Fantasy Football Week 17 Cheat Sheet: Waiver, Rankings, Projections and More

Fantasy football owners know the deal—the arrival of Week 17 means another chance to cheat. 

Of course, the "C" word means to grab the help of all-encompassing materials to help with the fantasy grind. Whether it is the beginning or end of a season, rankings, sleepers and waiver-wire targets are always the priority for owners.

For those out of the fantasy playoffs, understand that taking a studious approach to the week will pay dividends down the line. Who knows, the experience with late-season decisions may prove helpful in the playoffs in future years.

Below is a list for the cheaters. That's a good thing.

Skill-Position Rankings

Rank	QB	RB	WR	TE
1	Tony Romo, Dal	Arian Foster, Hou	Dez Bryant, Dal	Jason Witten, Dal
2	Andrew Luck, Ind	Le'Veon Bell, Pit	Demaryius Thomas, Den	Antonio Gates, SD
3	Aaron Rodgers, GB	Marshawn Lynch, Sea	Mike Evans, TB	Greg Olsen, Car
4	Peyton Manning, Den	Justin Forsett, Bal	Antonio Brown, Pit	Jimmy Graham, NO
5	Tom Brady, NE	DeMarco Murray, Dal	Emmanuel Sanders, Den	Rob Gronkowski, NE
6	Matt Ryan, Atl	Eddie Lacy, GB	Calvin Johnson, Det	Martellus Bennett, Chi
7	Ben Roethlisberger, Pit	Jamaal Charles, KC	Julio Jones, Atl	Delanie Walker, Ten
8	Russell Wilson, Sea	Matt Forte, Chi	Jeremy Maclin, Phi	Travis Kelce, KC
9	Drew Brees, NO	Jeremy Hill, Cin	Randall Cobb, GB	Julius Thomas, Den
10	Eli Manning, NYG	Alfred Morris, Wsh	A.J. Green, Cin	Coby Fleener, Ind

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is the personification of how difficult fantasy can be on owners this time of year.

Luck surely cost more than a few owners playoff games last week. Removed from a blowout loss in the third quarter, he posted zero fantasy points. Now the question becomes whether or not he will even play in Week 17 with his team's playoff outlook pretty much in place.

Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star provides some good news:

The opponent is Tennessee, a team Luck torched for 29 points back in Week 4. With the question of whether or not he suits up out of the way, the Stanford product seems to be in a position to save owners who are still alive.

Quietly a top-eight back this year, Justin Forsett of the Baltimore Ravens hurt owners last week as well thanks to just two points. Before that, he posted just four.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

There is always a silver lining, though. Owners should not fret over the Forsett decision considering he next gets the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. He posted six points the last time he lined up against Cleveland, and the defense has given up a total of 61 points to backs over the course of the past two weeks.

Let's just keep with the disappointment theme for a moment. Owners who hold grudges usually do not make it this far anyway, so have a short memory with Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans, too.

Evans posted just four points last week, but will surely want to go out with a bang to conclude his debut season. The New Orleans Saints certainly give him a great chance to do so, as Rob Ryan's defense surrenders the seventh-most points to wideouts.

The old guard continues to hold down the tight end position, though. Antonio Gates may be 34 years old, but he ranks behind only Rob Gronkowski in terms of scoring at the position this year.

The San Diego Chargers' top target has saved his best for last with a pair of double-digit outings. He now gets a Kansas City defense he posted 12 points on earlier this season.

Sleeper Projections

Pos.	Player	Team	Opp.	Projection
QB	Eli Manning	NYG	PHI	280 Pass Yds., 3 TD
RB	Tre Mason	STL	at SEA	85 Rush Yds., 1 TD
WR	Allen Hurns	JAC	at HOU	55 Yds., 1 TD
TE	Delanie Walker	TEN	IND	35 Yds., 1 TD
D/ST	New Orleans Saints		at TB	5 Sacks, 3 Turnovers

As Peyton Manning struggles (four interceptions on Monday Night Football), little brother is a great option with everything at stake.

Eli Manning has three consecutive trips to double digits to his name right now, with the latter two at 22 and 27 being most impressive. Observant owners will point out that he only posted six points on the Philadelphia Eagles back in Week 6, but things have changed.

Just look at a note by Art Stapleton of The Record:

The Eagles still surrender the fourth-most points to the position this year, and two of their last three opponents have hit 20 or higher. Manning is going to cap off his year in a big way.

So too is St. Louis Rams rookie back Tre Mason.

Owners will be quick to throw up a red flag on the rookie thanks to an encounter with the Seattle Seahawks, but keep in mind he posted one of his four double-digit outings against the vaunted defense back in Week 7.

Another rookie on the hunt to make a statement with a season-ending performance, Mason is a sneaky play who can pay off in a big way.

Most will cringe at the suggestion of a Jacksonville Jaguars player in Week 17, but consider Allen Hurns a sleeper worth a look. Hurns has three double-digits outings on the season and posted nine points against the Houston Texans in Week 14. 

Now he gets those Texans to close the season. J.J. Watt's defense surrenders the most points to wideouts due to every opponent breaching double digits. The unit has allowed 22 touchdowns to the position this year, so Hurns' chances of a trip to the end zone are strong.

Tight end is the spot that can make or break a playoff game for owners. With that in mind, Delanie Walker of the Tennessee Titans is a smooth gamble. He owns a 14-point performance against the Colts already this season and gets another shot this weekend against the unit that surrenders the second-most points to the position.

Waiver-Wire Targets

Player	Pos.	Ownership Percentage
Ryan Tannehill, Mia	QB	48.8
Eli Manning, NYG	QB	34.3
Reggie Bush, Det	RB	30.4
Matt Asiata, Min	RB	47.4
Jordan Todman, Jac	RB	0.4
Devonta Freeman, Atl	RB	1.9
Rueben Randle, NYG	WR	15.0
Bruce Ellington, SF	WR	0.1
Riley Cooper, Phi	WR	4.1
Terrance Williams, Dal	WR	28.8
Luke Willson, Sea	TE	2.5
Zach Ertz, Phi	TE	33.6

The waiver wire is still alive with great options.

Look at Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who just posted a season-best 29 points last week.

Tannehill has quietly been one of fantasy's most consistent players this year, with double digits in every game except one. He next gets a New York Jets defense that surrenders the fifth-most points to quarterbacks, so owners in a pinch can feel comfortable with this particular roll of the dice.

Devonta Freeman is a lesser-known commodity at this point. The rookie exploded for 13 points last week after starter Steven Jackson went down with an injury. Fox Sports' Knox Bardeen puts it best:

With the NFC South on the line in Week 17, the Atlanta staff will have few issues turning to the explosive, fresh rookie on a regular basis.

There is nothing on the line for the San Francisco 49ers to close the season, but creative usage for rookie wideout Bruce Ellington seems to be in order.

San Francisco's staff unleashed Ellington last week in a number of ways. The result was a touchdown on the ground and through the air. If Ellington is healthy and the focal point of the 49ers attack once again, last week's 13 points may be the floor for his season-ending performance.

If last week's usage is any indication, expect big things from Eagles tight end Zach Ertz to close the season, too. Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com explains the situation:

The result of the uptick in play was a cool 11 points on a gaudy 15 grabs for 115 yards, Ertz's first trip to double digits since Week 6.

That Week 6 opponent happened to be the Giants, the team Ertz gets this weekend to finish off the season. Those Giants have done little since to improve against the position and still rank among the 12 teams that surrender the most points on average to it.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats as of Dec. 23 at 12 a.m. ET. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.