Fantasy Football Week 17 Rankings: Final Season Position-by-Position Review

This is it, fantasy football fans. We're approaching the final Sunday of the 2020 NFL regular season, which means one last shot at a full 16-game slate. This doesn't mean, however, that all of the NFL's top stars will be available.

Several teams are going to rest starters ahead of the postseason, while injuries and the reserve/COVID-19 list are also going to play roles. New Orleans Saints star running back Alvin Kamara, for example, was placed on the list Friday.

Kamara will join a list of absent fantasy stars that includes Patrick Mahomes, Ben Roethlisberger, Dalvin Cook, Kenny Golladay and Julio Jones.

Here, we'll run down the top players who are expected to play in Week 17, along with a full breakdown of every traditional fantasy position. All rankings are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Quarterback

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1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

2. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

3. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

4. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

5. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

6. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

7. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

8. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

9. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

10. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Several quarterbacks are going to be absent in Week 17. The Kansas City Chiefs have announced that Patrick Mahomes won't start, while the Pittsburgh Steelers have done the same with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

The Los Angeles Rams will be without Jared Goff, who underwent thumb surgery early in the week. The Washington Football Team may be without Alex Smith—though Smith did practice on back-to-back days this week, according to ESPN's John Keim.

Dual-threat quarterback and Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Lamar Jackson should be a top play this week against an improving but still lackluster Cincinnati Bengals defense. The Bengals have allowed the 13th-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, but their consistency has been lacking.

Last week against Cincinnati, Houston Texans signal-caller Deshaun Watson produced 324 yards and three touchdowns passing while adding 38 yards on the ground.

Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky should be a solid sleeper play and waiver-wire target this week. He has thrown for six touchdowns and two interceptions with a rushing touchdown in his last three games.

Trubisky faces a win-and-in playoff scenario this week and (hopefully) will be at the top of his game. He is rostered in 17 percent of Yahoo leagues and 22 percent of ESPN leagues.

Running Back

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1. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

2. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

3. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

4. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

5. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

6. Jeff Wilson Jr., San Francisco 49ers

7. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

8. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

9. Melvin Gordon III, Denver Broncos

10. David Johnson, Houston Texans

11. Myles Gaskin, Miami Dolphins

12. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks

13. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

14. J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens

15. Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns

Kamara isn't the only elite fantasy RB who won't play in Week 17. The Minnesota Vikings will be without star Dalvin Cook as well following the death of his father, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin.

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry is expected to play, however, as the Titans try to secure the AFC South. He'll be arguably the top daily fantasy sports (DFS) play at the position, given his projected role and matchup.

The Texans have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. The last time Henry faced them, he rushed for 212 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a pair of passes for 52 more yards.

While Rams running back Malcolm Brown has been limited in practice, fellow back Cam Akers has been absent. Brown's status will bear watching, but he could be a sound sleeper play with Darrell Henderson on injured reserve.

The Arizona Cardinals have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2020. Brown is rostered in just 21 percent of Yahoo leagues and 30 percent of ESPN leagues.

Wide Receiver

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1. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

2. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

3. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

4. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

5. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

6. Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears

7. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

8. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

9. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

10. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

11. Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans

12. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

13. DJ Moore, Carolina Panthers

14. Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans

15. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

16. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

17. Emmanuel Sanders, New Orleans Saints

18. Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions

19. Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns

20. Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers

Kansas City has already ruled out star wide receiver Tyreek Hil, but many of the top fantasy performers will suit up in Week 17. Green Bay Packers wideout Davante Adams should be among them, as Green Bay needs a win to lock up the NFC's No. 1 seed.

Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson should also be a stellar play in Week 17. He's just 47 receiving yards away from breaking Randy Moss' franchise rookie receiving record and has a great matchup against a Detroit Lions defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

While the Cleveland Browns are still dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak and will have some starters out, they're expected to have their top receivers back. This means that Rashard Higgins should be a solid sleeper play against a Steelers team resting several starters.

Higgins had four receptions for 76 yards the last time he saw game action. He is rostered in 23 percent of Yahoo leagues and 15 percent of ESPN leagues. 

Tight End

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1. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

2. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

4. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers

5. Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions

7. Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team

8. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos

9. Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins

10. Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns

Mahomes isn't playing for the Chiefs, and there's a good chance that tight end Travis Kelce won't either. This leaves Darren Waller of the Las Vegas Raiders and Mark Andrews of the Ravens as the top two tight end options for Week 17.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski should also be a strong option, as the Buccaneers are eager to secure the NFC's No. 5 seed.

"We're gonna play everybody," Bucs coach Bruce Arians told SiriusXM NFL Radio. "We wanna be 11-5, and we want that five seed."

Gronkowski will be up against an Atlanta Falcons defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.

On the sleeper front, managers should consider Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr., who had six receptions, 53 yards and two touchdowns last week. Fellow tight end Kyle Rudolph has landed on injured reserve, and Smith has a fair matchup against the Lions.

The Lions have allowed the 14th-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Smith is rostered in 15 percent of Yahoo leagues and 11 percent of ESPN leagues.

Kicker

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1. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

2. Ryan Succop, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

3. Rodrigo Blankenship, Indianapolis Colts

4. Will Lutz, New Orleans Saints

5. Jason Sanders, Miami Dolphins

6. Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas Raiders

7. Tyler Bass, Buffalo Bills

8. Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons

9. Jason Myers, Seattle Seahawks

10. Greg Zuerlein, Dallas Cowboys

Baltimore's Justin Tucker remains the gold standard for NFL kickers. He's the most reliable kicker in the league and should remain a high-end play against the Bengals. Buccaneers kicker Ryan Succop should also be a top option, as the Buccaneers are playing to win in Week 17.

The same cannot be said for the Chiefs, so the usually reliable Harrison Butker may not be a quality play this week. It's not necessarily worth dropping him in a season-long league, but DFS managers may want to consider other options.

Managers looking for a sleeper or a late waiver-wire add may want to consider Lions kicker Matt Prater. While Prater has missed seven field-goal attempts this season, he's also facing a Vikings team that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to kickers in 2020.

Prater is rostered in 59 percent of ESPN leagues but just 48 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Defense/Special Teams

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1. Baltimore Ravens

2. Indianapolis Colts

3. Seattle Seahawks

4. New England Patriots

5. Washington Football Team

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

7. New Orleans Saints

8. Los Angeles Rams

9. Philadelphia Eagles

10. Arizona Cardinals

We have some of the usual teams atop the defense/special teams rankings this week, including the Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts. However, the normally reliable Pittsburgh Steelers aren't among them for the finale.

Linebacker T.J. Watt and defensive end Cam Heyward are among the defensive starters who will rest this week against the Browns.

The Arizona Cardinals could be a sneaky good play against the Rams with Goff out. Managers looking for a full-on sleeper may want to consider the Dallas Cowboys. While the Cowboys have been atrocious at times—they rank 30th in scoring defense—they will be up against the offensively inept New York Giants.

New York hasn't scored 20 points in a game since Week 10 and won't have quarterback Daniel Jones at 100 percent.

"I've played from the pocket the past couple of weeks and I expect to continue to do that until I'm healthy," Jones said Wednesday, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post.

Dallas is rostered in just 23 percent of Yahoo leagues and 22 percent of ESPN leagues.

*Fantasy points allowed and roster percentages from FantasyPros.