Draftkings & Fanduel Expert Survey for Week 18 (Main Slate)

Our panel of experts is here to give you their NFL DFS picks for this week’s main slate contests by answering a handful of questions to help you make crucial lineup-building decisions. Want to know Noto’s three favorite players for cash games? Or squirrelpatrol’s favorite correlation? Find out below!

NFL DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel Expert Survey for Week 18 (Main Slate)

Rank your three favorite players for cash games, in order:

Rank your three favorite players for large-field tournaments, in order, who are below 10% pOWN%:

Who is your favorite salary relief option this week?

Notorious:
squirrelpatrol:
Krayton:
ebeimfohr:
Stevietpfl:
eys819:
Bobby Gomes:

What’s the best position to save salary on?

Notorious: RB
squirrelpatrol: RB
Krayton: RB
ebeimfohr: RB
Stevietpfl: RB
eys819: RB
Bobby Gomes: RB

Who is your favorite high-salary D/ST to use this week?

Notorious: CIN
squirrelpatrol: SF
Krayton: SF
ebeimfohr: DAL
Stevietpfl: NYJ
eys819: DAL
Bobby Gomes: DAL

Who is your favorite low-salary D/ST to use this week?

Notorious: LAC
squirrelpatrol: LAR
Krayton: NYG
ebeimfohr: NYG
Stevietpfl: LAC
eys819: LAC
Bobby Gomes: NYG

What player do you believe you’ll be most overweight on compared to the field?

Notorious: (FD) / (DK)
squirrelpatrol:
Krayton: De’Von Achane (FD) / (DK)
ebeimfohr:
Stevietpfl:
eys819:
Bobby Gomes:

What player are you most afraid of being underweight on compared to the field?

Notorious:
squirrelpatrol:
Krayton:
ebeimfohr:
Stevietpfl:
eys819:
Bobby Gomes:

What stack will you be most underweight on compared to the field?

Notorious: +
squirrelpatrol: +
Krayton: +
ebeimfohr: +
Stevietpfl: +
eys819: +
Bobby Gomes: +

What team will you target players from the most compared to the field?

Notorious: DAL
squirrelpatrol: DAL
Krayton: GB
ebeimfohr: SF
Stevietpfl: SEA
eys819: TB
Bobby Gomes: TB

What team will you target players from the least compared to the field?

Notorious: NYJ
squirrelpatrol: PHI
Krayton: NE
ebeimfohr: PHI
Stevietpfl: PHI
eys819: DAL
Bobby Gomes: NE

What game will exceed its implied total by the most points this week?

Notorious: CLE/CIN
squirrelpatrol: CHI/GB
Krayton: SEA/ARI
ebeimfohr: SF/LAR
Stevietpfl: SEA/ARI
eys819: MIN/DET
Bobby Gomes: SEA/ARI

What is your favorite correlation on the slate and why?

Notorious: This is a rare slate where I won’t actively build correlation into my lineups. There are so many good point-per-dollar options that I could see the tournament-winning lineup having very little correlation. With that said, it’s hard not to like + . They are two of the top spends of the slate and are facing a Commanders defense that is dead last in both DVOA against the pass and dropback EPA. Washington can’t get any pressure on the quarterback, and the Cowboys can win their division with a victory this week. As long as the game doesn’t get too out of hand, we should see Dallas stay aggressive with their play-calling.

squirrelpatrol: + – There is a lot of uncertainty (and a lot of options) on this slate, but we might be overthinking things if we avoid the Dak to Lamb connection. Dallas has the highest implied team total on the week and is facing a Commanders defense that has given up the most yards per game, points per game, and receiving touchdowns in the NFL. Dallas needs this win for the playoff implications, and I expect them to keep the foot on the gas. I don’t expect the Commanders to have the personnel to stop Dak and Lamb.

Krayton: + and/or – Green Bay needs to win this game to make the playoffs, and I think this game could go overlooked with both Watson and Reed questionable heading into Week 18, as they both have had limited practices this week. I obviously will be monitoring their status very closely, but if Watson and Reed aren’t able to go, I will still be loading up on other options, as we saw Love put up 245 yards and 3 TDs the first time these two teams met earlier this season. Both Reed and Watson are big playmakers, and I love getting exposure to this game when other games such as PHI/NYG and DAL/WAS will be much more popular. On the other side, I will be getting to lots of . Even though the Bears are out of the playoffs, is looking to make a great impression in his last regular season game, and his favorite target is Moore by far.

ebeimfohr: + – As you know, Week 18 is a unique animal, and it’s difficult to find stacks to feel comfortable with. Luckily, we’ve got the Bears trying to see what they have in Fields heading into the offseason, and he happens to have a total alpha WR in Moore against a Packers defense that has been terrible this season (plus is out). We can lock in Fields’ huge upside (and floor) at the QB position with the star WR he locks in on just about every play, and we know we have salary savers elsewhere due to players resting that allow us to still jam in other spend-ups like or .

Stevietpfl: + + – Seattle needs to win and Green Bay to lose to make the playoffs. Arizona ranks 31st in DVOA against the pass, and they’re 27th in pressuring the quarterback. Smith should have more time to throw in this game and will hopefully look to his star wide receiver. Metcalf is averaging 1.7 deep targets per game, and he has a 39.6% air yards share, which is the 7th-highest in the NFL. He has one of the highest ceilings on a slate with a lot of uncertainty. Seattle is allowing 134 rushing yards per game this season, which is the 3rd-most in the NFL. Over its last 5 games, Seattle is allowing 170 rushing yards per game, which is the most in the NFL. Conner and this Arizona team aren’t playing for anything, but they can play spoiler for the second straight week.

eys819: + – This will likely be a popular stack, but there are plenty of ways to differentiate this week. The last time the Lions and Vikings met, Mullens threw for over 400 yards and Jefferson put up a 6-141-1 line. I am expecting similar results in this game. The Vikings have thrown the ball at the 4th-highest rate in the league this season and get an indoor game at the time of year when it matters most. Detroit has been a pass-funnel defense this season, allowing the 5th-fewest rushing yards and the 8th-most passing yards. An offense that loves to throw the ball facing a defense that is susceptible to the pass offers extreme upside.

Bobby Gomes: + – The Hurts/AJB connection has been nothing short of magical this season, and that should continue as the Eagles are playing for NFC East supremacy. This duo is a few bucks cheaper than the + stack, but it’s splitting hairs when talking about expected fantasy output. AJB has come back to earth recently but still has 10+ targets in 4 of his last 5 games. They’ll get a Giants secondary that is dinged up and was torched in Week 16 by Hurts. We also get the added rushing equity from Hurts each week.

Who’s your top contrarian play on the board (below 10% pOWN%) and why?

Notorious: – His current pOWN% might come up a bit now that has been ruled out, but it should stay fairly low given how many great options there are at running back. You could easily make the case to punt all three of your running back spots with so many teams resting starters. Jones has looked solid over the last 2 games, tallying 247 rushing yards and 18 receiving yards. The Packers have very clear motivation this week, as they will get into the playoffs with a win against the Bears. This matchup doesn’t look great on paper, but I will note that the Bears have allowed the 2nd-most receptions, the most receiving yards, and the most receiving touchdowns to running backs this season. The Packers would be smart to get Jones involved in the passing game this week.

squirrelpatrol: – The Packers are another team with something to play for on Sunday, and they are playing at home as 3-point favorites against the Bears. Love has been outstanding lately, putting up at least 23 DK points (20 FD points) in 5 of his last 7 games. He’s thrown for 16 touchdowns with just 1 interception in that stretch, and he added a rushing touchdown in both of the last 2 games as well.

Krayton: – I mentioned above that I love the Green Bay game, and in the lineups that I don’t load up on and his receivers, I will be getting exposure to Jones. He is very inexpensive on both sites and is a positive RGValue as well. Even though the Bears have been tough against the run, they have given up the most receiving yards per game to the RB position (61), and Jones had a huge game against them to start the season, going for 127 total yards and 2 TDs.

ebeimfohr: 49ers passing game – My favorite play at this moment is , but ultimately, the 49ers pass game as a whole is my top contrarian play. With the uncertainty in their WR room and them playing backup QB , no one is willing to take the plunge here. But this is still a Kyle Shanahan offense with a reasonably competent backup QB against a bad defense who is also resting players. Ray-Ray McLoud and are questionable, so Bell makes a good option, but I’ll be keeping an eye on Gray, especially on Sunday. These options all present huge leverage off of a chalky .

Stevietpfl: Brandin Cooks – I’m going to be overweight on the Cowboys in general, and that’s going to start with and . With that said, I like the projected ownership for Cooks. I’ll be pairing him with Dak on teams without Lamb, and I’ll make sure to have some double stacks with him and Lamb. Dallas clinches the NFC East and the #2 seed with a win over one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Cooks had 4 catches for 72 yards and a touchdown against Washington earlier this season.

eys819: – There should be plenty of RB value available by the time all the news settles, which likely leaves Herbert completely off the radar. He has taken over the Bears backfield the last two weeks with an average of 21.5 opportunities and over 100 rushing yards in each game. He gets a great matchup against a Green Bay defense that has allowed the 5th-most rushing yards per game this season.

Bobby Gomes: – If the Bucs win, they are in. has been sharp all season playing pitch-and-catch with Evans, and the two have provided massive upside at a reasonable cost. Early pOWN% has Evans around 5-8% on a week where ownership will likely be spread out. He toasted the Panthers secondary in Week 13, catching 7 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown.

What is your preferred tournament format (e.g. large-field, single-entry) to play this week? How do you plan to beat that field of opponents? What tactic or strategy will set you apart?

Notorious: My preferred format is always single-entry and small-field tournaments, but I might dip my toes into the cash-game waters this week. We’ll see if it’s warm. As far as my tournament lineups are concerned, I am going to be spending up at running back more than most. Really good plays like , , , and are flying under the radar because of all of the cheap value at the position.

squirrelpatrol: I’ll play the largest-field contests and use heavy game stacks (pairing 4 or more players from the same game) more than I normally would. I’ll start with the Dallas offense, but in multi-entry contests, I’ll stack a large number of games, spreading out my exposure and hoping to catch an unexpected game that goes well over the total with the starters still in play. For FanDuel, I don’t mind the idea of going overweight on the BUF/MIA game, as it may see less ownership than it should since the night game is usually excluded from the slate.

Krayton: This is a week that I will not only be playing my usual single-entry contests, but I also will be playing some of the 20-entry-max contests to over-stack a few of my favorite games. I will be focused on CHI/GB, DAL/WAS, and PHI/NYG as the main games. On FanDuel, I will be very overweight on De’von Achane and some of the BUF/MIA players, as the night game being included on the main slate could go very overlooked.

ebeimfohr: I know most people don’t like smaller-field or single-entry tournaments for this week… but I love it. It’s an awesome week to avoid fragile chalkier players and actually utilize matchups (as most are solely focused on playing time) and also to get off the beaten path. In smaller fields, the ownership is really, really going to consolidate, which can give us paths to lapping the field by pivoting.

Stevietpfl: My strategy for single-entry and large-field tournaments is the same this weekend. I want to be overweight on players in meaningful games. I’ll use some of the value options that are getting increased opportunities. I think this is a slate to let people overthink all of the uncertainty and for us to roster the players in meaningful spots.

eys819: In large-field tournaments, I will be well overweight the Vikings passing attack and mixing contrarian plays around them. Correlation will not be as big of a priority as usual due to the uniqueness of Week 18. There are a large number of value plays available due to several teams resting starters in the final week of the season.

Bobby Gomes: MME – My preferred format is large-field MME tournaments. My player groups will be centered around Eagles, Cowboys, Seahawks, Packers, and Lions, who have five of the highest implied team totals on the slate. I will be paying up at QB and WR while plugging in the cheap value at RB and TE.

What is your hot take of the slate?

Notorious: goes over 100 yards and scores a touchdown in the 1st half.

squirrelpatrol: No players reach stat-based contract incentives on the Sunday slate.

Krayton: At least 4 players from the CHI/GB game are on tournament-winning lineups, with exploding for 3 TDs and 175 total yards.

ebeimfohr: + combine for 75 DraftKings points.

Stevietpfl: goes for 150+ yards and 2 touchdowns to send Tampa to the playoffs.

eys819: rushes for 100+ yards and 2 touchdowns at less than 5% ownership.

Bobby Gomes: is the top running back on the slate, with 25+ fantasy points.

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