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FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Helper: Week 17

Julio Jones has had a frustrating season, but in a must-win game, we likely need to squeeze him into our NFL DFS rosters. Which other players should we target Week 17 on FanDuel?

If you've never played daily fantasy football on FanDuel before, it's time to start. Unlike traditional leagues, you're able to select the players you want on that specific day only, giving you a different squad to root for each and every week.

Here at numberFire we offer great tools for premium members. The analysis below is meant to help you understand why some of these players are top picks in our tools and projections because we don't want you going into the weekend completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things can change drastically if an injury is announced, so make sure you're double checking the tools and projections as close as possible to kickoff.

Let's break down the main slate on FanDuel for this week.

Quarterbacks

Cam Newton (FanDuel Price: $8,400) - Newton needed a late rushing score to salvage his day last week, but he's in a great spot again in a game with major playoff implications against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons rank 19th against the pass, according to numberFire's schedule-adjusted Net Expected Points (NEP) metric, meaning Newton could find success through the air. That gives him a ceiling on top of the floor he has established by averaging 13 rushing attempts per game over the past three weeks. Add in that this game will be played beneath a roof, and Newton easily appears to be worth this salary.

Philip Rivers ($8,300) - The Los Angeles Chargers need a win this week, meaning we should see plenty of Rivers against a poor Oakland Raiders defense. They're ranked 30th against the pass for the full season, and that does include an impressive five-game stretch in which they have allowed just 19.2 points per game. That stretch, though, has included games started by Paxton Lynch, Geno Smith, and Nick Foles. Rivers is a meaty step above that, allowing us to utilize him here.

Matt Ryan ($7,400) - Ryan has been a wretched fantasy asset all year, failing to top 20 points on FanDuel even once. But this is as good of a spot as any for him to change that. Ryan is at home, playing indoors, on a team that is favored, and in a must-win game. While the Carolina Panthers do rank ninth against the pass, most of that is due to their elite pass rush. With the Falcons ranking sixth in adjusted sack rate, according to Football Outsiders, they should be able to neutralize that rush, making Ryan worth a roll of the dice.

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