For nearly one-third of the Thursdays on the calendar, we've been able to enjoy NFL action at around 8 p.m. ET. We've seen some good games and plenty of ugly ones over the past 16 weeks, heard our fair share of Al Michaels' disgust, and never once thought about watching something else. It's a blessing and a curse, but we'll look back at these moments on a cold Thursday night in February when nothing else is going on. You'll find yourself starving for a Bears vs. Panthers game or itching for the sweet sound of the TNF on Prime theme. Thankfully we have one more chance to cash in with a FanDuel or DraftKings DFS contest.
Thursday Night Football's season finale brings us the Jets against the Browns in Cleveland, where we'll wait to see if Joe Flacco's career renaissance continues in Week 17 against his former team.
Before we get into our lineup and strategy, here are the key scoring settings for DraftKings Showdown contests: They're full-point PPR and there are three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards. The Captain pick costs 1.5 times a player's original price, but he also gets his point total multiplied by 1.5.
Jets-Browns DraftKings Picks: DFS lineup for Week 17 Thursday Night Football
$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team.
Captain (1.5x points, 1.5x salary): TE David Njoku, Browns ($11,700)
Njoku is playing like a man possessed since Flacco took over the starting job. Scoring in three straight, the tight end has also managed to exceed 25 fantasy points in two of those games. While Amari Cooper is getting most of the love after his standout performance on Sunday, we have to recognize that the Jets secondary is notoriously stingy against WRs. A matchup with Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed will make life more difficult for Flacco to deliver the ball to Cooper, meaning Njoku could play an even bigger role on Thursday night. At a level below some of the other stars in this game, Njoku's ceiling is higher than the moon, making him a worthy Captain pick in the TNF finale.
FLEX RB Breece Hall, Jets ($11,000)
Much like Njoku, Hall is coming off a monster game. Production hasn't always been there in 2023 for the second-year star out of Iowa State, but opportunity always remains. Hall is essentially serving as the Jets' top option as a runner and receiver, a workload that is hard to find around the league. New York's offensive line has been in shambles since the opening kick in Week 1, leaving most of Hall's impact to come as a receiver. That's fine, especially for a player who posted 43.1 fantasy points last week. That's not going to happen against this Cleveland defense, but we'd be crazy to completely fade the RB with Trevor Siemian under center again. Trust Hall to once again be a focal point in what could end a defensive battle with each team trying to control the clock.
FLEX WR Garrett Wilson, Jets ($9,800)
We aren't particularly high on Gang Green's offense, especially since they've given us no reason to be this season, but if Hall is going to touch the ball 30 times and Wilson is getting 15 targets, then we're all the way in on their fantasy values. Everyone else plays a complementary role, as New York rides its stars to the finish, leaving some opportunities to find value in DFS. We could take swings on some of the lesser players like Tyler Conklin or Jason Brownlee, but we're riding with Wilson, who also has a solid history against the Browns. It might be a different year and his QB is now starting for the Browns, but Wilson scored twice against this defense last year in Week 2. He's not a guarantee for huge points, but he's definitely worth the spot in your lineup.
FLEX RB Jerome Ford, Browns ($8,400)
Ford isn't quite the well-oiled machine that Nick Chubb was, but he's been reliable enough to get around. If Chubb was the F-150, Ford is the Fiesta. It's a fine car that's great for the commuter and does the job of getting you from point A to point B. It's not going to be confused with a tough, off-roading, workhorse truck anytime soon. If a contractor who was preparing to put new siding on your house pulled up in a Fiesta, you're starting to question the business -- fair or not. So, Ford isn't an exciting pick, and he's not even the most reliable. After all, that's why the Ford Motor Company is often mocked with the "found on road dead" saying, but this is the best rental the lot has. It's been good before, and in a game that features great defenses, walking isn't an option. So, get behind the wheel and let's see where the road takes us.
FLEX K Riley Patterson, Browns ($4,800)
Playing off our last pick, this road is long and winding, filled with speed bumps and detours. Thursday Night Football has been fairly sloppy all year, featuring some ugly games. With both teams on a short week and relying on defenses to muck things up, we have to get some exposure on the kickers. Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) has already been ruled out, leaving Patterson to get back into game action after an unceremonious ending in Detroit. The kicker was cut after finding some struggles with the Lions, but he's been quite solid otherwise. Even though it is hard to tell at times, Cleveland is still starting a backup QB, meaning the wheels can come off at any time. We should expect a few FG attempts against a stout Jets defense, meaning Patterson will have the chance to turn his season around on Thursday night and we think he will.
FLEX D/ST Jets ($4,000)
We've seen plenty of backup QBs play this season, and that means we've seen the cycle of how this goes. That QB will start and experience success for a few weeks before crashing back down to earth shortly thereafter. While the Flacco story is nice and can definitely continue, this Jets defense could make his life miserable on a short week. He won't get away with those dangerous decisions on Thursday night, and for a QB with no mobility, Gang Green can tee off on a statue in the pocket. This is a sneaky good spot for New York in a game where no one is really giving it a chance. The Jets have proven over the years to really ruin their draft pick with meaningless wins late in the year, meaning they are more than capable of bursting Cleveland's bubble, sending Flacco to a familiar fate that's already caught up to Jake Browning, Joshua Dobbs, and many more in 2023.
MORE DK SHOWDOWN: How to win a Showdown contest
Jets-Browns FanDuel Picks Week 17: NFL DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
$60,000 budget, at least one player from each team required
- MVP (1.5x points) RB Jerome Ford, Browns ($12,000)
- FLEX RB Breece Hall, Jets ($15,000)
- FLEX WR Amari Cooper, Browns ($14,500)
- FLEX D/ST Browns ($10,000)
- FLEX K Greg Zuerlein, Jets ($8,500)
UPDATE: With Amari Cooper (heel) OUT, we'd pivot to David Njoku.
Much like the DraftKings version, our FanDuel lineup is all-in on the RBs, defenses, and special teams. We like getting some exposure on Cooper, but as we outlined earlier, the matchup is just a brutal one for him in Week 17. The Browns should be able to slow down a Jets offense that went silent for an entire half against the Commanders, but Zuerlein can convert FGs from the parking lot, and those long makes can add up quickly. In a slugfest that will likely come down to field position and the turnover battle, we like both teams to play fairly conservatively to avoid making a mistake by the lake.
Best SuperDraft Jets-Browns DFS Picks
This year, we're also listing our favorite single-game DFS plays on SuperDraft.
For those unfamiliar, SuperDraft's DFS scoring involves point multipliers as opposed to traditional salary-capped or tiered contests. A winning lineup will likely feature a strong mix of stud fantasy contributors with 1x-1.6x boosts, as well as matchup-based sleepers with larger multipliers. Each player is assigned a scoring multiplier based on their value as determined by SuperDraft. Users can roster any player in their lineup with no restrictions.
Win BIG with SuperDraft! Join now and get a free deposit match of $20!
Here are the most notable scoring rules for SuperDraft NFL contests: Half-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, two-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards.
MORE SUPERDRAFT DFS: How to play SuperDraft
- Champion (+50% points): RB Breece Hall, Jets (Multiplier 1.6x)
- Super FLEX: RB Jerome Ford, Browns (Multiplier 1.3x)
- Super FLEX: TE David Njoku, Browns (Multiplier 1.35x)
- Super FLEX: WR Garrett Wilson, Jets (Multiplier 1.2x)
- Super FLEX: QB Joe Flacco, Browns (Multiplier 1.1x)
Our SuperDraft lineup is keeping largely the same strategy we've employed through the first two, trusting the RBs and players who can see the ball often when throwing becomes the only option. The trio of Flacco, Ford, and Njoku are likely to be the most heavily involved players on the Browns' side, much like Hall and Wilson on the Jets' side. In other words, this is not a game for the sleepers.
