We’ve arrived at Week 17, a time of year when most leagues have already wrapped up, and with good reason: NFL teams often choose to rest their stars or pull them and others before the games are over, leading to frustrating experiences for fantasy players. Still, some leagues do hold their championships this week, and, of course, there’s always DFS to consider, so here’s a glance at this week’s games with an eye toward what to expect from some uncertain situations.
All games Sunday
Ravens at Bengals, 1 p.m.
A.J. Green is out again, and with Tyler Eifert and Giovani Bernard already on IR, this is shaping up as an another big week for Cincy’s top pass-catcher by default, Brandon LaFell. Rex Burkhead could be the default top RB, with Jeremy Hill coping with a knee injury.
For Baltimore, this could be Steve Smith’s final game in the NFL (although we’ve heard that before), so the Ravens may want to send him out with a flurry of pass targets. This will also be our last chance (for this season, anyway), to wonder how the work will be divided between Kenneth Dixon and Terrance West. I, for one, will miss all that weekly speculation, usually with very little fantasy relevance at stake, over the coming months.
Jaguars at Colts, 1 p.m.
T.J. Yeldon (ankle) is on IR and Denard Robinson (ankle) is in his usual state of iffiness, so Chris Ivory could get a lot of work — if his balky hamstring allows it. If not, undrafted rookie Corey Grant could be the next Jag up. Blake Bortles tore up a familiar foe last week in the Titans, and now he gets another division-rival defense that should conjure up happy memories, so he could be a nice play, as could [takes a moment to unclench fists] Allen Robinson, for those who can stomach the risk.
Donte Moncrief (shoulder) could miss another game, but Philip Dorsett has been annoyingly bad at capitalizing on those opportunities.
Patriots at Dolphins, 1 p.m.
With homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs to protect, New England has arguably more to play for than Miami, which has also clinched a playoff spot and could move up to the fifth seed with a win and a Chiefs loss. Thus all the usual Patriots should be safe to start, including Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and, especially given the likely event of a New England win, LeGarrette Blount.
Saints at Falcons, 1 p.m.
Atlanta can clinch a bye with a win, so Julio Jones (toe) should have a big role in a game that has by far the biggest over/under figure (56.5) of the week. Taylor Gabriel, however, has a foot injury and is coming off a weak performance (3 catches for 15 yards), so he looks like a player to avoid.
Bears at Vikings, 1 p.m.
Matt Barkley cooled off considerably last week, but Cameron Meredith stayed hot and looks like a nice play this week even in a tough matchup. It seems fairly pointless for Minnesota to put Adrian Peterson (knee, groin) on the field, and the team could also decide to end the season early for Stefon Diggs (hip). Adam Thielen went nuts last week (12-202-2) and should have another shot at a big outing.
Bills at Jets, 1 p.m.
Buffalo’s determination to bench Tyrod Taylor for potential contract reasons may have played a role in its decision to fire Rex Ryan. EJ Manuel gets his first start of the season, and if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll try to get the ball to red-hot Charles Clay and Sammy Watkins, but confidence in those two receivers has to be lowered.
Bryce Petty (shoulder) is on IR, taking Robby Anderson’s fantasy value with him. Matt Forte and Bilal Powell are both nursing knee injuries, and with nothing to play for, the Jets may give some run to a pair of RBs who have in common a first name and the fact that no one has ever heard of them: Brandon Wilds and Brandon Burks.
Cowboys at Eagles, 1 p.m.
Dallas has clinched the NFC’s top seed, making this game essentially meaningless and turning the likes of Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott, in addition to Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, into risky plays. The Cowboys get a bye, so they might want to give their starters some snaps here, but if it appears that Elliott will, indeed, sit this game out, Darren McFadden, who just got healthy, becomes an interesting DFS play.
Ryan Mathews joined Wendell Smallwood and Kenjon Barner on the IR, meaning that the Eagles have just two viable RBs, Darren Sproles and Byron Marshall, an undrafted rookie. Sounds like Sproles could be in for a busy day.
Browns at Steelers, 1 p.m.
Third-seeded Pittsburgh has already announced its intention to use this game as its bye week, giving Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell a chance for some R&R. That means major playing time for QB Landry Jones and possibly WR Eli Rogers, with the backfield work being split in some way between RBs DeAngelo Williams and Fitzgerald Toussaint. With the Steelers knowing exactly what they have in the 33-year-old Williams (who’s also recovering from a knee injury), Toussaint could get some major run (or not. Sorry, wish I could be more helpful). Ladarius Green (concussion) might be held out for health reasons, giving backup TE Jesse James a chance to score a touchdown.
Outside of maybe Isaiah Crowell, you shouldn’t be using any Cleveland players, but for what it’s worth, Robert Griffin III has cleared the concussion protocol, though Cody Kessler may see some time as well.
Panthers at Buccaneers, 1 p.m.
Doug Martin is serving a suspension for PED use that will stretch into next season, and Charles Sims (chest) has been sent to IR, so you know that means … it’s time for the Quizz! In similar circumstances in Weeks 5 and 7, Jacquizz Rodgers got huge workloads, and there’s good reason to expect Tampa Bay, which has the faintest of playoff hopes left, to saddle him up again.
Texans at Titans, 1 p.m.
Houston has already won the AFC South but can’t clinch a bye, so it will likely give Lamar Miller another week to rest his injured ankle. In Miller’s absence last week, backup Alfred Blue played reasonably well, gaining 90 total yards with a touchdown. C.J. Fiedorowicz came back last week from a concussion, and he should improve his rapport with Tom Savage.
Matt Cassel will fill in for Marcus Mariota (broken leg), which can’t bode well for Tennessee’s offense.
Giants at Redskins, 1 p.m.
New York is locked into the fifth seed, so it could choose to keep Odell Beckham Jr. out of harm’s way, although the emotional WR may just throw a tantrum at not being allowed to play. Washington, meanwhile, is playing for its postseason life, so if Jordan Reed (shoulder) is at all able to suit up, he’ll likely be pressed into service.
Raiders at Broncos, 4:25 p.m.
Oakland can get a first-round bye, and possibly the AFC’s No. 1 seed, with a win, but it will have to do so with Matt McGloin at QB. That’s a distinct downgrade for Amari Cooper, who’s already had enough to worry about, given a lingering shoulder injury and disappointing numbers since Week 8. The Raiders figure to lean on their running game as much as they can, so while Latavius Murray appears to be back in a committee with DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard, he could get a lot of carries.
Not that Trevor Siemian was going to be a popular fantasy play, but Denver Coach Gary Kubiak confirmed that while the QB will start, he’ll be replaced by first-round pick Paxton Lynch at some point on Sunday.
Cardinals at Rams, 4:25 p.m.
J.J. Nelson put on a show last week (3-132-1), and with Larry Fitzgerald continuing to show why he might just retire after this season, Nelson makes for an attractive, if risky, DFS option. Kenny Britt, Los Angeles’s only non-embarrassing fantasy option (yeah, I said it, Todd Gurley, but no, I do not want to pull up), has a shoulder issue and has been crushed by Jared Goff’s incompetence growing pains.
Chiefs at Chargers, 4:25 p.m.
The blink-and-you-missed-it Kenneth Farrow Era is over (placed on IR with a shoulder injury), and while Melvin Gordon (knee, hip) really wants to get back on the field and pick up the three yards he needs for 1,000 on the season, he’d be hard to trust in fantasy. Ronnie Hillman could get most of the work, with recent addition Andre Williams mixed in.
With a win and a Raiders loss, K.C. gets the AFC West crown and a bye, giving it all sorts of incentive to push Spencer Ware (rib) into action.
Seahawks at 49ers, 4:25 p.m.
Seattle gets a bye with a win and a Falcons loss, meaning that Thomas Rawls (shoulder) should play. He might be limited, though, and could be pulled in favor of rookie Alex Collins if the Seahawks take a big lead.
Carlos Hyde (knee) went to IR, leaving some combination of DuJuan Harris, Shaun Draughn and Mike Davis to work out of San Francisco’s backfield. Draughn has been the most involved recently, but Harris had the largest role when Hyde missed time earlier in the season.
Packers at Lions, 8:30 p.m.
There’s a ton at stake for both squads, hence this game’s placement in the showcase time slot. For Detroit, Theo Riddick (wrist) might miss another game, leaving the door open for some more Zach Zenner zazz (92 total yards last week).
Randall Cobb (ankle) is a question mark for Green Bay, while Jordy Nelson has had all the answers of late.
