It’s the end of the road. The last regular season game of 2016. For some, they are already in the playoffs and sitting pretty. For others, this week is their last chance to move on. And then there’s everyone else.
Week 17 is notoriously difficult to predict. Some teams will sit their starters. Ben Roethlisberger straight up said he should sit, and so should other members of the Steelers. Some teams will play their heart out with their season on the line. Other teams are evaluating deeper parts of their roster after a disappointing year.
Let’s just say it, Week 17 is weird.
Last season, Kellen Moore was the third-highest-scoring fantasy quarterback on the week. Rashad Jennings was the top-scoring running back and the top-10 backs included DuJuan Harris and Jonathan Grimes. While giants like Antonio Brown and Calvin Johnson were at the top of the charts, so were Devin Funchess and Terrance Williams. Do you remember Rashad Ross? Well, he caught two passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Wednesday is a little early in the week for solid sleepers in Week 17, but here is the playoff picture:
Teams that are locked into their seeding and could sit starters: Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers
Teams that need to win for playoff seeding: Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks
Teams that need a win (and perhaps help) to be in the playoffs: Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins
If you have a secret home team gem, this is your time to play them. For instance, my home team is the Denver Broncos. There are reports that the Broncos will likely start Paxton Lynch to see what they have. In that case, I also think they will try to heavily target Cody Latimer to see what they have with him, as well. I’m also interested in Juwan Thompson; a Denver beat writer favorite for the last few seasons. This is the week to take those chances and use your fandom to your advantage.
Quarterbacks
Note: I suggest paying up at quarterback because you can get value at every other position this week.
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars (at Indianapolis)
FanDuel: $7,600 (14th, tied)
DraftKings: $5,600 (18th)
Yahoo: $24 (30th)
Bortles is the same price as Russell Wilson on FanDuel, so more than likely people will play Wilson at San Francisco instead. On every other platform, Wilson costs much more than Bortles. Last week Bortles beat the Tennessee secondary and threw for 325 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a touchdown pass from Marqise Lee. Last week, Derek Carr threw three touchdowns on Indianapolis before he got hurt. When Bortles faced Indianapolis in Week 4, he threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns and ran another touchdown in for good measure. This could be another big week for Bortles, a man trying to prove that he should remain the franchise quarterback going into the 2017 season.
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