Fantasy Football Rankings Week 17: Sleepers, Prospects, Starts, Sits | DeMarcus Robinson, Marvin Mims and more

The Fantasy Football Playoffs are in full swing, and there would be no better Christmas present than another win. Let's dive into our Week 17 fantasy football rankings, sleeper games, and game previews, enjoy the best (and worst) Christmas stuff, and spread the cheer.

#CheckTheLink-age
Week 17 Waivers | Week 17 SOS Rankings (Thursday)
Fantasy Football 101 (Weather, Lineups, Trading, More)
All in Football Podcast

Week 17, Fantasy Football Shows

NB: everyone Of the statistics are Since week 10 – Unless mentioned. This is because it's good to look at recent performance compared to defenses over the course of the year, etc., as in-season adjustments can change things.

Abbreviations

• RBTouch% — RB Touch Percentage — The percentage of total RB touches made by a player
• TmTGT% — Team Goal Percentage — The percentage of the team's total goals that go to this player
• YPRR — yards per route run — is a fairly valuable indicator
• APA — Adjust the points allowed (link to tables above)

Jets in Browns, TNF

• Breece Hall is averaging 2.0 more YPC when the Jets are up by downs than 7+, and the Browns are a 7.0-point favorite.
• Since Joe Flacco took over, he ranks ninth in FPPG (19.6), tied for first with 10 TD passes and the Browns have won three with Flacco averaging 351 yards.

Lions at Cowboys, Saturday, 8:15 p.m

• The Cowboys have allowed three rushes and received two RBs in their past four games (SEA, PHI, BUF, MIA) after just five and one, respectively, in their first 11 games.
• The Broncos are the only team since the Lions' bye that has not had a wide receiver rating of at least 11.9 against them, which nine receivers have done in those other six games.

Patriots on Bills, 1 p.m

• If Rhamondre Stevenson returns, he will be a mid-RB2 with upside and risk, while Ezekiel Elliott will be at RB3 with Stevenson and RB2 without him.
• If Hunter Henry plays, he's the most consistent option for Billy Zappe, with Demario Douglas behind him — though only Henry found the end zone (three touchdowns) outside of Mike Gesicki last week.

Falcons at Bears, 1 p.m

• If Donta Foreman plays, the backfield will be a mess to avoid. If he stays out (personally), Khalil Herbert is a high risk/reward RB2/3.
• Drake London has 7.1 TmTGT% with Taylor Heinicke versus 24.5 with Desmond Ridder.

Colt Raiders, 1 p.m

• If Josh Jacobs returns, he's a top-20 running back, and if not, Zamir White essentially takes his spot.
• If Zack Moss plays, Jonathan Taylor is still an RB1, but Moss is a deep league hope for a landing and/or a few touches in the RB4 pool.

Rams at Giants, 1 p.m

• DeMarcus Robinson has caught a touchdown in four straight games. Only eight could say the same this year.
• Since Christian McCaffrey (19.5 in Week 2) and Joe Mixon (13.0 in Week 3), only four players have scored in double figures against the Rams.

Cardinals at Eagles, 1 p.m

• Whether Marquise Brown returns or not, Greg Dortch is a good gamble in a WR4/5 combination.
• The Cardinals have given up eight RB plays with 100-plus yards — the next closest are the Broncos with five.

Saints at Buccaneers, 1 p.m

• Chris Olave has the eight most expected receiving yards (1,162) with 1,041 actual yards, and the Buccaneers have allowed 2,916 yards this year (the most).
• Baker Mayfield has just five games under 16 points this year, and the Saints' game isn't a concern anymore.

49ers at leaders, 1 p.m

• Not only would Brock Purdy add a threat to the 49ers, but it would also put Sam Darnold into play as a high-level QB2 with plenty of risk of his own.
• In his limited activity, Jacoby Brissett is playing to 9.7 YD/ATT and 12.4 YD/Comp, both career highs (7.3 and 11.8 previous highs).

Panthers at Jaguars, 1 p.m

• Zay Jones will likely be out, but if he returns, consider him a boom/bust WR4. If there's no Jones, I wouldn't risk the Jaguars getting options outside of Calvin Ridley and Evan Engram.
• Chuba Hubbard has scored in double figures in each of his past five games with a minimum of 17 touches – ranking 8th in RBTouch% and 13th in FPPG.

Dolphins at Ravens, 1 p.m

• De'Von Acane has a 20.6 RBTouch% and 6.0 TmTGT% with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle on the court, compared to 27.6% and 8.7% when either one is off the court.
• Since taking over for Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely is the TE5 in FPPG (11.4) though he ranks just 13th among tight ends in TmTGT% (18.1).

Titans at Texas, 1 p.m

• Assuming CJ Stroud returns, he's back in the QB1 lineup with Nico Collins a locked WR2 and Noah Brown in play in most leagues.
• Weird stats: Derrick Henry has 10 of 11 rushing touchdowns when the Giants lose or lead by less than a touchdown, compared to just one by more than 7 points.

Steelers at Seahawks, 4 p.m

• Over the past two games, Kenneth Walker has an 83.0 RBTouch%, while Zach Charbonnet has just six rushes and one reception on three targets.
• Week 16 was George Pickens' first 100-yard game since Week 7, and the Seahawks have only allowed CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel a career-high 90 yards since Week 3.

Chargers at Broncos, 4 p.m

• If Courtland Sutton can't go, Jerry Jeudy is a good WR3, but Marvin Mims becomes an interesting Hail Mary, which could include Brandon Johnson in deep leagues.
• Austin Ekeler is back in the clear lead with an 81.8 RBTouch%, and the Broncos have only had three wins where their scoring margin was +8 or higher.

Bengals at Chiefs, 4 p.m

• With Isiah Pacheco out, Clyde Edwards-Helaire should start, but if Pacheco is removed, he is a RB1 with CEH rolling the dice RB3/4.
• There were only three players (Kyren Williams in Week 3, James Cook in Week 9, and Zach Moss in Week 14) who failed to score more than 12 points against the Bengals, and Moss was called for another touchdown.

Packers at Vikings, SNF

• The Packers wideout situation is a mess. If Christian Watson returns, he is the highest-rated option with Jayden Reed next, who could be the top pick without Watson.
• The Packers have given up six double-digit wideouts in the past three games (NYG, TB, CAR) and are averaging 20.6 QB points in the past six.

Have fun with the world rankings!

Pat Mayo – a friend since a few years after I started – and I have been talking about the ranks for years. This season he created amazing thumbnails for his YouTube show. Originally, I was going to rank them in my typical “Fun with Ranks” fashion, but then I had a hard time choosing the best (Darkwing, Suits, TMNT, etc.). Then, it's your turn to rank! That's right… here are the 14 thumbnails and a poll to let your opinion win!

May classifications drawings

Vote here!

.
And if you want to watch the greatness of Pat and I arguing (and laughing) together about ranks, check it out.

Week 17 fantasy football predictions

🚨 attention 🚨 These can differ from my classifications and rankings Ranks are the order in which I will start players Out of added context, such as “I need the highest price, even if it's risky.” Also, based on 4 TDs for QB, 6 RTS, 1/2 PPR

The download link was added on Thursday

Week 17 fantasy football rankings

🚨 attention 🚨

• There is no perfect tool out there, unfortunately, still. I know a lot of people are watching this on your phone, but 1) Use the taxonomy tool on a PC/laptop/etc. If possible or 2) open it in your phone's browser, especially for Android users, so that the scrolling works properly.
• ECR = “Expert” Consensus Rating (which is not updated by everyone constantly, so take it with a grain of salt).
• It's updated regularly, so check to see if your lineups are locked.

(Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing – USA TODAY Sports)