NFL Week 17 DFS Value Picks & Bargains: Kendre Miller, Chig Okonkwo, More
NFL Week 17 is here and while the seasonal fantasy football community sweats their championship game, we in the DFS community are looking at another opportunity to line our pockets with some extra holiday cash.
It’s a shorter main slate this week with just eight games on DraftKings and nine on FanDuel, but, as always, if you want to fit in guys like Saquon Barkley and Justin Jefferson, you’re going to need high-quality value picks and DFS bargains.
The value picks this week should, hopefully, fare better than those from last week. Drew Lock got banged up and failed to deliver, Patrick Taylor and Marvin Harrison Jr were complete busts and Brenton Strange also got hurt.
Taylor was the pick that probably hurt the least, though, especially in cash games. He was highly-owned in most contests, so his failure to produce hurt the majority of the field. This week’s selections will hopefully be better, especially with it being a shorter-than-usual slate.
As a reminder before we dive into this week’s DFS bargains & value picks, allow me to remind you of all the great NFL DFS content we have on both FantasyAlarm.com and on the Fantasy Alarm YouTube page.
From the NFL DFS Show that Jon Impemba and I do to all the DFS coaching articles, including my NFL DFS Watch List and, more recently, my NFL DFS Dart Board, we offer a variety of bargain plays and DFS value picks from which to choose. And also, don’t forget that you can use my own picks against me when you play in this week’s Beat Howard Bender DFS contests!
Now let’s get to my favorite NFL Week 17 DFS value picks and bargains:
NFL Week 17 DFS Value Picks & Bargains
- Mason Rudolph, QB Tennessee Titans ($5,000 DK; $6,700 FD)
- Kendre Miller, RB New Orleans Saints ($5,500 DK; $6,200 FD)
- Josh Downs, WR Indianapolis Colts ($4,800 DK; $6,100 FD)
- Chig Okonkwo, TE Tennessee Titans ($3,600 DK; $5,400 FD)
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Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Beat reporter John Hendrix reports that free agent WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is among the 16 players that the Saints will host for their rookie minicamp.
Peoples-Jones last played regular season snaps with the Lions back in 2023, when he caught 13-of-24 targets for 155 yards. He is highly unlikely to return to fantasy relevance at this point but could perhaps sign on as a special teams contributor.
Titans signed fourth-round pick WR Elic Ayomanor to a four-year contract.
Ayomanor will now begin learning behind Calvin Ridley. Although Ayomanor is unlikely to find a meaningful role in year one, dynasty managers should note his status as training camp gets underway this summer. The former Stanford receiver flashed big-play ability in his two college seasons.
Buccaneers signed seventh-round pick WR Tez Johnson to a four-year contract.
Johnson will serve as a rotational deep-threat option for Baker Mayfield. His thin frame (5'10/154) simply does not lend itself to the repeated hits one incurs in a full-time role. Johnson did earn 100-plus targets in his two seasons at Oregon, though. His big-play style make him a better fit in best ball for now, pending any major on-field breakthroughs.
Giants waived DT Casey Rogers.
Rogers was a 2024 undrafted free agent and logged 33 defensive snaps for the Giants in his rookie season. He is credited with zero tackles and/or sacks. He may find his way onto another roster as a practice squad option.
Vikings signed third-round pick WR Tai Felton to a four-year contract.
Felton is quietly in play to challenge Vikings No. 3 WR Jalen Nailor in training camp. Nailor (5'11/190) caught 28-of-42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year, with the latter category buoying his fantasy productivity. Felton (6'1/183), meanwhile, caught 96-of-143 targets for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 2.32 yards per route run in his final college season. Fantasy managers should monitor Felton’s training camp reports this summer, as he could have a matchup-based WR5 role if everything falls into place.