Hello everyone! Welcome to Week 17 of the NFL season! Now, most season-long leagues have concluded, but there’s still fantasy football to be played! If you play DFS or want to give it a try, I’m here for you! Let’s go over some quick hits about the massive 15 game slate on Sunday. I’ll list a high priced stud, mid-priced building block, and low priced value play at each position and a quick blurb about why I like them this week. FanDuel salary will be listed first, followed by DraftKings. Let’s get to it!

Quarterback

Stud

Deshaun Watson ($8,700/$7,700): Watson has been playing at an MVP level since Bill O’Brien left town. The Titans’ defense does not get any pressure and their secondary is not good either.

Mid-range

Kirk Cousins ($7,700/$6,300): Without Dalvin Cook this week the Vikings may be passing a little more than usual against a very weak Detroit secondary.

Value

Derek Carr ($7,200/$5,700): Carr has put up at least 23 fantasy points in three of his past four games. The only time he didn’t he left early with a groin injury. The matchup with a crippled Denver defense is pretty friendly.

Running Backs

Stud

Derrick Henry ($10,200/$9,400): Sometimes it’s best to not overthink things. Henry will get an elite workload against a defense that has been gutted by running backs all year. He’s expensive but there is a lot of value this week. Try to differentiate your lineup somewhere else.

Mid-range

Myles Gaskin ($6,700/$6,500): Miami needs a win this week. Gaskin showed he was their most effective running back last week in his return from the COVID list, they would be wise to keep him heavily involved this week. Better value on FanDuel.

Value

Latavius Murray ($5,500/$5,600): There are a number of solid value options at running back this week. Murray is my (and likely a lot of other people’s) favorite. He will likely be very popular but for good reason. The matchup is great, the Saints need to win if they want any shot at the top seed, and Alvin Kamara will miss the game. Murray was the #1 RB in fantasy last season as the starter. EDIT: Murray has since been ruled out. Alexander Mattison is another very cheap option that should start. Adjust accordingly. It seems the entire Saints RB room has been deemed close contacts, keep an eye on who they have playing RB this week as whoever it is should hold some value.

Wide Receivers

Stud

Adam Thielen ($7,900/$7,400): No one on the Lions will be able to cover Thielen, who is Kirk Cousins’s favorite red-zone target. He provides some leverage off Alexander Mattison who will likely be popular.

Mid-range

CeeDee Lamb ($6,100/$5,200): With Amari Cooper likely dealing with James Bradberry, there is a good chance either Lamb or Michael Gallup sees the most targets this week. I like both but I like Lamb, who saw 11 targets the last time these teams met, a little more. DraftKings price seems way too cheap.

Value

Keke Coutee ($5,700/$5,600): Since taking over as the #2 WR following Will Fuller’s suspension, Coutee has averaged a solid 11.2 fantasy points per game. The Texans will likely be in a pass-heavy game script this week as they try to keep pace with the Titans leading to some quick hits to Coutee in the slot.

Tight End

Stud

Darren Waller ($7,800/$7,100): How do you go away from this guy at this point? He’s in the middle of one of the most ridiculous runs a tight end has ever been on. The only question is do you want to pay up at tight end this week?

Mid-range

TJ Hockenson ($5,800/$4,600): Hockenson should have a decent floor and a relatively high ceiling against a Vikings defense that is missing stud coverage linebacker, Eric Kendricks.

Value

Stephen Anderson ($4,000/$2,600): If you really want to punt the TE spot this week, why not go all the way down to Anderson who saw six targets last week without Hunter Henry in the lineup? The floor is nonexistent but for this salary, it doesn’t take much to pay off.

I hope you enjoyed these quick hits and can use them to make some money this weekend! Be sure to keep an eye on things on Sunday morning as Week 17 does tend to be a little chaotic. Follow me on Twitter for more DFS plays! While you’re here, check out all the other great content we have here at Belly Up! Good luck everyone!