In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Guillotine Leagues:
If you thought the path to a fantasy football championship would be smooth, think again. Injuries are playing a big factor in Week 17.
CeeDee Lamb has been ruled out by the Cowboys for the final two games due to a shoulder injury, and it’s a brutal blow for those with Lamb on a roster. Despite the shoulder bothering him, Lamb had 22 receptions for 314 yards with 2 touchdowns the last three games.
Jalen Hurts didn’t practice on Thursday and is still in concussion protocol. If Hurts doesn’t clear the protocol, Kenny Pickett said he’s ready to play. If Hurts is the only quarterback on your roster, make sure to have a backup plan in case he’s out.
Anthony Richardson didn’t practice on Thursday due to back/foot injuries. The Colts are optimistic Richardson will play against the Giants.
James Conner was limited in practice last week after leaving early in Week 16 with a knee injury and backup Trey Benson, who missed last week with an ankle injury, was also limited in practice all week and both are listed as questionable for Saturday against the Rams.
Malik Nabers hasn’t practiced this week due to a toe injury and says he’s a game-time decision.
Adam Thielen has a great matchup against the Buccaneers, but was added to the injury report with a hamstring injury.
It’s never easy to win a championship and while the waters are choppy, Fantasy Life is here to help. Make sure you check the latest rankings all the way up until game time.
NOT SURE WHO TO START? CHECK OUT OUR PROJECTIONS
What else is in today’s newsletter?
- Week 17 DFS Plays: If you didn’t make the fantasy title game, Pete Overzet has you covered.
- Watercooler: What did we get right and wrong?
Stack The Bucs For Big DFS Bucks
By Peter Overzet
If you’re out of the fantasy championship game, but still want some fantasy action, DFS is the way to go. This article has three different groups of player considerations to build DFS lineups around them. Here is a big stack that could bring big bucks.
One Buc In Every Lineup
QB Baker Mayfield ($6100)
RB Bucky Irving ($6700)
WR Mike Evans ($7,500), WR Jalen McMillan ($4,600), TE Payne Durham ($2900)
I'm kind of surprised the Bucs don't have a bigger team total (22) in this pristine home spot vs. the Panthers. FWIW, Freedman likes over 47.5 in this game and has it projected for 51.1, so I'm not alone with that sentiment.
Carolina, which is just plucky enough to keep games competitive, is the matchup you dream of your players getting with fantasy championships on the line.
As Ian laid out here, the Panthers rank dead last in getting pressure on the QB and are near the bottom of the league in both EPA allowed per dropback (30th) and per rush (31st). Translation: you can move the ball however you want against this sieve.
The Buccaneers are plenty motivated, too—they'll need to win out and the Falcons will need to drop a game for the Bucs to make the playoffs.
In smaller-field DFS contests, I have zero issue throwing the entire Bucs kitchen sink into your lineup, but let's quickly discuss each play in a vacuum.
Re: Irving: He's been a revelation this year (3rd in YPC, 1st in yards after contact, 4th in yards per route run, etc. etc.). The only issue has been playing time. Liam Coen (rightfully) caught some flak after underutilizing him in the team's embarrassing loss to the Cowboys last Monday night and I envision him correcting that mistake vs. the Panthers. In Week 13, Irving tallied 185 yards and a TD vs. this same turnstile defense.
The Best Sweat in Fantasy Football Just Got Sweatier.
Playoff Guillotine League contests are now LIVE.
AROUND THE WATERCOOLER
The latest analysis and insights from our merry band of football nerds:
🤝 It’s Week 17, never too early for Ian and Dwain to revisit what fantasy calls they got right and wrong.
❤️ It’s Matthew’s Week 17 Love/Hate the final one to help you win titles.
👀 Check out Freedman’s new mock NFL Draft … jam-packed with skill position players at the top of the draft.
🔮 Our rankings are here to help you make those championship-winning lineup decisions.
🤔 Thor presents the dilemma that’s going to face the Vikings during the upcoming offseason.
Welcome back! Our first order of business is to give you the answer to yesterday’s question (Other than Travis Kelce, what TE has logged five consecutive games with 7 receptions and 70 yards?):
A: Tyler Higbee, who did it Weeks 13-17 in 2019.
Now … let’s get into today’s Fantasy Life Trivia question!
Q: Joe Burrow continues to put up massive numbers for the Bengals. He racked up 252 passing yards and 3 passing scores vs. the Browns on Sunday, bringing his streak to seven consecutive games with at least 250 yards and 3 scores to seven. That sets a new NFL record, breaking a tie that Burrow shared with this quarterback at six.
