DFS Gut Plays week 17 2017

By JJ Buck
JJ Buck If you’re reading this, you are amid a whirlwind of fantasy opinion and statistic overload. With this article we are looking at matchups that standout after a quick look over of the schedule and prices; going with your gut. Sometimes the obvious play is the best and sometimes it burns us. Here we’ll look at Draft Kings (DK) and Yahoo Sports (YS). As always, be sure to know the scoring settings; DK is PPR scoring opposed to .5 PPR for Yahoo.

Quarterbacks

Phillip Rivers – L.A. Chargers – (DK $6,600 – YS $38) This week is about finding the right mix of established starters with something to play for and the out of left field standouts as opportunities present themselves. Rivers gets a chance to put two subpar road games (2 TD – 3 INT) behind him with a visit from Oakland. Melvin Gordon is dealing with an ankle injury and I expect the Chargers to lean on Rivers which makes this a good game to target. (LAC -8, O/U 42)

Tyrod Taylor – Buffalo – (DK $5,300 – YS $31) I appreciate Taylor. He’s been thrown under the bus by his head coach, benched by the fans and yet the Bills have an outside shot at the final wild card spot. Miami is the spot for the final game of the season and two weeks ago Taylor threw for 224 yards with one touchdown and added 42 yards with a score on the ground. And guess what? They avoid the zero degree weather in Buffalo. (BUF -2.5, O/U 42.5)

Running Backs

LeSean McCoy – Buffalo – (DK $7,200 – YS $36) If you are not sold on Taylor, McCoy is your guy. Even if the Bills are struggling on the ground, McCoy will be a focal point of the passing game as Taylor’s safety valve. McCoy only averaged 2.5 yards per-carry against Miami, but did score twice on 20 carries with four receptions. (BUF -2.5, O/U 42.5)

Derrick Henry – Tennessee – (DK $5,500 – YS $21)

Will Henry get all the carries he can handle against Jacksonville? DeMarco Murray is dealing with a knee injury and some reports have speculated that it’s a torn ligament. Henry has the power and burst to put together a very good day against a questionable Jags’ defense in week 17. Will Jacksonville be looking towards the playoffs? Drift off in the second half? It’s easy to speculate, but what we know for sure is Henry is locked into a good work load on Sunday. (TEN -3, O/U 42)

Mike Gillislee – New England – (DK $4,300 – YS $13)

The Patriots played it safe with James White last weekend holding him out and from the depths of the healthy scratch inactive list comes Gillislee. He did pop-up on the midweek injury report so it’s something to monitor. Dion Lewis ($6,800 - $31) is still a standout play as the Patriots and Steelers will both be playing the early game with both playing for the number one seed in the AFC. (NE -15.5, O/U 44)

Brandon Oliver – L.A. Chargers – (DK $4,000 – YS $13)

Melvin Gordon missed Wednesday’s practice and is heading towards being a game time decision on Sunday. Oliver could step into a lead role due to Austin Ekeler’s broken hand. Oliver is a plus receiver and has shown he can handle being the number one option in the past. (LAC -8, O/U 42)

Wide Receiver

Keenan Allen – L.A. Chargers – (DK $7,800 – YS $34) The Charger love continues. After a stretch of four monster games, Allen has been scoreless and hasn’t surpassed 63 yards over the last two games. He’s set up for a monster workload this weekend and I’ll be using him as a WR1 in the majority of lineups this weekend. (LAC -8, O/U 42)

Marquise Goodwin – San Francisco – (DK $6,600 – YS $23)

The Jimmy Garoppolo takeover is under way and one of the biggest beneficiaries had been Goodwin. The Rams have already announced they will be resting key players on both sides of the ball. In Garoppolo’s four starts Goodwin has averaged 9.75 targets per-game. (SF -3.5, O/U 43.5)

T.Y. Hilton – Indianapolis – (DK $5,900 – YS $23)

Hilton dropped a 6-100 line on Baltimore last week and is set up to close the season on a high note. As of writing there hasn’t been any talk of Hilton not closing out the season as Jacoby Brissett’s top target. Brissett had his second best passing day, 308 yards and two touchdowns, in Houston earlier this year; a game in which Hilton went 5-175-2. (IND -5.5, O/U 40)

Roger Lewis – N.Y. Giants – (DK $3,600 – YS $10)

Reports out of New York are the Giants want Eli Manning to playout all the snaps this weekend. That is a boost for any healthy receiver on the roster. Sterling Shepard has been limited with a neck issue and Evan Engram has been held out of practice with sore ribs. Lewis does have a questionable tag, but if he is cleared to go he’ll be on track for his fourth straight week with 10 or more targets. (WAS -3, O/U 39.5)

DK Reception Filler – Doug Baldwin ($6,400) YS Touchdown Maker – Julio Jones ($35)

Tight Ends

Delanie Walker – Tennessee – (DK $4,400 – YS $20)

We’ve already looked at the value in the Titans backfield and Walker presents a strong option at TE this weekend. A look into the crystal ball, I see a 4-60-1 line for Walker this weekend. (TEN -3, O/U 41.5)

Jack Doyle – Indianapolis – (DK $4,700– YS $20)

He’s not flashy but he is effective. Doyle has caught 12-of-18 targets over the last two weeks. (IND -5.5, O/U 40)

Yahoo Cup Review

84.56 points scored Week 16; 4,211th place out of 399,740 entries. QB – Alex Smith – (17.46) – Went over 300, but only one TD pass. RB – Kenyan Drake – (5.70) – Held in check by K.C. RB – Melvin Gordon – (20.30) – Gordon probably was my most used player this year. WR – Josh Gordon – (2.90) – Not checking the weather was a mistake. WR – Kendall Wright – (4.70) – Yep…. WR – Cooper Kupp– (14.50) – A rare good take last weekend. TE – Greg Olsen – (4.20) – Sad face. Flex – Jimmy Graham – (6.80) – 1-3-1…. DEF – Chiefs – (8.00) – Good day in real life, average for fantasy.

Odds from VegasInsider.com