Saturday Night Football FanDuel Picks: NFL DFS lineup advice for Week 18 Cowboys-Eagles single-game tournaments
The Cowboys are set to travel to Philadephia in Week 18, and this game sets up to be an interesting one for DFS. Dallas has already clinched the NFC East but lost out on home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, so it’s tough to know how motivated it will be. The Eagles have clinched a playoff berth and can only move up one spot to the sixth seed, so they might even be less motivated. All that said, this contest is unpredictable, and many DFS players are going to be building FanDuel single-game lineups on mere speculation.
Here are the key scoring settings for FanDuel single-game contests: The point total for the “MVP” is multiplied by 1.5, but he doesn’t cost any additional money like the “Captain” in DraftKings Showdown contests. FanDuel’s default scoring is half-point PPR and four-point passing TDs, and there are no bonuses for 100/300-yard games like on DraftKings.
MORE FD SINGLE GAME: How to win a FanDuel single-game contest
FanDuel Single-Game DFS Picks: Cowboys vs. Eagles
$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team.
MVP: (1.5x points): WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys ($12,500)
Lamb has been relatively quiet since around Week 11 when he delivered over 20 FD points, so if the Cowboys are full-go in this one, we’re banking on an explosive finish to the regular season to build momentum for the opening round of the playoffs. If the Eagles rest key guys, he should have no issue having his way with backup corners.
FLEX: QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys ($16,500)
Again, Dallas is the safer team to pick from here, so we’ll roll with Prescott and stay away from Jalen Hurts. Whether the Eagles play everyone or not, Prescott will have a hand in shredding its defense like in the first matchup when he threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns.
WEEK 18 FANTASY RANKINGS (PPR & STANDARD):
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
FLEX: RB Tony Pollard, Cowboys ($9,500)
DFS is a gamble, and we’re rolling the dice with the assumption Pollard will be the lead back for a good chunk of the game. Ezekiel Elliot isn’t getting any younger, and since he’s been ineffective and unproductive lately, a week off would serve the Cowboys’ best interest. Pollard looks like one of the top backups — and maybe overall backs — so he’s oozing with upside in this spot.
FLEX: WR Quez Watkins, Eagles ($7,000)
Watkins is a nice DFS boom-or-bust dart throw whether Gardner Minshew or Jalen Hurts is in the game (we could see both). Among NFL players with 30-plus receptions, Watkins ranks inside the top 15 in yards/reception (14.8), so he’s obviously a big-play threat, and he can take it the distance on any play. Trevon Diggs has allowed the most receiving yards to wide receivers among all NFL corners thanks to his all-or-nothing aggressiveness, so we like Watkins’ chances at scoring his first TD on the season, especially if DeVonta Smith gets limited action and Dallas Goedert remains on the reserve/Covid list.
FLEX: RB Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles ($7,500)
Jordan Howard and Boston Scott were placed on the reserve/COVID list on Monday, and Miles Sanders (hand) won’t play in Week 18. Gainwell will potentially step into a workhorse role, and with limited ball carriers and pass-catchers available, he should see a ton of volume on the ground and through the air. If just one of Scott or Howard plays, Gainwell is still a solid value.
