Welcome to the Best Week 17 DFS Fantasy Football Lineup with These NFL All-Star Players!
Christmas has come and gone and it’s time to get our collective focus back on DFS. It’s the penultimate week of the NFL regular season. That means it’s the final week of “normal” DFS. Next week will be filled with questions about who has what to play for and who’s being shut down. The playoffs will bring more DFS opportunities, but it’s our last chance to attack the bad teams of the league. So let’s lean into that this week. For old-time’s sake, let’s find the top plays against the worst defenses of 2024.
Top Week 17 DFS Fantasy Football Picks
Quarterback
True, the Panthers run defense is bad, and Bucky Irving ($8000, 13.3% of available salary on FanDuel; $6700, 13.4% on DraftKings) will be a chalk Running Back play this week. But he Carolina pass defense is just as bad. They’re tied for 2nd in most passing TDs allowed and tied for 5th in highest Net Yards Passing per Attempt. Add in that Mike Evans ($8600, 14.3% on FD; $7500, 15% on DK) needs 182 yards receiving in the final two weeks to avoid his first ever sub-1000 yard season and Baker Mayfield ($8200, 13.7% on FD; $6900, 13.8% on DK) has the opportunity and motivation to have a big Week 17.
Running Back
Ah, the 2024 New York Giants. A great pass rush but terrible at every other aspect of defense. Apparently all Jonathan Taylor ($8400, 14% on FD; $7900, 15.8% on DK) needed to jumpstart his 2024 season was throwing away a potential game-winning touchdown, …in Week 15. Last week’s 218-yard, 3 TD performance served as a reminder of what JT can do, and provided a chorus of “Where has this been all season?” laments from his fantasy managers.
Wide Receiver
The Minnesota Vikings defense has been a revelation in 2024. They’re a major reason the team is 13-2 and in play for the best record in the NFC and a first-round bye in the playoffs. They’ve also provided a treasure trove of fantasy points to Wide Receivers, especially slot receivers.
Since the Vikes run defense is top 10, the Packers and Josh Jacobs ($8300, 13.8% on FD; $8100, 16.2% on DK) likely won’t be able to play their typical “run the ball and kill the clock” game plan. Jayden Reed ($6700, 11.2% on FD; $5900, 11.8% on DK) should step into the top Packers playmaker role this week. Reed put up a 7-139-1 line against Minnesota in Week 4 and a 6-89-2 line back in Week 17 last year, so we know he knows how to attack this defense.
Tight End
To the Jacksonville Jaguars, “I think I’ll miss you most of all.” Just a bad defense that we looked to pick on every week. There will be bad defenses in the future, but the 2024 Jags will always hold a special place in my heart. Any team that can give up a two-touchdown game to Cole Kmet is one I’m going to want to target. When that team has also given up TDs to Mo Alie-Cox, Brock Wright, and the Daltons (Dalton Kincaid and Dalton Schultz), you’re a super target.
Chigoziem Okonkwo ($5400, 9% on FD; $3600, 7.2% on DK) has emerged as Mason Rudolph‘s favorite target (10 & 11 pass targets) since putting Will Levis out of his misery in Week 15. He should continue his productive ways this week against our beloved Jaguars.
Defense
Since we’re going through our favorite defenses to pick on this week, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include my favorite offense to pick on with my DFS Defense. Dorian Thompson-Robinson will get another start this week, but it doesn’t matter who’s under center for the Browns. Their offense is the Jelly of the Month Club for Defenses, “…the gift that keeps on giving the whole year.” The Miami Dolphins ($4700, 7.8% on FD; $3200, 6.4% on DK) are the recipient of the reinstated DTR Christmas bonus.
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Thank you for reading Joel’s Best Week 17 DFS Fantasy Football Picks. Be sure to catch next week’s NFL All-Star Lineup! Joel will line up another winning combination with expert insight and analysis. You can find and follow @theJoelWirth on X and BlueSky for more of his great content!
