DFS Roundtable: Extra Motivation

PHIL ALEXANDER

• Saints-Panthers - New Orleans needs a win and/or some help to get back in position for a first-round bye. They're favored by 13 at Carolina and implied to score a slate-best 30.5 points. It looks like an ideal time to break out your Brees-Thomas-Kamara stacks. Jared Cook, the Saints defense, and Christian McCaffrey (chasing a 1,000-1,000 season) also look like high exposure plays.
• Giants-Eagles - With the release of Janoris Jenkins, the Giants officially have the worst defensive backfield in the NFL. Philadelphia doesn't have much to threaten New York with, especially if Zach Ertz is forced to sit out with his rib injury, but inexpensive plays like Greg Ward, Dallas Goedert, and even disappointing rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, are in line for heavy usage in the softest possible matchup and all of their paths intersect at Carson Wentz.

DAN HINDERY

The Saints are very likely to get a first-round bye if they can beat the Carolina Panthers. A loss would be devastating for their hopes of a deep run. Everything sets up perfectly for another big game for Alvin Kamara. He is rounding into form after an early-season injury that seemed to linger and faces the best matchup possible against a Panthers defense that has been run over by every team they have faced over the last month. Kamara is a cash-game must this week and worth running out in tournaments even with high ownership likely. Kamara finally found the end zone last week after a long dry streak. He will have a great chance to keep that streak going in what is easily the most favorable matchup possible for a running back. The Panthers have allowed 28 total touchdowns to opposing running backs this season. No other team has given up more than 21. Drew Brees has been fantastic in recent weeks and Michael Thomas is a great play every week. You can play the Saints with confidence this week.

JASON WOOD

Packers-Lions
The Packers have everything to play for, are up against a divisional foe they would be motivated to beat anyway, and are playing at full strength. I'm particularly enamored with an Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones stack, as I see the Packers putting the throttle down and trying to blow the Lions out.

Saints-Panthers
Sean Payton was emphatic in his press conference, the Saints are not going to take it easy in Week 17 and will play to win and maintain their momentum. While Drew Brees isn't the fantasy lock on the road he is at home, it's hard not to love Brees in a matchup against a broken and battered divisional foe. The Panthers are a mess and can be beaten on the ground or via the air. It's also hard not to have Alvin Kamara at or near the top of your RB rankings this week. He broke his touchdown drought last week and looks explosive. The team would love to get him back to All-Pro form with another strong game before the playoffs start.

Giants-Eagles
This is one of the games of the week. I suspect getting this game right will be key to winning big in GPPs, or not. Let's start with the obvious, the Eagles are motivated. Win and they're in. We also should count Zach Ertz out with badly hurt ribs. Given the paucity of alternatives, I'm more than willing to fire up Dallas Goedert and Greg Ward in stacks with Carson Wentz. Miles Sanders is also a Top-5 guy at running back.

What we don't know is whether the Giants are motivated. They have nothing to play for per se, but getting Daniel Jones experience in a playoff-like atmosphere is a good thing. And Pat Shurmur could use a good showing to help cool off his hot seat in the owners' eyes. I'm assuming the Giants play at full strength and play to win. Given how terrible the Eagles secondary is, particularly with Ronald Darby hurt (again), this game has the makings of a shoot out. I would comfortably factor Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones, Kaden Smith, and the trio of receivers into my build plans.

JUSTIN HOWE

NO-CAR looks like an awfully predictable matchup, so I'll be targeting it like this was Week 7. With great individual matchups and motivation for seeding, the Saints should move the ball up and down the field. And their usage is very heavily concentrated across its top three weapons: Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and Jared Cook have drawn 72% of Drew Brees' targets over the past 2 weeks. Kamara looks like the safest play here, capable of excelling in a number of different potential game flows. He should be the next in a long line of backs that near their season-highs against the collapsing Panthers.

The Eagles have all the push in the world to show up against the lowly Giants, so we can project four full quarters for everyone. And due to injuries, their "everyone" has been pared down to just a few names. Names that come too cheaply for their roles, like Greg Ward (23 targets over the past 3 weeks) and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. No, the rookie hasn't produced anything yet, but he's intriguing as the Eagles' WR2 near the DFS minimum. If the Giants' Darius Slayton can suit up, he'll make for a cheap but high-ceiling runback in a game stack.