Draftpot: Week 17 NFL DFS Picks

The NFL regular season comes to a close this weekend and DFS players have even more thinking to do than they would on a normal week. The reason for the extra thinking is that this week we have to consider a team’s motivation in addition to all of the other factors we normally consider.

Most of the teams that are in the playoff picture are still jockeying for position. Other than that, it can be very tough to identify which situations are going to offer fantasy value and which should be avoided.

This week on Draftpot, I’m going to be looking at one of the top Fan Mode option at each position.

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QB

Cam Newton – All of the stars are aligned for Newton to be the top quarterback option this week. The Panthers need a win to secure the number one seed in the NFC. They draw a very favorable home matchup against a Tampa Bay squad that is very strong against the run but struggles mightily against the pass. Oh, and he’s Cam Newton. Cam has been going berserk over the second half of the season, lighting up the scoreboard with a pair of five touchdown performances in the last six weeks. Don’t be surprised if Newton approaches that number on Sunday.

RB

Deangelo Williams – Williams has turned back the clock this season to show that he’s still got plenty left in his 32-year-old legs. I guess all those years of splitting time and being under utilized in Carolina paid off for him. These days, he’s seeing well over 90 percent of the snaps weekly for one of the league’s best offenses. With the Steelers being 10-point favorites against Cleveland’s weak run defense this week, Deangelo is in a great spot to continue his extremely impressive run down the stretch.

WR

Julio Jones – In addition to being at home, favored, and in the highest projected scoring game of the week, Julio has a puncher’s chance at breaking two different NFL receiving records this week. Jones is 17 receptions and 243 yards shy of breaking the NFL record in each of those categories. With mere mortals, those totals would seem like a huge reach, but we’re talking about one of the best and most physically gifted receivers in the league playing in a dome against the worst pass defense in football. I won’t pretend to know if the Falcons are aware of or care about Julio’s record chase, but if they do care, Julio could be in line for a huge game this week.

TE

Greg Olsen – While it may seem, and probably is blasphemous, to suggest someone other than Rob Gronkowski at tight end in a DFS offering that doesn’t have a salary cap, I’m going to do it anyway! To my eyes, the Patriots aren’t actively looking to exploit Gronkowski’s dominance, choosing instead to pick their spots and try to keep him healthy. Olsen, on the other hand, gets a pristine week 17 matchup with a Tampa Bay team that plays a heavy dose of zone defense with holes for Olsen to find. This will probably come back to bite me and I’d be fine with Gronkowski as the choice here, but I really like Olsen this week.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Find me on Twitter @IanJ300 with any questions.

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