FanDuel DFS Football Tournament Plays for Week 17

Quarterbacks

Stud: Ben Roethlisberger $8,800 at CLE

The Steelers must win to keep their playoff hopes alive, so I fully expect them to come out strong and play some good football. This is a good matchup for Roethlisberger as he faces a suspect Cleveland defenses. The Browns are yielding 254.7 passing yards per game and have surrendered 31 passing touchdowns. They have also allowed multiple touchdown passes in seven of their last eight. The last time that Big Ben faced the Browns he scored 27.96 Fantasy points as he threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns. The Steelers have an implied point total of 29 points which is the second most this weekend.

Other Studs: Cam Newton $9,100, Tom Brady $8,900, Drew Brees $8,400, and Blake Bortles $8,100

Value: Matt Ryan $7,600 vs. NO

Matt Ryan has had a disappointing season thus far, but he could close it out with a bang as he faces the Saints defense that has been abysmal this year. The Saints are allowing 294.7 passing yards per game and have given up the most passing touchdowns by any defense this season (43). The Saints have allowed 9.1 points above expected to opposing quarterbacks, per Fantasy Labs. This game currently has the highest over/under of the weekend at 53 points and the Falcons have an implied point total of 29.25 points. He offers plenty of upside in this matchup and has one of the best stack options (Julio Jones) this weekend.

Other Values: Ryan Fitzpatrick $7,800, Eli Manning $7,500, and AJ McCarron $6,300

Running Backs

Stud: DeAngelo Williams $8,200 at CLE

Opposing running backs average 114 rushing yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry against the Browns, and have scored nine touchdowns. Williams has topped 21 Fantasy points in four of his last seven games. Since Week 9, he is averaging 21.1 Fantasy points, 84 rushing yards, 41 receiving yards, and four receptions per game, while scoring eight touchdowns. In the last month, Williams has exceeded value 80 percent of the time by an average of 7.29 points, per Fantasy Labs. I know I'm also suggesting Big Ben this week and that can be considered a negative correlation, but the fact is that Williams plays almost every snap and regardless of game flow, he is highly involved in this offense. The Steelers are a heavy favorite which is something I always look into when selecting my backs.

Other Studs: Devonta Freeman $8,800, Adrian Peterson $8,300, and David Johnson $7,700

Value: Frank Gore $6,600 vs. TEN

Gore has had two multiple touchdown games this season, one of those came against the Titans team he plays this weekend. In Week 3 against the Titans, Gore rushed the ball 14 times for 86 yards and two touchdowns.  That was his best game as far as yards per carry is concerned, as he averaged 6.1 YPC. In the last three games, running backs have averaged over 120 rushing yards per game against the Titans. Gore needs just 109 rushing yards to reach 1,000 rushing yards for the season. With their playoff hopes essentially out the window and the quarterback position a mess, I wouldn't be surprised if the Colts rely heavily on the ground game and give Gore the shot to hit 1,000 rushing yards.

Other values: Tim Hightower $7,000, James White $6,400, Javorius Allen $6,000, and Tre Mason $4,600

Wide Receivers

Stud: Julio Jones $9,300 vs. NO

Jones has put together two very strong performances in back-to-back weeks and one of those was against one of the best corners in the league, Josh Norman. Jones has caught 18 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns in the last two weeks. He has topped 22 fantasy points in each of those games. He's set to face off against the Saints this week, who are flat out terrible defensively. Opposing wide receivers are averaging 11.3 receptions and 157.4 yards against them, and have scored 27 touchdowns (most touchdowns allowed to receivers by a defense this season). This game has the highest over/under of the slate at 53 points and the Falcons have an implied point total of 29.25 points. In his last matchup against the Saints Jones caught six passes for 93 yards. He continues to lead the league in targets per game at 12.8 and has 192 targets for the season. He has seen fewer than 10 targets in a game just twice this season. The Saints have now allowed two or more receiving touchdowns in three of their last four games. There's a lot to like about Jones this week.

Other Studs: Antonio Brown $9,100, DeAndre Hopkins $9,100, Odell Beckham Jr. $8,900, and A.J. Green $8,400

Value: Martavis Bryant $7,100 at CLE

Bryant let down some DFS owners last week as he only caught one pass for six yards in what appeared to be a lovely matchup. This could cause some people to avoid him this week, in other words, recency bias. He also missed some time during practice this week with an illness, but it doesn't appear that he is in any danger to miss this week's game. He's in another good spot in Week 17 as he has a great matchup against Cleveland. The Browns have struggled against receivers this season, allowing 178.1 receiving yards and 12.3 receptions per game, while yielding 20 touchdowns. The last time that Bryant faced the Browns, he caught six passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. That was good for 24.8 fantasy points. So long as he's active, he's one of this week's top wide receiver options.

Other Values: Brandin Cooks $7,600, Eric Decker $7,400, Jordan Matthews $6,600, and Reuben Randle $5,800

Tight Ends

Stud: Rob Gronkowski at MIA $8,100

I know it's tough to cough up this much of your salary cap on a tight end, but with Gronk you're all but guaranteed a touchdown. He has eleven touchdowns this season and has scored a touchdown in seven of his last 10 games. He absolutely crushed the Dolphins in their last meeting. In that game, he caught six passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. The Dolphins team looks lost on the field on both sides of the ball and with a win, the Patriots could lock the No. 1 seed in the AFC. I'm fully expecting them to rock Miami this week and Gronk to be a big part of that. Gronk offers multiple touchdown upside and has a very high floor. If you can manage to get him in your lineups, don't hesitate to do so.

Other studs: Greg Olsen $6,600, Delanie Walker $6,500, and Gary Barnidge $6,300

Value: Zach Ertz $5,700 at NYG

Since Week 13, only one tight end has been targeted more than Ertz. In that span, he's averaging 10.2 targets per game and has come down with 28 receptions. He has topped 12 fantasy points in three straight games. The Giants have been one of the worst defenses against tight ends this season. They've allowed nine touchdowns to opposing tight ends, including one in each of the last two games. They're also yielding 5.9 receptions and 73.9 receiving yards per game. This matchup has one of the highest totals of the weekend at 51 points and the Eagles have an implied point total of 23.75 points. Ertz has exceeded 80 percent of the time in his last 10 games by an average of 3.73 fantasy points, per Fantasy Labs.

Other values: Will Tye $5,200 and Kyle Rudolph $5,000