Daily Fantasy Sports: Week 17 NFL Tips And Strategies

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If history repeats itself, week 17 in the NFL will have some performances that come out of nowhere. So many teams have different motivations this week. Some teams desperately need a win. Others will look to rest some of their starters and not risk injury because they have playoff matchups to look forward to. Finally, some have nothing really to play for and may just want to get a look at some of the younger players on their roster. I’ll try to decipher which teams and games to target from a fantasy football perspective.

Games To Target

These games will have either one or both teams still needing wins to secure playoff spots or improve playoff positioning.

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens can sneak into the playoffs with a win and a Chargers loss, so they will have all of their normal guys playing here. The Browns have been eliminated from playoff contention and could rest some of their players.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans

Jacksonville is no longer in the playoff hunt and has nothing to play for. The Texans can make the playoffs with a win and some help. I expect the Texans to ride Arian Foster like they would any other week.

San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs

Both of these teams are still fighting for their playoff lives so this will be a hotly contested game with both teams desperate for a win. The sportsbooks expect a low scoring affair but I still wouldn’t hesitate to use any player for fantasy that I was otherwise planning to use.

Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins

The Cowboys come into this one playing great football and needing a win to possibly improve their playoff positioning. Against this terrible Washington defense, I wouldn’t be shy about using any Cowboys in fantasy. For Washington, everyone is risky because the team is a mess and they have no motivation to try to win this one.

Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons

The winner of this game will improve to seven wins on the year and lock in a losing record and a division championship. The NFC South sure was a mess this year. This game will be played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and both of these defenses have struggled this year. This should be a great game to target for week 17 fantasy football.

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers

Both of these teams have a chance at home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win here and some other breaks going their way. They will definitely be going all out to try to get a win here. This is another game where you can count on players you would normally.

Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos

The Raiders have been out of the playoff hunt for quite some time. The Broncos, on the other hand, can lock up a first round bye with a win. Don’t be surprised if Peyton Manning and the Broncos come out and lay the hammer down on an outmatched Raiders squad. Denver will be a team to target heavily in fantasy this week.

Arizona @ San Francisco

While Arizona is already locked into a playoff spot, they can improve their outlook with a win and some help elsewhere. However, this game rates to be about as low scoring as it gets so even with Arizona’s playoff implications I still wouldn’t be targeting them for fantasy. San Francisco is out of the playoff picture.

St. Louis Rams @ Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks will be going all out for a win here as they still have a chance to win the division, a first round bye, and home field advantage throughout with a win and some help. The Rams are out of the picture and I couldn’t fathom using any of their players for fantasy in Seattle.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers

This game is interesting because both teams have already locked up a playoff spot but both teams can also improve their outlook greatly with a win here. I expect both teams to be competing strongly for a win and the right to host their opening playoff game as division winners. The loser will be on the road to open the playoffs.

Games to Avoid

There is no guarantee how the following games will play out. Starters could play the whole game, rest the whole game, or play any amount in between. Using any player from any of these games would be considered risky. If I target any players from these games they will be backups who are announced as the starter sometime before the game. Keep an eye on NFL twitter feeds for last minute information.

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins
Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings
Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants
Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Click here for a full explanation of all the week 17 games’ playoff implications.

Find me on Twitter @IanJ300 with any questions.

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