Daily Fantasy Football: Lineup picks and strategy for Week 17 Baller contest
The Week 17 NFL main slate consists of 13 games scheduled after 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday. The only teams excluded from this slate are the Thursday Night Football (Cowboys-Titans) and Monday Night Football (Bills-Bengals) participants, as well as the Rams and Chargers. Steelers-Ravens has replaced the battle of LA teams on Sunday Night Football, but you will be able to use players from Pittsburgh and Baltimore in your lineups.
If your season-long fantasy team failed to make your league's championship game, you can more than make up for that with a strong Week 17 DFS outing.
Yahoo will be running plenty of NFL DFS contests for Week 17, but the biggest will be the NFL $100K Sunday Baller. The Sunday Baller has a $12 entry fee and pays out a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000 to the top 1,470 finishers, including $25,000 to the winner. You can submit up to 150 entries into this contest, which has a maximum total capacity of 9,800 entries but will still run if it doesn't fill, potentially providing you with enhanced odds of winning, also known as overlay.
[Play in Yahoo’s Week 17 Baller DFS contest]
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared towards head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two, while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers. Your NFL $100K Holiday Baller lineup will consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit.
Suggested Week 17 options include a backup quarterback surrounded by playmakers, a pair of running backs who are heating up down the stretch, and a couple of wide receivers facing division rivals against which they found success earlier this season.
QUARTERBACK
Gardner Minshew, PHI vs. NO ($29)
Not to take anything away from Jalen Hurts, but Minshew proved last week that he's also capable of running the high-powered Eagles offense effectively, as he threw for 355 yards and two touchdowns while running in another touchdown against a tough Dallas defense. Assuming the Eagles give Hurts another game to recover, Minshew's poised for another productive start at home against a Saints team that's just 2-5 on the road. He'll have all of Philadelphia's top pass catchers at his disposal, including A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert.
Honorable Mentions
Justin Fields, CHI at DET ($41); Jared Goff, DET vs. CHI ($30); Aaron Rodgers, GB vs. MIN ($27)
Against the Grainers
Patrick Mahomes, KC vs. DEN ($37); Mike White, NYJ at SEA ($29); Teddy Bridgewater, MIA at NE ($20)
RUNNING BACK
Saquon Barkley, NYG vs. IND ($29)
The focal point of New York's offense should see all the touches he can handle in a win-and-in scenario for the Giants' playoff hopes. The reeling Colts have lost five straight while allowing 10 rushing touchdowns over that span. Meanwhile, Barkley's racked up at least 120 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in each of the past two games, bringing his season totals up to 1,254 rushing yards (fourth most) and 10 rushing touchdowns (ninth most).
James Conner, ARI at ATL ($23)
As long as Conner gets the green light to play through the illness that's cut into his practice reps this week, the surging running back should add to his recent success. An injury to Kyler Murray has forced the Cardinals to go run-heavy recently, but even before that, Conner had started to pick up the pace. He's averaging 18.2 fantasy points during his five-game touchdown streak heading into a matchup with a Falcons defense that's allowed an opposing player to reach 85 rushing yards in six consecutive games. Overall, Atlanta's allowing the ninth-most rushing yards per game (133.5).
Honorable Mentions
Christian McCaffrey, SF at LV ($35); Travis Etienne, JAX at HOU ($31); Tyler Allgeier, ATL vs. ARI ($20)
Against the Grainers
Jamaal Williams, DET vs. CHI ($26); Leonard Fournette, TB vs. CAR ($14); Khalil Herbert, CHI at DET ($14)
WIDE RECEIVER
Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET vs. CHI ($25)
St. Brown is the most reliable offensive player in what's expected to be the main slate's highest-scoring game (over/under: 50 points). He has at least seven catches and 76 yards in six of the past seven games and totaled six receptions for 68 yards in the other game during that stretch. A Bears defense that allowed St. Brown to compile 119 receiving yards on a season-high 10 catches in their previous meeting is unlikely to fare any better in the rematch, especially with the Lions still alive in the NFC playoff race.
Jerry Jeudy, DEN at KC ($20)
Outside of a Week 10 game against the Titans that Jeudy left in the opening minutes due to an injury, he has compiled over 60 receiving yards in six consecutive appearances and more than 50 yards in nine straight. Jeudy's floor remains high despite Denver's struggles on offense, and his best performance of the season came in Week 14 against this very Kansas City secondary, as Jeudy found the end zone three times while catching eight of nine targets for 73 yards. K.C. has allowed 19 receiving touchdowns to wide receivers overall, which is tied with the Titans for second-most behind the Cowboys through 16 weeks and stands alone as the most generous defense available, as neither Tennessee nor Dallas are part of the main slate this week.
Allen Lazard, GB vs. MIN ($15)
Green Bay shouldn't have trouble moving the ball against a Vikings defense that's quite generous outside the red zone, and Lazard could be the de facto No. 1 wide receiver for the Packers if Christian Watson can't play. Before Watson's emergence, Lazard was having a strong season as Aaron Rodgers' most trusted pass catcher, racking up 30 catches for 427 yards and five touchdowns on 51 targets over his first seven appearances. Minnesota has allowed a league-high 3,065 yards to wide receivers this season.
Honorable Mentions
Justin Jefferson, MIN at GB ($36); Chris Godwin, TB vs. CAR ($21); Diontae Johnson, PIT at BAL ($16)
Against the Grainers
Davante Adams, LV vs. SF ($30); Jahan Dotson, WAS vs. CLE ($17); Garrett Wilson, NYJ at SEA ($16)
TIGHT END
Jelani Woods, IND at NYG ($11)
In both the games Kylen Granson has missed this season, Woods led the Colts in receiving yards, with the rookie third-round pick catching 11 of 14 passes for 141 yards across those two contests. Granson's trending towards another absence after being unable to practice Wednesday or Thursday, leaving Woods in line to take on a larger role against a Giants defense that's been generous to tight ends, surrendering the ninth-most yards (857) and touchdowns (six) to the position.
Honorable Mentions
Travis Kelce, KC vs. DEN ($35); George Kittle, SF at LV ($20); Evan Engram, JAX at HOU ($19)
Against the Grainers
T.J. Hockenson, MIN at GB ($22); Darren Waller, LV vs. SF ($17); Hunter Henry, NE vs. MIA ($14)
DEFENSE
Kansas City vs. DEN ($17)
This unit posted 15 fantasy points in Denver three weeks ago thanks to six sacks and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Russell Wilson sat out the end of that game and the next one, then returned last week to throw three interceptions in a 51-14 loss to the Rams. Denver plunged further into disarray by firing coach Nathaniel Hackett after getting routed, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Broncos gift wrap a few more turnovers for Kansas City's defense in this one as a belated Christmas present.
Honorable Mentions:
San Francisco 49ers at LV ($19); Jacksonville Jaguars at HOU ($18); New York Giants vs. IND ($16)
Against the Grainers:
Arizona Cardinals at ATL ($16); Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. CAR ($14); Atlanta Falcons vs. ARI ($11)
