Free DFS FanDuel NFL Cash Game Lineup for Week 17 (12/31/17)

Free DFS FanDuel NFL Cash Game Lineup for Week 17 (12/31/17)

Every week during the NFL season, I’ll be sharing my FanDuel cash game (50/50’s, Double Ups and Head to Head) line up. Cash games are a great way to build up your bankroll without as much risk as Guaranteed Prize Pool (GPP) tournaments.

For those unfamiliar with cash games, roster construction differs in some ways than GPPs. In GPPs, our line up needs to finish in the top 15% or so to simply cash, so we’re looking for those boom or bust players to roster with our studs, to stay under the salary cap. In cash games, we merely have to finish in the top 45-50% with a score of about 120, which usually gets us there, so we look to replace those boom or bust layers with much safer players, who may lack the high ceiling to help win a GPP who can be reasonably expected to return 2X value (if a player’s salary is $6,000, then we’d need him to score 12 fantasy points).

This week, because of all the resting players and meaningless games, I’m going to change things up a little. I’m going to list potential landmines I’ll be avoiding in cash games and why, rather than give a breakdown of my line up, which I’ll simply post at the end of the article.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Coach Doug Marrone says he’ll be playing his starters to win, but I don’t believe him. I can’t imagine Leonard Fournette, who’s been battling injuries, getting a full complement of snaps. I see this playing out like a preseason game, with the starters getting a few series and then the backups to begin funneling into the game.

Philadelphia Eagles: Like the Jaguars, who are locked into the #3 seed, the Eagles own the #1 seed. Doug Pederson already said he’d like to get backup QB Nate Sudfeld some snaps and the Eagles have already lost Carson Wentz. I see this game playing out like the Jaguars game.

Los Angeles Rams: Jared Goff and Todd Gurley are out and the top three WRs won’t see many (if any) snaps. RB Malcom Brown will be popular value, but I have my reservations. There’s little talent around him and the 49ers, who’ve won four games in a row, won’t be respecting the pass and he won’t get 3rd down duty. While not safe for cash games, I’ll have plenty of GPP exposure to the 49ers defense, as leverage against the highly owned Brown.

Kansas City Chiefs: A very similar situation to the Rams, the Chiefs will bench Alex Smith, Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Rookie preseason phenom will also be a popular value play, but he’ll also have very little talent around him against a good Denver pass rush. You can use him in tournaments of course, but I also think Denver D/ST are in play as well (of course, not in the same line up.)

Pittsburgh Steelers: Although not official, the Steelers are expected to rest Ben Roethlisberger and Le’Veon Bell (neither practiced Friday.) I doubt Martavis Bryant or JuJu Smith-Schuster get a lot of run here either. Steelers are a full fade for me.

New England Patriots: New England needs to win to secure the #1 seed, but things could get out of hand quickly against the Bryce Petty led Jets. While Bill Belichick is known not to let his foot off the gas, he might start now with a gimpy 40-year-old QB, a TE with a history of injuries and a WR who’s been battling a should injury most of the season. Tread carefully here.

Dallas Cowboys: Coach Jason Garrett said all healthy players will play. Owner Jerry Jones said that the starters will see limited snaps. So, what’s going to happen? I don’t know and neither do you. Fade.

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings need a win or a Carolina loss to secure a 1st round bye. They’re playing the Bears, though. If they get up big, or if Carolina starts losing big, expect Teddy Bridgewater time, as the Vikings are no strangers to QB injuries.

Los Angeles Chargers: Melvin Gordon is highly questionable to play and Brandon Oliver is going to be a popular value play if he doesn’t. Problem is, he’s done little when given opportunities. In GPPs, think outside the box and consider Marshawn Lynch, in his last game, in stadium that should be full of Raiders fans.

Washington Redskins: Given Kirk Cousins‘ contract status, there’s been a lot of chatter that the Redskins want to give Colt McCoy, who’d be the “bridge” to a rookie QB if the team moves on from Cousins, some meaningful snaps in this game.

Now, on to my cash game line up…

Cash Game Lineup for Week 17

The blocks I like to check for my QB include a good match up with a bottom 10 pass defense, a high Vegas implied total and for him to be on the team that is the slight favorite.  Ideally, we want a mobile QB, as those rushing yards provide a nice floor. Finally, check the weather reports for strong winds or torrential rains.

QB Russell Wilson ($8,700)

At the RB position, I’m looking for most of the same blocks to check.  I’m also looking for a three down back, but they’re becoming rare and are usually expensive, so I often settle for a two down back (but not a committee RB) who also handles short yardage duties.

RB Kenyan Drake ($7,000)

RB C.J. Anderson ($6,900)

For WRs, I’m looking for the same things I’m looking for in my QB, but I’m looking for them to be slight underdogs. I also look for a receiver who’s the QBs #1 target. Targets lead to points, so the best way to ensure your receivers return value is to ensure they get plenty of opportunities. I also avoid rookies until they prove themselves. Coaches are conservative and a rookie has to earn the coach’s trust to make it onto the field and then earn the QB’s trust to start getting targets.

WR Julio Jones ($8,400)

WR Larry Fitzgerald ($7,500)

WR T.Y. Hilton ($6,700)

Statistics show that TEs on teams favored at home, with a Vegas implied total of 22 or more points have the best chance to return the highest value.

TE Charles Clay ($5,600)

Kickers are a crapshoot, but these four blocks will help tremendously: high Vegas total, favored to win (he’ll be more likely to kick 4^th quarter FGs if the team is winning rather than be sitting on the bench, watching his team go for it on 4^th down), playing at home and playing in a dome.

K Adam Vinatieri ($4,600)

Defenses aren’t that difficult. They score their point primarily with sacks, turnovers and defensive TDs. Therefore, I target teams with bad QBs and look for defenses with a strong pass rush and/or secondary. Bad QBs throw more interceptions and hold the ball longer, leading to more sacks.

D/ST New Orleans Saints ($4,600)

Good luck everyone and we’ll meet again next season. Thank you all for reading!

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