NFL DFS WR Coach Week 18: Top DraftKings & FanDuel Picks
First and foremost, we continue to keep our thoughts and prayers with Damar Hamlin and his family and friends. Hug your people, and don’t take anything for granted. Many seasonal fantasy football leagues likely won’t be playing in Week 18, but the daily fantasy football action is still in play for Week 18, and we got you covered here at Fantasy Alarm! We’ve seen that selecting the right wide receivers, whether it be the superstar wideouts or the value wide receivers, is pivotal to optimizing your lineup and being profitable. From studs, to value plays, to mid-tier players, I got it all for you in this week’s DFS WR Coach. Here are my favorite DFS options at wide receiver for your Week 18 NFL DFS lineups, including my top receivers, best value plays, and even a wide receiver to fade.
Be sure to check out the rest of the NFL DFS Coaches and DFS Watch List throughout the week!
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NFL DFS WR Top Plays
D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
With the Packers playing on Sunday Night Football, the Seahawks have to handle their side of things prior to that game, so it’s a full-go for the Seattle regulars. The Seahawks need to beat the Rams, and then the Packers must lose/tie in the nightcap. If Seattle doesn’t win, it’s all null and void, so look for them to come out firing. Jalen Ramsey has been a bit brutal this season to say the least, and Metcalf went for 127 yards and a touchdown against the Rams back in Week 13. He was quiet last week against Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, but don’t expect a similar outcome in the regular season finale. Metcalf is going for 80+ and a score. Book it.
CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
Despite being 12-4 heading into the final week of the season, there is a lot up for grabs for the Cowboys. Not only can they still win the NFC East, but they do have a fighter’s chance of emerging with the first round bye as well. Sure, a couple of things need to happen for that, and I don’t expect some of those to happen, but the NFC East title is attainable, especially if Brian Daboll doesn’t rest his starters against Philly. Lamb had 97 yards and a touchdown against the Commanders back in Week 4, and the star receiver has three straight games with at least seven catches and 100 receiving yards.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
The big question here is whether or not the Vikings will rest its key players, which Jefferson is most certainly one of them, if not the main one. The Vikings’ postseason outlook can still shuffle, and with a win and some help, they could move up to the No. 2 seed overall. The second seed pits them against the Packers/Seahawks/Lions, whereas the No. 3 seed is a date with the New York Giants. After getting crushed by Green Bay and going 2-2 in the past four weeks, could the Vikings let the starters play to try to head into the postseason on a higher note? I think so. If that’s the case, fire up Jefferson, despite the lofty price tag. He beat the Bears for 150+ yards earlier this season and in five career games against Chicago, he’s averaged 109 yards per game. They’ll move him around the offense for the best matchup, and Jefferson should have no issue against any individual part of this weak Chicago secondary.
NFL DFS WR Mid-Price Plays
DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
Smith went for 64 yards and a touchdown against the Giants back in Week 14, and over the last five weeks, Smith is the WR3 (PPR) in fantasy football. His teammate, A.J. Brown, is the overall WR2, and is also a fine play, but Smith is $600 cheaper on FanDuel and $500 cheaper on DraftKings. If you want to go up to Brown, go for it, but if you want to save a few hundred bucks, pivoting to Smith is the easy way to do so without sacrificing upside.
DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers
I don’t love Marshon Lattimore being back in the fold for New Orleans, but it’s hard to argue what Moore has done with Sam Darnold under center. Over the last five games Darnold has started, he has seven touchdown passes, four of which have gone to Moore! In PPR formats, Moore is the WR14 over the last four weeks and is still rather affordable in the DFS realm.
Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
What a fitting way to end the season it would be, to see Russell Wilson shred a bunch of backups from the Chargers. The Chargers are in a prime spot to rest many key defensive pieces, so perhaps Jeudy and Sutton will get the chance to square off against a weaker Chargers secondary they may have otherwise faced. Jeudy has come on strong of late, seeing at least eight targets in four straight games, and posting 70+ receiving yards in three of those four. On the other hand, Sutton has been more quiet, but he does have an average of 6.5 targets per game over the last two weeks. I prefer Jeudy, but wouldn’t mind pivoting to Sutton when the masses play Jeudy. If the Chargers don’t rest key pieces of its secondary, I’m less inclined to use either of these guys.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
When Watson is lined up against Jerry Jacobs, it’s game over. Jacobs isn’t fast or quick enough to keep up with Watson, and when the Packers need a big play downfield, Watson is the guy to get it done. Allen Lazard is a fine play as well, but if you have the money, pay the extra couple hundred bucks to get Watson. He was quiet last week, but he’s the juice for this offense, and in a must-win game, Rodgers is going to go to the guys that he can trust, and seeing as Watson has at least five targets in seven straight games, he’s clearly one of those guys.
NFL DFS WR Value Plays
Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots
The Patriots have to win, it’s as simple as that. Could they get in without winning? Sure, but better to handle your side of things rather than hope to get bailed out. Meyers continues to get it done, as he has at least six targets in three straight games and he’s scored in each of the past two weeks. It’s going to be tough to determine the mental and emotional state of the Buffalo Bills given the tragic and unfortunate injury to Damar Hamilin on Monday night, but Meyers is the WR1 in this passing attack, and warrants DFS consideration.
Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta is going to run the ball a ton, for better or worse, but could we see the Bucs rest some of their key regulars? I think we could, considering that the Bucs are locked in as the No. 4 seed. The overall production may not be mind-blowing, but London has eight or more targets in four straight games, with double-digit points (PPR) in all but one of those games. If the Bucs rest even just one of their top two corners, I like London a lot in this matchup, because Atlanta can’t run it every play, right… Right?
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints
Shaheed continues to just get it done, there’s just no other way to put it! After seeing the Carolina pass defense get picked apart by Tom Brady, why not look to the speedy Shaheed who has 70+ receiving yards or four receptions in each of his last four games. He’s a long touchdown waiting to happen, and while it hasn't happened the past couple of weeks, he’s still averaging 18 yards per receptions over his last five contests. If Jaycee Horn misses this game for Carolina, wheels up for Shaheed without a doubt!
NFL DFS WR Dart Throws
Kalif Raymond, Detroit Lions
This might be the quintessential dart throw to say the least. Dan Campbell seems like a player’s coach, right? If so, Raymond might see some added volume in this one, considering he gets a nice chunk of change for getting to 50 receptions on the year. He currently sits at 43, so it’s a big number to make, especially since he only has three games with at least five grabs this season, and zero in his career with seven. If Seattle wins in the afternoon game, Detroit is eliminated from playoff contention, and the Lions can attempt to play spoiler for the division rival Packers, as well as help their players hit their incentive bonuses.
NFL DFS WR Fades
Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans
Volume has been there for him, but in this boring game, there aren’t going to be many points scored, and Cooks won’t have the best matchup on the field more often than not for the Houston offense. Cooks has never scored in his career against Indianapolis, and while Lovie Smith says the team is playing to win, Indy is clearly not, and Cooks may not have the luxury of falling behind early and benefitting from game script. There’s far better options at this price point, and Cooks is already looking ahead and being on a new, and potentially non-rebuilding, team in 2023.
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