We’ve written about using a ‘stars-and-scrubs’ approach to building our lineups plenty of times in the past, but there is basically no way around it this week. There will be plenty of inactive players who still carry large salary tags because of the nature of Week 18 — between injuries and teams wanting to rest players when they have already clinched playoff berths. This leads to some lower-salary players being moved into bigger roles and essentially serving as ‘must-starts’ for us. When we do that, we can afford to target some of the most expensive salaries without hesitation.
Based on our expected Week 18 DFS game flow analysis and Week 18 DFS Overview published earlier, we can carry our thoughts into actual lineup positions. The long list of players that fit the requirements set forth by the projected flow of the game was cut dramatically by the requirements set forth by salaries.
Below are Sporfolio’s DFS Week 18 Plays:
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts – It’s simply going to be determined by salary. If you can afford to put Jalen Hurts in your lineup on Sunday, then he should be the starting point. The Philadelphia Eagles have gone from potential Super Bowl favorites to a team many are questioning, but they get a rematch against a division opponent to close out the year. Hurts had his only 300-yards passing game since the end of October when he played against the New York Giants just two weeks ago, and he will likely be asked to carry the offense in an attempt to stay alive in the division race. His salary is sky-high, but so is his ceiling.
Jordan Love – We have maintained all week that Green Bay should compete well in the season finale, and that has generally occurred through the aerial attack. On the year, the Packers are 8-2 when throwing for at least 207 yards — a low barrier to reach — and 0-6 otherwise. If Green Bay wants to keep its season alive, it has to put the ball in quarterback Jordan Love’s hands and ask him to deliver. He might not completely explode to the tune of 400 yards, but his job is to get his team into the end zone and he ranks third in the National Football League in that category with 30 touchdown passes.