What Are the Comfort Levels for Fantasy Studs Heading into Week 17?

For those who play on Week 17 of the fantasy football season, here we are—it's your championship. I'm still mystified why you'd want to torture yourselves for an additional week, but hey, that's your prerogative!

There aren't too many risks for star players sitting, but the one team that sticks out is the Kansas City Chiefs.

Perfect cliffhanger: We have a Chiefs player on here, so keep reading.

Let's get to it.

It's hard to believe this is the final "Comfort Level" article of the year, but I hope this series helped you throughout your fantasy season.

Good luck, and I hope your holidays were everything you wanted them to be!

Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

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These past five games for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady have arguably been the worst of his career.

Not only has he thrown an interception in each game—something he hasn't done in approximately 15 years—but he hasn't eclipsed 300 yards either.

And over his last four games, he's averaging a single touchdown per game.

In Week 17 Brady has an excellent matchup with the New York Jets. With that said, he's had good matchups recently, too, but he's in a bit of a funk.

Brady could either be the QB1 or not sniff the top 10—it's hard to peg it.

Since it's Week 17, if the Patriots are up by a fair amount on the Jets, the Pats could pull their starters, further decreasing Brady's value.

In the end, play Brady, but as you know by now, something isn't right with him at the moment.

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Over the past two weeks, Evans has either caught a touchdown or gone over 100 yards receiving.

Both of those games came against fellow NFC South rivals, the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

Well, in Week 17, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver will go up against the last remaining NFC South team, the New Orleans Saints.

In his last game against the Saints, Evans saw six targets but only corralled one of them for 13 yards. Yeah, Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore has that impact on opposing No. 1 wide receivers.

It's hard to imagine Evans having a game similar to the past two weeks here.

Be aware.

Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams

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This one can be done quickly: Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley is an absolute stud.

Over the past two games, Gurley has scored six total touchdowns and averaged 228 total yards per game.

Furthermore, this entire season has been incredible for Gurley—there are just five games in which he hasn't scored.

Going up against the San Francisco 49ers, Gurley should be in for a hell of a game again.

Get ready.

Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots

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Even with quarterback Tom Brady's recent struggles, it has not at all impacted tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Over his last three games, Gronk has either had a touchdown or 147 yards receiving or more.

However, like Brady, if the Patriots start to blow the Jets out, the Pats could pull Gronk.

Even if they do, Gronk should be his usual self prior to that happening, and he can cause a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

Play Gronk without any hesitation.

Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

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Although this slide pertains only to Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, it can also cover all the starting skill position players.

Locked into the No. 4 seed, the Chiefs could rest their starters ahead of the Wild Card Round.

With that, Hunt could see little-to-no playing time.

If you own any Chiefs skill position players, keep an eye on reports as the week evolves to see their intentions in regards to their starters ahead of Week 17.

Be on the lookout—Hunt may not even be a viable play.

Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

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In his last game against the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones caught six passes for 118 yards.

In Week 17, the stakes will be even higher, as the Falcons need to win to make the postseason.

This is not a game to worry about starters being pulled—they're going to play all afternoon long.

Jones has a confusing lack of touchdowns (just three all season), so that limits his value a bit. With that said, Jones is a fringe WR1 in Week 17.

Again, don't bank on touchdowns here—hope Jones gets enough volume to translate it into numerous receptions and yards.

He'll be especially valuable if you play in a PPR league.

Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

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It's do-or-die time for the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17 against the Oakland Raiders.

And for quarterback Philip Rivers, he'll go up against a Raiders team that ranked 32nd in DVOA against the pass.

With his pass-catching threats, Rivers and the Chargers should have no problems in overpowering the Raiders at home.

They'll need some help to clinch a playoff spot, but Rivers will also look to give tight end Antonio Gates ample opportunities for production.

Remember: If the Chargers don't make the playoffs, this could be his final game of his career.

Rivers could finish as the top quarterback this week. Expect north of 250 yards passing and a few touchdowns.

He's going off.

Statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and Football Outsiders.