OwnersBox NFL DFS: Week 18 Picks

OwnersBox NFL DFS: Week 18 Picks

This article is part of our DFS NFL series.

OwnersBox's SuperFlex contests provide participants with a chance to roster up to two quarterbacks per lineup, opening up the opportunity for major scoring boosts and a more entertaining fantasy sweat overall.

Each week of the NFL regular season, we'll break down appealing candidates in the main Sunday slate for OwnersBox's NFL SuperFlex DFS contests.  

Quarterbacks

Kyler Murray, ARI vs. SEA ($7,600)

In Week 17, Murray finally seemed to truly snap out of the funk he'd been mired in since being forced to play without DeAndre Hopkins (knee), throwing for 263 yards and rushing for 44 yards on his way to 28 fantasy points in an upset win over the Cowboys. The Cardinals now find themselves in a key finale that gives them an opportunity to take the NFC West crown they once looked like a shoo-in for. Arizona still needs a Rams loss to the 49ers in a game being played concurrently, but the Cardinals will undoubtedly be playing aggressively in this spot against a Seahawks defense that's allowed 263.5 passing yards per road contest at a 68.7 percent completion rate. Murray has scored at least 25 fantasy points in three of his last five games overall, and given the matchup, the possibility of another fruitful return is certainly there.

Justin Herbert, LAC at LVR ($7,000)

The Chargers and Raiders face off to close out the regular season in what is the highest-stakes game of Week 18, and Herbert should be poised for a prominent role against a defense he already accumulated 27 fantasy points against this season. Herbert threw for three touchdowns without an interception in that Week 4 contest, and he's tossed multiple TDs in five of the last six contests overall. The Raiders have been a stingy pass defense at home (202.9 PYPG allowed), but Las Vegas has also allowed a 67.5 percent completion rate and a 26:5 TD:INT to quarterbacks overall, boosting Herbert's prospects in a game for which he should have a fully healthy pass-catching corps.

ALSO CONSIDER: Taysom Hill, NO at ATL ($6,600)

Running Backs

Jonathan Taylor, IND at JAC ($7,800)

Taylor has been the top running back to invest heavily in over the second half of the season, and this must-win game for the Colts will certainly be no exception. The MVP candidate has four straight 100-yard efforts and has crossed the century mark in seven of the last eight overall, including his 21-116-1 line against the Jaguars back in Week 10. Jacksonville had demonstrated improvement against the run earlier in the season, but the Jags have been faltering in that area of late with an NFL-high 176.3 rushing yards per game allowed over the last three contests. The Jaguars have also allowed the third-most rushing touchdowns to RBs (17), while Taylor has 18 rushing scores and is averaging 5.7 red-zone touches per contest.

Elijah Mitchell, SF at LAR ($6,100)

Mitchell returned from a three-game absence in Week 17 and looked like he hadn't missed a beat, posting 20 fantasy points against the Texans on the strength of a 119-yard effort. The rookie is now averaging 14.9 fantasy points per game for the season and has scored 16 to 27 fantasy points in his last three games. The Rams have been largely effective defense against the run (104.6 RYPG allowed at home), but they've allowed a robust 83-610-3 line through the air to running backs and are likely to face a constant pounding from Mitchell, who logged 27 carries in the first game between the teams.

ALSO CONSIDER: Devin Singletary, BUF vs. NYJ ($5,900)

Wide Receivers

Cooper Kupp, LAR vs. SF ($7,900)

Kupp, much like Taylor, has been the no-brainer choice at receiver if paying up heavily. With the Rams in a battle that matters to their playoff positioning in Week 18, Kupp is most certainly in play versus a Niners squad he posted an 11-122 line against on 13 targets earlier this season. Kupp is averaging 25.3 fantasy points per game, easily giving him the safest floor of any player at his position. The Rams need to win in Week 18 to clinch the NFC West, so Kupp should be out there for a typical workload against a Niners defense allowing the third-highest completion rate (69.4 percent) on the road.

DK Metcalf, SEA at ARI ($6,200)

Metcalf has been making up for his lack of red-zone success over the last two games, racking up four touchdown grabs after going six straight contests without a score. The star wideout will naturally be looking to close out the Seahawks' disappointing season on a high note, and he'll also be shooting to record the 91 receiving yards he needs to lock in his second straight 1,000-yard campaign. Arizona has been a very good pass defense at home, but with Metcalf still sporting an extremely reasonable salary for his upside, he could pay nice dividends against a Cards defense that's allowing an elevated 67.0 percent completion rate at home and 60.4 percent red-zone TD success rate overall.

Christian Kirk, ARI vs. SEA ($5,700)

Kirk and A.J. Green are both enjoying prominent roles in Arizona's air attack with Hopkins sidelined. Kirk has enjoyed steady targets while producing between 11 and 24 fantasy points in his last four games overall. It's also worth noting Seattle has given up the ninth-most receiving yards to wideouts (2,602), along with passer ratings of 90 and above in four of the six passing windows.

ALSO CONSIDER: Brandin Cooks, HOU vs. TEN ($6,000)

Tight Ends

George Kittle, SF at LAR ($6,300)

Kittle's Week 18 outlook shapes up as the classic case of a star player coming off a pair of bad games that will likely cause him to be a bit less rostered than usual, making him a particularly intriguing tournament play versus a Rams team that's struggled to defend tight ends this season. Los Angeles has given up an 85-868-4 line to the position on the season, and a 5-50-1 line (16 fantasy points) to Kittle in the first meeting between the teams. With the Rams secondary, and Jalen Ramsey in particular, adept at often limiting wide receiver production, Kittle should be in for a busy day in the must-win game for San Francisco.

Pat Freiermuth, PIT at BAL ($5,200)

Diontae Johnson looks highly unlikely to be available for the Steelers for the regular-season finale after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, and the star receiver will leave a vacuum of 10.6 targets per game if he does sit out. Freiermuth has recorded between four and seven receptions in eight of the last 10 games, while the Ravens have faced the most tight-end targets in the league (142). That's led to Baltimore allowing the third most receptions (95) and fifth-most receiving yards (1,032) to the position, weaknesses that the talented Freiermuth should be able to capitalize on, especially with the extra attention he should get from Ben Roethlisberger with Johnson out.

ALSO CONSIDER: Dawson Knox, BUF vs. NYJ ($4,700)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Juan Carlos Blanco plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: jcblanco22, FanDuel: jc_blanco22, DraftPot: jc_blanco22, FantasyDraft: jc_blanco22, OwnThePlay: jcblanco22.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juan Carlos Blanco
Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
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