We’re finally onto Week 17. It can be a crazy slate with all the difference incentives in the last week of the season, but if creates a lot of plays on DraftKings. I mainly happen to be a cash game player (roughly the top half of their field gets paid out) versus a tournament player (roughly top 20 percent get paid on a scale), so below I’ll provide you with some of the safest players on this slate that are on my radar:
QUARTERBACK
Patrick Mahomes ($7,100) vs. OAK — The narrative for the Chiefs is simple — beat Oakland as 14-point home favorites and they clinch the top-seed in the AFC. Mahomes dropped 33 DKFP against the Raiders when they met earlier this season, and will be motivated to keep moving up the single-season touchdowns list in this game.
Matt Ryan ($6,300) at TB — The Falcons are riskier in the sense they have nothing to play for, but Atlanta will be playing its starters in a fantastic matchup against the Bucs. Look for Atlanta to try and finish the season on a high note against a team Ryan scored 30 DKFP against earlier in the year.
Lamar Jackson ($5,600) vs. CLE — Jackson just keeps grinding out solid games, mostly thanks to his legs. The rookie’s scored between 16-22 DKFP in each of his starts, and is essentially playing in a playoff game for the Ravens against the Browns. He’ll keep thriving in this spot at a nice discount.
RUNNING BACK
Saquon Barkley ($8,200) vs. DAL — Barkley might be the only true stud RB we can trust on this slate. He’ll look to end his season strong and win himself Rookie of the Year with a big game against a division rival. Barkley tagged Dallas for 25 DKFP back in Week 2, and didn’t even run the ball well.
Jamaal Williams ($6,000) vs. DET — The Packers aren’t playing for anything, but Williams has stepped into a large role with Aaron Jones out. Last week he posted a 15-95-1 line on the ground and caught 6-of-9 targets for another 61 yards. Those 27.6 DKFP are encouraging heading into an easy home matchup against the Lions.
C.J. Anderson ($5,400) vs. SF — Anderson burst onto the scene last week in wake of Todd Gurley, going for 20-167-1 against Arizona last week. He has another great matchup this week at an affordable discount.
Royce Freeman ($3,500) vs. LAC — Phillip Lindsay went to IR with a wrist injury, so the backfield should belong primarily to Freeman. For this type of discount, you don’t need to know much else.
WIDE RECEIVER
JuJu Smith-Schuster ($8,300) vs. CIN — Antonio Brown could wind up sidelined in a game Pittsburgh needs to play to win just in case Baltimore loses. Smith-Schuster would be in line for a monster workload against a horrible Bengals defense.
Julian Edelman ($7,600) vs. NYJ — Edelman is an extremely safe play, always finding his way to a number right around his 17.6 DKFP average. He remains a safe play against the Jets, who he scored 18.6 DKFP against in Week 12. New England kept him involved in Week 16 against the Bills.
Robby Anderson ($5,600) at NE — Robby Anderson has been a legit WR1 with Sam Darnold back in the mix at QB. Anderson’s averaging 24 DKFP over his past three games, and should see some deep targets playing from behind in New England.
Kendrick Bourne ($3,800) at LAR — With the injuries in San Fran, Bourne should be the team’s WR1 in this game. As double-digit road underdogs here, the 49ers are expected to be slinging the ball plenty from behind. Bourne should be a huge beneficiary.
TIGHT END
Travis Kelce ($7,200) vs. OAK — Kelce’s in the same situation as Mahomes. He had a season-best 42.8 DKFP against Oakland this season, and has motivation to keep his foot on the gas in this game.
Zach Ertz ($6,700) at WAS — Ertz had a monster game against Houston, catching 12-of-16 targets for 110 and two scores. Look for him to remain the focal point of the offense with Philly’s playoff chances still alive.
Gerald Everett ($2,800) vs. SF — Everett’s quietly become a much bigger part of the Rams’ offense, totaling 20 targets over the last three weeks. Somehow his salary has come down over the past two weeks, so he makes for a solid deep sleeper.
D/ST
Seahawks D/ST ($3,700) — The Seahawks are still playing for Wild Card seeding, and how a horrible Arizona offense. We know what this defense is capable of at home.
