Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Whaddup Kwanza! There are three NFL games on this Christmas day and with that comes the DraftKings Merry Millionaire DFS contest where the first place winner will receive $1,000,000. This article’s format will slightly differ from previous articles. Instead of identifying captains, core plays, values, sleepers and busts, this article’s intent is to quickly educate readers on the state of each team as it pertains to specific positions. In this article I do my best to identify and address all of the viable options tonight so that you can form a player pool you can be proud of.
DraftKings DFS Picks for Monday 12/25/2023
Quarterbacks
Santa came just in time, sliding down the chimney this year with some stellar plays at the quarterback position. This Monday DraftKings slate features some of the best fantasy producers in the entire league. The highest-salaried quarterback in today’s games is Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. Hurts and the Eagles will be entering their matchup tonight coming off of three straight losses. So a win tonight is a must, if not just from a morale standpoint. While he hasn’t been able to propel his team into the win column the last couple of weeks, Hurts still has been a reliable fantasy producer. He has scored at least 23.9 DraftKings fantasy points in the last four games, including a 36.5 DK point performance against the Bills. Jalen hasn’t thrown for a touchdown in his last two appearances, but he’s always one tush push away from 6.
Just $100 DK dollars cheaper is the best quarterback in the National Football League, Patrick Mahomes. He and the Chiefs will be taking on the Las Vegas Raiders for the second time this season. In his Week 12 matchup in Vegas, Mahomes completed 27 of 34 passes for 298 yards and 2 touchdowns. Mahomes could have had an even bigger game, but he really wasn’t called on to do much in a game that ended in a 31-17 blowout. A $7,400 Lamar Jackson sits at the third-ranked QB from a price standpoint in tonight’s DraftKings slate. The Baltimore Ravens are hot, they’ve won their last three games as well as winning 7 of their last 8 games. Jackson’s legs have come alive recently, rushing for 205 total yards in his last three appearances. The 49ers DST is no joke though, so don’t be shocked if he doesn’t have the same success.
Rounding out the viable quarterbacks is Brock Purdy who sizing up to be a great value at the position today. Mr. Irrelevant is averaging 21.4 fantasy points per game this season. At $6,700 Purdy represents a sturdy option at QB while allowing you to play higher-priced RBs and WRs. Priced below backup Philadelphia QB Marcus Mariota we have Aiden O’Connell and Tommy DeVito. Aiden is an absolute no-no tonight against a competent KC secondary. If you want to play the lowest-priced QB Tommy DeVito at just 5,000 DK dollars I wouldn’t be too mad at you. The Eagles secondary has been a sieve all season long, giving up big plays to everyone and their mother. If you play him, be sure to squeeze in all the studs you can, including a Giant or two.
Running Backs
In addition to a wonderful slew of QBs, we’ve been gifted with a blessed stable of running backs. Leading the way in classic Rudolph fashion tonight is Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey has been the spark for the 49ers offense ever since being acquired by his new squad. He has not “busted” once this year, recording double-digit DraftKings points in every matchup this season. In fact, he has only dipped below 20 DK points three times this year, posting scores of 14.8, 14.2, and 19.3. Baltimore is certainly one of the better rushing defenses that he’s seen this year, but he’s proven to be matchup-proof, especially as a member of the 49ers. Saquon Barkley is the next highest-priced RB on the slate and let me tell you, he is cheap. At least compared to the $9500 Christian McCaffrey. At just $6800, Barkley is a full $2,700 cheaper. His low tag is likely due to his daunting matchup against the Eagles’ front. He’s been boom or bust this year, but as long as the Giants stay in this game Barkley will be a huge part of what the Giants do.
Returning from a two-game absence, Isiah Pacheco has the best matchup on paper in today’s DraftKings slate. The Las Vegas Raiders have been very friendly to running backs. To this point this season they have allowed the 7th most fantasy points to RBs. Before his injury, Pacheco had turned in two straight 20+ DK point performances. A fantasy disappointment, D’Andre Swift has not reached double-digit DK points in four straight games, one of which was a dream matchup against the Seahawks’ putrid run defense. Aside from standout linebacker Bobby Okereke, this Giants squad has had trouble tackling. If he fails tonight then I’m sure that will open the door for Kenneth Gainwell to start getting more opportunities, because apparently, Rashaad Penny doesn’t exist.
Gus Edwards will lead the Ravens’ backfield tonight after Keaton Mitchell was placed on IR with a torn ACL. While he has not been a steady yardage producer, Edwards has done his thing near the goal line. Edwards has 11 touchdowns on the season and could increase that number tonight if the dominoes fall the correct way. While he likely won’t find much running room, all it takes is a pass interference call in the end zone to have the ball placed on the one-yard line. The Raiders’ running back situation is the stickiest of all. Josh Jacobs is questionable to play after missing last week’s game with a quad injury. He seems to be over the quad but picked up an illness. Interim head coach Antonio Pierce implied that with his team in a “must-win” position, he expects “all of his guys to play”. Jacobs likely won’t be at 100% leaving Zamir White to possibly pick up extra work. In his absence last week, White thoroughly impressed with 69 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
Wide Receivers
Tonight’s DraftKings slate features two of the most physical wide receivers in the league. A.J. Brown tops the salary board for WRs today at $8,500 DK dollars. Brown has been hot and cold with Jalen Hurts not always having good games from a passing perspective. He is the most expensive play tonight because he is arguably the most talented receiver on the slate with the best matchup. Trailing him by $800 DK bucks is Deebo Samuel, who is on an absolute tear. Samuel has eclipsed 20 DK points in each of his last four games played. While he has had cupcake matchups in each of those contests, it still is promising to see him and Purdy be able to take advantage. His running mate, Brandon Aiyuk has been just as productive, topping 120 receiving yards twice in the last five games.
Devonta Smith and Davante Adams are separated by just $200 DraftKings dollars. As previously stated, Hurts’ passing struggles trickle down to his wide receivers, Smith may be an exception to the rule, at least on DraftKings, because through Hurts’ yardage struggles, Smith has always acted as a possession guy. He has at least 5 receptions in five straight games. Adams on the other hand has been a target hog as the bonafide number one receiver on the Raiders squad. Averaging 11 targets per game in his last five appearances, Adams is a good bet to once again lead the Raiders in all receiving categories.
Don’t look now but there appears to be a new Alpha in Kansas City. Rashee Rice has been the go-to receiver for Patrick Mahomes over the last few games. The rookie WR has been targeted 38 times in the last four games. The production and the opportunities have lined up as Rice has scored 3 TDs in that same span. Zay Flowers is questionable to play today with a foot injury. If he is unable to go then Odell Beckham Jr., who had battled an illness earlier in the week, will likely lead the WR room along with Rashod Bateman, neither representing fantastic plays tonight. Trailing all WRs is the New York Giants’ WR room. There hasn’t been a rhyme or reason for why any Giants WR does well during any given week. So Wan’dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt, and company all represent serious contrarian plays on DraftKings tonight.
Tight Ends
The former undisputed top tight end in the league, Travis Kelce finds himself as the most expensive player at his position. Had Mark Andrews not been injured, he might have found himself there in his stead. The Chiefs have found themselves in a precarious situation where these final games still mean something to them, so expect Kelce to be deployed as usual. A full $2,000 less than Kelce on DK, George Kittle is just $5,500. He may be the best value of the slate, a goldmine for those who like to play cheap tight ends in the flex. While the receptions haven’t always been there, Kittle has continued to do most of his damage after the catch.
Dallas Goedert has stitched together back-to-back identical performances, catching 4 passes for 40 yards in both of his last two games. Since returning from his forearm injury, Goedert has nestled back into his usual pass-catching role, a role that doesn’t often leave him as the highest producer of the night. Speaking of players returning from injury, Darren Waller came back last week and was immediately put to work by Tommy DeVito. Tommy targeted the big man six times. Waller was able to corral four of those targets for 40 yards. A common stat line apparently. Don’t at all be surprised when Waller leads his team in receiving again tonight. With all the proven talent ahead of him, Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely finds himself as the cheapest starting tight end on DraftKings. Likely has scored in back-to-back contests, going for at least 70 yards in both games. His $4,200 salary certainly allows for you to bolster other positions, while not ignoring the TE slot.
Defenses
Tonight’s DraftKings slate should be chock full of scoring, which makes choosing the right defense very important. There are only a pair of defenses tonight that I would recommend playing. They of course are the two highest salaried defenses on the slate. They are the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles DST has not quite lived up to early season expectations, but their matchup tonight is as good as it gets, playing against a rookie quarterback. The Kansas City Chiefs also get a rookie who isn’t exactly making a strong push to keep the job going into next season. Hot earlier on in the season, the KC DST has fizzled a bit as of late, but once again their matchup makes them a fine play. Okay, I lied, I won’t be upset if you decide to play the 49ers tonight. The Ravens have been winning, but with the recent injuries, I’m not sure how much longer they’ll be able to hold up, especially against a fierce 49ers DST.
Week 16 Rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End |