RADIO
We have made it to Week 17 of the NFL season, and what a season it has been. As usual in Week 17, there are many questions about playing time, which will usually unlock a lot of value. The Chiefs, Bills, and Steelers appear to be playing a lot of backups. Some of the teams out of playoff contention, like the Jaguars, are resting some players. There are even some COVID issues to keep an eye on, like Alvin Kamara, which could unlock a great value in Latavius Murray. So much news to monitor in the coming days. This article will get things started but make sure to follow me on Twitter (@bdentrek) and as many questions you may have leading up to lock.
When initially looking at the Week 17 slate from a cash game perspective, there is a ton of value. When it comes to the quarterback position, you can go really cheap, but this is a position I am likely paying up for with Aaron Rodgers or Ryan Tannehill. The running back position is also loaded up top with Derrick Henry, David Montgomery, Jonathan Taylor, and even David Johnson, but there is some really nice cash game value to save with when it comes to RB. The wide receiver and tight end positions are where some serious savings can be made. I will be playing Davante Adams everywhere, but you can definitely save everywhere, especially when locking in our Jaguar value below. There will be many interesting cash builds, but do not get too cute and forget about some of the pricier options as they are locks that need to be in your lineups.
This article will take a look at some of the value plays for each week of the NFL. However, when you look at value plays for GPP, you are swinging for the fences somewhat. Here I will be focusing on cash games and the necessity for slightly more safety as you are just looking to finish in the top half or so of the competition. Therefore, we are looking for cheaper players who should see a decent workload, pass attempts, targets, or carriers. Let's take a look at the cash value plays for Week 17 of the 2020 NFL season.
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Week 17 Quarterback Cash Game Value Plays
Kirk Cousins, MIN at DET | DK: $6,300, FD: $7,700
The Vikings head into Week 17 with nothing to play for besides pride versus a bad Lions team. Cousins has been a consistent fantasy asset over recent weeks and brings a strong cash game floor into this week's game. He has scored 18 or more fantasy points in eight straight games and nine of his last 10. The Vikings will also be playing this week without their star RB in Dalvin Cook, leading to more passing. Cousins will be facing a Lions Defense that has allowed nearly three passing touchdowns per game over the last nine games. They rank 31 versus quarterbacks on the season, and over the last four weeks, they are ranked dead last, 32. They allow 330 passing yards, 3.3 passing touchdowns, and over 30 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks the last four weeks. Look for Cousins to go out with a bang versus a bad defense in a game where the Vikings have a 30.5 implied team total.
Mitchell Trubisky, CHI vs GB | DK: $5,600, FD: $7,300
Just another week, and we have a mid-priced Trubisky in a game where the Bears should be playing from behind and should have to throw the ball quite a bit. The Bears face the Packers on Sunday in a game with a lot of playoff importance. If the Packers win, they are the #1 seed in the NFC. If the Bears win, they are in the playoffs. The Packers' defense has been solid versus the pass this season, even ranking 6 over the last four weeks. Trubisky faced this defense in Week 12 and still put up over 20 fantasy points by throwing three touchdowns. The game flow should be similar this Sunday as Rodgers is looking to lock up the MVP, throwing for 50 touchdowns, and get Adams to 100 touchdowns. With the Packers looking to score early and often, Mitchell should be trying to play keep up, making for nice cash gameplay if looking to save this week.
Other Values- Tua Tagovailoa, Andy Dalton, Mike Glennon
Week 17 Running Back Cash Game Value Plays
Jeff Wilson Jr., SF vs SEA | DK: $6,000, FD: $6,300
Wilson may be one of my favorite cash game plays this week. He is a value compared to the higher-priced targets, but he may also get overlooked by some cheaper targets. Wilson heads into Sunday's game as the main back in a run-heavy Niners offense. He will be taking on a Seahawks Defense that has been better in recent weeks but ranks 21 versus opposing running backs on the season. They are allowing over 20 fantasy points, but more importantly, nearly six receptions to opposing backs. Wilson will be used in the run and pass game for the Niners and should rack up the touches for some cash game goodness come Sunday. I will try and make a point to get Wilson in a lot of lineups this week but do not force him if your builds are better elsewhere.
Ronald Jones II, TB vs ATL | DK: $5,900, FD: $6,600
Jones missed the last two weeks recovering from finger surgery but is good to go for this Week 17 matchup versus the Falcons. A game that Bucs have nothing to gain when it comes to playoff seeding as they are locked into the 5th seed. The thing in Jones's favor is head coach Bruce Arians said he wants to get Jones a lot of work on Sunday. Last time he said that Jones went wild for the fantasy players that trusted Arians. It makes sense for the Bucs to let Jones get work in after two weeks off and the playoffs just around the corner. They will also not want to throw a ton and risk injuries to Tom Brady or their big receivers. The Bucs are seven-point favorites with a near 29 point implied team total. They should be in control early and often against a Falcons team that ranks 19 versus running backs in the last four weeks, allowing nearly 25 fantasy points per week. Jones may be a bit risky, but he should touch the ball at least 15 times, if not more, on his way to strong cash gameplay.
Ty Johnson and Malcolm Brown- Both Johnson and Brown should be the lead backs and essentially the only backs for their respective teams on Sunday. Both are extremely cheap and in a decent rushing matchup. They deserve to be mentioned, and I wanted to mention I prefer Johnson over Brown. I would try not to play both in cash unless you need to this week. Also, keep an eye on more news that may elevate one of the backs over the other.
Week 17 Wide Receiver Cash Game Value Plays
Russell Gage, ATL at TB | DK: $5,100, FD: $5,700
I know this did not go well last week, but I have no problem going back to the Gage well in cash. Once again, Julio Jones is out for the Falcons, leaving Calvin Ridley and Gage as the main WR targets. Gage brings a cash game floor into each week, and no Jones is gravy. He has five or more targets in each game since Week 9. Gage also has four or more receptions in four straight weeks and scored 15 or more fantasy points in three of four weeks. He's facing a Tampa Bay defense that ranks 28 versus wide receivers in the last four games, and just two weeks ago, Gage had five receptions (10 targets), 68 yards, and a touchdown versus Tampa. Lastly, Tampa will likely be resting some players on defense, which only helps Gage more.
Marvin Jones Jr., DET vs MIN | DK: $5,100, FD: $6,100
Getting a WR1 on any team is nice; getting one at a cheap price tag is even better for cash games. Jones continues to stay cheap as the Lions continue to disappoint, but do not let that scare you. Before last week's dud, Jones had been targeted six or more times in six straight weeks and scored nine or more fantasy points in each game. He faced the Vikings earlier this season and put up 13 fantasy points. The Lions are touchdown underdogs at home versus the Vikings yet have an implied team total of 23.5, meaning they will be scoring as well. Please do not shy away from Jones in a game where he should be targeted early and often.
Laviska Shenault Jr., JAX at IND | DK: $4,200, FD: $5,500
I played a lot of Shenault last week but was slightly nervous in cash. This week we ride with Shenault and do not look back. He will be locked into all my cash builds with Rodgers and Adams for starters. The Jaguars have announced DJ Chark, and Collin Johnson will both be out for Sunday's game. That's is not the only reason to like Shenault as he has been producing of late anyway. He has six or more targets in three straight weeks and has scored nine or more fantasy points in four straight games. Shenault will be facing a Colts Defense that ranks 29 versus wide receivers over the last four weeks, allowing over 45 fantasy points to the opposing WR cores. Look for Shenault to pay off his cheap price tag easily on Sunday.
Week 17 Tight End Cash Game Value Plays
Donald Parham Jr., LAC at KC | DK: $2,900, FD: $4,200
Parham is a pure punt at the TE position this week. With the Chargers heading into Arrowhead as 3.5 point favorites with a 24 point implied team total and the Chiefs resting a lot of key players, it is hard not to like pieces of the Chargers offense. It also helps that Hunter Henry will be out again this week due to COVID, making Parham the main TE target. He was targeted three times last week, catching two passes for 47 yards. The Chiefs rank 24 versus tight ends over the last four weeks, allowing five catches and nearly 15 fantasy points per game over that stretch.
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