Cover 7 | Saturday A daily NFL destination that provides in-depth analysis of football’s biggest stories. Each Saturday, Jake Ciely updates his weekly player rankings to help you be best prepared for your fantasy football playoff matchup(s).
The fantasy football playoffs are in full swing, and no Christmas present would be better than another win. Let’s get into the Week 17 fantasy football rankings, sleepers, game previews and fun with the best (and worst) of Christmas things, spreading the cheer.
#CheckTheLink-age
Week 17 Waivers | Week 17 SOS (APA) Ranks
Fantasy Football 101 (weather, lineups, trading, more)
All in Football Podcast
WEEK 17 FANTASY FOOTBALL PREVIEWS
NOTE: ALL of the stats are SINCE WEEK 10 — unless noted. That’s because it’s good to look at recent performance versus year-long with defenses, etc., as in-season adjustments can change things.
Acronyms
- RBTouch% — RB touch percentage — percent of team total RB touches that player had
- TmTGT% — Team target percentage — percent of team total targets going to that player
- YPRR — Yards per Route Run — rather valuable indicator
- APA — Adjust Points Allowed (tables link above)
Jets at Browns, TNF
- Breece Hall averages 2.0 more YPC when the Jets are up by a touchdown than when down 7+, and the Browns are 7.0-point favorites.
- Since Joe Flacco took over, he’s ninth in FPPG (19.6), tied for first with 10 TD passes and the Browns have won their past three with Flacco averaging 351 passing yards.
Lions at Cowboys, Saturday, 8:15 p.m.
- The Cowboys have allowed three rushing and two receiving RB touchdowns in their past four games (SEA, PHI, BUF, MIA) after just five and one, respectively, in their first 11.
- The Broncos are the only team since the Lions’ bye not to have a wideout score at least 11.9 against them, which nine receivers have done in those six other games.
Patriots at Bills, 1 p.m.
- If Rhamondre Stevenson returns, he’s a mid-RB2 with upside and risk, while Ezekiel Elliott would be an RB3 with Stevenson and RB2 without.
- If Hunter Henry plays, he’s been Bailey Zappe’s most consistent option, with Demario Douglas behind him — though only Henry has found the end zone (three touchdowns) outside of Mike Gesicki last week.
Falcons at Bears, 1 p.m.
- If D’Onta Foreman plays, the backfield is a mess to avoid. If he remains out (personal), Khalil Herbert is a high risk/reward RB2/3.
- Drake London has a 7.1 TmTGT% with Taylor Heinicke as opposed to 24.5 with Desmond Ridder.
Raiders at Colts, 1 p.m.
- If Josh Jacobs is back, he’s inside the Top 20 running backs, and if not, Zamir White essentially takes his place.
- If Zack Moss plays, Jonathan Taylor is still an RB1, but Moss is a deep league hope for a touchdown and/or handful of touches in the RB4 group.
Rams at Giants, 1 p.m.
- Demarcus Robinson has caught a touchdown in four straight games. Only eight only wideouts can say the same this year.
- Since Christian McCaffrey (19.5 in Week 2) and Joe Mixon (13.0 in Week 3), only four running backs have scored double-digits against the Rams.
Cardinals at Eagles, 1 p.m.
- Whether or not Marquise Brown returns, Greg Dortch is a decent gamble in the WR4/5 group.
- The Cardinals have given up eight RB games of 100+ rushing yards — the next closest is the Broncos with five.
Saints at Buccaneers, 1 p.m.
- Chris Olave has the eight-most expected receiving yards (1,162) with 1,041 actual, and the Buccaneers have allowed 2,916 this year (most).
- Baker Mayfield has just five games under 16 points this year, and the Saints aren’t a worrisome matchup anymore.
49ers at Commanders, 1 p.m.
- No Brock Purdy would add risk to the 49ers players, but it would also put Sam Darnold in play as a high-QB2 with plenty of his own risk.
- In his limited action, Jacoby Brissett is playing loose with 9.7 YD/ATT and 12.4 YD/Comp, both career highs (7.3 and 11.8 previous highs).
Panthers at Jaguars, 1 p.m.
- Zay Jones is likely out, but if he returns, consider him a boom/bust WR4. If no Jones, I wouldn’t risk any Jaguars receiving options outside of Calvin Ridley and Evan Engram.
- Chuba Hubbard has scored in double-digits in each of his past five games with a minimum of 17 touches — ranking eighth in RBTouch% and 13th in FPPG.
Dolphins at Ravens, 1 p.m.
- De’Von Achane has 20.6 RBTouch% and 6.0 TmTGT% with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on the field, compared to 27.6% and 8.7% when either one is off the field.
- Since taking over for Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely is TE5 in FPPG (11.4) even though he’s just 13th among tight ends in TmTGT% (18.1).
Titans at Texans, 1 p.m.
- Assuming C.J. Stroud is back, he’s back in the QB1 group with Nico Collins a locked-in WR2 and Noah Brown in play for most leagues.
- Weird stat: Derrick Henry has 10 of 11 rushing touchdowns when the Titans are losing or up by less than a touchdown, compared to just one with a lead of 7+ points.
Steelers at Seahawks, 4 p.m.
- Over the past two games, Kenneth Walker has 83.0 RBTouch%, with Zach Charbonnet having just six rushes and one reception on three targets.
- Week 16 was the first 100-yard game for George Pickens since Week 7, and the Seahawks have let only CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel top 90 yards since Week 3.
Chargers at Broncos, 4 p.m.
- If Courtland Sutton can’t go, Jerry Jeudy is a fine WR3, but Marvin Mims becomes an interesting Hail Mary, which could include Brandon Johnson in deep leagues.
- Austin Ekeler was back to the clear lead with 81.8 RBTouch%, and the Broncos only have three wins where their scoring margin was +8 or higher.
Bengals at Chiefs, 4 p.m.
- With Isiah Pacheco out, Clyde Edwards-Helaire is a must start, but if Pacheco is cleared, he’s an RB1 with CEH a dice roll RB3/4.
- There have been just three running backs (Kyren Williams in Week 3, James Cook in Week 9 and Zack Moss in Week 14) who failed to score 12+ points against the Bengals, and Moss had a touchdown called back.
Packers at Vikings, SNF
- The Packers wideout situation is a mess. If Christian Watson is back, he’s the top-rated option with Jayden Reed next, who could be the top pick without Watson.
- The Packers have given up six double-digit wideout scores in the past three games (NYG, TB, CAR) and an average of 20.6 QB points in the past six.
FUN WITH RANKINGS!
Pat Mayo — a friend since a few years after my start — and I have been talking ranks for years. This season, he created amazing thumbnails for his YouTube show. Originally, I was going to rank them in my typical “Fun with Ranks” fashion, but then I struggled just to pick which was best (Darkwing, Suits, TMNT, etc.). So, it’s your turn to rank! That’s right… here are the 14 thumbnails and a poll for your opinion to win out!
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MAYO RANKINGS GRAPHICS
VOTE HERE!
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And if you ever want to watch the greatness of Pat and me together arguing (and laughing) about ranks, check it out.
WEEK 17 FANTASY FOOTBALL PROJECTIONS
🚨 HEADS UP 🚨 These can differ from my rankings, and my ranks are the order I’d start players outside of added context, such as, “Need highest upside, even if risky.” Also, based on 4-point TDs for QB, 6-point rest, and Half-PPR
Projections Download Link — Saturday
WEEK 17 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
🚨 HEADS UP 🚨
- There is no perfect widget out there, sadly, still. I know many view this on your phone, but 1) use the rankings widget on a PC/laptop/etc. if possible or 2) open in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, to get the scrolling to properly work.
- ECR = “Expert” Consensus Ranking (which isn’t updated by everyone consistently, so take with a grain of salt).
- Updated regularly, so check up to lineups locking.
(Photo of Zamir White: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)
Jake Ciely is rankings: Fantasy Football, Fantasy Baseball, candy, movies, video games, cereal... anything! Truly, Jake is a ranking prodigy. Oh, he's also the senior fantasy writer for The Athletic, an award-winning analyst and loves DuckTales. Make sure you #CheckTheLink and #BanKickers ... woo-oo! Follow Jake on Twitter @allinkid
