NFL DFS Week 18 Saturday Playbook: Top DraftKings & Top FanDuel Picks

Must win game for the Texans and Stroud looked good in his return game last week, completing 75% of his passes and throwing a touchdown against the Titans. The Colts do not have a great pass defense and while they can get after the QB I still think Stroud is the top QB on this slate.

The way to beat the Texans of late has been through the air. Minshew has not put up gawdy passing numbers this season but he does have a few multi-touchdown games on his ledger which included a three touchdown game against the Steelers back in Week 15.  

Not the best weather game for throwing the football as we are expecting some mixed precipitation of both rain and snow with wind gusts in the 25-to-30 MPH range. The Steelers are in a must win situation and Rudolph will benefit from facing the Ravens “B” team with the majority of their core plays sitting this game out having already clinched the top seed in the AFC.

We like Huntley for his mobility but with the Ravens sitting their starters and the bad weather I don't find him all that appealing outside of a dart throw here this week.

Singletary took over the starting RB job this season for the Texans and has been effective runner for them this season. What's been even better of late is his usage in the passing game where he has seen at least three targets in four straight weeks.  The Colts do not have a good run defense and Singletary figures to be very popular.

The Texans run defense has actually been a bit solid this season and Taylor is the top priced running back on the slate. The volume should be there and he can impact the passing game so it makes sense why he is going to be on a lot of rosters. Taylor has five touchdowns over his last four starts. 

Harris is finally priced higher than Jaylen Warren after weeks of Warren being the more expensive back. It's clear that Harris is the lead running back in this offense and while Warren is going to get his touches, Harris will get the majority of the work here against a Ravens defense that could be missing key pieces.

No disrespect to Warren. He can make big plays and impact the passing game. The expected weather in this game also likely dictates that the Steelers will run the ball a ton in this matchup and the short passing game to Warren may get him involved. 

So,  with it seemingly likely that Gus Edwards and Justice Hill sit this game out with the Ravens clinching the top seed, we likely see Melvin Gordon carry most of the workload in this game. Gordon found the end zone in the Ravens blowout win over the Dolphins last week but I don't think there is a ton of upside here.

Collins had seven catches for 80 yards last week against the Titans with Stroud back at QB and he figures to be in for a high workload in Week 18 with the Texans missing Noah Brown and likely Robert Woods as well. 

The only man really catching the football right now for the Colts and the way to go at the Texans has been through the air of late. Like Nico Collins, I look for a high target share for Pittman this week.

If looking for another dart throw in this game for the Colts then why not go back to Josh Downs. Early in the year it was looking like the rookie was going to have a huge first season but the targets have dwindled over the past few weeks. That said, this is still a spot where he could be productive given his snap share.

Mason Rudolph loves throwing to George Pickens. The problem here is going to be the weather.  That said, if it's more snow than rain we could still see Pickens make some plays and we often over estimate the impact weather has in certain matchups.

If the weather does cause problems throwing down field then the short passing game with Diontae Johnson is appealing.  Johnson has not had a good season but he did have four catches for 76 yards last week against the Seahawks.

When it comes to the Ravens passing offense it is looking like Bateman and Agholor will be the two starting receivers with Flowers and OBJ ruled out.  Again, the weather is not great here and Tyler Huntley is the QB but the Ravens will throw the ball in this game so maybe Bateman breaks one.

Far more risky but also basically free,  Agholor should get some targets out of the slot here for the Ravens in this game.  Just know the floor is 0 points here.

We expect to see John Metchie starting in the slot for the Texans this week with Noah Brown and Robert Woods ruled out. The price tag, QB and matchup likely bring some ownership Metchies way here.

Schultz has a lot of contract incentives to play for and the Texans are decimated at wide receiver. For all of those reasons I expect Schultz to be the highest rostered TE on the slate this week.

Again, bad weather, but we did at least see Freiermuth catch some passes last week and if the teams are limited when it comes to throwing down field then the short passes to the tight end could be in play.

This one feels like a shout out to our guy Andrew Cooper. With the Ravens with Isaiah Likely not playing here we go to the next man on the depth chart and that is Charlie Kolar. Kolar has size and decent speed for a tight end that could make him a nice target for Tyler Huntley in this game. We know the Ravens offense likes to throw to their tight ends after all.

Weather and backups put the Steelers likely has the top rostered defense this week against the Ravens.

The Texans defense has come on of late, posting double-digit fantasy points in three of the last five weeks. They have games of six and seven sacks over the last three weeks and the y have six interceptions over the past five weeks. We like defenses that can rack up the stats and get turnovers and that's what this Texans defense has been doing of late.