This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
Before jumping headfirst into the whirlwind of fun that is Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football, be sure to differentiate between the variety of games offered. Since Head-to-Heads, 50/50s and Double Ups pay nearly half of entrants, your best bet for cashing is to target players with higher floors. Think heavily targeted No. 1 WRs, RBs who get the bulk of a team's carries, and upper echelon QBs in matchups with a tight Vegas point spread and a high total.
Tournaments / Guaranteed Prize Pools (GPPs) require a bit more of your inner contrarian. Target offensive players with higher ceilings in advantageous matchups. Huge point totals can come from the most unpredictable of places, and the most obvious plays are not always the right ones. Though previous week's performances should be noted, each new week of action should be considered its own season. Don't chase last week's stats.
Overview
Week 17 is typically the most volatile and least predictable fantasy week of the season, so prepare for some surprises. With so many teams eliminated from the playoffs, it is of the utmost importance to track who will be playing and who is resting. We already know that the Steelers' three Bs (Big Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown) won't suit up Sunday and that the Bills may rest some of their starters as well. Though the Giants aren't currently planning to rest their starters, there's a chance that they keep Odell Beckham's snap count low, as there is always the potential for the highly emotional wideout to get out of hand while being covered by his arch nemesis, cornerback Josh Norman. Most importantly, we want to get a piece of offenses who are still fighting for a playoff spot (Redskins, Buccaneers, Lions, Packers), a first round bye (Falcons, Seahawks) and division titles and/or a first round bye (Chiefs, Raiders). The season concludes with the de facto NFC North title game and a playoff berth on the line in the Sunday night primetime game between the Lions and the Packers. With a projected total of 47 and a three-point spread, this will certainly be a game worth targeting for DFS purposes. Finally, the Saints-Falcons game boasts a whopping 56-point projected total – the highest number we've seen all season. It's a great game to stack in tournaments and has several desirable targets for us to consider this week.
TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)
Matthew Stafford (DET, $35)
Stafford is a gamer and will have to rise to the occasion with the Lions' season on the line. He has struggled immensely over the last three weeks (1:4 TD:INT) and has been dealing with a dislocated middle finger on his throwing hand for the past couple of starts. He completed just 26 of 46 passes against the Cowboys last week and barely salvaged his fantasy day with a rushing touchdown, though 13.5 fantasy points was less than ideal. The Lions are three-point underdogs and will likely be without Theo Riddick once again this week, a loss that significantly impacts this offense. Regardless, Stafford will be playing in front of his home crowd against a Packers pass defense that was shredded for 382 yards and three touchdowns by the usually unexciting Sam Bradford. With Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan available for just a few bucks more, it's hard to justify rolling with Stafford over any of them, but GPPs are where we take our shots. Though I don't expect the Lions to pull off this victory, Stafford should keep his team in the game and put up a valiant effort in a must-win situation this Sunday night.
Isaiah Crowell (CLE, $16)
Those interested in this Browns' bruiser for the season finale will be happy to hear that the Steelers will be resting many of their key starters. Of course, this applies more to their offense, but with little to play for Sunday, it wouldn't be surprising to see them take their foot off the pedal a tad as they prepare for the playoffs. Crowell had a solid outing last week, getting into the end zone twice and finishing the day with 19.8 fantasy points. He has often been the victim of negative game flow, receiving double-digit carries in just five of his last 10 games, but Crowell should see somewhere between 15-20 carries Sunday, whether or not the Browns are keeping pace with the Steelers scoring-wise. He is always a risky play, but deserves GPP consideration this week. Here's hoping the Crow eats in Week 17.
Allen Robinson (JAX, $18)
Robinson is one of a handful of early-round busts in season-long leagues, with much of the blame planted squarely on the regression of his quarterback, Blake Bortles. The Jags fired coach Gus Bradley prior to Week 16's matchup with the Titans and the new coaching staff made sure Robinson was the focal point of the offense. After failing to top three catches or 35 yards over his previous five games, he put up a monster outing (19.2 fantasy points) off nine catches and 147 receiving yards. Interim coach Doug Marrone made sure to move Robinson around the formation more than Bradley had, and the improved coaching was on full display against the Titans. He will likely see Colts' corner Vontae Davis on a good chunk of his snaps, but Davis has been inconsistent this season and a shell of his former self. The 47-point implied total is one of the highest of Week 17, and we should expect Robinson to close out his disappointing season with a bang. Look for him to top the 100-yard mark for the second consecutive week and to get into the end zone for the first time since Week 12.
Other Against-the-Grainers
QB: Kirk Cousins (WAS, $31), Alex Smith (KC, $27)
RB: Ty Montgomery (GB, $22), Rob Kelley (WAS, $20), Derrick Henry (TEN, $14)
WR: Julio Jones (ATL, $31), Emmanuel Sanders (DEN, $21), Marvin Jones (DET, $15), Corey Coleman (CLE, $13)
TE: Antonio Gates (SD, $16)
DST: Seattle Seahawks ($18), Minnesota Vikings ($18)
CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)
Quarterbacks
Aaron Rodgers (GB, $40)
It's hard to pass on Ryan ($40) or Brees ($41) for our cash game lineups in the highest implied point total of the season (56), but it's almost harder for us to play any quarterback this week over Rodgers in a must-win situation. He has been the league's best quarterback this season, averaging 23.5 fantasy points per game. His 36 touchdowns lead the NFL and he's thrown just seven interceptions on the season. Rodgers put up an incredible 37.18 fantasy points against the Vikings last week, accounting for five total touchdowns (including one rushing TD). The last time the Packers faced the Lions, Rodgers threw four touchdown passes in a 34-27 win back in Week 3. We have witnessed his ability in the clutch over the years, and shouldn't be the least bit surprised to see another big performance in a win-and-in situation.
Running Backs
David Johnson (ARI, $41)
Cash games, tournaments, season-long leagues, you name it, David Johnson is the fantasy MVP of the 2016 NFL season, and has helped people across the world win lots of money in 2016. With a game still to go, Johnson leads the NFL in first downs (112), touchdowns (20) and yards from scrimmage with an incredible 2,074, not to mention his league-leading 24.1 fantasy points per game. He has become an auto plug-and-play in both cash games and tournaments, where his weekly inclusion in this article is almost unnecessary because it's so obvious. He will be easier to fit into lineups this week given some of the value plays on our radar. Either way, the weekly strategy is simple: we put Johnson into our lineups and just build our teams around him.
DeAngelo Williams (PIT, $12) or Fitzgerald Toussaint (PIT, $10)
With Bell hanging out on the bench this Sunday, one of Williams or Toussaint should be readily deployed into all our cash game lineups. Williams was active last week for the first time since Week 9, though he only received one carry. We all recall how admirably the 33-year-old veteran filled in for Bell to start the season, as Williams amassed 237 yards on 57 carries in Weeks 1 and 2. Third-stringer Toussaint could end up being the primary ball carrier Sunday though, so it would be important to confirm first that Williams is inactive (which is a possibility given his injury and lengthy absence). The Browns' defensive struggles have been clearly on display all season long, and they rank second-to-last in run defense by DVOA this season. The RB combo of Johnson and Williams or Toussaint is the ultimate stars-and-scrubs approach at the position and will be this week's most popular. We can veer elsewhere if we want to differentiate our lineups in GPPs, but it would be borderline insane to pass up a $12 or $10 RB against the Browns for our Week 17 cash game lineups.
Wide Receivers
Jordy Nelson (GB, $33)
What an incredible season for Mr. Nelson. After finishing 2014 as the number three PPR wideout and then missing all of 2015, he bounced back for another top three finish at his position, and is the second most productive receiver after Antonio Brown through 15 games. Nelson has quite the nose for the end zone, scoring 15 TDs back in 2011, 13 in 2014 and currently leading all receivers with 14 trips to the end zone this season. He is reasonably priced on Yahoo for this final week, and will easily be the most popular receiver in both cash games and GPPs. His teammate Davante Adams ($23) is available for $10 less, but Adams' weekly production is much more volatile. Meanwhile, Jordy is the epitome of 'cash game play', hitting double-digit fantasy points in all but two games this season. With the Packers' season on the line, we should expect a big game from the Rodgers-Nelson combo and for the two to connect in the end zone at least once this Sunday.
Doug Baldwin (SEA, $23)
Baldwin's weekly fantasy production has been erratic this season, but so has Seattle's offense as a whole. Unfortunately, budding star Tyler Lockett suffered a horrific injury last week, breaking both his tibia and fibula. Baldwin essentially took over once Lockett was knocked out. He was targeted on 14 of Wilson's 32 passes (44 percent target share) on his way to a massive 13-171-1 line (30.2 FP) from 19 total targets. We should expect Baldwin to be heavily targeted once again in a game that the Seahawks must (and should) win. The Niners rank 31st in DVOA against number one receivers, and have been shredded by slot receivers all season long (second most fantasy points allowed). There are plenty of solid options at WR this week, but $23 for Baldwin appears to be one of Week 17's best bargains.
Demaryius Thomas (DEN, $21)
Thomas has quietly strung together yet another productive season, and done so primarily working with a second-year signal-caller who came into the campaign with zero NFL pass attempts. He needs four more receptions to be the only receiver to catch at least 90 balls in each of the last five seasons. Thomas is averaging nearly 98 receptions per season over that span, though it's worth noting that Antonio Brown has averaged 120.25 over the last four. Thomas is cheap this week, as is his teammate Emmanuel Sanders ($21), who should bounce back after seeing just three targets last week. Both Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch will play Sunday, with Lynch likely seeing the bulk of the action. Thomas saw 17 targets over Lynch's two starts this season, converting those into 11 catches and 110 yards. Because it's tough to gauge their weekly performances, both Thomas and Sanders may be better suited for tournaments, but Thomas has averaged slightly over 10 targets per game over his last 10 games and is the safer cash game play. Expect him to end his season on a high note.
Also, consider Steve Smith Sr. (BAL, $18) for the 'retirement' narrative.
Tight Ends
Travis Kelce (KC, $24)
With the 2016 season nearly in the books, it appears that Kelce will be the league's top fantasy tight end. He leads his position in fantasy points per game (11.9), receptions (84) and receiving yards (1,117) putting in an extraordinary effort against the Broncos last week – a career-high 11 catches and 160 yards. The lone blemish on an otherwise phenomenal season is a low touchdown total – just four on the season. The Chargers rank in the middle of the pack against opposing tight ends, but should have a particularly tough time stopping Kelce as the Chiefs look to lock up the AFC West in grand fashion. With little stability at the position, locking Kelce in as our cash game tight end provides us with a touch of comfort considering he has hit the 100-yard receiving mark in five of his last six games.
Defense/Special Teams
Denver Broncos ($17)
There are a handful of solid options this week, but the best point-per-dollar option are the Broncos, at home against Matt McGloin and the Raiders. McGloin made seven appearances in his rookie season (2013) but has had very little regular season experience since then, and will be expected to establish a rapport with receivers Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper immediately. That will be a tough task this week against the league's best defensive corps led by Von Miller and two of the top-rated corners in Chris Harris and Aqib Talib. The main concern when considering Denver as a play is that it's likely that the Raiders do all they can to lean on their run game as opposed to having McGloin airing it out. He will have to throw it at some point regardless, and we all know that this crew will be ready to pounce on any opportunity. Mistakes will be made. If you're looking for an alternative, the Patriots ($16) against Matt Moore and the Dolphins will do, as could the Vikings DST taking on the Bears' Matt Barkley – he of the five interceptions in Week 16.
Honorable Mentions
QB: Matt Ryan (ATL, $40), Drew Brees (NO, $41)
RB: Devonta Freeman (ATL, $30), Darren McFadden (DAL, $14)
WR: Mike Evans (TB, $37), Brandin Cooks (NO, $29), Michael Thomas, (NO, $25), Julian Edelman (NE, $24)
TE: Zach Ertz (PHI, $20), Eric Ebron (DET, $15)
DST: New England Patriots ($16)
