Week 17 of the NFL season is always fun for NFL DFS players. With all of the games taking place on Sunday, there will be a 15-game main slate, which means there will be plenty of options to choose from to help differentiate our lineups. Our DraftKings cash picks are playing it mostly safe, per usual, spending up for a few bigger names and then picking volume-based sleepers to round out our lineups.
This week, we were hoping to spend up at QB, RB, and WR, but we couldn't quite get to a top WR with our limited budget. So, we decided to grab a top QB and a couple of higher-end RBs while creating a QB-TE stack with upside as opposed to a QB-WR stack that could've worked but would've been costly. To help differentiate our lineup, we grabbed a couple of top TEs in excellent matchups that could end up functioning more like top wideouts than TEs. That could pay off big time in this cash lineup, and either way, our TD floor appears to be high, and that's the No. 1 thing to look for in a loaded slate like this.
MORE WEEK 17 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder
DraftKings Week 17 Picks: NFL DFS cash lineup
QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers @ Bears ($7,400). Rodgers has a shot at clinching the one seed, knocking his team's archrival out of the playoffs, and (likely) sealing the NFL MVP award with a strong performance in Week 17. Rodgers has logged multiple TDs in all but one game this season and since Week 7, he is averaging roughly 268 passing yards and three TDs per game. The Bears defense has struggled at times in recent weeks (25.2 points per game allowed in their past five games) and allowed Rodgers to throw for four TDs against them in Week 12. He should have another big game and is worth spending up for.
RB Alexander Mattison, Vikings @ Lions ($6,100). Dalvin Cook was originally the pick here, but he is going to miss the game while attending to a family emergency at home. We'll pivot to Mattison here at a reasonable price instead. The Lions have allowed the second-most DK points to RBs this year, and that includes a league-high 26 total TDs to the position. Mattison should have a good outing in a showcase game for him -- provide that he can return from a concussion that kept him out of Week 16.
WEEK 17 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
RB Jonathan Taylor, Colts vs. Jaguars ($7,400). Jonathan Taylor is getting a lot of attention for how he has played lately, and rightfully so. He has logged at least 19.4 DK points in four consecutive games and has racked up five TDs in his last three outings. The Jaguars have been weak against RBs this year and Taylor had a 14.9-point outing against them in his first career game back in Week 1. He should be ready to do more damage on the ground against a team that ranks 30th against RBs in DK points allowed this season.
WR Brandin Cooks, Texans vs. Titans ($6,900). Cooks is the clear-cut No. 1 receiver for the Texans with Will Fuller suspended, Kenny Stills gone, and Randall Cobb hurt, and since Week 11, Cooks is averaging seven targets, 5.4 catches, and 87 yards per game. WRs have scored 44.7 DK points per game against the Titans this year, tied for third most in the NFL, and Tennessee has allowed the second-most catches (244) and fourth-most TDs (20) to the position. Cooks had 21.8 DK points last time he played the Titans, so we'll hope for that type of production again.
WEEK 17 DFS CASH LINEUPS: FanDuel
WR Michael Gallup, Cowboys @ Giants (5,000). After a rough start to the season, Gallup has started to come on of late. He has caught four TDs in his past four games while averaging 7.3 targets, 4.5 catches, and 64 yards per game. The Giants have been good against WRs this year, but Gallup had four catches for 73 yards against them last time these two sides met. He should have a chance at similar or better production at a below-average cost.
WR Jamison Crowder, Jets @ Patriots ($5,000). Crowder has been targeted 17 times in the past two weeks and has recorded 13 catches for 158 yards and a TD in that span. He also threw a TD on a trick play. Crowder figures to be a high-volume receiver with a high floor and is great in the cash-game format. The Patriots only rank middle-of-the-pack against WRs and are playing without Stephon Gilmore this week. Crowder could do well against them and may have a chance to score on them like he did back in Week 9.
WEEK 17 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
TE Robert Tonyan, Packers @ Bears ($5,000). We considered stacking Davante Adams with Rodgers instead of Tonyan, but Adams was too expensive to fit into this lineup. Tonyan should work as a potentially solid stack, though. The Bears have allowed the fourth-most DK points to TEs this year, and Tonyan has 10 TDs on the year and just saw his five-game TD streak come to an end in the snow. Rodgers will look to get him the ball frequently in this game and at $5K, he should easily pay off this price.
WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
FLEX Mike Gesicki, Dolphins @ Bills ($4,200). Playing two TEs in any lineup is always a risk, but it's one that could pay off. The Bills are one of four teams in the NFL that have allowed at least 900 receiving yards to TEs. Gesicki has averaged 17.1 DK points in his last four outings and had his biggest game of the year (30 DK points via eight catches, 130 yards, and a TD) against the Bills earlier in the year. We're starting him with confidence, as pairing him with Tonyan gives us great lineup differentiation without sacrificing too much of our floor.
D/ST Arizona Cardinals @ Rams ($2,800). John Wolford is set to start for the Rams. While Wolford well could be a solid quarterback thanks to Sean McVay's coaching, he has no snaps of NFL experience and the Cardinals have racked dup 17 sacks during their past three games. If they can pressure him, they will be able to sack him a bunch and potentially force some turnovers. They're the safest low-budget defense, so we'll give them a shot in this spot.