UPDATED: 12/29 @ 4:11pm ET

Can you believe we only have two weeks left in the NFL regular season? This season has absolutely flown by! We have a lot of good offenses on the main slate for us to look at for our top NFL DFS stacks for Sunday. By taking a look at projected game and team totals, as well as our NFL DFS Week 17 player projections, we’ll get a good look at how we can best optimize the wide receiver position in our NFL DFS lineups. 

From superstar receivers to top NFL DFS stacks, the NFL DFS WR Coach will have multiple plays at various pricing tiers to help construct your lineups. Without further ado, let’s dive into this week’s DFS WR Coach, highlighting the top plays, values, and fades at the wide receiver position to help build your NFL DFS lineups for Sunday’s main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Be sure to check out the rest of the NFL DFS Coaches and DFS Watch List throughout the week!

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NFL DFS WR Top Tier Picks

A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

Brown hasn’t scored since Week 11, but that won’t stop me from using him this week. He’s still handling a massive workload, highlighted by his 11.8 targets per game over his last four games. On top of that, the Eagles get the Cardinals this week, and Brown is going to see a good bit of Starling Thomas V, who has allowed 81.8 percent of his targets to be caught over the last two weeks, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). Furthermore, he’s allowed two scores and a 150.9 passer rating when targeted! This is the week where Brown puts forth 20+ fantasy points, which would be his first on DraftKings since the San Fran game, and the first time on FanDuel since they played Washington back in October.

Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

If you need some salary relief on DraftKings, Aiyuk will be the play for you, but both of these guys are in smash spots against Washington. The Commanders have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season, and they are one of just two teams to have allowed at least 20 receiving scores to the position. After the 49ers got beat by the Ravens and Brock Purdy tossed four interceptions, they are going to come out to make a statement. Poor Washington. They are in for it in this one, and both receivers are excellent plays against this poor defense.

Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams

If you want a Rams’ receiver against the Giants, Nacua is the better play. The price is similar to Cooper Kupp, but Nacua remains a target hog, and he’s been better out of the slot than Kupp. Sure, Kupp has more snaps out of the slot, and that’s where we want to attack this New York defense, but when Nacua has lined up in the slot over the last five weeks, he’s averaging over 30 yards per reception, 5.86 yards per route run, and an average depth of target (aDOT) of 18.8!

UPDATE: Don't be too scared of the questionable tag slapped on Nacua near the end of the week. While he's dealing with some hip tightness, Sean McVay said he expected Nacua to be out there on Sunday.

NFL DFS WR Mid-Tier Picks

Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

Olave is affordable this week and he should become the latest receiver to torch Carlton Davis on the season. Davis has allowed the second-most yards in coverage, five receiving scores, and a 113.0 passer rating when targeted this season. Upon his return from injury, Olave handled 13 targets against the Rams, hauling in nine of them for a season-high 123 yards. The star receiver didn’t do anything against Tampa Bay earlier this season, but that won’t be the case this week. This is a smash spot for Olave, and don’t think twice about slotting him into your lineup(s).

UPDATE: Carlton Davis has been ruled out, so while Olave won't get to torch Davis, he gets backups lined up across from him. Olave logged limited practices all week, and he's in a smash spot here this week, even if Davis isn't playing for Tampa Bay.

Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs

Okay, the Chiefs looked horrible on Christmas Day, but like Ted Lasso says, “Be a goldfish.” Short memory, ladies and gentlemen. Even in that putrid offensive showing, Rice caught six of 12 targets for 57 yards, and he now has nine or more targets in five straight games! His role in the offense has blossomed, and while he still will make a mistake here or there, he’s clearly the most trusted receiver for Patrick Mahomes. Rice will stay out there in two receiver sets, and he’ll feast on the perimeter corners for Cincy, a unit that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game over the last four weeks.

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Marshon Lattimore isn’t expected to play, so while you can look at Mike Evans, I’m going to ride with Godwin. Over the last three weeks, he’s seen at least 11 targets in each game. Godwin has taken at least 40 percent of his snaps in the slot in each of his last five games, and during that five game run, he’s averaging 14.8 yards per reception and 2.76 yards per route run, per PFF, out of the slot. Alontae Taylor has struggled in slot coverage, and his name has routinely popped up in this article. Even without Lattimore out there, I prefer Godwin to Evans in Week 17.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

With Smith-Njigba playing in the slot, he won’t see much of Joey Porter Jr., and slot receivers have had some success against Pittsburgh. For the 2023 season, the Steelers rank in the bottom third of the league in fantasy points per game to the slot receiver, and the rookie out of Ohio State has seen his role expand in recent weeks. Over the last four weeks, Smith-Njigba has averaged 7.3 targets per game, and he happens to have four red zone targets over the last five weeks, including three inside the 10-yard line.

NFL DFS WR Value Picks

Darius Slayton, New York Giants

Slayton didn’t get the number of targets we may have wanted, but we’ll take 90 yards and a touchdown! He’s averaging 5.5 targets per game over the last two weeks, and over the last three weeks, he’s played in at least 90 percent of the snaps in each contest! The Rams have allowed the most fantasy points per game to receivers over the last four weeks, and Slayton should see a good bit of Cobie Durant, who ranks 104th out of 124 cornerbacks, per Pro Football Focus’ coverage grade. The Rams are susceptible to the deep ball, and Slayton can get downfield, as we all know.

Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints

Shaheed was quiet earlier this season against Tampa Bay, but he still saw seven targets in that game. Shaheed has at least nine targets in two of his last four games, and he played a season-high 82 percent of the snaps last week. If he gets that sort of snap share again, his big play ability could wreak havoc on this Tampa Bay secondary that we have loved to pick on this season. The Bucs have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to wideouts this season, and while Christian Izien has played better of late, he’s still allowed a 102.9 passer rating when targeted this season and three receiving scores.

Noah Brown, Houston Texans

We’ll have to see who is under center for Houston, but if it is C.J. Stroud, it’s wheels up for the Houston offense, and particularly Brown at his price point. Brown has 18 targets over the last two weeks, hauling in 11 of those passes for 120 yards and one touchdown. The Titans have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers, and slot receivers have had ample success against Tennessee this season. Brown gets enough reps in the slot and while Robert Woods is cheaper and gets more slot snaps, Brown has more fantasy appeal. With that in mind, Brown is far too expensive on FanDuel, and more appropriately priced on DraftKings.

UPDATE: C.J. Stroud has cleared the protocol and will be under center for the Texans in this pivotal AFC South showdown. Nico Collins is a fine play as well, but if you want to save money, you can feel comfortable using Brown in your DFS lineups this week, whether it be cash or GPP.

DJ Chark Jr., Carolina Panthers

Revenge game, anyone? I know it seems like we are chasing points going with Chark after he erupted last week, but the matchup is good. Yes, he’s slated to line up with Tyson Campbell, but that might not be as daunting as you may think. Over his last two games, he’s allowed 83.3 percent of his targets to be caught, not to mention 20 yards per reception and a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeted, per PFF. It’s tough trusting Bryce Young, but he put up some numbers last week, and I like going at this Jacksonville defense.

NFL DFS WR Fades

Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

He’s getting targets, but that’s about all that can be said for Diggs of late. Over his last six games, he has just one game with double-digit fantasy points, and he hasn’t recorded 100 receiving yards since Week 6! Now, he did go for 58 yards and a score against New England earlier this season, and he has fairly good numbers against them for his career, but the price point is out of control. We are paying for elite Stefon Diggs, and we have gotten marginal Stefon Diggs for the past two months. If this is the week he comes back and I fade him, I’ll be okay with that.