This article is part of our Four-Down Duel series.
Here's a look at some recommended plays on FanDuel for Week 17:
Quarterback
Philip Rivers, SD, $6900 – Few have been as critical of the Chargers and Norv Turner as I have but this week is shaping up to be a good week for Rivers. The Chargers get the Raiders at home, which is a great matchup. The Raiders have been terrible on defense giving up just under 28 points per game (third-worst in the league) and over 242 passing yards per game. With Ryan Mathews out for the season, there isn't much of a running game so Rivers should have to air it out. Even with a discounted price, it's hard to imagine that a lot of people will choose Rivers, making him a great "pot odds" play in tournament formats.
Running Backs
Alfred Morris, WAS, $7400 – I usually don't pick players with high prices, but I consider Morris an elite running back and there are 10 other running backs with higher price tags. Morris has been a key to the Redskins late surge, as he has five touchdowns over his last five games while rushing for at least 87 yards in each of those games. With the division on the line this weekend, the Redskins get the Cowboys, a team Morris had 113 rushing yards and a touchdown against the first time they played. With Robert Griffin III playing at less than 100 percent, it should be Morris that is the main goal-line back this week.
Mark Ingram, NO, $5300 – I'm guessing Ingram's low salary is attributed to what he's done over the course of the full season and not what he's done recently. Ingram has scored in three of his last four games and has double-digit carries in each of the last three games. He appears to have emerged as the goal-line back for the Saints, who have a nice matchup for their season-ender against the Panthers. Carolina has given up 4.3 yards per carry this season, which puts them in the lower half of the league.
Wide Receivers
Victor Cruz, NYG, $6400 – Cruz hasn't done much over the last two games, totaling six catches for 36 yards. However, this game is a must-win for the Giants, who may still not get into the playoffs if they win. Overall, Cruz has been great this season accumulating over 1,000 receiving yards and nine touchdowns through his first 13 games. Going up against Philadelphia is a plus matchup given that Cruz had nine catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. He has the upside to be a top-5 wide receiver this week, which makes him a steal at this price.
Kenny Britt, TEN, $5900 – It would be interesting to see what Britt could do if he could stay completely healthy for a full NFL season. Britt has looked much better over his last few games while totaling at least 10 points in the FanDuel scoring system in four of the last five games. The lone bad outing was against the Jets, who had Antonio Cromartie covering Britt. Britt will have an easier matchup this week against Jacksonville, who are 24th in league with 246 passing yards allowed per game.
Harry Douglas, ATL, $4800 – The Falcons have nothing to play for this weekend as they've shored up the No.1 seed in the NFC. Therefore, there's a good chance that Atlanta will take it easy with their starters this weekend, especially since both Roddy White and Julio Jones have been banged up this season. Douglas' opponent this week, Tampa Bay, continues to be one of the worst passing defenses in the league giving up over 300 passing yards per game. Douglas is a long shot who should be considered in expert leagues.
Tight End
Aaron Hernandez, NE, $6400 – I know he had a bad game last week (one catch for 13 yards), but Hernandez had a solid stretch in previous weeks. In the FanDuel scoring format, he's the second most expensive tight end, but the difference between his price and the rest of the tight ends is minimal compared to the difference at the other skill player positions. As noted, Hernandez was one of the top tight ends before last week with games of 20.2, 21.8 and 13.7 points in his three games before Week 16.
Anthony Fasano, $4900 – Fasano is my cheap play at the tight end for Week 17. He's caught two touchdowns over his the last three games and is going up against a weak pass defense in the New England Patriots. The Dolphines will likely be playing from behind and need to throw the ball a lot this week, which is a good formula for success for Fasano.
Defense
San Diego, $5700 – While I'd attribute a lot of the 11 sacks the Chargers had last week to a rookie quarterback and weak overall team, San Diego has looked like a solid defense on a bunch of occasions this year. This week the Raiders will be sending Matt Leinart under center, which is a recipe for disaster. Given that the Raiders should fall behind and have to throw a lot, this is one of the better defenses this week. And if you can afford it, the Seahawks at $6100 at home against the Rams are a very safe play.
