If you’re league is still active right now, these Week 17 Rankings aren’t for you. You don’t deserve rankings. You deserve to be thrown into the Pit of Misery and have stupid fucking Dilly Dilly screamed at you all day. Fix that JV garbage, now.
But for those DFS enthusiasts who want to keep their fantasy itch scratched? Welcome, Addict. Week 17 is always an interesting treasure hunt for hidden gem plays as “locked up” teams rest their starters. Consider this the start of your map.
Below mark the rankings with all the information we have thus far. As of now, I am assuming Melvin Gordon (who’s in a walking boot) will be INACTIVE, that the Rams will rest their starters (Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp), and same for the Eagles (Carson Wentz, Jay Ajayi, Zach Ertz and Alshon Jeffery). The Chiefs are also expected to rest starters, thus Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill are currently unranked. Also, even though he’d play with his leg amputated apparently, DeMarco Murray is assumed inactive thus far.
As always, I’ll update the rankings as news and notes come in. For Week 17, I’ll be taking a more DFS Lens and considering the DraftKings scoring: Full PPR, 100+ Yardage Bonuses.
Week 17 Fantasy Football Rankings
Updates:
Sunday:
- Melvin Gordon is going to play, ruining Branden Oliver‘s streaming appeal. Gordon is an obvious must-start with the way he’s been fed, though the floor is much lower if he were to reinjure anything.
- Matt Forte was placed on the IR today, which drastically boosts Bilal Powell‘s ($4700) stock versus a Patriots team giving up tons of yardage and receptions to backs. Powell becomes a must play.
- James White and Mike Gillislee are both inactive this week, which makes Dion Lewis among the “must plays” for DraftKings at only $6800. He’ll be chalky, but it’d be tough to not start him this week.
- DeMarco Murray is OUT, which means we finally get our long-anticipated look at what Derrick Henry can do with 20+ totes. Cannot wait to see this animal feast, though the matchup is tough.
- Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard have been ruled out, increasing the already-high appeal of the Redskins D ($3200)
Friday:
As of now, team plans are gaining clarity, which helps us adjust the rankings a bit:
- Patrick Mahomes ($4700) will be starting for the Chiefs this Sunday. No official word has been given on other starters like Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill, or Travis Kelce, but all should be expected to see limited snaps at best. Mahomes himself is an interesting DKings flier at this bottom-barrel price. He has over 700 yards rushing and 22 rushing TDs over his last two seasons, and also has a cannon arm. The upside feels capped with many of his top weapons unlikely to go, but he’s definitely more viable than your typical “under $5K QB.”
- Jared Goff and Todd Gurley have officialy been ruled out, and rumblings have Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Sammy Watkins playing limited snaps, if any at all. In their absences, Malcolm Brown ($3900), Josh Reynolds ($3000), and hell even Tavon Austin ($3000) become interesting skill position “Punt Plays,” given the soft matchup versus San Fran. Hell, Shawn Marrion ($4500) isn’t a horrendous flier at his bare minimum price. I could see 16-18 FPs out of him, which would be a steal. Marrion Reynolds stack FTW! I do believe in Sean McVay and think the Rams can find ways to move the ball on this soft front with or without their starters.
- Le’Veon Bell will reportedly be held out this week, placing Fitzgerald Toussaint ($4300) firmly on the streaming radar. Sure, the newly signed Stevan Ridley ($3500) could eat into the work, but Touissant has operated as a featured back in past starts before. During the 2016 playoff run, Toussaint racked up 17 carries, 8 targets (4 receptions) for 118 total yards, while following this up with 12 carries for 39 yards and a TD + 3 receptions. On Draftkings, the production isn’t horrendous at his price point, although I’m likely driving the Malcolm Brown bandwagon. Plus, Samaje Perine is the same price as Toussaint, and represents far more upside.
- In this light, I’ve grown quite a bit more skeptical on Big Ben and the Steelers WRs for this week. Originally my No.2 QB, Roethlisberger has plummeted outside the top 10 for options I at least know will be playing. Ideally, we’ll know more about this passing game status pre-game, but that’s no guarantee. Even if they suit up, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant would be major risks with Landry Jones at QB — although Bryant has crushed it with Jones in the past.
- Jermaine Kearse seems doubtful to play Sunday versus the Patriots, which has me even more bullish on Robby Anderson‘s ($5000) chances at a last-week blow up. He’s had some tough matchups while cursed with Bryce Petty, but the Patriots certainly are not one of them. He should see upwards of 11+ targets likely playing from behind, and could be an underowned steal on DKings.
- Melvin Gordon got in a “Limited” session on Thursday’s practice, which is a positive sign. He remains a true game-time call, but these positive developments have me leaning he will indeed start in a great matchup versus Oakland. Obviously, the floor is much lower with the chance of an injury reaggravation. Plus, Austin Ekeler is reportedly practicing in full, which will likely eat into the receiving work that has made Gordon such a monster as of late. Gordon’s an interesting contrarian play, but not one I’m seeking out (unlike FantasyLabs’ Ian Hartitz)
- DeAndre Hopkins, who entered the week in a tier alone as the top wideout, now appears to be on the wrong side of questionable for Sunday’s cakewalk against Indianapolis. With Bruce Ellington and CJ Fiedorowicz on IR, Will Fuller ($4300) has minimal competition for targets. Who knows if that matters with the garbage at QB, but the upside is high if Hopkins sits. Alfred Blue ($4000) also gains a little steam after outcarrying and outgaining Lamar Miller ($5100) in back-to-back weeks. Of course, this is the exact type of script where Miller randomly gets 21 carries and rips this defense to shreds… just pointing out the trends (shrug emoji).
- Mike Gillislee has not practiced yet this week, though James White has returned to limited sessions. Still, if Gillislee were to miss the game, Dion Lewis would have to be considered the top bet for goalline looks, which he should see plenty of. At only $6800 and with so much uncertainty around other top plays, Lewis makes for a great option.
- With Aaron Jones unlikely to play, along with Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams now ruled out, Jamaal Williams ($5300) could be a usage monster. With a soft matchup on the dockett, he’s become one of my favorite DraftKings plays this week. Randall Cobb ($4700) also gains a nice stock up as the seeming last-target-standing here.
- Nick Foles is “preparing to start and play the whole game” right now, although Doug Pederson has indicated he’ll treat this week like a preseason game. Thus, you can’t confidently roll Foles out this week without knowing how long he’ll last (or even how effective he’ll be). Your other Eagles (Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffrey, Jay Ajayi) also remain questionable too. Perhaps Mack Hollins ($3000) goes off and is the punt play here, but I’d throw my money on the Rams’ guys first.
- Eli Manning will reportedly play the whole game this week, but using him would be very sketchy this week given the banged-up status of his WR corps. Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and Tavarres King have all missed practice this week. If anything, this makes the Washington D/ST ($3200) one of the top streams and DKings value plays of the week.
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