Week 18 DraftKings Daily Fantasy Football Picks, Lineup Tips for Sunday
We have finally reached the final week of the 2023 NFL regular season, which means teams on the playoff bubble will be going all-out in pursuit of a postseason berth this weekend.
There are two playoff spots available in the AFC and two available in the NFC. The Baltimore Ravens already clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed, and the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans have also clinched playoff berths.
In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers have locked up the No. 1 seed and the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams have clinched playoff berths.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills remain in the hunt in the AFC while the Pittsburgh Steelers are on the bubble.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers are in the hunt in the NFC and the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons remain on the bubble.
With a full slate on Sunday, let's take a look at some of the best matchups from a position-by-position perspective.
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Quarterbacks
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Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott ($8,000) at Washington Commanders
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has been one of the best in the NFL this season, and he has the opportunity to help America's Team finish with a 12-5 record for the third straight season when he takes on the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Prescott faces a favorable matchup against a Commanders defense that is allowing the second-most passing yards per game in the NFL this season (259.3 YPG) and the most points per game (30 PPG).
Additionally, history is on Prescott's side as he threw for 331 yards and four touchdowns in Dallas' first meeting against Washington this year, which was a 45-10 victory.
Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love ($6,600) vs. Chicago Bears
With multiple playoff teams deciding to rest their starters this week, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love should be a solid choice at QB, especially with his team on the verge of a playoff berth.
Love and the Packers met the Chicago Bears earlier this season, and he threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-20 win. The rising star has really come into his own since then and could put together an even better performance this time around.
The 25-year-old is also coming off an impressive performance in a 33-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings last weekend, throwing for 256 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for one score.
That said, look for Love to keep the momentum going with the team's playoff hopes on the line. With a win, Green Bay has a 99 percent chance to make the postseason.
Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence ($6,800) at Tennessee Titans
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has been battling injuries of late and missed the team's 26-0 win over the Carolina Panthers last week.
However, with the Jags still hoping to get into the playoffs, Lawrence figures to have a big performance against the Tennessee Titans this weekend despite nursing a shoulder injury.
Earlier this season, Lawrence threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-14 win over the Titans. He also rushed for 17 yards and two scores.
The Titans are also allowing 224.1 passing yards and 21.7 points per game, so Lawrence should be able to carve up the Tennessee defense, especially with the Jags holding a 99 percent chance to make the playoffs if they win on Sunday.
Running Backs
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Rachaad White ($7,600) at Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White is having a solid sophomore season, and he'll have the opportunity to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers have been the worst team in the NFL this season and are allowing 123 rushing yards and 25.4 points per game.
During their meeting earlier this season, White rushed for 84 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries and caught three passes for 22 yards on five targets.
Considering the Buccaneers remain in the playoff Hunt, White could put together one of his biggest games of the season on Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles RB D'Andre Swift ($6,800) at New York Giants
After a highly disappointing loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week, the Philadelphia Eagles are hoping to bounce back against the New York Giants in their regular-season finale, and running back D'Andre Swift could play a big role in Sunday's matchup.
The Giants are allowing the fourth-most rushing yards per game in the NFL this season (132.4 YPG) and Swift put together one of his best games of the season in Philly's first matchup against New York.
Swift rushed for 92 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries in Philly's Week 16 win over New York and he's bound to put together another big game this weekend.
Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs ($6,700) vs. Minnesota Vikings
Like White, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs can also reach 1,000 rushing yards on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota is allowing 100.5 rushing yards per game this season, and Gibbs rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns in their first meeting. He also caught four passes for 20 yards on seven targets.
With the Lions looking for a higher seed in the NFC, Gibbs figures to have a major role in Sunday's matchup.
Wide Receivers
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Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson ($8,500) at Detroit Lions
Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson has played some solid football since returning from a hamstring injury, and that should continue on Sunday against the Lions.
Since returning in Week 14, Jefferson has caught 20 passes for 311 yards and one touchdown in four games. His best game in that span came against the Lions when he caught six passes for 141 yards and a score.
The Lions are allowing 240.4 passing yards per game, which should allow Nick Mullens to get the ball to Jefferson with ease.
Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua ($7,800) at San Francisco 49ers
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is chasing history this weekend against the San Francisco 49ers, so look for Matthew Stafford to target the rookie as much as possible.
Nacua is just 29 yards away from setting the record for most receiving yards ever by a rookie and four catches away from setting the rookie receptions record.
Bill Groman holds the rookie receiving record with 1,473 yards and Jaylen Waddle holds the rookie receptions record with 104 catches.
Nacua has caught 101 passes for 1,445 yards and five touchdowns in 16 games this season. Given everything that's on the line, he'll surely have a big game this weekend.
Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf ($7,200) at Arizona Cardinals
With the Seattle Seahawks on the playoff bubble, all of the team's best players will need to step up on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, and that includes wide receiver DK Metcalf.
Metcalf missed a Week 7 win over the Cardinals but he's coming off a 106-yard performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week and he should keep the momentum going with Seattle's playoff hopes on the line.
Arizona is allowing 214 passing yards per game, which should give Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith enough to work with.
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Tight Ends
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Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride ($6,000) vs. Seattle Seahawks
Second-year tight end Trey McBride has put together a career year, and he'll look to cap off a strong season with a big performance on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
McBride has caught 78 passes for 791 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games this season. He has been even more effective since quarterback Kyler Murray returned from a torn ACL and he's coming off a strong performance against the Philadelphia Eagles last week in which he caught six passes for 48 yards.
The last time the Cardinals and Seahawks met, McBride caught three passes for 29 yards, though Murray hadn't returned to the lineup at the point, so he figures to have a stronger performance this time around.
Jacksonville Jaguars TE Evan Engram ($5,400) at Tennessee Titans
The Jaguars are on the verge of clinching a playoff berth for the second straight season, and Evan Engram figures to be much more involved in this weekend's matchup against the Titans than he was in Week 11.
During their first meeting, Engram caught four passes for 29 yards. Since then, he has become a much more important piece of the Jacksonville offense, catching 45 passes for 409 yards and three touchdowns in his last six games.
Green Bay Packers TE Tucker Kraft ($3,700) vs. Chicago Bears
Much like Engram, Packers tight end Tucker Kraft should be heavily involved in this weekend's matchup against the Bears.
Kraft didn't play in the team's Week 1 matchup against the Bears as Luke Musgrave saw the majority of snaps. However, with Musgrave injured, Kraft has seen far more playing time since Week 10 and has become more of a factor in the Green Bay offense.
Additionally, over the last four games, Kraft has caught 18 passes for 229 yards and one touchdown.
Musgrave caught three passes for 50 yards on four targets against the Bears. If Chicago covers Kraft like they did Musgrave, he should be in for a decent performance.
Defense/Special Teams
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Dallas Cowboys D/ST ($4,100) at Washington Commanders
While Sam Howell threw for 300 yards, the Cowboys limited the Commanders to just 10 points in their first meeting of the season, and Dallas figures to close out the year strong on Sunday against Washington as it looks for some momentum heading into the postseason.
The Washington offense has also fizzled out over the last few weeks and it's hard to envision the franchise gaining any momentum against a stout Dallas defense led by Micah Parsons.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST ($3,900) at Carolina Panthers
The Buccaneers haven't had the best defense this season, but they're going up against an awful Carolina offense and should be able to force some turnovers on Sunday.
In their first meeting, Tampa Bay limited Bryce Young to 178 yards and one interception. If the Bucs can contain Chuba Hubbard this time around, the Panthers won't have much going for them offensively.
Green Bay Packers D/ST ($3,100) vs. Chicago Bears
The Packers defense was solid against the Bears in their first meeting of the season, but with the team still in playoff contention entering Week 18, the defense will surely kick it up a notch this weekend.
In their first meeting, Bears quarterback Justin Fields was limited to 216 yards, one touchdown and one interception as Chicago scored just 20 points in a 38-20 loss.
The Packers will have to contain Fields, Darnell Mooney and DJ Moore on Sunday, though they should be able to do that on their home turf with their playoff hopes on the line.
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