From a fantasy football perspective, Week 17 is an odd one. There's really no other way to put it. With so many teams having zero motivation to win, star players across the league will either be used sparingly or shut down completely, opening a path for lightly-used backups to move atop the statistical leaderboards for the weekend. As such, hopefully your season-long fantasy league doesn't extend into Week 17--because who wants their championship being decided by DeAngelo Williams vs. Alex Collins?--and hopefully you've by now ventured to DFS. Though it can still be a difficult situation to traverse, Week 17 is far more reasonable when it comes to DFS, as everyone has a fair chance to avoid resting stars and take advantage of the immense value plays. With that in mind, you can click through the gallery for my ideal Week 17 DraftKings lineup, or you can read here for more DFS analysis, breakdown and picks. (Getty)
QB: Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins
Opponent: vs. New York Giants
Price: $6,500
The Giants have had one of the stingiest secondaries in the NFL for much of the season, but now that they're locked into the No. 5 seed in the NFC, they may choose to rest some of their starters. Washington, on the other hand, is into the postseason with a win, so we will very likely end up seeing a highly motivated offense going up against a second-string defense. (Getty)
RB: David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals
Opponent: at Los Angeles Rams
Price: $9,800
The Cardinals have nothing to play for, but I would expect Johnson to be all systems go, as he attempts to complete history by reaching 100 yards from scrimmage in all 16 games this season. Arizona has been mathematically eliminated for a couple of weeks now, and DJ has continued to dominate with a heavy workload, so unless we hear word of him being limited, he's someone to lean on during on a week in which the other two studs--Le'Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott--are expected to rest. (Getty)
RB: Byron Marshall, Philadelphia Eagles
Opponent: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Price: $3,000
Ryan Mathews, Wendell Smallwood and Kenjon Barner have all been sent to the IR, leaving Byron Marshall as the de-facto lead back. Though Darren Sproles is still around to take some passing-game work, Marshall received 11 touches last week (nine carries, two receptions) and is expected to see "an expanded role" on Sunday. Getting an early-down running back for a minimum price of $3,000 is difficult to pass up, especially against a Dallas team that has reason to rest its starters. (Getty)
WR: DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins
Opponent: vs. New York Giants
Price: $5,600
While Jackson can be a bit of a boom-or-bust option, he has quietly tallied 100-plus yards in three straight games and four of the last five, averaging an impressive 18.88 DraftKings points per contest during that stretch. In the perfect situation (it's a must-win game for Washington and a meaningless game for New York), he's a good bet to continue that success. (Getty)
WR: Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
Opponent: at Detroit Lions
Price: $8,100
After tallying one catch on four targets against the Chicago Bears back in Week 7, Nelson has averaged 10.56 targets, 7.11 receptions and 96.67 yards per contest with nine total touchdowns in the nine games since. If you're OK looking at a smaller sample size, he has been even better over the last month (averaging 9.5 targets, 7.5 receptions and 109.25 yards with five total touchdowns in the last four), and now he gets to go up against a Lions secondary that he burned for 101 yards and two scores back in Week 3. With the NFC North on the line, the upside is immense here. (Getty)
WR: Golden Tate, Detroit Lions
Opponent: vs. Green Bay Packers
Price: $6,600
With an over/under that opened at 46.5 and quickly jumped to 49.5, this one has plenty of shootout potential. The Packers offense has looked unstoppable the last couple of weeks, and the Lions should be able to keep up through the air against a defense that ranks last in the NFL in yards per pass attempt allowed. A pass-heavy game should lead to good things for Tate, a PPR dyanmo who has tallied double-digit DraftKings points in nine of the last 10 games. (Getty)
TE: Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions
Opponent: vs. Green Bay Packers
Price: $3,600
We continue to stack this game, which not only has the second highest projected total of the week, but is also for the NFC North title and thus has no risk of starters being rested. Ebron turned 12 targets into eight receptions and 93 yards last week, and he should see plenty of opportunities against the Packers, who give up the eighth-most targets per game to tight ends. (Getty)
FLEX: JJ Nelson, Arizona Cardinals
Opponent: at Los Angeles Rams
Price: $4,600
In two games since Michael Floyd was released, Nelson has tallied 18 targets, eight receptions, 170 yards and two touchdowns--and he dropped what would have been another 60-yard touchdown against the Saints in Week 15. He's getting a healthy amount of targets, he's a big-play threat and the Rams cornerbacks figure to offer very little resistance. Nelson will be popular, but at $4,600, it's hard not to like his upside. (Getty)
DEF: Cleveland Browns
Opponent: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Price: $2,100
The Browns defense is not good, but they're the lowest-priced option, and they're playing against the Steelers lite, who are going to sit Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Even the Browns should be able to make some big plays against a Landy Jones-led offense. (Getty)
NFL DraftKings Week 17: Optimal Lineup Picks & Advice