This article is part of our DFS NFL series.
The NFL played games Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday during Week 17, leaving just nine games to choose from for the main Sunday slate on FanDuel. Let's dig into those games and highlight some of the top players to consider.
The Games
A lot of the focus of DFS picks is on individual players. Skills certainly matter, but finding game environments that are likely to promote a lot of points scored is a way to narrow the focus of our player pool.
| Over-Under | Road Team | Road Team Total | Home Team | Home Team Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46.5 | Jets | 18.5 | Bills | 28.5 |
| 39.5 | Titans | 20.5 | Jaguars | 20.5 |
| 37.5 | Raiders | 19.5 | Saints | 18.5 |
| 48.5 | Panthers | 19.5 | Buccaneers | 29.5 |
| 39.5 | Cowboys | 16.5 | Eagles | 23.5 |
| 40.5 | Colts | 24.5 | Giants | 15.5 |
| 39.5 | Dolphins | 23.5 | Browns | 16.5 |
| 48.5 | Packers | 24.5 | Vikings | 24.5 |
| 47.5 | Falcons | 22.5 | Commanders | 26.5 |
Four games have a total less than 40 points. Three games have a total of at least 47 points.
The favorites with the highest totals include the Buccaneers, Bills and Commanders.
Value Options
Tyjae Spears, TEN at JAC ($5,800)
Tony Pollard ($7,000) played through an ankle injury last week, but he finished with just eight carries. He is questionable for Sunday's game and has the flu. Spears was given 10 carries, which he turned into 27 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught three of four targets for 39 yards. The last two games, Spears has 32 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, nine receptions, 126 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. He comes with touchdown upside against a Jaguars team that has allowed 19 touchdowns to running backs.
Chig Okonkwo, TEN at JAC ($5,400)
Mason Rudolph ($6,700) will start again for the Titans. He came on in relief of Will Levis against the Bengals in Week 15, a game in which Okonkwo caught eight of 10 targets for 59 yards. With Rudolph starting again last week, Okonkwo caught nine of 11 targets for 81 yards. The Jaguars have allowed the most passing yards per game in the league, leaving Okonkwo with the potential to provide value.
Other Value Options
QB Bryce Young, CAR at TB ($7,100)
QB Mason Rudolph, TEN at JAX ($6,700)
RB Rachaad White, TB vs. CAR ($6,800)
RB Jerome Ford, CLE vs. MIA ($6,600)
RB Ameer Abdullah, LV at NO ($5,600)
WR Jayden Reed, GB at MIN ($6,700)
WR Calvin Ridley, TEN at JAC ($6,300)
WR Adam Thielen, CAR at TB ($6,200)
TE Tucker Kraft, GB at MIN ($5,200)
TE Juwan Johnson, NO vs. LV ($5,200)
Stacks to Consider
Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings
For as good as the Vikings have been, they have allowed the third-most passing yards per game in the league. That has contributed to them allowing the most FanDuel points per game to wide receivers. When these teams played in Week 4, Jordan Love ($7,800) threw for 389 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Jayden Reed ($6,700) caught seven passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. Weather conditions won't be an issue, making a Packers stack even more appealing.
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers' defense has struggled against the pass. It has given up the second-most FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks and is tied for the seventh-most FanDuel points allowed per game to wide receivers. The duo of Bryce Young ($7,100) and Adam Thielen ($6,200) come with cheap salaries, but they aren't lacking upside based on this matchup. When these teams met in Week 13, Young had 298 passing yards, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. Thielen posted eight receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown.
Other Stacks to Consider
Buccaneers – Baker Mayfield ($8,200) + Mike Evans ($8,600)
Commanders – Jayden Daniels ($8,500) + Terry McLaurin ($7,900)
Titans – Mason Rudolph ($6,700) + Calvin Ridley ($6,300)
High-Price Heroes
Jonathan Taylor, IND at NYG ($8,400)
Taylor dominated the Titans last week, turning 29 carries into 218 yards and three touchdowns. That was his sixth game of the season with at least 100 rushing yards. Those were also his first rushing touchdowns since Week 8. The Colts have been relying heavily on Taylor, giving him at least 20 carries in eight of his last 10 games. That type of heavy workload could leave him with a great stat line against a Giants team that has allowed 4.8 yards per carry.
Mike Evans, TB vs. CAR ($8,600)
Evans has recorded at least 68 receiving yards in all five games since returning from injury. In two of those games, he had at least 115 receiving yards and one touchdown. That included in Week 13 when he posted eight receptions, 118 yards and one touchdown against the Panthers. In what could be a high-scoring game with the Panthers performing better on offense, Evans comes with a high floor.
The Smash Spot
Bucky Irving, TB vs. CAR ($8,000)
Irving has taken over as the top running back for the Buccaneers. He had 16 carries against the Cowboys last week, finishing with 68 yards and one touchdown. That was the fourth time over the last six games that Irving has found his way into the end zone. The last time he took on the Panthers, he ran 25 times for 152 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers have allowed the most FanDuel points per game to running backs, so don't expect them to slow down Irving in this rematch.
