How NFL Playoff Picture Affects Week 17 Fantasy Football Lineups

The NFL playoff picture drives Week 17 fantasy football lineups far more than the matchups will. Preparing for the final week of the regular season is like stepping through the looking-glass. There’s only one question owners should be asking heading into this topsy-turvy week…

Why does my commissioner hate me?

Rob Gronkowski, Demaryius Thomas, DeMarco Murray and Andrew Luck owners are among those wondering how long their studs will be relevant before donning caps and beanies on the sidelines. The answers will come swiftly on Sunday without any Thursday or Monday night games scheduled.

Sunday’s docket breaks down into three categories.

Meaningless games between teams vying for nothing more than jobs, pride and draft position:

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Autopilot games where the playoff team involved has little or nothing to play for:

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers

Marquee matchups with wild-card spots, divisional titles and first-round byes on the line:

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens

San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons

Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

The off-field storylines in the meaningless games are often more intriguing than what happens between the hash marks.

Tampa Bay is in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL draft, with Tennessee waiting in the wings should the Buccaneers decide to pull an Oakland.

Hot seats are burning up as Rex Ryan, Joe Philbin, Marc Trestman and Tom Coughlin lead the list of coaches that might be looking for work in the new year.

Jeremy Maclin’s expiring contract will headline the free-agent speculation out of this group.

The performances on the field will be as predictable as a preseason game. Owners should stick with studs like Drew Brees, Arian Foster, Matt Forte, Odell Beckham Jr., Alshon Jeffery and Jimmy Graham.

After that, it’s anyone’s guess who’s going to get it done in these obligatory matchups.

The playoff teams on autopilot—New England, Indianapolis, Dallas and Arizona—won’t likely play important or injured starters throughout the entire game. This foursome’s playoff seedings are either already set or highly unlikely to change on Sunday.

Beware of limited playing time for Andrew Luck, DeMarco Murray, T.Y. Hilton, Rob Gronkowski and others. Owners probably can’t afford to sit these stars—depending on who’s riding their bench—but expect a diminished return on the typical fantasy output this week.

Finally, it’s business as usual for the teams with everything to play for in Week 17. Owners can count on Aaron Rodgers, Le’Veon Bell, C.J. Anderson, Antonio Brown, Demaryius Thomas and Greg Olsen to continue to deliver at a high level.

Injuries are the only concern for the studs on these teams.

Marshawn Lynch is a fixture as questionable on the injury report, but if last week was any indication even an illness can’t keep him away from a championship stat line—10 carries, 113 yards and two touchdowns.

A.J. Green left Monday night’s game against Denver with an arm injury. His Week 16 goose egg killed plenty of fantasy owners, but it looks like Green will be back for those still fighting in Week 17.

Good luck this week. Don’t forget to pepper names like Case Keenum, Connor Shaw and Jimmy Garoppolo into that angry letter you send your league administrator for forcing you to endure the madness of Week 17.