Fantasy Football Week 18: DFS building blocks, values and a star to fade
Whether you've played Daily Fantasy on Yahoo before or are giving it a try for the first time, this weekly column will take a look at the DFS landscape, revealing whom I like building lineups around, stars to fade, undervalued plays and bargain bin options to help you construct a better team.
Lineup building blocks
CeeDee Lamb ($39) @ Washington Commanders
Since Dallas centered its offense around Lamb coming out of its bye, his 17-game pace is 214 targets, 150 catches, 2,143 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns. The Cowboys offense is typically more productive at home, but they get a smash spot Sunday against the league’s worst defense. The Commanders have the lowest pressure rate since trading away Montez Sweat and Chase Young and have yielded an NFL-high 35 passing touchdowns this season. Washington has also allowed the most fantasy points to the slot, where Lamb has run nearly 60% of his routes this year. Dallas has by far the highest implied team total (29.5 points) this week, so Lamb is worth paying up for in DFS.
Rachaad White ($29) @ Carolina Panthers
White had his worst fantasy finish (RB41) of the season during championship week, with game script the main culprit (the Buccaneers possessed the ball just 23 minutes). He’s in a good spot to bounce back Sunday with Tampa Bay 4.5-point favorites in a must-win situation. Carolina has allowed the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season but the third-most to RBs. The Panthers have been stingy against receiving backs, but White should get 20-plus carries against a Panthers defense that’s ceded the most EPA/rush and an NFL-high 25 rushing touchdowns.
Amon-Ra St. Brown ($30) vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Lions plan on playing their starters Sunday despite Detroit likely locked in the No. 3 seed. A banged-up Jameson Williams may sit, but coach Dan Campbell wants to enter the playoffs with a win after last week’s controversial loss. Jared Goff has gotten 7.8 YPA with 17 TD passes over seven home games this year, and the Lions have a strong implied team total (24.5 points). The Vikings had yielded by far the most schedule-adjusted fantasy points to the slot over the last five weeks, where St. Browns runs more than half of his routes. The Sun God is a DFS building block in Week 18.
Star to Fade
Deebo Samuel ($33) vs. Los Angeles Rams
Samuel says he plans on playing Sunday, but he’s unlikely to see even close to his usual number of snaps. San Francisco has the NFC’s top seed locked up, and Sam Darnold is starting at quarterback. The over/under is down to 41 points, with Carson Wentz starting for Los Angeles. Samuel’s playing time is far too big of a risk to consider paying for his WR2 salary this week.
Undervalued Options
James Conner ($25) vs. Seattle Seahawks
Conner has been a top-five RB in three of his past four weeks and was top 12 in the other while facing a difficult schedule. He had eight carries in the red zone last week — more than Saquon Barkley has had since Week 12. The Cardinals have gone run-heavy recently and are playing to win. Conner’s DFS salary is the RB14 this week, so he’s undervalued against a Seahawks defense allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs this season.
Calvin Ridley ($22) @ Tennessee Titans
Ridley is undervalued in this matchup with a salary of barely a top-20 WR this week. He’s a better option if Trevor Lawrence returns; the QB was back in practice Wednesday. The Titans are dealing with multiple injuries in their secondary and have allowed the most fantasy points to Ridley’s primary side this season. Ridley had a disappointing fantasy season, but he’s averaged 10.5 targets over his last four games and is set for a strong finish.
Zamir White ($11) vs. Denver Broncos
White saw 26-of-28 RB opportunities last week, as he continues to act as Las Vegas’ workhorse with Josh Jacobs out. Jacobs continued to miss practice Wednesday while dealing with a quad injury, and White looks like a DFS gift at the near minimum if Jacobs sits again this week. The Raiders have gone run-heavy, and White gets a home matchup against a Broncos defense yielding an NFL-high 5.0 YPC and the second-most fantasy points to running backs this season.
Bargain Bin
Jordan Mason ($10) vs. Los Angeles Rams
With Christian McCaffrey nursing a calf injury and Elijah Mitchell dealing with an illness (and suddenly more important CMC insurance), Mason could be in store for a big workload Sunday. Sam Darnold is starting at quarterback, and the 49ers will also have a makeshift offensive line likely missing Trent Williams, but Mason is an intriguing DFS option at the minimum given his potential role. Mason has gotten 5.6 YPC during his brief career and is familiar with a San Francisco offense that still sports a healthy enough team total (22.5 points) despite playing backups.
