Let’s dive into some news and notes around the league, my top fantasy plays and favorite picks for Week 17.
Notes:
– If you are reading this, congratulations on making it to the fantasy football championship. We are down to the final week of action for most leagues, so there is not much to offer in terms of waiver-wire additions. Ride the hot hands that got you to this stage and bring home that title.
– It’s another week with a wacky schedule as this week we have no Monday night game, but we do have one on Saturday night. It should be a good matchup with the Lions taking on the Cowboys.
– Brock Purdy bombed his MVP test on Monday and crushed fantasy owners in the process. It was an ugly performance, but if you somehow survived and advanced, Purdy has got a juicy matchup with the Commanders up next. Start him with confidence.
– The Cleveland Browns are the talk of the NFL with Joe Flacco at the helm. The Browns continued their playoff push and will be one of the toughest teams in the postseason. Amari Cooper gave Flacco a ton of praise upon his arrival in Cleveland, and the former Super Bowl MVP rewarded his star receiver by breaking the Browns single-game receiving record. The Jets’ strong pass defense is up next, so don’t expect anywhere near a repeat performance but start Cooper with confidence.
– Cooper was in many starting lineups for fantasy owners, but George Pickens was left on the bench for most teams. He has been so inconsistent for much of the season that you can’t blame fantasy owners for keeping him on the bench. Mason Rudolph injected some life into the Steelers’ passing game, but don’t get too excited. It’s hard to trust any Steelers receiver in a must-win game.
– The Bills are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, but fantasy owners can’t be thrilled with Stefon Diggs’ lack of targets and James Cook couldn’t get anything going against the Chargers. Diggs has been trending down after failing to eclipse 100 receiving yards for a ninth straight game. Cook was the bigger disappointment after back-to-back strong weeks against the Chiefs and Cowboys. Both will still be high draft picks next season, but Cook has the higher upside at this stage of his career.
Thursday Night Game: Jets vs. Browns
Saturday Night Game: Lions vs. Cowboys
Sunday Night Game: Packers vs. Vikings
Top Pickups of the Week: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Khalil Herbert, Romeo Doubs, Chig Okonkwo
Start ‘Em:
Quarterback: Brock Purdy
Running Back: Devin Singletary
Wide Receiver: Rashid Shaheed
Tight End: Tucker Kraft
Defense: Eagles
Sit ‘Em:
Quarterback: Kyler Murray
Running Back: Antonio Gibson
Wide Receiver: Joshua Palmer
Tight End: Pat Freiermuth
Defense: Dolphins
Sleepers:
Quarterback: Taylor Heinicke
Running Back: Kenneth Gainwell
Wide Receiver: Curtis Samuel
Tight End: Chig Okonkwo
Defense: Raiders
NFL Picks for Week 17:
Weekly Pick ‘Em (Season Record: 148-91)
Browns (vs. Jets)
Cowboys (vs. Lions)
Ravens (vs. Dolphins)
Bills (vs. Patriots)
Bears (vs. Falcons)
Texans (vs. Titans)
Colts (vs. Raiders)
Jaguars (vs. Panthers)
Rams (vs. Giants)
Eagles (vs. Cardinals)
Buccaneers (vs. Saints)
49ers (vs. Commanders)
Seahawks (vs. Steelers)
Chiefs (vs. Bengals)
Broncos (vs. Chargers)
Packers (vs. Vikings)
Five Picks Against The Spread (Season Record: 38-41-1)
Cowboys +6 vs. Lions
Ravens -3.5 vs. Dolphins
Bills -11.5 vs. Patriots
Buccaneers -2.5 vs. Saints
Packers +1.5 vs. Vikings
Five Over-Under Totals (Season Record: 36-44)
Panthers-Jaguars under 38.5
Raiders-Colts over 44.5
Cardinals-Eagles under 48
Bengals-Chiefs under 44.5
Chargers-Broncos over 38.5
One Bold Prediction for the Week
Week 1: Sam Howell finishes as a top-five fantasy QB against Cardinals. (miss)
Week 2: Michael Thomas leads all players in receiving yards in the two Monday night games. (miss)
Week 3: Justin Fields leads the league in rushing yards in an effort to keep up with the Chiefs. (miss)
Week 4: Travis Kelce has more receiving yards than Zach Wilson has passing yards in the “Sunday Night Football” game. (miss)
Week 5: The Bills put up 50-plus points against the Jaguars in London. (miss)
Week 6: Josh Jacobs has more total scrimmage yards than Mac Jones has passing yards. (miss)
Week 7: The Eagles hold Tyreek Hill to under 50 receiving yards. (miss)
Week 8: The Jets and Giants score more points than the Patriots and Dolphins. The Jets-Giants total is 36.5, while Patriots-Dolphins total is the highest of the week at 47. (major miss)
Week 9: Tee Higgins leads all receivers in yardage against Bills. (miss — finished fifth)
Week 10: With Travis Kelce on a bye, a tight end leads the league in receiving. (miss)
Week 11: Jordan Love is a top-five QB in fantasy this week. (miss)
Week 12: Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen combine to score four rushing touchdowns in the Bills-Eagles matchup. (finally got one!)
Week 13: Rachaad White leads the league in scrimmage yards. (miss)
Week 14: Jared Goff and Justin Fields throw for more combined yards than Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes in their respective games. (miss)
Week 15: Kyren Williams posts more than 175 scrimmage yards. (miss)
Week 16: Ty Chandler leads all running backs in rushing yards. (miss)
Week 17: Deebo Samuel leads all players in scrimmage yards.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox