Fantasy
12/30/22
5 min read
Cheap Thrills: Allgeier, Samuel Excellent Values in DFS Week 17
Week 17 is primed to be one of the most exciting weeks of the season for both the NFL and Daily Fantasy Sports. In the NFL, there are many teams who must win this week to stay in the playoff race. We will see teams putting everything on the line to keep their seasons alive. In DFS, we are being gifted with the biggest slate of games since the beginning of the season. No byes, no Saturday games, just a Sunday Funday full of football.
With all the players who will be taking the field this Sunday, there are bound to be several who outperform their DraftKings price. It’s impossible to know everyone who will exceed expectations this week, but I’m expecting a big performance from a certain few.
Tyler Allgeier ($5,300)
The Falcons, despite playing in the worst division in the NFL, are out of playoff contention this year. There has been little to look forward to as a Falcons fan, but one of the few bright spots has been their rookies on offense. Both Drake London and Tyler Allgeier have proven to be legitimate NFL talents in their first year. At the beginning of the season, Allgeier showed flashes of greatness, but the backfield belonged to Cordarrelle Patterson.
As the season went on, Allgeier slowly took over as the premier back in Atlanta. In fact, since Desmond Ridder took over as QB, Allgeier has seen a season-high 17 and 18 carries in his last two games. Now the Falcons are going up against Arizona, which has one of the worst defenses in the NFL. It wouldn’t make sense for Allgeier to see any less than 15 carries in this game, and he is certainly one of the most likely players on this offense to break off a big play. You can also expect to see him involved in the passing game, as he saw a career-high four receptions last week with Ridder at QB. All signs point to Allgeier continuing his hot streak this week against Arizona.
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Curtis Samuel ($4,400)
The Commanders are one of the many teams who are fighting for their playoff lives this week. Last week, they made the decision to bench Taylor Heinicke for Carson Wentz, who had started for the Commanders at the beginning of the season. Now many fans are curious what this offense will look like with Wentz back at QB. Going into their matchup against the Browns, it seems that Curtis Samuel is one of the players who benefit the most from this change.
It is easy to forget that Samuel was Wentz’s favorite receiver at the beginning of the season, averaging nine targets per game through the first five weeks. In his last eight games with Heinicke, Samuel is averaging under four targets per game. Though Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson have both been very productive for Washington over the past few weeks, I expect Samuel to see a substantial increase in targets in this game. It will be very interesting to see how Washington performs in this must-win game with a new QB. It must utilize every asset on its offense, including the big play potential that its wide receivers provide. At $4,400, Samuel is an ideal DFS pick as he helps the Commanders try to stay in the playoff race.
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Tyler Higbee ($4,600)
It may seem pretty obvious to pick Higbee this week since he is coming off one of the best performances of his career. But I still think he is undervalued. Higbee is by far the most targeted player on the Rams since Baker Mayfield took over at QB. Last week, Higbee exploded for nine receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns against Denver on Christmas. It would be unreasonable to expect him to replicate that performance, but he is still set to have a great game against the Chargers.
Even though the Rams have been out of the playoff picture for quite some time, McVay has shown that he has no interest in tanking for a high draft pick. The Rams have been playing tough football over the last few weeks even though they are one of the most injured teams in the NFL. They have won two of their last three games following a six-game losing streak. All that being said, this will not be an easy win for the Chargers, who are fighting for a playoff spot. I expect Baker to move the ball downfield many times this game. I also expect Higbee to be heavily involved in the offense once again. Despite Higbee’s dominance over the last two weeks, his price has only increased by a couple hundred dollars. He is easily one of the best players you’ll see at $4,600.
For those of you playing along at home, the theme of this week is new QB’s who will elevate other players’ performances. Hopefully we see some competitive football this Sunday in what are must-win games for many teams. On a personal note, my New Year’s resolution is to stay consistent with these picks. It would be great to start 2023 with some DFS success.
WATCH: Pickens, Johnson Great DFS Plays vs. Ravens
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