Fantasy Football Week 17: Final Rankings, Projections, Early Waiver-Wire Tips

For most of you out there, Week 16 was it. The icing on the cake. The majority of NFL fantasy leagues are decided. If you won your league, congratulations! Also, what an incredible Christmas gift, right?

Believe it or not, some still play through Week 17. Most likely if you're reading this, you're one of them.

First, I have so many questions for you as to why you enjoy torturing yourself, but hey, more power to you.

Week 17 can get whacky. Players sit out, some players might have incentives in their contracts and some teams, like the Baltimore Ravens, need to win to get into the playoffs.

Below, we'll look at rankings for each position, projected points and some waiver-wire tips.

Check it out, and Merry Christmas!

Quarterback

1. Tom Brady (New England Patriots) vs. New York Jets - 27

2. Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Arizona Cardinals - 27

3. Philip Rivers (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Oakland Raiders - 26

4. Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) at Atlanta Falcons - 25

5. Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Cleveland Browns - 24

6. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 24

7. Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) vs. Green Bay Packers - 23

8. Nick Foles (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Dallas Cowboys - 21

9. Case Keenum (Minnesota Vikings) vs. Chicago Bears - 19

10. Jared Goff (Los Angeles Rams) vs. San Francisco 49ers - 18

11. Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers) at Los Angeles Rams - 17 

12. Jacoby Brissett (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Houston Texans - 17

It's possible that Rivers could finish as the top overall quarterback this week.

He's at home against one of the weaker pass defenses in the league, the Oakland Raiders, and Rivers needs to win in order to have a shot at making the playoffs.

At the QB1 spot, Brady at the Patriots should be able to roll the Jets, and also, Brady has thrown an interception in five straight games—something he hasn't done in 15 years.

Look for Rivers to throw all afternoon long against his AFC West rival Raiders.

Also, what do you know: Three former and current Patriots quarterbacks inside the top-12 this week!

Running Back

1. Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams) vs. San Francisco 49ers - 33

2. Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Cleveland Browns - 31

3. Alvin Kamara (New Orleans Saints) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 27

4. Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys) at Philadelphia Eagles - 26

5. Kenyan Drake (Miami Dolphins) vs. Buffalo Bills - 25

6. Melvin Gordon (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Oakland Raiders - 25

7. Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville Jaguars) at Tennessee Titans - 23

8. Mark Ingram (New Orleans Saints) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 22

9. LeSean McCoy (Buffalo Bills) at Miami Dolphins - 22

10. Devonta Freeman (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Carolina Panthers - 21

11. Dion Lewis (New England Patriots) vs. New York Jets - 20

12. Christian McCaffrey (Carolina Panthers) at Atlanta Falcons - 19

13. Jordan Howard (Chicago Bears) at Minnesota Vikings - 18

14. Duke Johnson (Cleveland Browns) at Pittsburgh Steelers - 17

15. Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) at Denver Broncos - 15

16. Jerick McKinnon (Minnesota Vikings) vs. Chicago Bears - 15

17. Alex Collins (Baltimore Ravens) vs. Cincinnati Bengals - 15

18. Carlos Hyde (San Francisco 49ers) at Los Angeles Rams - 15

19. Lamar Miller (Houston Texans) at Indianapolis Colts - 14

20. C.J. Anderson (Denver Broncos) vs. Kansas City Chiefs - 14

With the uncertainty surrounding the Chiefs' skill position players after clinching the postseason and being locked into the fourth seed, Hunt finds himself much lower than usual.

Also, when (and if) he's used, he'll face a stout Broncos run defense.

Again, it's unclear how much Hunt will be used, if at all, so this ranking could change as the week evolves and we learn new information as to what the Chiefs' intentions are as we inch closer to Week 17.

Wide Receiver

1. DeAndre Hopkins (Houston Texans) at Indianapolis Colts - 31

2. Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers) vs. Oakland Raiders - 30

3. Adam Thielen (Minnesota Vikings) vs. Chicago Bears - 29

4. Michael Thomas (New Orleans Saints) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 28

5. A.J. Green (Cincinnati Bengals) at Baltimore Ravens - 28

6. Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Carolina Panthers - 27

7. Doug Baldwin (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Arizona Cardinals - 26

8. Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. New Orleans Saints - 23

9. Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals) at Seattle Seahawks - 22

10. Jarvis Landry (Miami Dolphins) vs. Buffalo Bills - 22

11. JuJu Smith-Schuster (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Houston Texans - 22

12. Brandin Cooks (New England Patriots) vs. New York Jets - 21

13. Devin Funchess (Carolina Panthers) at Atlanta Falcons - 20

14. T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Houston Texans - 20

15. Stefon Diggs (Minnesota Vikings) vs. Chicago Bears - 18

16. Dez Bryant (Dallas Cowboys) at Philadelphia Eagles - 17

17. Tyreek Hill (Kansas City Chiefs) at Denver Broncos - 15

18. Josh Gordon (Cleveland Browns) at Pittsburgh Steelers - 15

19. Robert Woods (Los Angeles Rams) vs. San Francisco 49ers - 15

20. Marquise Goodwin (San Francisco 49ers) at Los Angeles Rams - 14

The same rule for Hunt applies here to Hill, too.

In other news, Hilton makes an appearance inside the top 20 for the first time in quite a while.

The matchup here is too good to pass up, though.

Through Week 15, the Texans not only ranked 23rd in DVOA against the pass, but they also ranked 25th in DVOA against opposing No. 1 wide receivers.

His quarterback, Brissett, finds himself inside the top-12 this week and Hilton will be a beneficiary of that.

Start Hilton if you have him.

Tight End

1. Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots) vs. New York Jets - 21

2. Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles) vs. Dallas Cowboys - 21

3. Evan Engram (New York Giants) vs. Washington Redskins* - 20 

4. Delanie Walker (Tennessee Titans) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars - 15

5. Jack Doyle (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Houston Texans - 14

6. Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs) at Denver Broncos - 13

7. Greg Olsen (Carolina Panthers) at Atlanta Falcons - 12

8. Vernon Davis (Washington Redskins) at New York Giants - 10

9. Jimmy Graham (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Arizona Cardinals - 9

10. Eric Ebron (Detroit Lions) vs. Green Bay Packers - 9

* = if he plays

It probably doesn't need to be mentioned a third time, but the same as Hunt and Hill, Kelce also slips in the rankings for the same reasons.

Next, it's unclear whether Engram will suit up in Week 17 as he suffered a rib injury in Week 16, according to the Giants Twitter account:

Considering their abysmal record with literally nothing to play for, the Giants could go ahead and shut Engram down. As of now, we're not sure of the situation, so Engram makes the rankings.

Waiver Wire Tips

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Coming in as the QB11 this week, Garoppolo has been on fire, winning each of his four starts in a 49ers uniform.

In Week 16 against perhaps the toughest defense in the league, the Jaguars, Garoppolo put up nearly 250 passing yards and two scores.

Week 17 presents another hard matchup against the Rams, but Garoppolo appears to be in a groove that cannot be silenced, no matter the defense.

Remember: The 49ers might not be playing for anything, but Garoppolo is cold hard cash.

If Garoppolo can go out and put up another stellar performance and perhaps even beat the NFC West champion Rams, he'll go into the offseason being able to demand whatever he'd like.

Kapri Bibbs, RB, Washington Redskins

Prior to Week 16, it was looking like fellow Redskins running back Samaje Perine would be inactive due to a groin injury.

Well, he was active.

However, in Week 16, Perine also injured his Achilles, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN:

Heading into Week 17 with lingering groin and Achilles issues, Bibbs could be the sole back for the Redskins against a weak Giants defense.

Even with Perine active, Bibbs still totaled over 50 yards against his former team, the Broncos.

Should Perine be out, Bibbs is an excellent spot to become a Week 17 hero.

Pick him up.

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

No DeSean Jackson? No problem.

With the fellow wide receiver out, Godwin didn't skip a beat. He posted nearly 100 yards receiving on three catches in the starting lineup.

Going up against the New Orleans Saints in Week 17, Godwin has a chance to be a starter once again.

No, we're not sure of DJax's status, but given that the Buccaneers aren't playing for anything besides potentially spoiling the Saints' fourth-seed spot, this is an excellent time to just place DJax on injured reserve and continue to see what the rookie can do with more snaps and in a starting role—it will only make the team better in the long run.

Should DJax be out and Godwin be thrust back into a starting role, he is a must-add for Week 17.

Other Potential Adds

Quarterbacks

1. Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts (13.40 PTS, 13 percent own)

2. Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills (12.34 PTS, 39 percent own)

Running Backs

1. Matt Breida, San Francisco 49ers (15.20 PTS, 4 percent own)

2. Mike Gillislee, New England Patriots (11.30 PTS, 31 percent own)

3. Tion Green, Detroit Lions (10.30 PTS, 5 percent own)

Wide Receivers

1. Josh Doctson, Washington Redskins (14.10 PTS, 36 percent own)

2. Dede Westbrook, Jacksonville Jaguars (11.40 PTS, 46 percent own)

3. Kendall Wright, Chicago Bears (6.70 PTS, 11 percent own)

Tight Ends

1. Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins (12.20 PTS, 48 percent own)

2. Antonio Gates, Los Angeles Chargers (20.10 PTS, 22 percent own)

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (13.20 PTS, 3 percent own)

All scoring reflects PPR formats. All qualifying waiver pickups must have 50 percent or less ownership in Yahoo leagues.

Statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and Football Outsiders.