Everything You Need To Know For Week 17 Fantasy Football
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Guillotine Leagues™️:
Thanks to the NFL treating the Week 17 schedule like a progressive dinner, we’ve already experienced a roller coaster of fantasy emotions over the first few courses of games.
We’ve weathered dud performances on Christmas Day and TNF, experienced heartbreak when Chuba Hubbard was sent to I.R. yesterday morning, and then enjoyed the ecstasy of a Joe Burrow (36.98) to Tee Higgins (34.6) stack.
Regardless of where you stand heading into Sunday, there is still a lot of football still to be played.
Here’s everything you need to know before setting your lineup for one last time …
No Anthony Richardson. The Colts will be trotting out Joe Flacco for Week 17. This is obviously bad news for ARich managers, but it provides a boost for anyone needing to start Josh Downs (WR3) or Michael Pittman Jr. (FLEX) today.
The Dolphins are decimated. Ugh. Tua Tagovailoa is doubtful with his hip injury and Jaylen Waddle is unlikely to play with a knee injury. Tyreek Hill is dealing with his same wrist issue, but is expected to play. Still, I’d bet on the offense flowing through De’Von Achane and Jonnu Smith with Tyler Huntley under center.
Misc. news and notes. Packers WR Christian Watson (knee) is unlikely to play. I’m comfortably starting all of the other Green Bay pass catchers today in a potential shootout … Chris Olave practiced in full this week, but will not be active … Davante Adams (hip) is questionable, but trending in the right direction. He’s impossible to sit …Cade Otton is out again this week, which means you can start Payne Durham in a pinch.
Re: the Hubbard news above, I agree with Matthew’s take. There isn’t a clear backup worth starting today in Carolina. By the way, Happy Birthday, Matthew! Here’s to Jayden Daniels and your Commanders going nuts on SNF.
For fallout from other key situations like the Titans backfield with no Tony Pollard, check out our rankings updates and more below …
What else is in today’s newsletter?
- Week 17 Championship Primer: Your Championship Guide
- Watercooler: Barkley is record-chasing
The Best Sweat in Fantasy Football Just Got Sweatier.
Playoff Guillotine League contests are now LIVE.
Week 17 Primer: Everything You Need To Know
The Week 17 Sunday slate is here. Nine games, including Sunday Night Football. 10 games that will determine whether or not you’re crowned champion, or the forgotten runnerup.
To help prepare you for your championship matchups—or your toilet bowl matchups for those of you looking to avoid a punishment—we’ve curated the most important bits of advice and news from the Fantasy Life week of content …
Rankings Updates
Tyjae Spears, RB, TEN (Ian's RB12)
This is why fantasy managers have been holding on to Spears, as Tony Pollard has been ruled OUT after coming down with the flu on top of an ankle injury that has been plaguing him of late. Up to the plate comes Tyjae Spears, and we've seen a preview of what he can do with a more featured role, with a pair of performances going over 20 fantasy points and scoring 4 total TDs the past two weeks.
Coming off back-to-back UR scores of 7.6, Spears is set to smash against a Jacksonville D allowing the second-most fantasy points to RBs.
Adam Thielen, WR, CAR (Charch's WR15)
Well, we know who Charch is playing in Guillotine League™️ finals this week. Adam Thielen has been a revelation in the Bryce Young late-season revival, registering a UR score of 8.4 in Weeks 13-16, catching a pair of TDs and posting yardage totals of 99 and 102 yards, respectively. Now he gets the Tampa Bay defense allowing a fantasy points boost of 4.0 to WRs in a game with a 48-point total. Can you say boom performance for the veteran WR?
Utilization Score Risers and Fallers
This section will highlight some of the biggest Utilization Score movers over the last four games.
Note: Sometimes, the players are the same as the previous week, and in those cases, I might highlight a different player to cover more players. Be sure to check out last week's risers and fallers.
Jahmyr Gibbs | Lions (+0.5): Gibbs has a 9.3 Utilization Score over the last two games with David Montgomery injured. The second-year back has averaged 26.9 fantasy points, handling 69% of the rushing attempts and garnering a 14% target share on a 68% route participation rate. Sonic is a high-end RB1 with Knuckles sidelined.
Jalen McMillan | Buccaneers (+1.1): McMillan has handled the No. 2 WR role for Tampa Bay over the last four weeks with an 86% route participation. Over that span, he has a 6.4 Utilization Score, averaging 15.4 points per game. His 18% target share is slightly above average for an NFL WR2, but he gets big-play and scoring opportunities regularly in a high-quality passing attack. If not for a tremendous defensive play by Jourdan Lewis, McMillan would have had an even bigger day in Week 16. Over the last four years, 66% of McMillan's comps were WR3s, and 29% were WR2s. McMillan UPGRADES to mid-range WR3 status and is available in 55% of leagues.
Kyle Pitts | Falcons (-0.4): Pitts has a lowly 4.0 Utilization Score over the last four games, bringing his season score down to 6.0. The former No. 4 overall NFL draft pick has averaged only 2.7 fantasy points over that stretch with a 12% target share. In the past, Pitts had substantial underlying utilization despite playing time challenges, but that has evaporated this year; it is time to waive the white flag. Pitts is a low-end TE2.
Did you miss the full Week 17 Utilization Report? Get caught up to speed before the slate kicks off below!
Stay On Top Of Weather Alerts
Late-December football introduces variables we didn’t see earlier in the season. As Ian Hartitz highlighted in his Week 17 Wish List, there are some resources that are tailor-made to help:
“Outdoor late-December games in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Buffalo, New York, and Cleveland. What could go wrong?
I'm no Ollie Williams, but I do know that RotoGrinders’ Kevin Roth has a free-and-easy weather report that helps identify potential problems, and Fantasy Life's Chris Allen also has a free-and-awesome weather breakdown that demonstrates how high wind among other factors (the man looked at stadium height!) can quickly help nuke an NFL passing game.
Important stuff indeed, but nothing matters quite like our seventh and final wish.”
INTERESTED IN THE REST OF IAN’S WEEK 17 WISH LIST?
RELATED CONTENT
- Geoff Ulrich highlights his top five player props for the slate.
The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:
🤑 Week 17 DFS stacks. Three unique ideas for tournaments today.
⚖️ Still need help setting your lineup? Here are your start-sit recommendations.
🎆 A fantasy-star-studded SNF game … expect fireworks?
🏆️ Can he get the record? It’s certainly possible…
😆 The Pop Tarts Bowl is back. And it did not disappoint.
🏃 The race for the No. 1 pick is heating up. Lots of contenders.
📊 Projections for every player in Week 17 … another tool to help with lineup decisions.
