Perfect Week 17 MNF FanDuel DFS Lineup: Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua to Own Falcons
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When we go mining for DFS gold, we find promise when that Showdown game has high-scoring potential. This was seen clear as day on Sunday Night Football, when they totaled for (80) Points. I am not sure we can hit that number tonight, but the Rams versus Falcons should outlook for further high-scoring potential. This leads us to preview the DFS Showdown slate where the following best plays can be leveraged towards victory.
Best MVP/Captain Picks
Kyren Williams provides to be a high-upside option, projecting to hit around 2x of salary. He is working towards 65% of Running Back Attempts, contrary to much of the past month of football. Williams will also have a >50% chance to score a touchdown tonight, especially better in a game that projects for a run script minus Adams, and as (7.5) Point favorites.
Bijan Robinson is always a solid play. However, he will be owned higher than Williams in most contests. His upside needs no explanation, but further analysis is provded in our Running Back section.
Puka Nacua is very likely to exceed a 40% Target Share tonight. His touchdown likelihood may be higher this week than any other. The Rams are averaging about (6) Red Zone Passing Attempts per Game, thus meaning that Nacua should have a good chance to have 3+ of those.
Best MVP/Captain Picks
- Puka Nacua $19,800
- Bijan Robinson $19,200
- Kyren Williams $12,600
Quarterback: Matthew Stafford vs Kirk Cousins
Stafford remains as the MVP favorite and with good reason. Stafford is averaging (21.86) FanDuel Points per Game, which would be 1.7x of tonight's salary ($12,400).
The Falcons are 15th versus Quarterbacks and, though the Rams are without Davante Adams, they should still be just fine. AJ Terrell will not shadow Puka Nacua and even if he did, I would not care. The Rams have more receiving depth between their wideouts and tight ends to be contained by almost anyone.
Cousins is playing solid football, but he came back down to his reasonable per-game average in Week 16. Cousins will not averaged on 250+ Yards per Game. In this offense, we look to Cousins to average 200-220 Yards per Game. He now gets his toughest defensive matchup yet.
The Rams are 12th versus Quarterbacks. Cousins has a healthy offensive roster that should allow him to deal relatively well in a passing script. I still view his ceiling as limited on an offensive that has failed to even near on its Top-5 preseason offensive potential.
Matthew Stafford ($12,400) is a much better start than Kirk Cousins ($10,200).
Best Running Back Picks
Kyren Williams is the only RB in Rams history to record three seasons with at least 1,100 rushing yards and 13 scrimmage TDs. pic.twitter.com/XbN3iSg52L
— Los Angeles Rams PR (@TheLARamsPR) December 24, 2025
Kyren Williams overtook Blake Corum in Week 16. This shows me than the Rams are back to business and in another meaningful game of seeding, I expect this split to remain more like 60-40% today than 50-50%. The Falcons are 19th versus Running Backs. The Rams are averaging (1.1) Rushing Touchdowns per Game. Williams should have >50% chance to score.
Blake Corum still is not a bad pick. He is actually PFF's 3rd ranked Running Back in the NFL. Corum may not elapse (10) Attempts tonight, but in a run script, anything is possible. We project Corum to have anywhere from 30-60 Yards Tonight with a 25-30% chance to score.
Bijan Robinson is arguably the best Running Back in the NFL. However, he must face the Rams 4th ranked run stop tonight. This limits his upside. Luckily for Robinson, the Rams are on the low-end of Receiving Output Allowed to Running Backs. This is where Robinson's upside lies, but still with high hopes as an owner of his.
Tyler Allgeier is snapping to volatile numbers. Allgeier has three games over his last eight of 3-or-less attempts, and two games of 12+. I would only use Allgeier is a game of great touchdown potential. He may score, but is only at about 20% to do so tonight, or 80% that he does not.
Best Running Back Picks
- Bijan Robinson $12,800
- Kyren Williams $8,400
- Blake Corum $7,200
Best Wide Receiver Picks
Puka Nacua is going to find himself at a Target Share of >40% tonight. Without Adams, the sky is not even the limit for Nacua, it is the solar system. He is the most athletic player in football, in my opinion. Nobody can stop him, including the Falcons. Even if they run a double-team, it will not work given the Rams depth across their offense. He is a must-use.
The Rams have an extremely volatile depth chart behind Nacua. In Week 16, Konata Mumpfield was the WR2 with 46% of snaps played. Xavier Smith followed at 24% and Jordan Whittington at 16%. If I played any other Rams wideout, it would favor Mumpfield given his success a week ago. Nonetheless, there is much risk that I would rather avoid here.
Drake London (knee) listed questionable for Monday.
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) December 27, 2025
Falcons feel "great" about him playing, per HC Morris.
Drake London expects to play tonight, and likely in a mostly full workload. The Rams are just 25th versus Wide Receiver, relying heavily on pressure to win in coverage. The Falcons happen to be a high-end offensive line, so London should have plenty of chances to provide tonight. He is the highest probability pass-catching touchdown scorer on the Falcons.
Like the Rams, the Falcons are volatile behind London. Darnell Mooney is the WR2, but he has been one of the worst WR2's in the NFL this season. If Cousins throws any touchdowns, it will be to London, Pitts, and/or Robinson.
Best Wide Receiver Picks
- Puka Nacua $13,200
- Drake London $11,200
Best Tight End Picks
The Rams run an offense of Tight End-by-Commitee. Colby Parkinson will command about 40% of the work, while Davis Allen and Terrence Ferguson linger about 25-30%. This makes no Tight End likely to score in any given week as it is a gamble more than anything. To make it worse, the Falcons rank 3rd versus Tight Ends.
i'll never forget the Kyle Pitts fantasy playoff run of 2025pic.twitter.com/SjQYR904a1
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) December 21, 2025
Kyle Pitts is averging (9.8) Targets and (98.8) Yards per Game over his last four games. The Rams are just 18th versus Tight Ends. In a projected pass script, Pitts is a must-use.
Kyle Pitts ($8,000) is the only viable Tight End.
Kicker: Harrison Mevis vs Zane Gonzalez
Mevis is 8-for-9 in his a young career and he gets a domed game tonight. However, Mevis also was cut from the Jets earlier this year. I wonder how good he is in a larger sample size. The Rams kickers do combine for just (24) Kicking Attempts in 16 Games this season, which is a very low rate of Attempts per Game.
Gonzalez is 13-for-15 in 7 Games as a Falcon this year. Both misses come from beyond 50 Yards, displaying very efficient ability from makeable range. He is a trustworthy kicker in an indoor game.
Zane Gonzalez ($6,800) is the only worthwhile kicker, but only in a salary-saving strategy.
Defense/Special Teams
The Rams would be the only unit to consider. They are 9th in Sacks per Game and 5th in Takeaways. The Falcons are 27th in QB Sacks Allowed and 16th in Giveaways per Game. I always am cautious to play a defense has output is much more volatile.
The Rams ($6,400) are the only option, but I would rather not use them.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.