The Los Angeles Chargers are looking poised to make a playoff run as they take on the New England Patriots in Week 17. Pats quarterback Drake Maye still hasn’t broken the 300-yard mark this season, and it isn’t easy to figure out which of his pass catchers are going to perform well any given Sunday. The Chargers have a much more potent offense led by Justin Herbert. This may look like a defensive matchup on paper, but both teams have players in good positions to produce in terms of DFS.
Chargers at Patriots Start Em’
J.K Dobbins (Draft Kings Price 5.8K, FanDuel Price 4K)
Dobbins has been on injured reserve for a while, but coaches are saying he looks good to play in the game against New England. If he starts, he will take most of the carries since Gus Edwards has been ruled out due to an ankle injury. This is the exact situation every Dobbins owner in fantasy wants: Dobbins starting in a winning matchup without Edwards there to take away his snaps. If Dobbins doesn’t play, it’s definitely a good idea to pick up whoever takes his place too (likely Kimani Vidal).
Rhamondre Stevenson (Draft Kings Price 5.7K, FanDuel Price 6.2K)
The Patriots have plenty of incentive to keep the ball on the ground. Drake Maye has thrown at least one interception in the past seven games. The Chargers also have a very strong pass defense, so New England might want to try running the ball and only throwing when necessary. Stevenson was able to put up a decent game against the Bills, rushing for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Kayshon Boutte (Draft Kings Price 4K, FanDuel Price 5.2K)
Given his game against the Chargers, Boutte might become one of the more reliable pass catchers in this young receiver core for the New England Patriots. Boutte had 95 yards off of five catches and a touchdown against the Bills. He is emerging as the deep threat for the team as well as a red zone option, so he makes the best pick-up for DFS out of the Patriots receivers.
Chargers at Patriots Sit Em’
Justin Herbert (Draft Kings Price 5.9K, FanDuel Price 7.4K)
This may sound like sacrilege considering how well Justin Herbert has been playing as of recently. The Patriots defense has a knack for making strong quarterbacks seem less good than they actually are, though. Even last week, they held MVP candidate Josh Allen to 154 yards and an interception. In general, the Patriots are ranked 12th in pass defense. DFS players shouldn’t be paying up for Herbert unless they know Herbert is going to be a really strong matchup, and this isn’t it.
Drake Maye (Draft Kings Price 5.8K, FanDuel Price 7K)
On the other hand, it’s easy to recommend not playing Drake Maye against the Chargers, who have a strong defense. As previously stated, Maye has thrown an interception in the past seven games. The Chargers’ defense should be able to exploit some of Maye’s rookie mistakes. DFS players should wait for a better matchup if they want to play Maye.
Kendrick Bourne (Draft Kings Price 3.3K, FanDuel Price 4.8K)
It’s going to be a tough day for all the Patriots receivers in general because Drake Maye is struggling. Bourne is having a particularly rough stretch of games, though. He hasn’t broken 45 yards in any of the past four games, but more disheartening is his target share: only 3 targets in each game of that four-game stretch. There is no reason to think Bourne will get more targets in a game where the Pats might have to run the ball more than they throw.
Chargers at Patriots Lock
Ladd McConkey (Draft Kings Price 6.6K, FanDuel Price 7.2K)
McConkey clearly establishes himself as the primary receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers. He’s been guaranteeing himself at least six targets a game, and he is doing well with those targets. The Patriots will have Christian Watson covering him, but McConkey’s play has been so good that he can start for DFS regardless of who is covering him.
Chargers at Patriots Fade
Ja’Lynn Polk (Draft Kings Price 3K, FanDuel Price 4.1K)
Before the season started, it looked like Polk was going to be one of the primary receivers for New England. His role has only diminished since then, to the point where he has gotten only one target in the past two games. Boutte, Henry, and Douglas are taking the majority of the targets right now, so Polk simply doesn’t get enough volume to start for DFS.
