Greetings, Gamers! We have an excellent opportunity on Yahoo! for Week 17 as they are running a $150,000 contest with a $10 entry fee and 17,046 entries. This flagship tournament has not completely filled yet this season which has provided “extra value” for gamers. Let’s get into some NFL Yahoo Fantasy Football DFS Picks for Week 17 including Russell Wilson and Ezekiel Elliott.
Don’t forget to check out the Yahoo Fantasy Show with Ben “Jazzraz” Rasa and Nolan Kelly Friday on the Awesemo YouTube Channel
For Nolan Kelly’s Week 17 Top Stacks article click here
If you haven’t signed up for Yahoo Fantasy DFS, click this link and use the promo code Awesemo when making your first deposit and you will be eligible for $30 of “free play” which Yahoo! will match through the first $30 of your deposit (this bonus will be received in Yahoo Sports Rewards Points aka YSRP which can be used to enter any paid contest immediately).
Yahoo Fantasy Football General Strategy
As with most sites, there are many viable strategies that can be successful in large field tournaments and of course, we do need the same amount of favor from Lady Luck as we do elsewhere.
Key thing to remember is that this is a half-PPR site, meaning receptions are worth 0.5 points and the minimum salary is $10 with an average salary per player of $22. This week, Christian McCaffrey is at the top of the pricing list at $42. The full scoring parameters can be found here.
If you are using an optimizer, it is important to remember that you will still need to input the lineups by hand (this lack of automation also helps keep away some of the mega shark players). You will also want to closely look at the lineups because the automation will look to use the cheaper quarterbacks. It will also home in on players that may not be good plays on other sites and they will not be highlighted in the mainstream analysis that is available to the masses each week.
Awesemo NFL Rankings
One of the most useful features of the Awesemo.com premium content is the personal player rankings from Alex Baker, aka Awesemo, for all of the main sports. The players grade out separately for each DFS site with ratings for both “projected points” and “value” receiving an A through E report card-style grade.
As a sneak preview, for this article I will be sharing the grades Full Rankings (Premium Content)
Quarterback
If you have played football this season on Yahoo, or if you played Yahoo fantasy baseball, you know that the strategy is to look for the cheapest quarterback or pitcher that is tolerable so you can look for more secure points and upside elsewhere. In the recommendations below, I will be highlighting several discount options at the other positions so you can build a framework that will allow lineup construction for a top-shelf quarterback along with his favorite target and still have enough salary cap to run it back with the top option on the opposing team.
Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers – $32 Awesemo Grade: Points C, Value D
Seattle is in trouble losing all three of their running backs in the last two weeks with Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise going down last week and Rashaad Penny the game prior to that. The resigning of Marshawn Lynch is a nice story, however he was all but retired and only played six games last season before injury.
Essentially a win puts the Seahawks as the #3 seed and a loss has them travelling as a Wild Card team. The best chance for the Seahawks to win is for Wilson to be unleashed from the start against a difficult ‘Niners defense. The real question is will coach Pete Carroll get out of his comfort zone and take this not so drastic approach.
Ryan Tannehill – Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans – $36 Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value C
Titans have a win and in scenario here while the Texans have clinched their spot. Any improvement needs to be via a victory and a Kansas City loss. This feels like a “kitchen sink” game with Tennessee pulling out all the stops. Ryan Tannehill has quickly made everyone forget about Marcus Mariota. Tannehill has thrown for at least two touchdowns in eight of his nine starts and has a 6-3 record. A.J. Brown – $23 and Jonnu Smith – $15 Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value C are the best synergy plays with Tannehill.
Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers – $34 Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value C
This week it is very important to understand what teams are playing for and if players have any contract incentive motivation. Kansas City can get a first round bye if they win and the Patriots lose. There is some risk here as New England is hosting Miami and the Patriots are two touchdown favorites. What we do know is that Patrick Mahomes can score touchdowns in bunches and the Chargers defense is in the bottom third of the league. The clear players to pair with Mahomes are Travis Kelce – $28 and Tyreek Hill – $30 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value D. This duo does not come cheaply, but there is multi-touchdown upside.
Dak Prescott – Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins – $34 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value B
Washington is slated to start three essentially unproven defensive backs. Normally this would be a gimme, however Dak Prescott has been dealing with a shoulder injury. While he is expected to play, he has not been throwing in practice for nearly two weeks which is concerning for sure. The likely outcome of this game is that Ezekiel Elliott will be toting the rock early and often in this “must win” game. Dallas needs to win and have the Eagles lose in order to advance to the post season. My preference will be to let other gamers take on the risk of Prescott and his bum shoulder.
Running Back
We want to keep in mind that while running backs are very important, Yahoo fantasy uses half-PPR, which will not penalize running backs that are not as active in the passing game.
Ezekiel Elliott – Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins – $34 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value C
Washington has allowed the third most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Last week Saquon Barkley had 22/189/1 on the ground with 4/90/1 through the air. Two weeks ago it was Miles Sanders with 19/122/1 and 6/50/1. Three weeks ago Aaron Jones danced his way to 16/134/1 and 6/58/0. All aboard the Ezekiel Elliott Express! This is a must win for the Cowboys and then need an Eagles loss.
Miles Sanders – Philadelphia at New York Giants – $22 Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value A
While Jordan Howard may return, it has been announced he will work his way back behind Miles Sanders and Boston Scott. As inferred in prior analysis above, this is a must win for Philadelphia. Sanders has topped 150+ combined yards in each of his last two games with three touchdowns. This price tag is about 20-25% too low. Zach Ertz is out, so we should see a heavy dose of Sanders in the ground and through the air.
Christian McCaffrey – Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints – $42 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value D
Here is a milestone situation we should be aware of for Christian McCaffrey. No player has ever had 1,400 yards rushing and 1,000 receiving in a season. Roger Craig in 1985 and Marshall Faulk in 1999 are the only two players with 1,000+ in both categories. Needing only 39 rushing yards and 67 receiving yards, it would seem that McCaffrey will become the third.
Travis Homer – Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers – $13 Awesemo Grade: Points C, Value C
Sixth round rookie from The U, Travis Homer should get the first crack for Seattle. Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin have both been out of the game for year. They were signed since both have some familiarity of the Seattle offense. Turbin had four carries in 2018 and 23 in 2017 for the Colts. We all remember Lynch with the Raiders playing just six games in 2018 due to injury, but a solid 2017 after sitting out for a year. This is an extreme salary relief option that will be overlooked by The Masses.
Wide Receiver
More often than not, we should be able to find several nice options in the middle tier. The top-shelf Yahoo fantasy options are typically priced in the mid-$30 range. Often, they are best paired with their quarterbacks for tournament upside, rather than risking downside as solo plays.
In addition to the players highlighted above with their quarterbacks we can look to:
Julio Jones – Atlantas Falcons vs Jacksonville Jaguars – $40 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value C
This is an amazing matchup for Julio Jones who needs 84 receiving yards for 1,400. Only Jerry Rice had six 1,400 yard campaigns and we know that Julio likes his stats. He gets a matchup against the worst passing defense and a chance to match a legend. Keep an eye on his status, but it is hard to see him missing this opportunity.
Davante Adams – Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions – $31 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value D
If the Packers win, they clinch the NFC North and they can get a first round bye. Davante Adams has more targets than the rest of the wide receivers combined in six of the last seven games. This is an easy sell for me and we have two discount dandies below to facilitate a stars and scrubs build.
Steve Sims Jr – Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys – $11 Awesemo Grade: Points D, Value B
Terry McLaurin is out with a concussion, so one of the few remaining options is undrafted rookie Steve Sims Jr. On a positive note, he should have veteran Case Keenum under center and Washington literally has nothing to lose.
Justin Watson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons – $14 Awesemo Grade: Points C, Value B
Now that Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are out, we have seen some of the Tampa Bay understudies. In the last three games, Justin Watson has seen 20 targets for 12/119/2. We know that Jameis Winston is just going to keep chucking until the clock winds down.
Tight Ends
This week we have a couple of mid-tier options in excellent matchups to carry the day.
Dallas Goedert – Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants – $18 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value A
Zach Ertz and Nelson Agholor will be joining Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson on the sideline. It would not be a surprise for Dallas Goedert to see double digit targets for a second week in a row as the Eagles are in must win mode.
Jonnu Smith – Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans – $15 Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value C
While I mentioned him above with Ryan Tannehill he is a fine solo option. Smith has been getting high leverage targets and he is a solid red zone threat while teams gear up to stop Derrick Henry on the ground.
Defense/Special Teams
There are several good matchups this week for Yahoo fantasy where we can get some bang for our buck.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens – $17 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value D
Baltimore has locked in the home field advantage and are starting Robert Griffin III. Pittsburgh needs to win and get a little help or A LOT if they lose. It will be fun to see the former Rookie of the Year under center, but we need to remember that he has just 94 snaps over the last three years. His last starting give was in 2016 with Cleveland.
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions – $18 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value D
This is a great matchup, even on the road. Rookie David Blough is going to be under pressure all day. Detroit has allowed 21 sacks in their last six games and eight interceptions in their last five. Enjoy!
Hopefully these Yahoo Fantasy Picks and recommendations get your lineup construction process jump started and on your way to a big showing in the Yahoo! $150k Dollar Baller contest!
As always, you can reach out to me in Awesemo.com Premium Slack or Twitter @EMacDFS if you have any questions.
Good Luck Gamers! ~ EMac
