Clay
Maybe I’m more bullish on Clay’s potential than others. But I eyed him on the waiver wire a few weeks ago, based on the potential of being a bigger asset in Buffalo’s offense. He proved me right, going for double-digit fantasy points in three straight weeks. He has a tasty matchup against the New York Jets and he has E.J. Manual at the helm, who will likely utilize the tight end position. Clay is going off for only $3,500, so I love him as a steal.
Sleeper – Dennis Pitta
Both candidates at tight end could be the ultimate sleepers this week. Pitta hasn’t been the same tight end as last year, but he’s still doing well in the targets category for the Ravens. He registered 11 targets in week 16 against Pittsburgh, and against Cincinnati’s defense, which ranks in the bottom-five in points allowed against tight ends, I expect Joe Flacco to keep his eye on Pitta.
