FantasyDraft NFL: Week 17 Picks

FantasyDraft NFL: Week 17 Picks

This article is part of our FantasyDraft NFL series.

It's been a fun regular season and the only way to make it better is to finish strong. The only problem is that more than half the teams have nothing to play for meaning some different names could be headed for huge weeks. While that means a lot of bargain plays, I'm still going with a slew of trusty options, namely a future Hall of Fame candidate at tight end.

QUARTERBACK

Jameis Winston, TB vs. NO ($10,400): I know the Saints defense has been good against the pass this year, but putting Winston at this price is harsh. He's looked much better since returning from his shoulder injury and reached at least 17 fantasy points in those four starts. As long as he can reach that minimum, Winston is worth the price. Not to mention, the Bucs have played against must-win teams for the last four weeks and that hasn't changed anything. The Bucs are competing and Winston has found renewed success with Mike Evans.

RUNNING BACK

Ezekiel Elliott, DAL at PHI ($15,900): There's no reason Elliott won't see at least 25 touches again and that's good enough to back him. The Eagles have good numbers against the run, but that doesn't matter since they have little motivation to try in this game. After 28 touches last week in an ugly offensive performance, Elliott should be close to that total again, but maybe a few more yards and hopefully a touchdown.

Alvin Kamara, NO at TB ($15,700): Even if Kamara only gets 15 touches in this game, he could easily bust loose for 100 total yards and a touchdown. I already talked about the Bucs playing with some fight, but that doesn't mean their defense will turn good overnight. Kamara roasted them for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 16 touches back in Week 9 and the same could happen again.

WIDE RECEIVER

Keenan Allen, LAC vs. OAK ($15,300): With a number of high-end receivers injured or not playing, Allen is a logical play. His numbers haven't jumped off the page the last two weeks, but he's still consistent with at least five catches in his last six games. The Raiders don't have anything to play for and rank 28th in the league against No. 1 wide receivers (according to Football Outsiders' DVOA). Allen only had five grabs for 45 yards in the first meeting, but that was before he started carving up opposing secondaries.

T.Y. Hilton, IND vs. HOU ($11,600): I suggested Hilton in last week's Saturday write-up and he gets full treatment this time around. It's been a boom-or-bust season for Hilton without Andrew Luck throwing him the ball, but he's consistently beaten bad secondaries at home. He already had 175 yards and two touchdowns on five catches against the Texans in the first meeting and the defense has only gotten worse since that game two months ago. The Colts don't have anything to play for, but Jacoby Brissett isn't going to end the season quietly.

TIGHT END

Antonio Gates, LAC vs. OAK ($7,200): With Hunter Henry out, Gates only makes sense in this spot, similar to last week. He returned to prominence against the Jets, securing six-of-eight targets for 81 yards and a touchdown. I'm not saying that will happen again, but the Raiders don't have a good defense and the Chargers should move the ball with ease behind Philip Rivers.

FLEX

Jamaal Williams, GB at DET ($9,900): The Lions just let their season go down the drain in Cincinnati and no one else is competing with Williams for touches in the Green Bay backfield. Even with Brett Hundley under center for the Packers, Williams has had success. Williams hasn't done as much in recent weeks against better defenses, but the Lions rank 28th in rush defense DVOA and were just carved up by Giovani Bernard for 168 total yards.

Samaje Perine, WAS at NYG ($8,000): I don't like Perine as much as Williams, but he's cheaper for a reason. Even after being listed as questionable ahead of last week's game, Perine still had 20 touches, so it's clear Washington will use him even with nothing to play for. He hasn't surpassed 10 fantasy points in the last four weeks, but a lot of that has to do with the opponent and the Giants are not a good one. In fact, Perine's last successful game came against the Giants when he had 130 total yards on 27 touches.

DEFENSE

Washington Redskins at NYG ($5,500): I could go even cheaper here because a number of teams aren't playing starters, but Washington is a good spot to look. The Giants were incompetent last week and already got dominated in the first meeting against Washington, totaling just 170 yards. In the last three weeks, Washington has 33 fantasy points led by its 11 sacks.

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. Adam Zdroik plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: zdroik, DraftKings: rotozdroik, Yahoo: StreakMaster.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Zdroik
Adam, a 2019, 2018 and 2017 Finalist for FSWA's Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's soccer editor. He also runs RotoWire's Bracketology, as well as writes on other various college basketball content. He has previously worked at ESPN and Sporting Kansas City, and he is a former Streak for the Cash winner and Michigan State graduate.
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