Dallas Cowboys Stack Helps Make Up Perfect Christmas Day DFS Lineup
Week 17 of the NFL season kicks off on Wednesday, with a three-game slate on Christmas Day, opening the fantasy football championship. Managers will look for significant production from some of the league’s top players in three highly anticipated matchups, meticulously constructing Week 17 lineups. Entering the most crucial week of the season, a plethora of stars are projected to sustain notable output with favorable matchups on Thursday. Let’s look at an ideal DFS lineup for Christmas Day’s slate:
QB - Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott enters the most favorable matchup by a wide margin among quarterbacks on Wednesday. The Washington Commanders' pass defense ranks 26th in the league entering Week 17, presenting a safe floor for one of the league’s top passers. Coming off a 244-yard, two-touchdown performance in Week 16, he’s presented with an ideal matchup against a banged-up Commanders squad, making Prescott a must-start in championship lineups. Jared Goff and Bo Nix make compelling arguments, but matchups against two respective top-10 defenses raise concerns over the pair’s fantasy ceiling on Christmas.
RB - Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions will have their hands full with a red-hot Minnesota Vikings squad that boasts one of the top defenses in the league. The Lions’ rushing attack will look for a rebound performance against the top run defense in the NFL entering Week 17, starting with Jahmyr Gibbs. Coming off a 10-catch, 65-yard performance in Week 16, Gibbs remains a quality contributor, despite a tough matchup. This late in the season, Gibbs’ versatility as a pass-catcher and efficiency in the run game throughout the year cements his case as a starter in fantasy.
RB - Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys
This isn’t the first Cowboys selection and won’t be the last. Dallas’ offense projects to run roughshod on a lowly Commanders defense, in a gameplan that should feature plenty of star running back Javonte Williams. Williams enters Week 17 ranked sixth in the league in rushing amid a breakout campaign, looking to bounce back from a quiet performance against the Los Angeles Chargers. Matched up against the 29th-ranked run defense in the league, the star running back is slated to continue building on his 1,100-yard campaign.
WR - Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Following an immensely disappointing three-game stretch, Justin Jefferson broke through with significant production following J.J. McCarthy’s return to the lineup. The All-Pro wideout carved out a notable role in the win over the New York Giants in Week 16, hauling in six of his eight targets for 85 receiving yards. Matched up against an inconsistent Lions pass defense, which ranks 25th in the NFL coming into Christmas Day, Jefferson projects to continue his recent streak as he looks to continue his streak of 1,000-yard seasons, entering Week 17 with 917 yards.
WR - George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys passing game has remained one of the top units in the league throughout the season, due in large part to the team’s receiving tandem of George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb. After two quiet performances, Pickens re-emerged in Week 16, hauling in seven of his nine targets for 130 yards and a touchdown through the air. Considering Washington’s lack of success against the pass during the year, I’m bullish on Pickens’ ability to continue his dominant effort to close out the season.
TE - Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have been decimated by injury, which ultimately proved to derail the team’s season as they prepare to watch the postseason from home for the first time in over a decade. The team will be without its top two quarterbacks for the rest of the season, both of whom suffered torn ACLs, leaving the reins under center up to former seventh-round pick Chris Oladokun. Along with its quarterback absences, Kansas City will be without receivers Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton for the remainder of the season, opening the door for Travis Kelce to emerge as the dominant threat in the Chiefs' offense, despite a tough matchup against Denver.
FLEX - CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
As previously mentioned, Williams isn’t the last Cowboys player to crack the Christmas Day lineup. The explosive Dallas passing attack projects to face little resistance against Washington, which bodes well for the Cowboys’ one-two punch at wide receiver. Alongside Pickens, CeeDee Lamb has sustained significant production in a crowded offense, entering Week 17 ranked 10th in the league in receiving yards. His volume and production are immensely likely to continue in a favorable matchup against Washington.
D/ST - Denver Broncos D/ST
This pick was among the easiest of the whole lineup. Kansas City is dealing with crucial losses on the offensive side of the ball, thrusting Oladokun into action against one of the league’s top defenses. Entering Week 17, Denver’s defense ranks fourth in yards allowed, fifth in points allowed and leads the league in sacks, giving the former Practice Squad signal-caller a tough assignment in his first NFL start. The Broncos’ defense will continue to swarm in Week 17, offering a high fantasy ceiling on Thursday night.
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Ethen Hutton is a MLB, WNBA, College, and Fantasy contributor at On SI. Previously, he's covered the NBA, WNBA and NFL for Sportskeeda. Hutton is also a passionate fantasy football player and an immense music lover.