Fantasy Football Week 17: Takeaways from Sunday's Action

Oh Week 17, we'll hardly miss you.

Capping off the remaining fantasy football leagues and DFS for the regular season, Week 17 brought us plenty of poor play, an overwhelming amount of not-good backup quarterbacks and, worst of all, an injury to Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson.

Like bowl games for top-level prospects, these games just don't matter, so playing your star players presents all risk and literally no reward.

Unfortunately, that bad luck struck the Cardinals and Johnson.

As we look ahead to the playoffs, we also turn our attention to 2017, which, as you can see, can be altered in the blink of an eye due to injuries, etc.

Week 17 was the final game for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith, Indianapolis Colts defensive maven Robert Mathis and Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, with all having incredibly storied careers.

All three of those men have been involved in the NFL in one way, shape, or form for an incredibly long time, so it's bittersweet to see them go.

With that said, the 2016 fantasy football season is now officially over.

Colts WR T.Y. Hilton Goes for 95 Yards; Leads NFL in Receiving

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton went for 95 yards receiving in Week 17 on six receptions.

Although the stat line in and of itself isn't great, it furthered Hilton's position to end the season as the NFL's leading receiver with 1,448 yards.

The Colts season was dreadful and (considering the other teams in the AFC South) a letdown, but Hilton was obviously the bright spot.

144 targets, 91 receptions, 1,448 yards and six touchdowns is what Hilton ends 2016 with. He'll also end up as the WR5 in PPR leagues.

Heading into 2017, expect Hilton to be, at a minimum, a top-eight receiver off the board in drafts.

Well done, T.Y.

Cardinals RB David Johnson Suffers Brutal-Looking Knee Injury

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

This is by far the saddest news of Week 17.

In a week where the majority of teams were playing for nothing (like the Arizona Cardinals), it sucks to see players like Cardinals running back David Johnson go down with a potentially terrible injury.

There is some good news, though: According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, initial tests show that Johnson's ACL is still intact, but he'll undergo an MRI Monday.

As former NFL doctor David Chao points out, the best case scenario for Johnson is an MCL sprain, but the worst case is a "multiligament tear including ACL" akin to San Francisco 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman's injury.

Hopefully it's the former, in this case.

However, if it's the latter, expect Johnson to miss a sizable portion of the 2017 season, making him a solid value selection.

This could be a situation similar to Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, who was suspended for the first three games of 2016 but ended up tearing the league apart. Of course, a suspension and an injury are different, but Johnson is simply incredible, so I don't expect him to be slowed too much by this.

Let's hope Johnson's MRI checks out.

Bills QB E.J. Manuel Terrible in Season Finale

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Yikes.

For a team like the Buffalo Bills that are hellbent on moving on from their starting quarterback in Tyrod Taylor, they sure as heck don't seem to have a ton of other answers, with fellow quarterback E.J. Manuel's horrid performance in Week 17, which has essentially summed up his career.

After making the decision to fire head coach Rex Ryan, the Bills brass also decided to sit Taylor for the season finale to not risk an injury that would result in quite the large payout ($30M+) to Taylor.

As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports, the decision to move on from Taylor was made "weeks ago."

Manuel finished the day completing nine passes on 20 attempts for 86 yards and an interception before being yanked by interim head coach Anthony Lynn in favor of rookie quarterback Cardale Jones.

Jones, an intriguing project player, completed six passes on 11 attempts for 96 yards and a pick.

Right now, the Bills are slated to draft 10th overall with a quarterback class that is, by all accounts, less than stellar.

2017 looks like it should be a "fun" year from the Bills.

Eagles TE Zach Ertz Explodes for 139 Yards, Two Scores

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Well alrighty then.

After a poor start to the season that included an injury, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz concluded his 2016 campaign with 101 targets, 78 receptions, 816 yards and four touchdowns with a good chunk of that production coming in Week 17.

In the season finale, Ertz had 17 targets, catching 13 of them for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

Looking ahead to 2017, Ertz and quarterback Carson Wentz are finally on the same page, thus making Ertz an incredibly appealing option. 

Since Week 9 (when Ertz finally started to get it going), Ertz has been the TE1 in PPR leagues.

Ertz should be a top-five tight end taken next season—it's a no-doubter.

Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount Is a Touchdown-Scoring Machine

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

New England Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount isn't terribly difficult to figure out: He runs straight forward and is just a powerful back.

However, Blount capped off his 2016 regular season with another touchdown, bringing his total to 18 on the season.

In addition to his 18 touchdowns, Blount finished one attempt shy of 300 carries for 1,160 yards.

With Blount's receiving game being extremely limited, he still managed to finish as the RB8 in PPR leagues and the RB7 in standard leagues.

Prior to this season, Blount's highest touchdown total came in 2013 when he had 11, so 18 is of course an anomaly.

Looking ahead to 2017, Blount should remain a top-20 selection as he enters his 30s.

His touchdown upside is double digits every year with quarterback Tom Brady under center.

Bills RB LeSean McCoy Suffers High Ankle Sprain

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Well, to cap off an already depressing season, Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy suffered a high ankle sprain, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.

This time of year, you hope to avoid devastating injuries and it appears McCoy has.

McCoy should be a top-five/six back off the board in 2017 in all formats.

Panthers QB Cam Newton Throws Three Picks to End Horrible Season

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

After leading the Carolina Panthers to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl berth in 2015, quarterback Cam Newton's 2016 season was almost a complete 360, which concluded with three interceptions in Week 17.

While his final season line isn't awful (3,509 yards, 24 total touchdowns, 14 interceptions), Newton just wasn't himself this season, making his fair share of bad throws and subsequently leading to a completion percentage of just under 53.

As Newton ages, his speed and running ability will continue to diminish, and we saw that with Newton this year as he ran for just 359 yards.

It's hard to imagine Newton doing worse next season, but his elite quarterback rushing totals could be behind him.

He'll be taken a lot later in 2017 than he was in 2016.

Cowboys QB Tony Romo Barely Plays, Throws a TD

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

I'll spare all the Dallas Cowboys controversy talk, but it was nice to see quarterback Tony Romo play, even if it was just a series.

Even with just a series, Romo made his mark, completing three passes on four attempts and throwing a touchdown—no rust for this guy.

The Romo era has ended in Dallas, and now we await to see where he lands in 2017.

He'll definitely offer solid quarterback fantasy production, no matter where he ends up.

Let the Romo sweepstakes begin.

Ravens WR Steve Smith Posts 3-34-0 Line in Final Game

Frank Victores/Associated Press

It would have been wonderful to see Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith end his illustrious career with a ring, but instead, it ends with a three-catch, 34 yard performance in Week 17 with the Ravens missing the playoffs.

Heading into this game, it would have been nice to see Smith be the centerpiece of everything statistical, but that just wasn't the case.

With Smith retiring, the Ravens offense definitely gets worse, having virtually no playmakers as is.

It's safe to say we're all looking forward to seeing Smith on television in the near future.

Thanks for everything, Smitty!

Bengals RB Rex Burkhead Explodes, Scores Twice

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

Going up against the Baltimore Ravens, it was easy to assume that Cincinnati Bengals running back Rex Burkhead's production would be suppressed even with fellow running back Jeremy Hill out.

Well, that assumption was wrong—Burkhead had 144 total yards and two touchdowns.

If you played Burkhead in DFS or your Week 17 championships, great. However, this was a rare opportunity for Burkhead, who will be buried on the depth chart once again in 2017 behind Hill and Gio Bernard when he returns from a torn ACL.

Buccaneers RB Jacquizz Rodgers Sees 18 Touches

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

With Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin being suspended four games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy, the team turned to Jacquizz Rodgers (once again) to be the lead back to end the season.

The Buccaneers had a sliver of hope to make the playoffs, but that was soon squashed (they needed six other games to go their way).

In the finale, Rodgers recorded 18 touches for 79 total yards.

In 2017, Rodgers will have similar but slightly less value than Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams had heading into this year with Martin (like fellow Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell) being suspended the first three games of 2017.

Keep Rodgers on your radars.

Patriots WR Michael Floyd Scores Touchdown

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

With New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell out, new Patriots wide receiver Michael Floyd played in 73 percent of the teams' snaps, catching three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown.

And while it didn't translate to fantasy points, Floyd laid a hellacious block during fellow wide receiver Julian Edelman's long touchdown.

This was a nice showing—Floyd should be utilized during the playoffs as another weapon for the Patriots.

2017 is going to be an interesting year for Floyd, however—he faces a potential 180-day jail sentence after his DUI, and he had an underwhelming season.

If he does sign a one-year "prove it" deal, it will all depend on the team he goes to in order to determine value. If he does indeed return to New England, all of the mouths to feed on that offense will make it hard for Floyd to prosper fantasy-wise.

Bears RB Jordan Howard Cements Himself as Lead Back for the Future

Jim Mone/Associated Press

After taking over the every-down role in Week 4, Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard concluded his season with over 1,300 rushing yards.

To take over the job in Week 4 and do that is simply incredible.

While Howard proved he's the lead back for the foreseeable future, he reiterated that to the world in Week 17, running for 141 yards on 23 carries.

Howard is an RB1 heading into 2017.

Browns QB Robert Griffin III's Final Audition Goes OK

Don Wright/Associated Press

While the Cleveland Browns were playing for absolutely nothing in Week 17 as a team, quarterback Robert Griffin III was playing to show that he is the Browns quarterback of the future.

In his final start of 2016, Griffin played well overall, completing 72.5 percent of his passes and throwing for two scores.

No, the Browns didn't win (shocker), but Griffin left a nice last impression.

Holding two first-round picks in the 2017 draft, the Browns could take a quarterback.

Was this the end of RG3's days as a starter? We'll find out soon.

I've Seen a Ghost: Steelers QB Landry Jones Throws Three TDs

Jared Wickerham/Associated Press

Overtime is always a nice thing to get when you're starting players on the respective teams involved in it.

If you started Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Landry Jones, the extra game time helped him venture to a three touchdown, 277-yard day.

Jones is not a good quarterback; he just isn't. The stat line was great if you played him this week, but he's definitely nothing more than a backup, and sometimes, I even question if he's good enough for that.

Also, it was the Browns. And a broken clock is right twice a day.

Enjoy the only day Jones will be fantasy relevant for the remainder of his career.

Giants Backfield Timeshare Continues

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

New York Giants running backs Paul Perkins and Rashad Jennings continued their timeshare in Week 17 with Perkins seeing 21 touches and Jennings seeing 19.

Their fantasy production was basically the same, too, with Perkins running for over 100 yards but Jennings scoring a touchdown.

In 2017, Jennings will be in the last year of his contract but will also save the Giants $2.5 million if they decide to cut him.

The biggest question now is if Perkins played well enough to warrant an every-down role in the future and the Giants cutting ties with Jennings.

If they decide he has, Perkins will have RB2 value, or close to it. But, if they keep Jennings, this backfield will continue to be tough to peg who the right guy is week-to-week.

Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi Ends Strong Season with 59 Yards in Loss

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

Entering the 2016 season, I felt alone in talking up Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi, so to see him play and finish the season the way he has was just amazing.

After recording 59 rushing yards in Week 17, Ajayi finishes the season with over 1,200 rushing yards and nearly double-digit touchdowns.

To start the season, many were skeptical of Ajayi and rightfully so: He had/has knee concerns, but also, the Dolphins had running back Arian Foster on the roster—man, does that feel like ancient history.

For Ajayi to sit, wait and take advantage of his opportunity when it was given to him shows that he will be a fine player for the foreseeable future.

Ajayi will end the season as the RB11 in PPR leagues.

He should be drafted as a top-15, maybe even top-12 back in 2017.

Falcons QB Matt Ryan Is Incredible

John Bazemore/Associated Press

In the first half of his Week 17 game, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan had four touchdown passes, furthering his case for MVP.

Ryan will finish the season as the QB2, only behind Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers.

Heading into 2016, Ryan was taken a bit later in drafts—don't expect that happen again in 2017.

He has been unbelievable this season.

Saints WR Michael Thomas Goes for 156 Yards, Increases 2017 Value

David Goldman/Associated Press

Coming into 2016, the consensus was that New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was a fine player out of Ohio State, but as a rookie, there were concerns about his projected usage.

Well, he was used and then some this season.

Thomas will end his rookie season with 119 targets, 92 receptions, 1,136 yards and nine scores, with 10 catches for 156 yards and a score coming in Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Heading into 2017, Thomas needs to be drafted within the first three rounds, maybe even the first two.

If you play in PPR leagues, Thomas will be highly sought after finishing as the WR7 in that format.

Chiefs RB Charcandrick West Fills in Nicely

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

With Kansas City Chiefs No. 1 running back Spencer Ware out in Week 17, the team turned over the reins to backup running back Charcandrick West, who filled in famously.

Finishing with exactly 58 yards both through the air and on the ground, West also found the end zone twice.

It will be interesting to see what happens with longtime Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles heading into 2017. Should Charles return, West will once again be buried on the depth chart. However, if Charles is not with the team next season, West offers handcuff value and has the potential to be a red-zone hog, vulturing Ware.

West ends his season with 293 yards on 88 carries and three total touchdowns.

Chargers Rely on RB Andre Williams as Lead Back

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

With running backs Melvin Gordon out and Kenneth Farrow placed on injured reserve, the San Diego Chargers went into Week 17 with Andre Williams and Ronnie Hillman as their healthy backs.

Rather than Hillman, it was former New York Giants running back Williams who led the backfield with 18 carries.

This was the lone game he played in this season.

Risen from the Dead: Broncos RB Devontae Booker Scores Twice

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

After three straight weeks of single-digit carries, Denver Broncos running back Devontae Booker came out of nowhere with 109 total yards and a touchdown coming through the air and on the ground.

The Broncos face a tough dilemma heading into 2017: They have Booker, but C.J. Anderson will also be back from injury.

This is shaping up to be a timeshare of some kind between the two backs next season.

Raiders QB Matt McGloin Hurts Shoulder

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Without quarterback Derek Carr, the Oakland Raiders are toast—we know that.

But matters got even worse for the Raiders in Week 17 when backup quarterback Matt McGloin hurt his shoulder, paving the way for third-stringer and rookie Connor Cook to come in and play.

The Raiders scored six points total.

Good thing Carr will be back and healthy for 2017—maybe Carr deserves even more MVP consideration?

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Raiders are not optimistic that McGloin will play in the first round of the playoffs against the Houston Texans.

After a historic season for the Raiders, they'll rely on Cook to lead them through the Wild Card Round.

Oof.

Packers WR Geronimo Allison Leads Team in Receiving

David Goldman/Associated Press

The Week 17 oddities continued on Sunday Night Football when Green Bay Packers wide receiver Geronimo Allison led the team in receiving with 91 yards and a touchdown.

His touchdown came against former sixth-round pick, Detroit Lions cornerback Don Carey.

Only in Week 17 will you see this happen. However, the Packers didn't rest any of their starters, so it's somewhat noteworthy.

Don't expect this to happen probably ever again.

Statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.