Week 18 begins Saturday with two games that have playoff implications: first, the Buccaneers host the Panthers in a battle for the NFC South crown, and then the Seahawks and 49ers square off to determine the winner of the NFC West. These matchups also provide us with a two-game DFS slate, so let's break down each position on DraftKings and FanDuel to help you build your lineups.
Quarterback
Bryce Young ($4,800 DK, $7,200 FD) has topped 200 passing yards in a game just three times all season, and he has nine games with one or no touchdown passes. Baker Mayfield ($5,600 DK, $7,900 FD) has also been quiet lately, finishing with one or no touchdown passes in seven of his last 10, including a Week 16 matchup with the Panthers when he had 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception. In that same game, Young threw for 191 yards and two scores. Between these two options, Young might be the better play; not only does he have a cheaper salary, but the Buccaneers have given up 28 passing touchdowns this season, while the Panthers have allowed only 19.
The other game has more upside at quarterback with Sam Darnold ($5,800 DK, $7,500 FD) facing Brock Purdy ($6,300 DK, $8,200 FD). Purdy is coming off a masterful performance against the Bears with five total touchdowns, and it marked his third straight game with at least 295 passing yards. As good as the Seahawks defense can be, Purdy had 277 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against them in Week 1. In that game, Darnold threw for 150 yards and no touchdowns, and he has just nine touchdowns and nine interceptions in his last eight games. The 49ers are tied for the sixth-most passing touchdowns allowed, though, so this could be the matchup that Darnold needs to get back on track.
Running Back
The clear top running back for this slate is Christian McCaffrey ($8,800 DK, $9,700 FD), who had 181 total yards and a touchdown against the Bears last week. He needs 110 more receiving yards to post the second season of his career with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards, and he comes in with 17 total touchdowns already. While he comes with a hefty salary, he can still be worth building an entry around.
The Seahawks have been using a two-man approach out of the backfield in Kenneth Walker III ($5,700 DK, $6,900 FD) and Zach Charbonnet ($5,600 DK, $6,800 FD), the latter of whom dominated last week, rushing 18 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns against the Panthers. He has 24 red-zone carries over the last eight games, compared to 13 for Walker. That should be the tiebreaker if deciding between the two.
Charbonnet's two touchdowns against the Panthers last week are noteworthy for Bucky Irving ($6,100 DK, $8,600 FD), who only has one rushing touchdown this season, as the Panthers are tied for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns allowed in the league. The problem is, Sean Tucker ($4,100 DK, $5,200 FD) seems to be the Buccaneers' preferred option when they get in close. Over the last four games, he had 10 red-zone carries compared to six for Irving. Tucker might be worth taking a chance on in GPPs.
Rico Dowdle ($5,900 DK, $7,600 FD) had a stretch earlier in the season when he was one of the most productive running backs in the league. He has since come back to reality, rushing for fewer than 60 yards in each of his last seven games. In Week 16, the Buccaneers held him to 29 yards on nine carries. It's difficult to get excited about him or his backfield mate Chuba Hubbard ($4,400 DK, $5,600 FD) for this slate.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Although Darnold only threw for 150 yards against the 49ers in Week 1, Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($8,600 DK, $9,600 FD) had nine receptions for 124 yards. He has accounted for 36.0 percent of the Seahawks' targets this season, leaving him with 113 receptions. The 49ers are tied for the seventh-most receptions allowed to wide receivers, so fading Smith-Njigba could be detrimental. If there is a tight end with a cheaper salary to consider, it's AJ Barner ($3,700 DK, $5,400 FD), who has five straight games with at least three receptions and scored in each of the last two.
George Kittle ($6,000 DK, $6,500 FD) is officially listed as questionable, but reports indicate he is trending towards being active after sitting out Week 17 with an ankle injury. The Seahawks have allowed the fifth-most receptions to tight ends, so he could immediately step back into a busy role. His potential return would make both Jauan Jennings ($5,600 DK, $6,600 FD) and Ricky Pearsall ($5,100 DK, $6,400 FD) riskier options. However, don't sleep on Jennings, who has at least one touchdown in five straight games.
The only wide receiver to even consider on the Panthers is Tetairoa McMillan ($5,800 DK, $7,300 FD), who needs 71 yards to reach 1,000 in his rookie season. He had six receptions for 73 yards and one touchdown against the Buccaneers in their first meeting, which was one of his best performances of the year.
Mike Evans ($6,300 DK, $8,500 FD) is back in the fold for the Buccaneers, posting 14 receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns on 28 targets in three games since returning from injury. Chris Godwin Jr. ($5,300 DK, $6,900 FD) had seven receptions for 108 yards and one touchdown against the Dolphins last week, but that was an outlier performance; in his eight games this season, he has finished with 50 or fewer receiving yards five times. Those two being healthy has also lightened the workload of Emeka Egbuka ($5,200 DK, $5,700 FD), who had just 14 targets in the last three games, leaving him with just 124 yards on eight receptions.
Defense/Special Teams
The Seahawks ($2,700 DK, $4,700 FD) have the best defense among these four teams, allowing just 18.1 points per game, and they have the fifth-most interceptions. The Panthers ($2,600 DK, $3,600 FD) have also been adept at picking off passes, as their 14 interceptions are tied for the eighth-most in the league. However, they're also tied for the third-fewest sacks. The 49ers ($2,900 DK, $3,800 FD) have the fewest sacks in the league with 18, and the next-worst team is the Jets at 26. Among the four teams in action, the Buccaneers ($3,000 DK, $4,300 FD) have allowed the most points at 24.8 per game.
