Fantasy Football Week 17 Rankings: Position-by-Position Review
Week 17 kicked off with the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets on Thursday night. This means that, in most season-long leagues, fantasy championships are officially underway.
Most managers who have reached their title games have uncovered strong lineups that won't require much tinkering. However, injuries and uncertain matchups could still lead to a few tough decisions in Week 17.
Cleveland's No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper, for example, missed Thursday's game with a heel injury just days after grabbing 11 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns. He was ruled out just before kickoff, forcing managers to pivot to their backup plans.
Below, we'll run down our updated Week 17 point-per-reception (PPR) rankings and examine a few potential waiver-wire targets to consider.
Quarterback
1 of 4
1. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
2. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
4. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
5. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
6. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
7. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
8. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
9. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
10. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
11. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Waiver Target: Jarrett Stidham, Denver Broncos
With Joe Flacco's Week 17 game already in the books, managers don't have a ton of viable wire options at quarterback. However, the benching of Russell Wilson could make Denver Broncos backup Jarrett Stidham a viable play.
Stidham isn't likely to have No. 1 receiver Courtland Sutton (concussion). However, Sean Payton may be willing to open up his offense more for Stidham than he was for Wilson—who often seemed incapable or afraid of pushing the ball downfield.
While largely inexperienced, Stidham showed that he's capable of a spot start last season. in his first start for the Las Vegas Raiders, he passes for 365 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Stidham also has a terrific matchup, as the Los Angeles Chargers have surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Stidham is rostered in only three percent of Yahoo leagues and one percent of ESPN leagues.
Running Back
2 of 4
1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
2. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
3. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
4. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
6. James Cook, Buffalo Bills
7. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
8. D'Andre Swift, Philadelphia Eagles
9. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
10. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
11. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
12. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
13. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
14. Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
15. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
16. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
17. David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
18. Devin Singletary, Houston Texans
19. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
20. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
Waiver Target: Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders
There's a chance that Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (quad) returns to face the Indianapolis Colts this week. However, given Zamir White's recent two-game audition in the starting role, White should see enough work to warrant flex consideration.
Over his past two games, White racked up 230 scrimmage yards, three receptions and a touchdown. Jacobs has been great as a receiving back this season but has been far too inconsistent as a runner. It would make little sense for Las Vegas to simply put White back on the bench now.
The Colts, meanwhile, represent a spicy matchup for the Raiders' backfield. Indianapolis has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing RBs this season.
White is rostered in 43 percent of Yahoo leagues and 15 percent of ESPN leagues.
Wide Receiver
3 of 4
1. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
2. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
4. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
5. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
6. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
7. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
9. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
10. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
11. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
12. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
13. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
14. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
15. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears
16. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
17. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
18. Nico Collins, Houston Texans
19. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20. DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans
Waiver Target: Noah Brown, Houston Texans
With Houston Texans rookie receiver Tank Dell (leg fracture) out for the season, Noah Brown has emerged as a fantasy-relevant option. He had just three catches for 38 yards against Cleveland last week, but he caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans two weeks ago.
The Texans are again set to face Tennessee, which has surrendered the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. Brown should have a good chance to approach his Week 15 numbers, which he recorded with Case Keenum at quarterback.
Houston rookie star C.J. Stroud (concussion) is expected to be back under center this week, which boosts Brown's stock significantly.
Brown is rostered in 46 percent of Yahoo leagues and 43 percent of ESPN leagues.
Tight End
4 of 4
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
4. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
5. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
6. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
7. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
8. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
9. Darren Waller, New York Giants
10. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
11. Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
12. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
Waiver Target: Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
Managers usually aren't clamoring for a fill-in tight end during championship week, but T.J. Hockenson's season-ending ACL tear could leave many managers lacking.
While there aren't any high-ceiling tight ends available, L.A.'s Gerald Everett is a high-floor target to consider. Everett has produced no fewer than four catches and no fewer than 39 receiving yards over his past five games. His production hasn't suffered with Justin Herbert on injured reserve and Easton Stick under center either.
In two games with Stick as his quarterback, Everett compiled 12 receptions for 83 yards.
The Denver Broncos are a favorable TE matchup too, as no team has given up more fantasy points to the position this season. Everett is rostered in 45 percent of Yahoo leagues and 29 percent of ESPN leagues.
*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros.
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