If you’ve been following our FanDuel advice, chances are you likely did quite well for yourself last week. Here’s a quick rundown from last week’s picks:
- Trey Lance $6,400: 20.06 points
- Sony Michel $7,100: 17.4 points
- Rashaad Penny $6,900: 31.5 points
- Devin Singletary $6,000: 23 points
- Amon-Ra St. Brown $6,900: 31.4 points
- Brandin Cooks $6,500: 16.1 points
- Zach Ertz $5,500: 7.6 points (the rare pick that didn’t score a TD, but he did have 7 catches!)
- Buffalo Bills defense $4,500: 11 points
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We’ve done fairly well this year with most of our picks. For Week 18, strategy shifts a bit since, for all those who have watched football in the final weeks, usually it can become an unpredictable guessing game of playing time that could turn out to have some preseason-ish lineups if the game means nothing to the teams.
This is when you evaluate which teams have something to play for, or what players would fit a team’s bigger-picture sense in evaluating their on-field performance.
If a team still has a shot at the playoffs, by all means, they will play their star players. And those are the games and teams to target for your Week 18 picks.
Also, there could be some team incentives to have certain players reach certain milestones. It is in this sense that I’m guessing Jonathan Taylor will get the ball quite a bit on Sunday against Jacksonville. Taylor needs 266 yards to reach 2000 on the year against a weak defense. Here’s to guessing the Colts will find a way to get him that milestone. Taylor is expensive this week at $10,200,000, but this is why you need some good value picks along with him!
So, without further adieu...
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers $6,700
The Steelers still have a shot at the playoffs. Otherwise, last week’s emotional game may have been it for Big Ben. As it stands, this game will be Roethlisberger’s last stand to try to make the playoffs, and I expect him to come out focused and firing, especially against a Ravens secondary that is banged up and getting torched of late.
The game script will likely feature lots of Ravens running against a weak Steelers run defense, so this game will be back and forth with both defenses having extreme weaknesses, but Roethlisberger has the potential here to put forth a nice game for his price tag.
D’Onta Foreman, RB, Tennessee Titans $6,900
The last time Foreman played against the Houston Texans earlier this season, he did not do well, rushing seven times for 25 yards and catching one pass for 15 yards.
Since that game, however, he has solidified himself as the go-to back for the Titans before Derrick Henry comes back. Foreman has scored touchdowns in three of his last four games, and in last week’s matchup against Miami, he rushed 26 times for 132 times and a score.
Now, against the same Texans of which he didn’t have the most pleasant of departures, I expect this version of Foreman to exact a bit of revenge against his former team. The Texans’ run defense hasn’t exactly been stout this year, and the Titans still have a playoff bye to fight for, so this game is shaping nicely for at least one score from Foreman with over 100 yards.
Devonta Freeman, RB, Baltimore Ravens $5,600
As mentioned earlier under the Roethlisberger description, the game script should include plenty of Ravens running against a weak Steelers run defense. The beneficiary of this is Freeman. He’s definitely getting the most usage in that Baltimore backfield, so for his price tag, Freeman is setting up for likely a touchdown, maybe more.
Cyril Grayson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers $5,600
Through all the craziness surrounding Antonio Brown, it’s clear that without Brown in the lineup, Grayson will stand to benefit.
Last week, Grayson performed immediately with eight targets, six catches, 81 yards, and the winning touchdown. Grayson’s performance will absolutely motivate many to pick him for his very inexpensive price tag.
I’d say there’s some uncertainty in playing time because it’s not quite certain how the Bucs will divvy things up in this game given what little they have to play for, but for Grayson’s price tag, he certainly is a value and you can’t go too wrong here.
Antoine Wesley, WR, Arizona Cardinals $5,400
While I’m unsure a bit with Grayson, I have more faith in Antoine Wesley of Arizona. I wasn’t sure what to think of his previous weeks’ performances given the circumstances of those games.
However, last week, in a competitive game against the Cowboys, Wesley scored two touchdowns. He now has three touchdowns over his last two games. If it’s not apparent already, Wesley’s becoming a trusted target of Kyler Murray in the red zone. And the vulnerable Seahawks pass defense is the matchup.
Arizona is still playing for the NFC West. Wesley could deliver some bang for your buck.
Zach Ertz, TE, Arizona Cardinals $5,600
Ertz has 33 targets over his last three games and 40 targets in his past four contests. He has 21 catches over his last three games. If he tacks on a touchdown to all this, he becomes an exceptional value for his price. He’s facing the same pass defense as his teammate Wesley referred to above. This has the potential to be a great value pick.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, DEF $4,200
I have way more faith in the defenses of the Saints against the Falcons ($4,900) and the Colts going against the Jaguars ($4,800), but for the sake of this article, I’ll say the Bucs because they’re going against a crummy Panthers offense. That said, go for the Saints and Colts if you can because those teams have more to play for than the Bucs do.