Draftkings Week 17 Short Slate Breakdown

Early Only:

Quarterback:

With 10 games on the “short slate” this is going to play like most main slates. I don’t see ownership really getting too crazy on anyone at the QB spot. Hurts, Allen and Jackson should all see a decent amount of usage, with Hurts likely the most.

I like fading the top trio, and focusing more on Stroud, Purdy (who will carry some ownership), and Stafford. The match-ups are strong, the weapons they have are great, and all are capable of 300+ and 3-4 TDs.

Derek Carr, Will Levis, and Tyrod Taylor all are interesting salary saving options. Carr is the best of the bunch, and has a great match-up, with good weapons. Levis is coming off an injury, but he could be in a more trailing game script this week. That could lead to a lot of yards and maybe some late TDs. Taylor hasn’t exactly been a great fantasy option for the Giants this year, but we’ve seen it in the past. Also, his price at $4,600 is tough to argue, in a solid match-up.

Running backs:

Paying up for McCaffrey and/or Kyren Williams is a great way to start your line-up. They both are in great spots that can get the bonus, add a bunch of catches and extra yards, as well as score 2+ TDs. Most of my line-ups will ensure I have at least one of them.

If I can’t afford both, there are other great options on the slate. Etienne has his best match-up in weeks, and could see more usage without Lawrence. White, Barkley, Achane and Henry are all in consideration from a volume standpoint as well.

The match-ups for Bijan Robinson, Swift, and Zamir White are all fantastic. They are secondary priorities for me. I also don’t mind James Conner, Elliott, and Singletary.

Wide Receivers:

Since we are playing this basically like a full slate, I wouldn’t worry about trying to double-up from a certain team. Fit the best 4 WRs you can. that includes paying up for Tyreek Hill, who has a tough match-up, but should be good to go, and Miami won’t have Waddle opposite him.

Brown, Diggs, Kupp/Nacua, and Evans are all fine plays, but the other expensive wide receiver I’d really want is Deebo Samuel. This match-up vs the Commanders is pristine, and he still got 12 targets last game.

The Commanders secondary was already one of the worst units in the league, but they are going to be missing multiple starters. So if you aren’t playing Deebo, lock in Aiyuk as one of them should easily go off in this game (likely along with CMC and/or Kittle). Nico Collins and Chris Olave are also very strong plays in this range.  I know it will be with a back-up QB, but Ridley is also worth looking at against a Panthers secondary that is overrated.

Under $6K I like Flowers, Davis, N. Brown, and Shaheed. All have the ability for 20-30 DK points, and the match-ups are good-to-great. You will likely need the extra target or two to break their way, and a TD, but the upside is clear.

For cheap options there isn’t a lot to love. Devante Parker, Cedric Wilson Jr., Michael Wilson, Darius Slayton, and DJ Chark. This is a rough group to find value from. Parker could be somewhat interesting, as there is at least some potential he could get the bonus and maybe a TD. Chark is unlikely to reproduce his 2 TD effort, but 4+ catches and 1 TD would be enough. Michael Wilson hasn’t had the same level of success with Kyler Murray as he did earlier in the year, but there aren’t a lot of options on this Cards team.

This leaves Slayton as the clear favorite to me, as he’s truly mispriced. Everyone else under $4K is either a 3rd or 4th WR on a good team, or a 2nd/3rd on a bad team. Slayton falls closer to the latter category, but he’s actually leading the Giants in receiving once again, and shows that when given targets he produces.

Tight Ends:

With the highest TE on slate priced at $5,900 (McBride), there isn’t a massive gap to the top of the market. I think this makes it a bit easier to stomach playing the three $5,600K+ guys, with Kittle being my favorite (especially with Purdy). McBride and Engram will get extremely good target shares as well, but the offensive output could be more limited.

If you aren’t paying for the top of the market, I like staying in the mid-tier with the trio of Goedert, Likely, and Waller. All have decent enough match-ups and should see 6-10 targets. Kyle Pitts is also in play, but you can’t count on the same target level.

Under $4K it gets thinner, but Okonkwo, Juwan Johnson, Jonnu Smith, and Austin Hooper all can work. Hooper is the minimum at $2,500, and if the Raiders throw for more this week, he could be the 3rd option on the team. My favorite of the group is Johnson though. He’s coming off a 7 target game, and has a good match-up here. He’s also tied to the best QB of this group.

Afternoon:

Quarterback:

With only three games it’s always going to be a bit thin, but with four back-ups on the slate, I would expect this to play out with massive ownership on Mahomes. He’s in a great spot, and we’ve seen QB after QB shred the Bengals.

I do think you can make a solid case for some of the back-up QB options. Stick has completed about 70% of his passes and has a bit of a rushing upside. Stidham was very good filling in late last season with the Raiders, and he’s going against the Chargers Def. The downside for both is that each team is missing multiple weapons. So their upside may be capped.

Browning has the toughest match-up, but he’s been the most consistent of the back-up QBs, and will likely be playing from a major negative game script. Rudolph though is the intriguing one. The Seahawks are missing some key defensive pieces, and the Steelers offensive weapons are a full go.

This makes Geno Smith the most intriguing contrarian option, as I doubt he carries much ownership. The match-up isn’t great, but it’s not terrible. Still it is probably best to just eat the Mahomes chalk.

Running backs:

We are going to have to wait and see on the injuries to the Chiefs’ top two backs and Kenneth Walker. CEH looked like a value play early in the week, but now with Pacheco likely back, and him sick, the situation is murky. If Walker doesn’t play, Charbonnet is decent value, but if not the only real value comes from the Steelers two backs.

When spending up, Pacheco and Walker are fine if they are fully healthy. I don’t mind Ekeler, in the match-up, but this isn’t the Ekeler of old. Mixon is solid, but he has a tough match-up overall.

For me I don’t want to spend too much at the RB spot, but I also don’t want to just hope to get TDs from number 2 backs.

Wide Receivers:

A lot of unknowns right now with Chase, Metcalf, Jeudy, and Mims all listed as questionable.  Mims is probably the one most likely to miss, but all bear watching.

Both the Broncos and Chargers are missing multiple weapons, so it’s thin here, and we could look at some cheaper plays. He’s struggled as a rookie but Johnston will probably lead the team in targets among receivers. On the Broncos, even if Jeudy plays, Brandon Johnson or Humphrey could be a cheap flyer worth taking on a 3 game slate.

Overall I’m going to focus on the options from the Seahawks, Steelers, Bengals, and Rashee Rice at receiver. Mainly it will be who fits, and how the line-up makes sense. I do love the Steelers two options as a priority, and will probably want at least one Seahawks WR in most line-ups (especially if Metcalf is out).

Tight ends:

Tight end is super simple on this slate. Travis Kelce is worth the pay up here vs a terrible Bengals defense. If you aren’t grabbing him, or want to double up at TE Pat Friermuth and Gerald Everett are both great options. Lucas Krull offers some interesting savings, and is a nice cheap way to get a piece against that Chargers defense.