NFL Predictions Week 17: Final Odds Projections and Fantasy Stars to Watch

All 32 of the NFL's teams will be in action for the final time this season on Sunday. Week 17 will be the last time many fans see their favorite squads take the field for another nine months. Yeah, it's a pretty depressing thought.

Of course, with 20 of the league's teams finishing up for the year, fantasy enthusiasts will be saying goodbye to their rosters and looking forward to next year's draft in hopes of finding success. Bettors' options will also become limited, as they will no longer be receiving a full 16-game slate of wagering options.

If you happen to find yourself in any of these categories, let's go ahead and try to make the most of the regular season's finale.

In an effort to make Week 17 more enjoyable, here's a look at all of the games, their corresponding odds, a pick against the spread for each and a fantasy star poised to close out the year with a bang.

Matchup	Spread	Pick ATS	Fantasy Star
San Diego at Kansas City	Even	Chiefs	Antonio Gates
Jacksonville at Houston	HOU -10.5	Jaguars	Arian Foster
Philadelphia at NY Giants	NYG -2	Giants	Odell Beckham Jr.
Buffalo at New England	NE -5	Bills	Fred Jackson
Dallas at Washington	DAL -5.5	Cowboys	Tony Romo
Cleveland at Baltimore	BAL -13	Ravens	Justin Forsett
Chicago at Minnesota	MIN -6	Bears	Alshon Jeffery
Indianapolis at Tennessee	IND -7	Colts	Andrew Luck
Carolina at Atlanta	ATL -3.5	Falcons	Matt Ryan
NY Jets at Miami	MIA -6	Jets	Chris Ivory
New Orleans at Tampa Bay	NO -4	Saints	Drew Brees
Oakland at Denver	DEN -14	Raiders	C.J. Anderson
St. Louis at Seattle	SEA -12.5	Seahawks	Russell Wilson
Arizona at San Francisco	SF -6.5	49ers	49ers defense
Detroit at Green Bay	GB -7.5	Packers	Aaron Rodgers
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh	PIT -3.5	Bengals	Jeremy Hill

All game odds courtesy of Odds Shark and current as of December 26.

Fantasy Stars to Watch

Quarterback: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Ryan has been on an absolute tear of late, and there's no reason to think that trend won't continue in Week 17 against the Carolina Panthers. Over the past four weeks, Atlanta's quarterback has thrown for more than 300 yards and at least one touchdown in every contest, coming away with no less than 16 fantasy points in each game during that span.

Atlanta's offensive line has really come into its own of late. It's keeping an excess of pressure off its quarterback, allowing more time for Ryan to sit in the pocket and progress through his reads. Ryan has found success even without Julio Jones in the fold, throwing for 310 yards and two scores despite the wide receiver's absence in Week 15.

Although, it appears Jones may be in line to take the field this week against the Panthers, as he's returned to practice with the Falcons, according to Marc Sessler of NFL.com. That's bad news for a Carolina squad that has allowed an average of 15.9 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks per game this season.

While Carolina's defense has been playing better in recent weeks—holding signal-callers to 14 fantasy points or fewer in each game since Week 11—there's no reason for fantasy owners to balk at the thought of starting the red-hot Ryan in Week 17.

Running Back: Arian Foster, Houston Texans

The Texans are in need of a win—and plenty of help—to clinch a playoff berth this season. With Case Keenum at the helm, the best way for Houston to produce any kind of offense is to run Foster early and often. If that's the case, expect a huge fantasy performance against a bad Jacksonville Jaguars defense.

The last time Foster faced off against Jacksonville, he carried 24 times for 127 yards and a touchdown, scoring 20 fantasy points on the day. This has been a familiar trend for the Jaguars in 2014, as the team is allowing an average of 18.9 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.

With a healthy Foster in the fold, head coach Bill O'Brien hasn't shied away from giving the ball-carrier a big workload, calling for Foster to tote the ball 24, 26 and 25 times in his last three games, respectively. That's a great pace heading into this very favorable matchup.

Foster threw a touchdown pass in a Week 16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, and according to Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com, he's continuing to lobby for time under center. A well-timed trick play could provide fantasy owners with an even larger performance from this versatile running back.

Wide Receiver: Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants

If Beckham comes away with one more big performance, we may as well hand him Rookie of the Year honors directly after his Week 17 clash with the Philadelphia Eagles. This wide receiver has been one of the most exciting rookies to watch this season, and he's amassed 1,120 yards and 11 touchdowns in just 11 games this season. That's pretty incredible.

Over the past three weeks, Beckham's rapport with quarterback Eli Manning has skyrocketed, as the duo have hooked up at least eight times for 130 yards and a score in each contest. In fact, the receiver's total numbers are even more impressive over that three-game span: 31 receptions for 421 yards and six touchdowns.

This week, Beckham has the privilege of facing an Eagles defense that is allowing an average of 25.1 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, the second most in the league. This team has been routinely burned by better passing offenses this season, and the Giants currently fall into that category given their impressive hot streak.

Despite his inexperience in the league, Beckham has already worked his way into must-start status each and every week. Stick him into your starting lineup and watch him go off for your fantasy team one last time before you begin fighting for him in the first round of next year's draft.

All fantasy statistics and rankings courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues and current as of December 26.