Moving onto Week 17 of the 2023 season, and we are going to give you some DraftKings bargain bin plays for the week. These are plays that are on the ultra-value/ GPP contrarian side. So generally avoid these plays in cash game lineups, but in GPPs- especially big fields go for it!
You can find all of our DFS content here, and be ready for the week.
Jarrett Stidham v LAC ($4,800)
It’s only taken 17 weeks but the Denver Broncos are finally letting Russell Wilson cook…and clean, and do the garden, and eventually get round to putting those shelves up in the hall cupboard. Despite still having a 9% chance of making the post-season, the Broncos organisation has clearly seen enough and is cutting their losses with the former Seahawk. Wilson stands to make $37m if he is still on the roster come March, and as per NFL rules – injured players cannot be cut; so sitting Russ makes sense and is a sure sign he has played his last game at Mile High (as a Bronco anyways). Enter Jarrett Stidham; a 5th-year career backup out of Auburn, drafted by Pats back in 2019. Stidham has 2 career starts with the Raiders, both coming in 2022. As debuts go, his 365 passing yards and 3 touchdowns was pretty good, albeit in a dead rubber against a 49ers team already playoff bound. Stidham is an unknown commodity, but what we do know is how generous the Chargers defense is to opposing QBs. The Bolts are allowing a 2nd worst 280 yards through the air and rank 28th in fantasy points given up to quarterbacks. In a week where starters at the position include Easton Stick, Mason Rudolph and C.J. Beathard…you could do worse than Stidham.
Tyrod Taylor v LAR ($4,600)
Let us take a moment to reflect on the good times we shared with Tommy Cutlets…with the Passing Paesano being benched at the half in the Giants loss on the road to the Eagles, the Tommy DeVito era in New York is officially over. Tyrod Taylor has been named the starter as the G-Men play host to a resurgent Los Angeles Rams team who have won 5 of their last 6 and have their eyes firmly set on the playoffs. With a respectable O/U of 43.5, this one is surprisingly at the lower end of the scale this week (give me all of that Dallad/Detroit O/U of 52.5), and with the Rams sitting at 5 point favourites, expect T-Mobile and Big Blue to have to take to the skies in an attempt to keep up. The Rams passing defense ranks 25th against the pass, and with tight end Darren Waller back on the field after his stint on IR; Taylor has at least one competent pass catcher to target on Sunday. Tyrod’s rushing ability should give him a solid floor, and we did see flashes of his passing ability against Washington back in week 7. It’s a huge punt play, but Taylor is startable in your lineups this week if you are struggling to hit cap.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire v CIN ($5,300)
It’s a true case of last man standing for this Chiefs backfield, and despite a midweek illness, CEH appears to be the only guy on his feet heading into KC’s must win matchup with Cincinnati at Arrowhead on Sunday night. Jerick McKinnon has been placed on the IR with a groin injury and will miss the remainder of the regular season, and after leaving the Chief’s Christmas Day defeat to the Raiders with a concussion, it looks as if Isiah Pacheco will also be forced to sit out the visit of the Bengals in week 17. Edwards-Helaire has only 2 touchdowns on the season, but both have come in games where the former 1st round pick has seen more than 15 touches. With only La’Mical Perine as competition for opportunities, expect a lot of usage for the former LSU Tiger at home for the struggling Chiefs. He’s a great spot start at only $5300.
Najee Harris @SEA ($5,000)
It was a Christmas miracle for Najee Harris as his favourite quarterback (and coincidentally his favourite reindeer) Mason Rudolph gave him the gift of a season high in touches as Pittsburgh ran out 34-11 winners over divisional rivals Cincinnati at Heinz Field. The 19 carries out of the backfield were the most the 1st round pick out of Alamaba has seen since week 3, yet despite the increased workload, the 3rd-year back is still to break the 100-yard rushing barrier on the year. Harris will get another opportunity to hit triple figures this weekend against a Seahawks defense that ironically just gave up 99 total yards to Derrick Henry last time out. Seattle are ceding an average of 132 yards per game to the running back position, and despite Jaylen Warren mixing in on passing downs, Harris should claim the vast majority of yards on the ground as the Steelers attempt to keep their playoff dreams alive. He’s $500 cheaper than his stable mate and with Rudolph under centre, Harris is the back I want this week for the Steelers.
Tyjae Spears @HOU ($4,700)
After chunking away for another 88 yards on the ground against the Seahawks, Derrick Henry now sits at 972 rushing yards on the season…just 18 short of his 5th 1000-yard season in the last 6 years. With the Titans long out of the playoff picture and King Henry only one solid pay away from four figures, now is the perfect time for the Tennessee coaching staff to see just what they have in their 3rd round rookie pick out of Tulane. In his debut campaign Spears has been given far more responsibility than many predicted, with 91 carries and 61 targets in his first 15 games as an NFL pro. The 22-year old Louisiana native has been productive with his opportunities, running at 4.7 yards per carry whilst hauling in 74% of his targets for 315 yards. Remarkably all this work has yielded just one touchdown on the year, a 19-yard dash against the Colts back in week 5. Expect Spears to see more work as the Titans’ season comes to an end, starting with the trip to divisional rivals Houston and their surprisingly strong run defense, currently ranked 4th in the league.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba v PIT ($4,800)
Seattle will look to win out in their last two games, securing their play-off spot and guaranteeing at least one more game for Pete Caroll in his 14th season as Head Coach of the Seahawks organisation. After losing four-in-a-row, Seattle have bounced back with consecutive 20-17 wins over Philadelphia and Tennessee in recent weeks, and you can bet they would take that scoreline again as they welcome Pittsburgh to Washington state on Sunday afternoon. 1st round rookie pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba has delivered an admirable performance in his debut season, so far hauling in 59 of his 86 targets for 602 yards and 3 touchdowns. The former Ohio State Buckeye took a few weeks to get up to speed and has been the clear No.3 target behind veterans Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf; but JSN has become a more integral part of this offense in the last month, and in Seattle’s 3 previous matchups has outpaced Metcalf 18-17 in total targets. Metcalf failed to practise on Thursday due to a back injury, if the team’s leading receiver were to miss Sunday’s game, or be limited by the injury – JSN could be in line for an even larger workload in Seattle’s final home game of the year. He’s a high-floor, high-upside play this week at only $4800.
Rashid Shaheed @TB ($4,600)
In the absence of Michael Thomas (hell, even when he was there), Rashid Shaheed is the wide receiver 2 in this Saints offense. Unsurprisingly Chris Olave leads the team in targets, receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns…but with 640 yards and 4 scores, Shaheed eclipses all other wideouts in New Orleans. The 2nd year UDFA out of Weber State has proven in recent weeks that he is more than just a deep threat, but his 45-yard TD reception last week against the Rams serves as a reminder just how dangerous the speedy 25-year old can be in space. New Orleans travels to sunny Florida on Sunday to face divisional rivals and NFC South leaders, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the Bucs ranking dead last against opposing wide receivers, giving up an average of 195 yards to wideouts each week. With the divisional title race wide open, both these teams will be giving it their all in their bid to reach the post-season. Nothing but a win for the Saints will do, so expect them to come out all guns blazing against this very generous Tampa Bay secondary with Shaheed in line for a bumper fantasy day.
Demarcus Robinson @NYG ($4,600)
Here is a list of every NFL player with a touchdown in each of their last 4 games: Raheem Mostert, running back for the Miami Dolphins; Demarcus Robsinson, Wide Receiver for the Los Angeles Rams…end of list. The 29-year old wideout has been a picture of consistency for the Rams in their playoff push, hauling in 15 of his 24 targets for 227 yards and 4 touchdowns in his last 4 games. The 8th year veteran trails both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua in total targets over that period, but his usage has made him a viable fantasy asset in the final third of the season. His 24 targets since week 13 may make him a clear 3rd read on his own team, but his overall volume of looks is good enough to put him T-30th at the position overall. Robinson and the Rams travel to the Big Apple to take on a Giants team playing for nothing more than pride – but with a 3-3 home record and their final 2 games in The Meadowlands, the G-Men will want to finish their season with a winning home record at least. Big Blue ranks 27th against wide receivers and just gave up over 300 passing yards to Jalen Hurts last time out – there should be plenty to go around for Robinson, even as the 3rd option in this Rams passing game.
Gerald Everett @DEN ($3,500)
If you’re searching for a tight end who will give you 8 targets a game and convert those into 40 yards…then look no further than the Chargers’ Gerald Everett. The 7th year veteran and former 2nd round draft pick has seen three straight games with 8 targets from Easton Stick (ok 4 of those in week 14 were from Justin Herbert) posting receiving totals of 39, 41 and 42 yards in each…so at least there’s improvement week on week. Everett has become a more pivotal piece of this Chargers passing offense in the absence of fellow veteran Keenan Allen, missing since week 14 with a heel injury. The Chargers now travel to Mile High to face divisional rivals Denver in the all AFC West clash, with their opponents ranking dead last against the position. The Broncos seemingly are unable to stop opposing tight ends, giving up 3 scores to Sam LaPorta in week 15…even allowing Mike Gesicki to find pay dirt last weekend in Denver’s home loss to New England. Everett offers a seemingly safe floor with touchdown upside – he’s a solid play at only $3500.
Lucas Krull v LAC ($2,800)
On the other side of the field to Everett is sophomore tight end for the Broncos, Lucas Krull. After spending his rookie year on the Saints’ practise squad, the former Pitt University Panther found a home in Denver and has been used sparingly since his NFL debut against the Bills back in week 10. The Broncos week 16 loss to New England saw Krull receive his largest workload of his short career, with the Kansas native seeing 5 targets from Russell Wilson, hauling in 4 of those for 28 yards and a score. Krull’s 3-yard reception from Wilson will go down in history as the final touchdown caught by a tight end in the Russell Wilson era at Denver, and although Russ’ time at Mile High is over, Krull’s is not. Jarrett Stidham will be the man under centre this Sunday, and against a Chargers defensive unit allowing over 50 yards per game to the position, Krull could be a bargain play on the slate for fantasy managers looking to spend up elsewhere.
Los Angeles Chargers @DEN ($2,900)
There are more games on the slate than just this Chargers/Broncos I promise…but this one is offering up too many bargains, so I’m going back to the well one more time. Have I already waxed lyrical about my love for both Jarrett Stidham and Lucas Krull on the slate this week; yes. Am I also more than aware that Stidham is a career backup with less snaps than a bowl of Rice Krispies and Krull has less career yards than Amari Cooper put up in one half last weekend. Lead receiver for the Broncos Courtland Sutton is a long shot to play this weekend due to concussion symptoms, and rookie speedster Marvin Mims has also appeared on the injury report with a hamstring injury. The Chargers defense have been putrid in recent weeks (we all remember the Raiders game yeh?)…but could be a sneaky start here against a very beat up Broncos offense.
Carolina Panthers @JAX ($2,700)
I’ll be honest, I don’t feel great recommending a DST that scored a whopping zero points last time out against the Packers…but here we are. Despite giving up 219 yards and 2 scores through the air to Jordan Love, Carolina still ranks at a top-5 unit against the pass, and will likely get to face off against C.J. Beathard as they travel to Jacksonsville this weekend. The Jags are on a downward spiral, losing their last 4, and are in real danger of losing their spot atop the AFC South to either the Colts or Texans, with all 3 teams sitting at 8-7. If Trevor Lawrence sits, Carolina makes an intriguing cut-price option at DST facing Beathard…if T-Law once again does his best Superman performance and plays through another injury, possibly look elsewhere at the position.
Reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server.
Image Credit: Jay Biggerstaff – USA TODAY Sports
