Week 17 Game Scripts to Target in Daily Fantasy Football

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers

Over/Under: 46.5
Buccaneers Implied Team Total: 26.00
Carolina Implied Team Total: 20.50

This matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers boasts the fourth-highest over/under on the slate, with Tampa Bay's 26-point implied team total coming in as the third-highest of the week.

Both teams rank in the top half of the league in offensive pace, as well as the top-10 in total plays. Tampa Bay also needs to win this game to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, so their healthy players should see a full workload.

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

FanDuel Price: $8,400

Mike Evans bounced back from his recent cold streak, catching 7 of 8 targets for 97 yards and a touchdown in Week 16. It was his fourth straight game with single digit targets, which is slightly concerning for the man who led the league with 12 targets per game over his first 11 contests.

Against a weak Carolina secondary without much to play for at this point, his recent dip in volume might not matter much, though. The Panthers have allowed the eighth-most FanDuel points per game to opposing receivers this season, including a 17.9-point performance to Evans earlier this year.

In his career, Evans has been much more efficient when playing with positive game script, averaging 1.98 FanDuel points per target when Tampa Bay has won by five or more points, as opposed to 1.34 points per target in all other instances. That is due in large part to his 0.8 touchdowns per game in games won by five or more points, as opposed to 0.5 in all others.

Also working in Evans' favor in this one is the fact that teammate Cameron Brate has been placed on IR. Brate led the team in red zone targets this season, as he was targeted on 25.4% of Jameis Winston's red zone throws.

With him out of the picture, Evans should dominate the red zone work. With Tampa Bay projected for the fifth-highest implied team total, Evans has some incredible touchdown equity. As a result, it should come as no surprise that Evans is projected for more FanDuel points than any receiver this week.

Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

FanDuel Price: $5,200

Doug Martin has been suspended for four games, while Charles Sims has been placed on the IR, leaving Jacquizz Rodgers as the primary ball carrier for Tampa Bay. As Adam Levitan pointed out, Rodgers averaged over 27 touches in the three games without Sims and Martin earlier this season. He could be looking at a similar workload this week against the Panthers, who just allowed the Atlanta backs to total 223 yards against them.

If game script holds up and Tampa Bay plays this game with a lead as expected, Rodgers could put up big numbers. In the four games he has seen significant work, Tampa Bay is 2-2. In the two wins, Rodgers averaged 31 touches for 146 yards, as opposed to 18.5 touches for 78 yards in the two losses.

Given the data examined previously regarding running back performance while playing as favorites, those numbers should come as no surprise.