Week 17 is here and with it comes the smallest main slate we’ll see all year. The NFL really took advantage of dominating the weekly calendar for Week 17. 

By the time this slate locks, we’ll have already had six NFL games in the bag. So, thank you to the NFL for being the gift that keeps on giving, but couldn’t they have saved an additional game or two for Sunday? I digress…

 

 

 

Let’s take a look at the latest NFL DFS Week 17 D/ST Coach!

NFL DFS Week 17 D/ST Coach For FanDuel & DraftKings Fantasy

The Week 16 main slate was one that I played very light. But the Minnesota Vikings were a bit of a disappointment as the Play of the Week. I was truly baffled by their performance. Seattle’s interior portion of the offensive line has been one of the worst all season. And Minnesota blitzes at a very high rate. So I was a bit perplexed when they only recorded two takeaways to go with a pair of sacks.

If you were able to at least pay up to the Cincinnati Bengals, you likely had a profitable day as they returned good DFS value for the second straight week. I continue to be of the mindset their defense isn’t very good but to their credit, they’ve taken advantage of two great matchups in consecutive weeks.

 

 

 

NFL Week 17 Defense/Special Teams

We have a very small slate for Week 17. With just 16 D/ST’s to choose from on DraftKings (18 for FanDuel) we’ll see ownership consolidated more than most weeks. I’m normally the kind of DFS player that dreads 10-game slates, so you can imagine my disdain for this week’s action.

The good news is that for the first time in a while, it does feel like we have some easy games to target for D/ST. Three of the eight games have implied game totals under 40 points. And two other games are under 42 points. This should aid our research and shed some light on the top plays that can help our winning NFL DFS lineups break the slate.

Across all the pricing tiers we have you covered with the NFL DFS Week 17 D/ST Coach!

 

 

 

NFL DFS D/ST Top Tier Picks For Week 17

Buffalo Bills - DraftKings: $3,600 | FanDuel: $4,500

We led off with the Bills last week and we do so once again for Week 17. Despite giving up production early on to the New England Patriots last week, they did finish with 14 fantasy points thanks to a late touchdown from the defense.

This game could be sloppy, similar to another game on this slate we’ll discuss. Temperatures will be in the high 40’s with 10-15 mph winds but there’s a 90% chance of rain.

These two teams met back in Week 6 and the Bills won a close game 23-20. The Bills tend to thrive with home field advantage. At home they allow just 18.1 points per game and 292.6 yards per game. On the road those numbers inflate to 25.5 points per game and 396 yards per game.

You can also consider the Indianapolis Colts in this price range as they have six interceptions in their last two games and have the luxury of visiting the New York Giants who saw Drew Lock turn the ball over three times in Week 16.

 

 

 

NFL DFS D/ST Mid-Tier Picks For Week 17

Miami Dolphins – DraftKings: $3,200 | FanDuel: $4,700

This isn’t a play that I’ll be trying to force into my builds. I’d rather pay up from here or go with the Play of the Week. But if Dorian Thompson-Robinson gets the start for Cleveland then we have to like the upside for Miami. The Bengals held Cleveland to just six points and 273 yards of offense last week and DTR was sacked five times and threw two interceptions.

Kevin Stefanski has said that if DTR is healthy, he’ll get the start. He did sustain a calf injury last week, so we are monitoring that ahead of the Week 17 main slate. If he cannot go, and Jameis Winston gets the start, we’re likely pivoting off Miami. Sure, Winston is turnover prone, but he can also go out there and throw for 300 yards and a trio of touchdowns. 

Another mild concern we have in this matchup is the weather. We don't necessarily have cold temperatures for this game, but as of Wednesday, temperatures might be in the 50’s with 10-15 mph winds and there’s an 80% chance of rain. 

If it’s sloppy and DTR starts, then we’re okay to play the Dolphins and you can even play the Browns as well considering they’re the fourth-cheapest D/ST on both sites. As of Wednesday, this game has a 39.5-point implied total while the Fins are favored by 6.5 points.

 

 

 

NFL Week 17 DFS D/ST Value Picks

Tennessee Titans – DraftKings: $2,800 | FanDuel: $4,100

The Titans are the road team in this matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But the Jags were the Fade of the Week last week and they only returned three fantasy points against the Raiders. I am okay playing both D/ST’s from this game so do keep the Jags in mind when building lineups as well. 

I just slightly prefer the Titans because the Jaguars haven’t forced a turnover since Week 10. In their last five games they have no takeaways and just seven sacks. But they returned nine fantasy points when these teams met two weeks ago.

I do slightly prefer the Titans in this matchup. Vegas is projecting this to be a 20-19 game but when these teams met three weeks ago it was a 10-6 affair, and the Titans also returned nine fantasy points. The Titans likely have more turnover upside, and we saw Mac Jones throw a pair of touchdowns in both games in Weeks 14 and 15.

Las Vegas Raiders – DraftKings: $2,600 | FanDuel: $3,200

It’s very rare that we get a D/ST this affordable on both sites that is technically a favorite in a game with a very low implied total. As of Wednesday morning, this game has the lowest implied total on the slate at just 38 points and the Raiders are favored by a point-and-a-half.

This Vegas defense is not very good. In fact, I have concerns here even knowing Maxx Crosby won’t be available ahead of time. But the Saints are a bit of a disaster. They have injuries across the board and if Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara can’t go for this game, then we can easily pay down to the Raiders.

The Saints just played Monday night so it’s a short week and you have to mix in/consider the holiday aspect of the schedule for this week. Spencer Rattler lacks conviction with his decision making. He completed just 50% of his passes Monday night for 153 yards and he turned it over twice while taking three sacks. 

And most importantly, the Saints scored zero points. If the inactive list for New Orleans looks similar to Monday’s game, then we can roster the Raiders with some confidence.

 

 

 

NFL DFS D/ST Fades For Week 17

Minnesota Vikings – DraftKings: $3,300 | FanDuel: $4,300

A week after being the Play of the Week, I’m laying off the Minnesota Vikings D/ST. I’m not bitter about the rather underwhelming performance from last week. Rather, I just don’t think there will be many opportunities for this D/ST to put up a big score.

We do love that the Vikings blitz and get a lot of pressure, even if they couldn’t get it going last week. However, the Packers are bottom five in the NFL in pass rate over expected (PROE) since their Bye week. Jordan Love hasn’t attempted 30+ passes in that span. So how can we expect a team to get sacks and interceptions if the opposing offense isn’t throwing the ball?

To go with that, Green Bay has just become so damn good at executing their game plan on the ground. Josh Jacobs hasn’t been incredibly efficient at times, but he does have 10 touchdowns and when the Packers get inside the 10-yard line it’s very likely they’re running the ball. Even Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks recorded rushing touchdowns last week.

Is this a short week for Green Bay? Sure, but they weren’t really pushed or tested against the Saints in Week 16. The Packers have an implied team total of 24.75 points so I think we can lay off Minnesota for Week 17.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 17 D/ST Play Of The Week

Philadelphia Eagles – DraftKings: $3,100 | FanDuel: $5,000

They’re the most expensive group on FanDuel but the Eagles are a great value over on DraftKings as the sixth-most expensive team on the slate. Philly took a bad divisional beat last week. Unfortunately for Dallas, they’ll get all the wrath from the Eagles as they look to get back to their winning ways.

Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders put up 36 points on this D/ST in Week 16. However, the Eagles still had five takeaways and returned seven fantasy points.

From Weeks 6-15 the Eagles allowed just 14.5 points per game and 239.5 yards of offense per game. Even against these Dallas Cowboys in Week 10, the Eagles allowed them to score just six points and this loaded defense recorded three sacks and five takeaways. And that was a home game for Dallas.

This week the Eagles have the luxury of being the home team and the Cowboys have an implied team total of 16.5 points. The Cowboys have already been eliminated from playoff contention, and I expect the Eagles to make this game a miserable experience for them.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 17 Defense/Special Teams Projections