The 16th Sunday of the NFL season may be best known for the stunning finish to the Detroit Lions’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (offensive pass interference twice!), but it also featured fantastic performances from Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, Cincinnati Bengals RB Chase Brown, and New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave, among others. The Jaguars’ victory in Denver was arguably the most notable result of the day.
Meanwhile, Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart, Dallas Cowboys RB Javonte Williams, Atlanta Falcons WR Drake London and Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride have all disappointed fantasy managers. Allen only scored 6.9 points. Dart scored 0.02 points – not a printing error! Injuries knocked out Cleveland Browns RB Quinshon Judkins (leg) and, later in the day, New England Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson (head).
Every Monday, before the end of the current NFL weekend, we will identify the players available in at least 50% of standard ESPN leagues worthy of your attention, from standard formats to more in-depth options. The NFL is a week-to-week league, and player valuations and roles rarely stagnate. It doesn’t matter how you acquire players for your fantasy rosters, you just need to acquire them!
Strategist
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Why Cockcroft is concerned about Jaxson Dart’s fantasy production
Tristan H. Cockcroft raises concerns about Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart heading into fantasy Week 17.
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (51% registered in ESPN leagues): A myriad of fantasy managers likely avoided Lawrence, who entered Week 16 as the season’s No. 7 QB, because he played a road game against the powerful Denver Broncos. So, naturally, Lawrence scored a career-best 31.16 fantasy points in a 34-20 win. Lawrence has totaled 75.46 points (10 touchdowns!) over the last two games. He’s become a must-have option for Week 17 against the Indianapolis Colts, or managers should at least add him and make sure their playoff opponent can’t feature him.
Tyler Shough, Saints (10.9%): Shough scored 17.12 points in Sunday’s win over the dreadful New York Jets, reaching a career-high 308 passing yards. He will face the improved Tennessee Titans in Week 17. The Titans weren’t started by various Kansas City Chiefs backups on Sunday, but they generally struggle to contain opposing passers and Shough has scored at least 17 points in four straight outings. He’s a rookie, but he may be more efficient than your current starter.
Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders (16.2%): Mariota (hand) couldn’t finish Saturday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but there’s a good chance he’ll be ready to face the rival Cowboys on Christmas. Note: Prepare your queues in time! There are three matches on Thursday and two more on Saturday! Mariota has made eight starts this season in place of Jayden Daniels (elbow) with inconsistent results, but the Cowboys defense consistently accommodates opposing quarterbacks, allowing the most fantasy points (by far) to the position.
Deep league options/streamers/random thoughts
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Green Bay Packers starter Jordan Love (concussion) left Saturday’s overtime loss to the Chicago Bears well before that extra period and Malik Willis (0.1%), a third-round pick of the Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft, scored an impressive 13.24 points in relief. Long known for his running ability, Willis rushed for 44 yards, but he also completed 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. The Packers host the desperate Baltimore Ravens in the middle of the pack by allowing fantasy points to the QB on Saturday night.
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Seattle Seahawks starter Sam Darnold (43.4%) scored 19.5 points in a wild overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams. He will face the underrated Carolina Panthers in Week 17. The Panthers are solid against the pass. Darnold isn’t the most consistent fantasy provider, including recently, but if you want a veteran on a good team rather than a rookie, he’s available in many leagues.
Run back
0:52
Eric Moody: Chase Brown firmly on RB1 radar for Week 17
Eric Moody breaks down Chase Brown’s pretty fantastic play against the Dolphins.
Blake Corum, Rams (29.8%): Corum continues to appear in this space because he continues to put up solid fantasy numbers. He now has four straight games with double-digit fantasy points. He averaged double-digit rushing attempts during that span and he scored a rushing touchdown in every game. He has five valuable consecutive outings this week against the Falcons.
Dylan Sampson, Browns (7.4%): The Browns lost rookie Quinshon Judkins (leg), so someone needs to replace him for the final games against the Steelers and Bengals. Sampson (hand) did not play the last two games, but the fourth-round rookie from Tennessee had been Judkins’ primary backup. He even caught eight passes and scored 17.3 points while Judkins didn’t play in week one. If Sampson sits, the veteran Trayveon Williams (0.1%) and Rahim Sanders (0.1%) would be next. Williams caught four passes for 38 yards in relief of Judkins on Sunday, but Sanders saw more volume.
Jawhar Jordan, Houston Texans (5.2%): Woody Marks (ankle) was knocked out Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, and Jordan easily surpassed veteran Nick Chubb for volume and production, scoring 12 fantasy points. Maybe Marks will return this week against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Tyjae Spears, Titans (30.7%): Spears and fellow teammate Tony Pollard combined for 154 rushing yards and 31.7 points in Sunday’s win over the eliminated Chiefs (and it showed). Next, they will face a Saints defense that has been playing well lately. Spears is the preferred pick due to his pass-catching work, although Pollard regularly gets the nod in fantasy leagues.
Deep league options/streamers/random thoughts
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Michael Carter (39%) is Arizona’s leading rusher for the remainder of the season. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry against the Falcons on Sunday, but the game script limited him to 11 touches. He should get more in Week 17 against the Bengals.
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Packers Reserve Emmanuel Wilson (36.4%) dominated starter Josh Jacobs against the Bears, turning 14 carries into 82 rushing yards. Wilson was used a little in place of Jacobs (knee) in the second half after a Jacobs fumble. We’re assuming Jacobs won’t miss Week 17 against the Ravens, and let’s face it, no one knows how much volume Wilson might get. It’s not a sure thing.
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Commanders running backs continue to sit in free agency in most leagues, including starters. Chris Rodriguez Jr. (29.9%). Rodriguez returned from a one-game absence to score 13.9 points in the loss to the Eagles as a rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt (47.5%) obtained 8.5 points. Rodriguez saw more volume. The Cowboys are also bad against the run.
Wide receiver
0:48
Eric Karabell: Tetairoa McMillan will help fantasy managers win titles
Eric Karabell explains why he can’t sit Tetairoa McMillan for the next two weeks of the fantasy season.
Parker Washington, Jaguars (12.8%): We still like teammates Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr. more, but those guys combined for just 12.4 points against the Broncos, while Washington, taking advantage of matchups/coverage, scored 23.1 points. Sure, the Broncos paid more attention to Meyers and Thomas, but Washington still counted on this season. This is his third game with double-digit targets, but his first with over 100 receiving yards. He will have the opportunity to do it again next Sunday against the Colts.
Deep league options/streamers/random thoughts
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Titans rookies Chimera Dam (20.1%) and Elic Ayomanor (8.9%) combined for 21.8 points against the Chiefs, but on just nine targets combined, which is the risk. They’ll face the Saints this week, but chances are if you’ve reached Week 17 of your playoffs, you won’t be counting on any Titans.
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Steelers star DK Metcalf expected to be suspended for at least Week 17, leaving veteran Adam Thielen (6.2%) with a volume chance against the Browns. Thielen only saw two targets in his first two Steelers games after signing, but then he caught all four of his targets for 49 yards against the Lions.
Tight end
0:38
Liz Loza: Harold Fannin Jr.’s redemption continued in Week 16
Liz Loza breaks down Harold Fannin Jr.’s great game against the Bills ahead of a matchup against the Steelers in Week 17.
Brenton Strange, Jaguars (27.3%): Strange scored 14.9 points against the Broncos, including a terrific one-handed touchdown. Strange only caught one pass in Week 15, but he generally accounted for a larger part of the offense. The Jaguars take on the Colts in Week 17…and the Colts are among the easiest defenses to rack up TE points against.
Deep league options/streamers/random thoughts
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We’ve discussed the Bengals all season in this space because their defense allows the most fantasy points to tight ends. Cardinals Star Trey McBride should have some fun in Week 17. However, let’s also discuss a Bengals TE, because Mike Gesicki (3.2%) has passed for touchdowns in two of the last three games.
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Chances are you won’t be broadcasting a tight end this late in the season, but the Saints starter Juwan Johnson (53.6%) and Seahawks starter AJ Barner (15.6%) are also reasonable options.
Defense
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THE D/ST chargers (35.9%) saw its streak of consecutive games with double-digit Fantasy points end in Dallas, but the unit still scored 4.0 points for Fantasy managers. The Chargers host the Texans (an offensive touchdown Sunday against the Raiders) in what should be a mostly defensive battle.
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THE Buccaneers D/ST (31.9%) isn’t a top-20 Fantasy unit, having only scored double-digit Fantasy points twice, but No. 3 could happen this week against the Miami Dolphins and backup quarterback Quinn Ewers. The Dolphins struggled to score against the Bengals’ tough defense on Sunday.
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THE Saints D/ST (57%), Vikings D/ST (49.2%) and Panthers D/ST (6.1%) are also reasonable streamers in week 17.
