Week 17 Fantasy Football Rankings Position-by-Position Review

Kristopher KnoxDec 26, 2025

Week 17 got underway with a special Christmas tripleheader, and it will resume on Saturday afternoon.

The Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers will begin Saturday's slate at 4:30 p.m. ET. Hopefully, you're reading this with enough time to make those last-minute lineup adjustments.

For those playing catch-up, let's dive into some remaining options for Week 17. We'll run through the top plays for the final 12 games of the week and examine a few sleepers who may still be available on the waiver wire.

All rankings, picks, and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Quarterback

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AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Saints QB Tyler Shough

1. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

3. Drake Maye, New England Patriots

4. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

5. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

6. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

7. Jabocy Brissett, Arizona Cardinals

8. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

9. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

10. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

Sleeper: Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough is the rare waiver-wire option with legitimate top-10 scoring potential. He's really beginning to find a groove in Kellen Moore's offense, and he's topped 18 fantasy points in four straight games.

Shough is likely to continue his high level of production this week for a couple of reasons. For one, the Saints are dealing with backfield injuries and are likely to take a pass-heavy approach against the Tennessee Titans.

New Orleans attempted 50 passes in Week 16.

Secondly, Tennessee's defense hasn't held up particularly well against opposing quarterbacks. The Titans have surrendered the eighth-most fantasy points to the position this season. Shough is still available in roughly 80 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Running Back

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AP Photo/David Richard

Browns RB Raheim Sanders

1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

2. Bijan Robnson, Atlanta Falcons

3. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins

4. James Cook, Buffalo Bills

5. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

6. Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

7. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

8. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

9. Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders

10. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

11. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

12. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams

13. Kenneth Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steelers

14. Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers

15. D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears

Sleeper: Raheim Sanders, Cleveland Browns

Managers desperate for a RB or flex option this week should consider Cleveland Browns running back Raheim Sanders. While the undrafted rookie has rarely seen the field this season, he may have to in Week 17.

The Browns recently lost Quinshon Judkins to a season-ending knee injury, and Dylan Sampson has been dealing with a hand injury.

Sanders tallied 5.6 fantasy points in limited action last week, but he may see a significant role against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh won't provide a favorable matchup for the rookie, but volume might be enough to carry Sanders, especially if Sampson isn't at 100 percent.

Managers should find Sanders available in nearly all Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Wide Receiver

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AP Photo/Zach Bolinger

Colts WR Josh Downs

1. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams

2. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

3. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

4. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons

5. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

7. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

8. Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers

9. Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars

10. Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers

11. Wan'Dale Robinson, Las Vegas Raiders

12. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

13. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

14. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears

15. Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots

16. Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals

17. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

18. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

19. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

20. Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers

Sleeper: Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts still have a shot at making the postseason, though they'll need to win in Week 17, and they'll need the Texans to lose on Saturday. Regardless, it's looking like Indy will stick with quarterback Philip Rivers for another week.

Rivers' presence makes Josh Downs a viable sleeper play. The explosive pass-catcher has reached double-digit fantasy points in each of the past two weeks after going more than a month without hitting that threshold.

The Jacksonville Jaguars won't provide the friendliest of matchups, but they have surrendered the 13th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. Dows' big-play potential gives him a fairly high ceiling in this matchup.

The 24-year-old is available in over half of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

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Tight End

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AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Saints TE Taysom Hill

1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

2. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

3. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

4. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars

5. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

6. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

7. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

8. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

9. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

10. Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams

11. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

12. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

13. Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

14. AJ Barner, Seattle Seahawks

15. Theo Johnson, New York Giants

Sleeper: Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

New Orleans' backfield injuries had an impact on the team's Week 16 performance. With Alvin Kamara and Devin Neal out, the Saints leaned heavily on the arm of Shough. They also gave multiple opportunities to do-it-all football player Taysom Hill—who is listed as a TE in most fantasy leagues.

Hill led the Saints with 12 carries and 42 rushing yards. He also caught four passes, threw a touchdown pass, and finished with 15.3 fantasy points. He's worth a flier in deeper leagues again this week.

While Hill is a boom-or-bust play against Tennessee—he's averaged just 3.2 fantasy points this season—managers won't find much more upside on the waiver wire this week.

The Titans have been middle-of-the-road against TEs in fantasy this season. Hill is still available in over 70 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.