Week 17 Fantasy Football Rankings: Position-by-Position Outlook for Finales

For many, the fantasy football season is over and a league champion has been declared. For others, plenty remains on the line this weekend.

Ideally, your league has already concluded. Otherwise, your team's fate could be tied to which coaches decide to rest key players in the final week of the regular season—a strategy is widely used for those sides already assured of a playoff place.

It throws this week's rankings into disarray, so if you're intent on playing in daily fantasy leagues, it may be a good idea to wait until the last minute to fill out your squad.

Quarterback

Rank	Quarterback	Opponent
1	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	Cleveland Browns
2	Matthew Stafford, DET	Chicago Bears
3	Matt Ryan, ATL	New Orleans Saints
4	Russell Wilson, SEA	Arizona Cardinals
5	Teddy Bridgewater, MIN	Green Bay Packers
6	Drew Brees, NO	Atlanta Falcons
7	Sam Bradford, PHI	New York Giants
8	Aaron Rodgers, GB	Minnesota Vikings
9	Ryan Fitzpatrick, NYJ	Buffalo Bills
10	Ryan Tannehill, MIA	New England Patriots

No position is more unpredictable than quarterback this week. The QB is among the first to come off the field when a coach decides to send members of his second unit on the field.

On one hand, putting Tom Brady or Cam Newton on the bench would be unthinkable at any point other than during a bye week. On the other hand, one or both of the stars may not see significant time Sunday.

Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said a few weeks ago that he wouldn't remove key players in meaningful situations.

"If the game has value, obviously, there's no issue," Rivera said, per ESPN's David Newton. "[When] we get to that game, we'll cross that bridge."

Now that the Panthers' unbeaten record is no more, Rivera has some incentive to keep Newton healthy for the playoffs. Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman believes Newton is one of a few Carolina players who deserve a break.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was unsurprisingly coy when discussing potentially resting players.

"The guys that can play will play, said Belichick on WEEI (via the Boston Herald's Chris Mason). "The guys that can't play, which there are a number of those, won't play. It is what it is."

The Patriots especially could ill afford to lose somebody to injury in Week 17. As a result, sitting Brady down after a few series is New England's best move Sunday.

As the week goes on, Rivera, Belichick and other coaches might tip their hands regarding player usage this weekend. If Newton and/or Brady look sure bets to play 60 minutes, then they'd certainly be worth starting. Otherwise, be a bit wary as to how much value they'll have.

Running Back

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Devonta Freeman, ATL	New Orleans Saints
2	Todd Gurley, STL	San Francisco 49ers
3	DeAngelo Williams, PIT	Cleveland Browns
4	Adrian Peterson, MIN	Green Bay Packers
5	Rashad Jennings, NYG	Philadelphia Eagles
6	Doug Martin, TB	Carolina Panthers
7	Danny Woodhead, SD	Denver Broncos
8	Darren McFadden, DAL	Washington Redskins
9	Lamar Miller, MIA	New England Patriots
10	Matt Forte, CHI	Detroit Lions
11	Tim Hightower, NO	Atlanta Falcons
12	Jeremy Hill, CIN	Baltimore Ravens
13	Chris Ivory, NYJ	Buffalo Bills
14	Thomas Rawls, SEA	Arizona Cardinals
15	Latavius Murray, OAK	Kansas City Chiefs
16	DeMarco Murray, PHI	New York Giants
17	C.J. Anderson, DEN	San Diego Chargers
18	David Johnson, ARI	Seattle Seahawks
19	Eddie Lacy, GB	Minnesota Vikings
20	Mike Gillislee, BUF	New York Jets

It's funny what happens when the New York Giants actually let Rashad Jennings be the feature back. Over the last three weeks, Jennings has averaged 17 carries and 87 yards per game, which comes out to a healthy 5.1 yards per carry:

The Philadelphia Eagles are allowing 129.7 yards per game on the ground, so Jennings should collect a high volume of rushing yards Sunday as long as the Giants give him enough carries.

The only potential snag is the fact that the Eagles have surrendered nine rushing touchdowns, tied for ninth-fewest in the league. A TD or two could be what separates Jennings from RB1 and RB2 status in Week 17.

Mike Gillislee was a pleasant surprise for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, rushing for 93 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. It followed his 81-yard showing against the Washington Redskins in the previous week.

"He's faster when people are chasing him," said Bills head coach Rex Ryan, per WGR 550. "He's been a huge addition, and looks like he'll have a future here."

Gillislee's luck will take a turn for the worse in Week 17. It's too early to tell whether LeSean McCoy will be healthy enough to play, but even if he doesn't, it wouldn't change the fact that the New York Jets are one of the best teams against the run.

Any Bills running back will have a difficult time finding running lanes, whether it's McCoy, Gillislee or Karlos Williams.

Wide Receiver

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Antonio Brown, PIT	Cleveland Browns
2	Doug Baldwin, SEA	Arizona Cardinals
3	Julio Jones, ATL	New Orleans Saints
4	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	Philadelphia Eagles
5	DeAndre Hopkins, HOU	Jacksonville Jaguars
6	Brandon Marshall, NYJ	Buffalo Bills
7	Martavis Bryant, PIT	Cleveland Browns
8	Calvin Johnson, DET	Chicago Bears
9	Amari Cooper, OAK	Kansas City Chiefs
10	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	San Diego Chargers
11	Jordan Matthews, PHI	New York Giants
12	Brandin Cooks, NO	Atlanta Falcons
13	Jarvis Landry, MIA	New England Patriots
14	Allen Robinson, JAX	Houston Texans
15	A.J. Green, CIN	Baltimore Ravens
16	Mike Evans, TB	Carolina Panthers
17	Pierre Garcon, WAS	Dallas Cowboys
18	T.Y. Hilton, IND	Tennessee Titans
19	Eric Decker, NYJ	Buffalo Bills
20	Allen Hurns, JAX	Houston Texans

Depending on how Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians handles his secondary, Doug Baldwin could be in for a big day.

"We will talk about resting players," said Arians on Sunday, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. "But we're talking about three, four guys, not nine or 10."

The Cardinals have already lost Tyrann Mathieu for the remainder of the season, and Arians would be kicking himself if he saw Patrick Peterson go down with an injury in Week 17. As a result, don't be surprised if Peterson makes a quick exit Sunday.

Should that happen, Baldwin would feast on a weakened Arizona defense.

Martavis Bryant should also rebound after a brutal Week 16. The Pittsburgh Steelers wideout caught one pass for six yards in a defeat to the Baltimore Ravens. Pro Football Focus graded Bryant one of the worst WRs of the week.

"Bryant played even more snaps (52) and saw three targets. He caught one of them (a screen pass) for six yards," wrote PFF's Bryson Vesnaver. "But he dropped the other two. It was a day to forget for both of these players."

ESPN Pittsburgh's David Todd thinks the malaise goes beyond this past weekend:

With all of that said, the Cleveland Browns are allowing an average of 26.4 fantasy points a week to opposing WRs in ESPN leagues, the fourth-most in the league. Through Week 15, Cleveland also ranked 25th in terms of covering No. 2 WRs, according to Football Outsiders.

The Steelers are fighting for their playoff lives, so Antonio Brown is guaranteed to get a ton of looks. But all it takes is one or two big plays from Bryant, and the points will start piling up.

Tight End

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Travis Kelce, KC	Oakland Raiders
2	Jordan Reed, WAS	Dallas Cowboys
3	Jacob Tamme, ATL	New Orleans Saints
4	Tyler Eifert, CIN	Baltimore Ravens
5	Rob Gronkowski, NE	Miami Dolphins
6	Gary Barnidge, CLE	Pittsburgh Steelers
7	Antonio Gates, SD	Denver Broncos
8	Kyle Rudolph, MIN	Green Bay Packers
9	Delanie Walker, TEN	Indianapolis Colts
10	Benjamin Watson, NO	Atlanta Falcons

Rob Gronkowski is the obvious choice for No. 1 almost every week. Like Brady, though, you don't know how much he'll actually play Sunday. The Patriots have already lost so many receivers that they surely won't risk their best remaining pass-catcher for 60 minutes.

Even if he plays a quarter, Gronk might be able to do enough to give his owners some sort or fantasy return.

If you're looking for a more cost-effective option, then Jacob Tamme is a smart route to go. The New Orleans Saints defense has been dreadful in 2015, and they're allowing an NFL-worst 11.4 points to opposing tight ends on ESPN.com.

Tamme isn't going to collect a high volume of receptions or receiving yards, but he's due for at least a touchdown, which would help inflate his fantasy output.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent
1	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cleveland Browns
2	Seattle Seahawks	Arizona Cardinals
3	St. Louis Rams	San Francisco 49ers
4	Washington Redskins	Dallas Cowboys
5	New York Jets	Buffalo Bills

The Steelers have everything to play for in Week 17 after stumbling over their own feet against the Ravens. Combine that with a Browns offense that has major issues, and you have a perfect match for Pittsburgh's defense.

Johnny Manziel has also thrown an interception in each of his last four games, while his completion percentage has steadily declined.

It would be a major shock of the Steelers aren't one of the top defensive teams this week.

Kicker

Rank	Player	Opponent
1	Cairo Santos, KC	Oakland Raiders
2	Mason Crosby, GB	Minnesota Vikings
3	Stephen Gostkowski, NE	Miami Dolphins
4	Mike Nugent, CIN	Baltimore Ravens
5	Chandler Catanzaro, ARI	Seattle Seahawks

When looking at kickers this week, consider those who play for teams likely to rest their starters early in games. Second-team offenses mean drives more likely to stall in or near the red zone, which would then mean more opportunity for kickers to take center stage.