For the fantasy football player, success in daily fantasy formats comes down to your ability to find value, to identify players who are faced with great matchups, and to maximize the relationships among the players on your roster (otherwise known as correlation). In other words, what are this week's best buys on the fantasy football schedule?
Each week, I'll go through each offensive position and give you a few players I'm considering for my head-to-head lineups, as well as some of the better team defenses for you to select in order to round out those fantasy rosters. These are usually players who are getting as much volume as possible, while also coming in at value prices. I'll also include some players I'm considering for my tournament pool play. And while things may change between this posting and game time, I'll do whatever I can to keep people updated on my various social media channels all the way up until kickoff on Sunday.
With all of that in mind, here are my favorite plays for Week 18.
Quarterbacks
Geno Smith ($6,000 DraftKings, $7,300 FanDuel), Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams: This week projects to be one of the lower-scoring weekends of the season, based on the Vegas totals for each game. Because of that, coupled with multiple starting quarterbacks being rested for various reasons, we're left with very few reliable places to lean on in Week 18. Smith is playing a game with massive motivation as the Seahawks need to win to have any chance at getting into the playoffs. The Rams allow the third-most yards per deep passing attempt and, over the last eight weeks, have allowed the fourth-highest completion percentage. Smith has had 12 games this season with multiple TD passes, tied with Patrick Mahomes for the most such games.
Russell Wilson ($5,400 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel), Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers: I'll bet you didn't expect to see Wilson here, but in two of the last three weeks, he has surpassed 25 DraftKings points. Ever since the firing of Nathaniel Hackett, Wilson has been in a position where he has had to do everything possible to create positivity going into the offseason. This price point is absolutely low enough for us and, while the Chargers are a defense that we have been attacking with running backs this season, can also provide upside in the passing game. They are allowing the third-highest aDOT this season. Wilson is playing well and we can take advantage of getting exposure to him in tournaments with a completely healthy pass-catching group. Not many of our opponents are likely to want to go with Wilson stacks here in Week 18.
Running backs
Austin Ekeler ($8,500 DraftKings, $9,400 FanDuel), Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos: Denver is a bottom-10 team in both RB catches and receiving yards allowed. Ekeler has piled up seven straight games with either a rushing touchdown or 60-plus receiving yards. He has also seen 24 red zone touches over the last month. Christian McCaffrey is most definitely in play this week, but the Chargers arguably have more to play for in terms of playoff motivation as they'll get a matchup against the winner of the Titans-Jaguars game with a win.
Najee Harris ($6,100 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel), Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns: There are definitely some running backs with great matchups this week and Harris one of them. Harris has seen fantastic volume over the last few weeks and has found paydirt nine times this year. The Browns allow the fifth-most yards per RB carry (5.1) and allow a touchdown on 4.1% of those carries. Harris has seen 22-plus touches in three straight games and has scored six touchdowns over his last seven games.
Zack Moss ($5,200 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel), Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans: Sometimes, I try to keep things as simple as possible. Moss is playing against the Texans, so I want him in week 18. With touch opportunities held down for two straight weeks as the Colts have played on the wrong side of blowouts, this matchup looks like it will play closer than six points in either direction. The last time the Colts played a game like that (Week 15), Moss had 25 opportunities. Sometimes all we need is volume, and when that volume comes against one of the most generous defenses to running backs at a bargain cost, we should put ourselves in a position to take full advantage.
Also interested in
Cam Akers ($6,200 DraftKings, $7,300 FanDuel), Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks: While both running backs in this game are viable, I'm going to focus on Akers. The Seahawks have allowed the sixth-most RB rushing yards Akers is coming off two straight performances of 100-plus yards. The Rams offense is operating way more efficiently with Baker Mayfield under center and Akers has been the biggest beneficiary.
Tyler Allgeier ($5,600 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel), Atlanta Falcons vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Allgeier has taken over the lead back job for the Falcons and has seen more rushing attempts in each of his last four games. The Buccaneers allow the fifth-most RB yards per carry after first contact. Allgeier has had a run of at least 15 yards in five straight games.
Wide receivers
CeeDee Lamb ($8,200 DraftKings, $8,200 FanDuel), Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders: Dallas needs to win and have both the Eagles and the 49ers to lose in order to earn the NFC's top seed. Dallas should not be afraid to throw the ball against Washington, which has the sixth-lowest interception rate in the league. Lamb is coming off three straight games with the 100-yard bonus and has had 28 catches over that span. From a matchup point of view, Lamb has seen 19 slot catches over the last three weeks and the Commanders rank bottom 10 against the slot in terms of yards per attempt, yards per completion and yards after the catch. It goes without saying that a big day could be in store here.
Keenan Allen ($6,900 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel), Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos: Since Allen returned from injury in Week 11, only one player in the league has amassed more targets -- and his name is Justin Jefferson. Allen has either scored a touchdown or seen double-digit targets in five of his last six games against Denver. Since Week 10, the Broncos have allowed over 70 yards and a touchdown to a receiver on four separate occasions.
Jerry Jeudy ($6,300 DraftKings, $6,600 FanDuel), Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers: Jeudy has been fantastic over the last month and, ignoring the one week blip against the Rams on Christmas Day, that has correlated very well with the improved play of Wilson over that span. Jeudy has seen six-plus catches on eight-plus targets in four straight games. When you play against the Chargers, getting volume is crucial. In fact, six of the seven wide receivers who have seen nine-plus targets against the Chargers this season have gone over 70 yards and caught a TD pass.
Also interested in
Garrett Wilson ($5,800 DraftKings, $7,100 FanDuel), New York Jets at Miami Dolphins: Wilson has seen seven-plus targets in six straight games -- including 19 deep targets over his last five outings. The Dolphins allow a league-high 29.9 yards per deep completion and only two defenses allow more red zone drives per game. Wilson provides a very high floor, with the possibility of a high ceiling in what appears will be a low-scoring week overall in DFS.
Tight ends
George Kittle ($6,000 DraftKings, $7,600 FanDuel), San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals: Using tight ends against the Cardinals has been profitable all season long, including the last time that these teams squared off, with Kittle scoring two touchdowns. The Cardinals are the third-worst red zone defense in the league, allowing teams to score at a 65% clip. They also allow the second-highest TE completion percentage. While many thought that Jimmy Garoppolo's injury would hamper this passing offense, Kittle has averaged 0.79 more fantasy points per target with Brock Purdy under center.
Albert Okwuegbunam ($2,900 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel), Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers: The Broncos are struggling at tight end due to injury issues, which is why Okwuegbunam saw a return to relevance last week. He ran 25 routes and logged six targets. While he has spent most of the year in the Denver doghouse, necessity has helped get him back on the field and it couldn't come at a better time -- a game against the Chargers, who allow the second-most yards per TE reception.
Also interested in
Tyler Higbee ($4,400 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel), Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks: Seattle allows a league-high 14.7 yards per TE reception. Over the last three weeks, Higbee has been the "only show in town" in the Rams' passing game, logging 19 targets and 15 catches on his 52 routes.
Cade Otton ($3,000 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel), Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons: Otton has established himself as the primary tight end in this offense, a trend that started almost a month ago. Otton has seen multiple red zone targets in consecutive games and has run 30-plus routes in four of his last five. The Falcons are a good matchup as they allow the third-most TE passes per game to the position.
Disclaimer: Al Zeidenfeld (Username: Al_Smizzle) plays on his personal account in games for which he offers advice. He may also deploy different players/strategies than what he advises.