NFL DFS Week 18 Example Lineups: Top Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel Contests

Published: Jan 07, 2024
Updated: Sunday, Jan. 7 at 12pm ET
Welcome to the NFL Week 18 DFS example lineups! At this point, you should have gone through the entire NFL Week 18 DFS Playbook as well as the Dart Board. If you haven't, you better go back right now and read everything I wrote regarding your lineup builds for both cash games and GPP tournaments. I don't need to reiterate here and waste anyone's time. This is going to be quite the Week 18 and we are going to see some really whacked-out lineups across the board. That will help us in cash, but it's going to make things a little cray cray in tournaments, so unless you have a ton of discretionary money to throw around, I wouldn't be overly-investing this final week. Yes, it's a fun time and anything can happen, but just be smart about how much you play and how you are constructing your lineups for every kind of contest.
VERY IMPORTANT – You are going to have to pay VERY close attention to the Inactives Report today as we are waiting on a ton of news as to who is out and who is playing. A lot of last-minute decisions will be made by teams and we are likely to make some pivots to our lineups. Unfortunately, this is what Week 18 is all about, so be prepared. We need more value to open up and it probably will, but not until about an hour before kick-off.
Just a few notes here about the lineups below...
The cash lineups were built solely off the players I put in the Playbook. These are the guys who, unless I have indicated otherwise, offer up the higher floor and will help you cash in your Double-Ups and 50/50s. For GPP tournaments, particularly the large-field ones, you need to find alternative routes to the cash line. I will utilize players from the Playbook and the DFS Dart Board to fill in the gaps, but what I am looking for are some lower-owned stacks that make sense based on expected game flow and other news. You may also see in the GPP lineups, there may be some names I haven't discussed this week on the site, but have talked about during the week on the Fantasy Alarm Show or even on the Fantasy Alarm Sunday Gameday Show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. You will also notice, though, that others on the site have mentioned some of these players in places such as the position coaches, so it's not like we're trying to hide anything from you. The only time, and I mean the only time you will see a player in a GPP lineup who hasn't been discussed is if we are using a stack and need a player from the other team coming back. But it's rare when that happens.
Again, these lineups are meant to serve as examples for you; a sounding board, as I said. They are not meant for you to plug in as your own. That's the lazy way and we don't condone it. We are trying to teach you how to be a better DFS player; we aren't lineup-sellers. You should be creating your own lineups using all the information we provide you throughout the week and then coming here to see if there is anything you may have missed or simply for an alternative perspective.
**Be sure to check the Playbook and Dart Board for late changes
Best of luck to you this week and let's make some money!
SUNDAY MORNING NOTES:
According to Adam Schefter:
Raiders are listing RB Josh Jacobs as out for Sunday’s game vs. the Broncos.
Jaguars activated WR Christian Kirk from off injured reserve to play Sunday at Tennessee.
Chiefs’ TE Travis Kelce needs 16 receiving yards today vs. the Chargers to record his eight straight season of at least 1,000 receiving yards. Chiefs are expected to give Kelce a chance to get it today even though their playoff seed and spot is locked in.
Packers activated TE Luke Musgrave off injured reserve for Sunday’s game vs. Chicago.
Players ruled out for this weekend include Lamar Jackson, Odell Beckham., Kevin Zeitler, Marlon Humphrey, Noah Brown, Jonathan Greenard, Amari Cooper, Myles Garrett (pictured), Dustin Hopkins, Greg Newsome, Juan Thornhill, Byron Murphy, Brian O’Neill, Jameson Williams, Aaron Rodgers, Zach Wilson, Trent Brown, Hunter Henry, Jonathan Allen, DeVonta Smith, Darius Slay, Mike McGlinchey, Josh Jacobs, Michael Mayer, Rashee Rice, Donovan Smith, L’Jarius Sneed, Kadarius Toney, Keenan Allen, Joey Bosa, Christian McCaffrey, Arik Armstead, Ji’Ayir Brown, Ambry Thomas, Darnell Mooney, A.J. Dillon, Bradley Chubb and Xavien Howard.
Other News:
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Raheem Mostert (ankle/knee) is not expected to play in Week 18 against the Bills.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Jaylen Waddle (ankle) is not expected to play in Week 18 against the Bills.
Joshua Palmer has cleared concussion protocol and will play in Week 18 against the Chiefs.
Hunter Henry (knee) won’t play in Week 18 against the Jets.
WEATHER REPORT:
CLE/CIN -- Cold, a few spotty rain and/or snow showers. Winds 10-15mph.
NYJ/NE -- Lots of snow falling Saturday night, rain Sunday morning and more snow right around game time. Sustained 20-25 mph wins with the potential of gusts up to 50 mph. Terrible conditions overall but still interested in the ground game.
PHI/NYG -- Some rain and possible snow with sustained winds around 10-15 mph
GPP STACKS:
As a reminder, when you're stacking in GPP, you always want to run someone back from the opposing team. One-sided games often turn to a running back seeing higher-than-usual volume or the back-ups start to play. For a stack to really pop, the other team needs to keep things competitive.
Chalk Stacks (Expect High Ownership):
*Cowboys: Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson or Brandin Cooks (Robinson or Gibson coming back)
Vikings: Nick Mullens, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison or KJ Osborn (Montgomery or Gibbs coming back)
*Bears: Justin Fields, DJ Moore, Cole Kmet or Tyler Scott (Jones coming back)
*Packers: Jordan Love, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs or Tucker Kraft or Christian Watson (Herbert or Moore coming back)
*Bills: Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis or Dalton Kincaid (Achane coming back) – FANDUEL ONLY
*Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle or Cedrick Wilson (Cook coming back) – FANDUEL ONLY
Possible Lower-Owned Stacks:
*Seahawks: Geno Smith, DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Tyler Lockett (Conner coming back)
*Cardinals: Kyler Murray, Trey McBride, Greg Dortch or Michael Wilson (Walker coming back)
Bucs: Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin or Cade Otton (Hubbard coming back)
Eagles: Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert or Julio Jones (Barkley coming back)
*Giants: Tyrod Taylor, Darius Slayton, Darren Waller or Saquon Barkley or Jalin Hyatt (Swift or Brown or Gainwell coming back)
Lions: Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta or Josh Reynolds (Mattison or Jefferson or Chandler coming back)
Saints: Derek Carr, Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson or Rashid Shaheed (Bijan coming back)
*Raiders: Aidan O'Connell, Jakobi Meyers, Austin Hooper or Davante Adams (Williams or McLaughlin coming back)
Falcons: Taylor Heinicke, Drake London, Kyle Pitts or Bijan Robinson (Kamara or Williams coming back)
Bengals: Jake Browning, Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd or Tanner Hudson (Ford, Hunt or Strong coming back)
Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, Calvin Ridley, Evan Engram or Christian Kirk (Henry, Spears or Hopkins coming back)
Titans: Ryan Tannehill, DeAndre Hopkins, Treylon Burks or Chigoziem Okonkwo (Etienne coming back)
Dart Throw Stacks:
Commanders: Sam Howell, Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel or Logan Thomas (Pollard or Lamb coming back)
Browns: Jeff Driskell, Cedric Tillman, Harrison Bryant (Mixon or Brown coming back)
49ers: Sam Darnold, Jauan Jennings, Chris Conley or Charlie Woerner (Rivers coming back)
Rams: Carson Wentz, Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell or Davis Allen (Mason or Mitchell coming back)
Chargers: Easton Stick, Joshua Palmer, Gerald Everett or Quentin Johnston (CEH or Perine coming back)
*Chiefs: Blaine Gabbert, Justin Watson, Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Blake Bell (Ekeler or Spiller coming back)
Broncos: Jarrett Stidham, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims or Jerry Jeudy (Z White coming back)
*Panthers: Bryce Young, Adam Thielen, Tommy Tremble or DJ Chark (R White coming back)
*denotes favorite
Pos | Player | Team | Opponent | Salary | Proj. Draft% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
QB | Josh Allen | BUF | MIA | $9,500 | 12.4% |
Pivot | Kyler Murray | ARI | SEA | $8,000 | 3.5% |
RB | De'Von Achane | MIA | BUF | $8,200 | - |
RB | Pierre Strong | CLE | CIN | $4,600 | - |
Pivot | Kenneth Walker | SEA | ARI | $7,000 | 13.1% |
WR | CeeDee Lamb | DAL | WAS | $10,000 | 25.2% |
WR | Greg Dortch | ARI | SEA | $5,500 | 2.5% |
WR | Gabe Davis | JAC | TEN | $6,400 | 1.4% |
Pivot | Jalin Hyatt | NYG | PHI | $4,900 | 0.4% |
TE | Dalton Kincaid | BUF | MIA | $5,700 | 2.0% |
FLEX | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA | ARI | $5,700 | 3.8% |
Pivot | Trey McBride | ARI | SEA | $6,700 | 13.6% |
DST | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TB | CAR | $4,400 | 5.0% |
Pivot | New York Giants | NYG | PHI | $3,400 | 0.6% |
$60,000 |
Player News
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Dolphins CB Artie Burns is believed to have suffered a torn ACL in Wednesday’s practice.
The Sun Sentinel’s David Furones has since confirmed that Burns tore his ACL in practice. The injury will sideline him for the entirety of the 2025 season. Burns signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in the offseason to bolster their secondary. Burns bounced between the Seahawks’ practice squad and active roster last year and was set to compete for a rotational role in Miami. The injury and Jalen Ramsey trade leave Miami severely undermanned at corner. They could look to the free agent market for some depth.
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reports Bears WR Luther Burden is not practicing at the start of training camp.
As Cronin notes, Burden got banged up when he landed on the ball in an early offseason practice. He was also dealing with a hamstring issue at one point. It’s not clear which injury is forcing him to miss the start of camp, but it’s a bad sign no matter the cause. The fact thta Ben Johnson previously indicated that Burden would be ready for camp and he isn’t is an even brighter red flag. Burden left Mizzou as a schemed-touches master, perfect for Johnson’s heavily curated offense. Fantasy managers should still bet on him carving out a role as a rookie, but the odds of that happening early in the season are decreasing by the day.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports WR Keenan Allen “has drawn interest from multiple teams in recent weeks.”
Schultz said Allen, 33, who had 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven touchdowns last season with the Bears, has “been waiting for training camps to open to better assess the landscape and get a clearer picture of each team’s wide receiver situation.” Allen ranked 16th among wideouts in targets, operating for much of the year as Chicago’s No. 1 receiver. Look for Allen to sign this summer with a wideout-needy team that would use him as an every-down player. Some teams in need to receiver help include the Patriots, Steelers, Cowboys, Seahawks, and Jets.
Dolphins T Bayron Matos was taken to a hospital via helicopter on Wednesday.
Matos, 24, reportedly sustained a serious injury near the end of Wednesday’s training camp practice and was helicoptered to a nearby hospital for further evaluation. It’s a frightening situation. We’ll update Matos’ condition as the team offers updates on his condition.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said George Pickens’ instincts are “uncanny.”
Schottenheimer also described Pickens’ ability to track and secure downfield attempts is “uncanny” and should change the Dallas offense in 2025. Dak Prescott has sung Pickens’ praises since he was traded to the Cowboys a couple months ago, calling Pickens more than just a deep ball specialist. Schottenheimer said last year’s Cowboys “didn’t have enough explosive plays” and the addition of Pickens — who in 2024 had the league’s second most receiving yards on downfield targets — should be the solution in 2025. Pickens is quietly an excellent fantasy pick in a Dallas offense that should have a condensed target distribution.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said QB Joe Burrow will play more in preseason games this summer.
It could be a way for the Bengals to prevent yet another miserable start to the regular season, though putting Burrow in harm’s way during meaningless August games presents some risk. Last year, Burrow completed five of seven preseason passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. It was the first preseason action he had seen since 2021, when he completed his lone preseason attempt. Hopefully Burrow can stay healthy and upright as the team ramps up his August playing time.