FanDuel Week 17 Fantasy Football Lineup: Tom Brady Among Safest Picks
There’s still a chance to win money playing fantasy football even if you lost your league’s championship game in Week 16.
FanDuel offers daily and weekly fantasy contests for people interested in competing in Week 17. Here’s our FanDuel lineup for the final weekend of the 2015 season.
Quarterback: Tom Brady, New England Patriots ($8,900)
Brady struggled for most of Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets, but he has a good Week 17 matchup against a Miami Dolphins defense that ranks 24th in passing yards allowed per game and 28th in yards given up per pass attempt. Miami also has allowed the fourth-most touchdown passes.
Running Backs: Tim Hightower, New Orleans Saints ($7,000); Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings ($8,300)
Hightower totaled 169 yards and two rushing touchdowns in a Week 16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he should have similar success against an Atlanta Falcons defense giving up 107.5 rushing yards per game and the most rushing touchdowns overall.
Peterson racked up 104 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 22 carries against the New York Giants last week, and he has another good matchup Sunday versus the Green Bay Packers. The Packers give up the fifth-most rushing yards per carry and 116.9 rushing yards per game. This Vikings have the NFC North title to play for, so expect Peterson to receive plenty of carries.
Wide Receivers: Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers ($9,100); James Jones, Green Bay Packers ($5,500); Keshawn Martin, New England Patriots ($5,600)
Brown is Mr. Reliable when it comes to fantasy receivers. He has eight 100-yard games and averages more than 10 targets per game. His matchup against the Cleveland Browns’ defense is quite favorable.
Jones arguably has become Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ most trusted target, and he has tallied at least four receptions and seven targets in each of the last three games.
We don’t yet know the availability of Patriots receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, but if one or both of them sit, Martin is worth the risk. Martin was targeted 11 times in Week 16 and caught seven passes for 68 yards against a quality Jets pass defense. He’s a good value play for Week 17.
Tight End: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs ($6,200)
Kelce has caught six passes in each of the last two games, and he scored a touchdown against the Browns in Week 16. He also has an excellent matchup against an Oakland Raiders defense that gives up the most points to opposing tight ends in standard scoring leagues.
Kicker: Blair Walsh, Minnesota Vikings ($4,500)
Walsh averages the fifth-most FanDuel points per game among kickers.
Defense: St. Louis Rams ($4,600)
The Rams, after upsetting the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 16, are playing the lowest-scoring team in the league in the San Francisco 49ers. It’s a great matchup and price for your defense slot.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
