There are an abundance of tools at FantasyLabs to use for your NFL DFS lineups each week. Our most popular tools are our NFL Player Models, which house our NFL DFS projections from Sean Koerner.
You can use these projections in our models with our Lineup Builder to hand-build your lineups or use our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups for your NFL DFS tournaments.
In this article, we will go position by position, highlighting my favorite plays for both cash games and single-entry/three-max GPP contests. These plays are also viable in large field tournaments but do not focus on ownership percentages.
NFL DFS Cash Game + Single-Entry GPP Locks
NFL DFS Quarterback Picks
Josh Allen ($7,900 DraftKings, $9,200 FanDuel) Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
With no Lamar Jackson or Tua Tagovailoa on the slate this week, the quarterback position gets thin pretty quickly. Allen stands out as the best floor and ceiling play and is actually underpriced at just $7,900. If this were a normal slate, he would be priced around $8,500 or so. You can argue that Kirk Cousins or Daniel Jones could put up better points per dollar scores, but Allen could easily blow them out of the water if he puts up 30 in this spot.
Buffalo has the highest implied team total on the slate at 28.5 points, and Miami is allowing the third most DraftKings points to opposing signal callers on the season. Without Tua, this game could get ugly pretty quickly, but if the Bills end up taking their foot off the gas, it’s likely because Allen already got there. There’s value all over this place on this slate, so paying down at quarterback is not necessary, especially in cash games.
NFL DFS Running Back Picks
Saquon Barkley ($7,900 DraftKings, $8,800 FanDuel) New York Giants @ Minnesota Vikings
Barkley is going to be quite busy on Sunday, as he was the last time the Giants played the Vikings in Week 16. He saw only 14 carries in that game but received 10 targets and caught eight balls for 49 yards. No other running back outside of maybe Dalvin Cook is guaranteed the volume that Barkley is. He only costs $7,900 as well, which is way too cheap.
The other running backs on this slate all have warts, as Joe Mixon is facing a really good Ravens run defense, while Dalvin Cook has not looked like himself for a while now. Barkley’s receiving floor is so high in this spot, and he will get all the goal-line work in a really good game environment.
He’s going to be popular, but this one is a no-brainer on such a short slate.
NFL DFS Wide Receiver Picks
Richie James + Isaiah Hodgins ($3,900 DraftKings, $4,100 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel, $6,400 FanDuel) New York Jets @ Minnesota Vikings
The majority of the value on this slate, much like it was on the Week 16 slate, comes from the Giants’ pass-catchers. Hodgins and James cost a combined $8,000. The two of them combined for 16 catches, 159 yards, and a touchdown on 23 targets the last time these teams met. Daniel Jones does not like to throw downfield often, and both James and Hodgins get used plenty underneath.
The total in this game is up to 48.5, and it will be played in a dome, so you can bet there’s going to be quite a bit of scoring. Rostering the two of these guys as an $8,000 player block will go a long way in helping you fit whatever other studs you’d like on this slate.
Justin Jefferson ($8,600 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel) Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants
Speaking about those studs you would like to roster on this slate, enter Justin Jefferson, who is the best pay-up option on the entire weekend, let alone the Sunday slate. The NFL’s leading receiver has been extremely quiet these past two weeks, and it feels like he’s ready to erupt. He went nuclear on this same Giants’ secondary in Week 16, posting 12 catches for 133 yards and a touchdown, good for 34.3 DK points.
The matchup is gettable, as the Giants rank 22nd in pass defense DVOA, but let’s be real here, the only one who can slow down Justin Jefferson is Kirk Cousins. Being that it’s just a three-game slate, DraftKings lowered the salaries of almost everyone, including Jefferson.
He’s incredibly likely to hit the 100-yard bonus in this game and is in the best spot of really any of the other wide receivers on the slate. Sure, you can always make an argument for Tyreek Hill, but he’s got Skylar Thompson at quarterback, while the Bengals’ elite duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are playing a good Ravens defense in a game with a 40.5 total.
There’s one ultra clear pay-up at the position here, and it’s Jefferson.
NFL DFS Tight End Picks
T.J. Hockenson ($5,100 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel) Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants
The Giants do not defend tight ends very well, and Hockenson took full advantage of that in their first meeting, dropping a 13/109/2 line. He’s seen eight or more targets in seven of the 11 games he’s played with the Vikings this season and has really flourished, posting double-digit DraftKings points in seven of those games as well.
There are a couple of decent options at the tight end position this week, but Hockenson is in the best game environment and has a significantly higher ceiling than Hayden Hurst or Dawson Knox.
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