Week 18 DraftKings & FanDuel Contrarian GPP Plays You Must Know Including Chase Brown

With chaos and uncertainty defining Week 18, these contrarian DFS GPP studs on DraftKings and FanDuel offer massive upside in stars-and-scrubs builds.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) rushed the ball against Baltimore Ravens cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (3) during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

In Week 18, I expect a stars-and-scrubs team build to be the winning path in the DFS market. There will be only a handful of mid-range players capable of delivering winning outcomes this week. Here are my top four choices:

Jaxson Dart, New York Giants (DK: $5,700/FD: $7,100)

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) looks on during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

After a disastrous showing in Week 16 vs. the Minnesota Vikings (1.35 fantasy points), Dart was the fourth-best quarterback last week. He passed for 207 yards while gaining his fantasy edge in the run game (9/48/2). Over his 11 starts, Dart scored higher than 20.00 fantasy points in nine matchups, highlighted by four games (32.25, 29.15, 29.70, and 27.15).

The Dallas Cowboys allow the most fantasy points (425.15) to quarterbacks in four-point passing touchdowns formats. They gained 7.8 yards per pass attempt with 40 touchdowns (33 passing and seven rushing). Twelve quarterbacks have scored at least 25.00 fantasy points.

In Week 2, the Giants, under the guidance of Russell Wilson, scored 37 points in Dallas. They passed for 450 yards with three touchdowns, while dominating with their wide receivers (19/370/3 on 26 targets). Jaxson Dart doesn’t have the services of Malik Nabers, but his ability to run and matchup gives him the top quarterback matchup in Week 18. 

This contest has an over/under of 49.5, with temperatures expected to be in the mid-30s with a slight chance of precipitation. The Giants scratched Wan’Dale Robinson late afternoon on Friday, which invites a projection update for Dart.

RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos (DK: $6,800/FD: $7,200)

The Broncos won’t need much throttle on offense this week to beat the Chargers, as Los Angeles is resting its starting quarterback and multiple other key players. Harvey needs 137 combined yards to reach 1,000 for the season. He’s riding a five-game scoring streak (six TDs), where Harvey averaged 19.08 fantasy points in DraftKings scoring despite gaining only 3.8 yards per rush. Denver gave him 19 or more touches in three of his last four starts.

The Chargers have a top-five running back defense (305.80 fantasy points) in PPR formats despite allowing 4.4 yards per carry. Los Angeles has yet to allow a receiving touchdown to a back. In Week 3, Denver’s backs gained 99 combined yards with a touchdown and four catches against the Chargers. Their defense held running backs to fewer than 20.00 fantasy points in eight of their last nine matchups.

Harvey will be helped by the LA resting its top defensive players in this game, but he could lack follow-through in fantasy scoring if the Broncos jump to a big early lead and rest their starters in the second half. I have him projected to gain 91 combined yards with a touchdown and four catches this week. 

Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals (DK: $7,600/FD: $8,200)

Over the past five weeks, the Bengals scored over 30 points in four matchups (32, 34, 45, and 37) while somehow failing to score against the Ravens. Their running backs have seven touchdowns over the past two games, highlighted by the rising Brown (Week 15 – 109 combined yards with three touchdowns and four catches, and Week 16 – 22/101/2 with three catches for 40 yards). Over his nine games, he averaged 22.13 fantasy points in DraftKings scoring and 19.7 touches per game.

Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals (DK: $6,600/FD: $7,300)

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson (14) runs during the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Wilson has a touchdown in four consecutive games (five TDs), giving him a masterful run over his last seven games (51/676/5 on 80 targets). He scored 157.60 fantasy points over this span in DraftKings scoring (22.52 per game), with a dominating outing vs. the Rams (11/142/2). Wilson needs 93 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the first time in his career. 

Los Angeles slipped to 22nd in fantasy points allowed (533.40) to wide receivers in PPR formats. They’ve given up the sixth-most catches (197) and the fifth-highest total in targets (319). Wideouts have 15 touchdowns while gaining 12.5 yards per catch. Seven wide receivers have gained over 100 yards.

• A.J. Brown (6/109/1)
• Kendrick Bourne (10/142)
• Travis Hunter (8/101/1)
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba (9/105)
• Michael Wilson (11/142/2)
• Amon-Ra St. Brown (13/164/2)
• Jameson Williams (7/134/1)

With Marvin Harrison Jr. done for the year, Wilson will have another chance to shine in Week 18. I have him rated as a top-five wideout in this matchup. His ceiling may be higher if the Rams have something to play for, which could lead to a higher-scoring game for both teams.