The final week of the regular season is always a tough one in fantasy, with so many stars resting, and the motivations of teams and players alike far more difficult to judge. Nevertheless, there is still Draftstars money up for grabs, and we will be analysing the players from all 13 games on this massive slate, to help you find some diamonds in the rough to win you cash.
Draftstars has a $15,000 contest, with a $1,500 first prize. There are plenty of other contests for everyone to get involved, no matter your budget.
NFL 2024-25 Daily Fantasy Tips: Week 18
Quarterbacks
Jayden Daniels - $14,480
The Commanders have something to play for this week, as they battle to maintain the #6 seed in the NFC. That means all players should be ready to go, and I trust Daniels to have another big game to finish off what has been a remarkable rookie season. After a bit of a fantasy lull during the mid-point of the season, Daniels has put his foot firmly on the gas over the last 5 weeks, with scores between 23.6 and 36.4, at an average of 31.4. His last effort against the Cowboys just over a month ago resulted in 275 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, as well as 74 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
Carson Wentz - $9,160
This is definitely a shot in the dark, given Wentz hasn’t started a game for 12 months and his team is currently an 11-point road underdog, but like Joe Flacco last week, I like Wentz at the price here. Wentz is essentially playing for a contract here and given the turnarounds of quarterbacks who appeared destined for the scrapheap (Darnold, Mayfield), Wentz will see this as his chance at a potential starting gig next season. In his one game last season, Wentz finished as the QB2 in fantasy for the week, throwing for two touchdowns whilst rushing for another. He can do it all, and at the price is a great point of difference.
Running Backs
Bijan Robinson - $19,090
At this point it’s sounding like a broken record, but you just have to play the running back who gets to take on the Panthers defence every week. Bijan has been massive over the last two months of the season, with only one score under 17.5 since week 5. Don’t think about it, just do it, Bijan will be the RB1 this week.
Isaac Guerendo - $11,630
Guerendo continues the theory that 49ers running backs under Kyle Shanahan are fantasy studs, and for the price this week he is a tremendous purchase. As a starter, Guerendo is averaging 16.6 touches and over 100 all purpose yards per game, whilst he has also looked explosive in any role this season, with a 7.3% explosive run rate, and a 23% missed tackle rate. He gets a great matchup this week against the Cardinals, who since week 12 have allowed the 12th-most rushing yards per game, the second-highest explosive run rate, and the third-highest missed tackle rate.
Ray Davis - $9,180
I’m confident that Ray Davis is going to play a huge part in the Bills offense his week, in what could be a true breakout game for the rookie fourth rounder. The Bills are fully expected to rest their starters for a large part of this game, and Davis should get plenty of touches against a poor Patriots run defence. Since week 12, the Patriots have allowed the seventh-most rushing yards per game, the tenth-highest yards after contact per attempt, and the fourth-highest gap rushing success rate. Davis could be the best value in the entire slate.
Wide Receivers
Adam Thielen - $12,610
Thielen continues to be a huge part of this Panthers offense, and it’s no coincidence that Bryce Young has looked much better since getting Thielen back healthy. The Panthers should be able to score points against the Falcons, and Thielen will more than likely be the beneficiary of any touchdowns. In his last six games, Thielen has six endzone targets, and five other redzone targets. He is clearly Young’s favourite target, and with Chuba Hubbard out, the veteran slot receiver should have a big game to end the season.
Michael Pittman Jr. - $10,580
Pittman looked like a different player last week with Joe Flacco under center, hauling in 9 passes for 109 yards and a score. He should have another big week this week, as the Colts take on a poor Jags secondary that, since week 12, have allowed the 15th most fantasy points per target to wide receivers. Last week with Flacco at QB, Pittman commanded a massive 26.3% target share, a 31.3% first-read share, and 3.03 yards per route run.
Ricky Pearsall - $8,580
Pearsall was the breakout star of week 17, hauling in 8 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. He did this whilst commanding a 25% target share, 42.7% air-yard share, and 4.27 YPRR. It will be interesting to see if the rookie can build on this performance, against a Cardinals defence that since week 12 have allowed the 5thmost fantasy points per target to opposing slot receivers.
Tight Ends
Chig Okonkwo - $7,220
Okonkwo remains underpriced and as such is a good play again this week. Okonkwo is averaging over 9 targets per game since Mason Rudolph took over as starting quarterback, way up on his season average of 3.2. Over those past three weeks, Okonkwo has a 24.3% target share, 33.3% first-read share, and 2.19 YPRR. Okonkwo should once again be a top 5 TE this week.
Payne Durham - $5,000
Durham has taken over as the starting tight end for the Bucs since the injury to Cade Otton, and he has shown he can be a serviceable safety net for Baker Mayfield. Has averaged 5 targets, 3.5 receptions, and 32.5 yards per game over the past two since being starter, and if he can jag a touchdown will put up solid TE2 numbers for bottom dollar.
D/ST
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - $6,560
The Saints’ offense is atrocious, and despite Tampa being priced at a premium this week, I love them to have a double-digit score on defence against the Saints. The Bucs defence has been trending up in the second half of the season, and with four scores of 8+ over the last 6 weeks, I like the Bucs to annihilate what looks like the worst offense in the league right now.
Atlanta Falcons - $6,040
The Falcons defence has come on in leaps and bounds since head coach Raheem Morris has taken over as defensive play caller. For a team that flat out couldn’t get to the quarterback earlier in the year, they now have 21 sacks over the past 5 weeks, and scores of 6, 11, 20, and 25 in that span. The Falcons should be able to get to Bryce Young, and undoubtedly will cause a turnover or two. Smash play.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup
