Fantasy Football: 1 player to watch from each team for every Week 17 game in the championship round

Happy holidays from yours truly! I hope the last couple of days have been time for you all to relax and enjoy time with friends and family as the season and year wind down. However, we’ve got work to do. There’s a fantasy football championship on the line.

Hopefully, the action on Thursday got you out in front of the most important matchup on the schedule. However, if you’re looking for some players to monitor, I’ve got a couple from all of the remaining contests worth watching to close out our playoff runs.

Houston Texans @ Los Angeles Chargers

C.J. Stroud was on a tear after his return. He was averaging 246.3 passing yards per game, and even dropped three touchdowns on the Cardinals in Week 15. But his outing against the Raiders has me concerned. Their defense only pressured Stroud on 19.4% of his dropbacks, but his passing success rate and yardage total dropped. The Chargers’ pass rush, which has limited passers to fewer than 200 yards in nine games, may create even more problems for the Texans’ aerial attack.

I have to assume Justin Herbert’s MVP candidacy will gain national media consideration if the Chargers win. He hit season-highs in passing success rate and EPA per dropback against Dallas. Plus, the Bolts’ QB is averaging 6.7 touches per game. He had hand surgery three weeks ago! We all thought the Texans’ defense was impenetrable throughout most of the season. But after stumbles against the Cardinals and Raiders, Herbert may be catching the Texans at the right time.

Baltimore Ravens @ Green Bay Packers

The downturn in opportunity for Isaiah Likely has been baffling. He had back-to-back games with six targets in pivotal, divisional matchups. Both in which even more chaotic events negated touchdowns for Likely. Since then, he hasn’t had the ball thrown his way. Despite being on the field for over half of the team’s dropbacks, Likely has given doughnuts in his box score to fantasy managers. Independent of who starts under center for the Ravens, you’d think OC Todd Monken would try to get another option in the passing game going in order to keep the offense on schedule.

I keep hoping we’ll see more of Jayden Reed, but it could be that his on-field deployment doesn’t match the identity of the offense. Since his return, the Packers’ primary slot man has a receiving aDOT of 6.2 air yards. Meanwhile, Jordan Love has been averaging 12.8 and 10.5 air yards per attempt on his throws. Even Malik Willis was 9.2 after Love got hurt last week vs. the Bears. Green Bay is in the playoffs already after the Lions lost on Christmas, but both QBs are hurt, Christian Watson got banged up two weeks ago and Romeo Doubs hurt his wrist last week. Reed should play a larger role in a push to get the offense back on track, but his past usage doesn’t help make the case.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Miami Dolphins

If I had Bucky Irving on my roster in the fantasy championship, I’d be terrified. Sure, he’s handled 63% of the RB carries since coming back in Week 13. But they’ve been empty-calorie touches. Rachaad White has taken most of the receiving work. Irving didn’t get a single target against the Panthers. Even worse, Sean Tucker is the goal-line back, with 88% of the carries from inside the five-yard line. Without a fantasy-relevant role, Irving is, at best, an RB2 for Week 17.

On the bright side, Darren Waller has earned at least five targets in the last two games. Somewhat better, HC Mike McDaniel has moved Waller into the slot on 39.6% of his snaps. His 38.1% target share from the interior has given him more lay-up looks to continue producing. However, on the flip side, his target quality has plummeted with the QB change. Last week alone, Waller was at a 60% catchable target rate as Quinn Ewers tried his best against the Bengals. The opportunity should make Waller a viable TE2, but Ewers’ accuracy may be an issue.

Seattle Seahawks @ Carolina Panthers

Only a subset of the fantasy community got to benefit from Kenneth Walker III’s 164-yard outburst in primetime. Now, gamers who are still fighting for a championship and single-slate advocates get to ponder the same conundrum. Walker outproduced Zach Charbonnet. But Charbonnet still had all of the goal-line touches and out-targeted Walker. Somebody’s going to come up with the bright idea to start both of them against the Panthers, but correctly selecting the better of the two has been one of this season’s biggest discussions.

If you need an explosive catch, Jalen Coker has you covered. Over his last five games, the Panthers’ slot man has at least one catch of 15 yards or more. And he’s more than just a big-play option in the receiving game. Coker has become Bryce Young’s reliable WR2 with 14 of his 18 receptions resulting in either a first down or a score. His ability to beat press coverage, especially in obvious passing situations, has put Carolina on their path to leading the NFC South. However, as the Seahawks’ coverage has been stingy against all WRs not named Puka Nacua, Young and Coker will need another strong outing to keep their lead over the rest of the division.

Arizona Cardinals @ Cincinnati Bengals

Ironically, Jacoby Brissett is the Cardinals’ version of Joe Flacco, who’ll be on the opposite sideline. Brissett only has one win since taking over for Kyler Murray. But his 41.6 attempts per game are keeping fantasy managers with Michael Wilson and Trey McBride happy. He’s thrown for over 200 passing yards and at least one TD in his 10 starts. Cincinnati’s secondary has made some improvements against WRs. But the Bengals’ historic inability to cover TEs should keep Brissett as a viable starter in Week 17.

Ja’Marr Chase hasn’t caught a TD pass from Joe Burrow since Week 2. But on the flip side, let’s not get greedy. Burrow has thrown the ball to his best friend 12.3 times per game since coming back from his turf toe injury. The result has been 98.8 yards per game or 17.8 PPR PPG. Simply put, we haven’t been lacking in fantasy production. However, since the Cardinals’ secondary has been something of a problem for Arizona, it’d be nice to see Chase doing his own version of the Griddy after leading the team in targets yet again.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns

At least against the Lions, the Steelers were trying to do their best impression of the Bears’ offense. Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren combined for 31 touches, with both showing off their individual skillsets. Warren ripped off two long runs for TDs after breaking multiple tackles. And Gainwell scored on one of the most improbable receptions of the season. Between Gainwell’s 5.3 targets per game and Warren’s 11 attempts a week, Pittsburgh has the personnel to keep Cleveland’s defense away from Aaron Rodgers without DK Metcalf.

Every week that Harold Fannin Jr. plays, his 2026 ADP goes up a round. Shedeur Sanders has looked for his rookie TE 8.5 times a game over the last month. Granted, Cleveland’s only other pass-catching option is Jerry Jeudy. But Fannin has caught over half of his targets and averaged 5.2 yards after the catch per reception, making him a strong option at the position for Week 17.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts

The part of Trevor Lawrence’s outbursts over the last couple of games that only fantasy gamers would appreciate is his rushing. HC Liam Coen was doing the same for Baker Mayfield, as Mayfield hit career highs in attempts and yards in 2023 and 2024. Lawrence has already surpassed his season-high total of five TDs with seven on the ground, and he’s just 18 yards short of resetting his single-season rushing mark. We already watched the 49ers dice up the Colts’ secondary, but with Lawrence’s mobility, we should see him in the top 12 again after Sunday.

Alright, I understand why the Colts brought Philip Rivers out of retirement. I know the 49ers’ defense has dealt with injuries. But they got through the Colts’ offensive line on a third of Rivers’ dropbacks. His response was to have a passing aDOT of 9.6 air yards, which was the third-most of any Colts’ QB this season. And he was getting the ball out quickly to his receivers, too (2.41 average time to throw). At worst, it brings his receivers back onto our fantasy radars, with the Jaguars offense likely putting the Colts into a pass-friendly game script.

New England Patriots @ New York Jets

Kayshon Boutte and TreVeyon Henderson have combined for 5.8 targets per game since Boutte’s return in Week 12. The potential for additional work should have someone like Stefon Diggs as a high-end WR2, but it’s been tough to pinpoint his role. Diggs has been around a 60% route rate in three of his last four games. His 10 targets were the most he’d seen in a single game in almost two months. We would like to start anyone against the Jets’ defense, but how often Diggs is on the field has me hesitating.

Brady Cook averaged 0.8 air yards per attempt during the first half against the Saints last week. New Orleans only pressured him on 20% of his dropbacks. Cook only generated 74 yards through the air. The Patriots’ pass rush and coverage are above the league average in limiting opposing QBs. As Cook continues to flounder, there’s no reason to trust anyone attached to the Jets in Week 17.

New Orleans Saints @ Tennessee Titans

Chris Olave was already having a career year before last week. Through Week 15, he was hitting season-high marks in targets per game (9.2) and PPR PPG (14.7). Taking on 16 targets against the Jets certainly helped his case for 2025 being his best season yet. And after seeing multiple receivers hit double-digit PPR points against the Titans (Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, Jerry Jeudy, Jakobi Meyers, etc.), Olave will be right at the intersection of talent and opportunity for Week 17.

We’ve now seen three consecutive 100-yard games for Tony Pollard. Of course, part of the success lies with the veteran RB. He’s been up to a 20% forced missed tackle rate over his last three games. But the other portion goes to the Titans’ offensive line. Pollard has been able to enjoy 1.05 adjusted yards before contact since Week 14. The Saints have allowed the 10th-most rushing yards per game to opposing rushers since their bye, setting up Pollard for a strong finish to the fantasy season.

New York Giants @ Las Vegas Raiders

I want to start Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton and Theo Johnson. Well, at least relative to their respective expected outcomes as mid-to-low-end WR2s or 3s or fringe TE1s. But the offense is different now. Slower, to be exact. Jaxson Dart was averaging 29.2 pass attempts per game over his first six starts. However, he was down to 13 against the Vikings. Total offensive plays have been down with Dart back under center. The Raiders haven’t quit either and continue to put opposing QBs under duress. If they continue to get to Dart, I’d expect fewer attempts for his pass-catchers.

Ashton Jeanty belongs in the league. His ability to create explosives as a rusher and a receiver was on full display against one of the toughest defenses in the league last Sunday. All he needs is a bit of space to make a play successful. Luckily, the Giants have allowed not only the third-most rushing yards per game over their last six games, but the third-most yards before contact. There’s no question about how often we’ll see the ball in or moving toward Jeanty’s hands. But more-efficient touches are what we need for fantasy productions.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Buffalo Bills

Let’s assume the Bills keep the game competitive throughout the entire contest. I want to see if OC Kevin Patulo asks Jalen Hurts to open up as a passer. Since Hurts’ multi-turnover snafu against the Chargers, the Eagles’ QB1 has averaged less than seven air yards per attempt. His total yardage hasn’t crested 200 without a pick since late November. So if Josh Allen has his way, Hurts will need to be a solid thrower of the ball in order for the Eagles to walk away with a win.

We can all agree that Josh Allen’s superpower is his mobility. Not just strolling through defenses for 40-yard touchdowns (no, I’m not still upset about Cincinnati’s loss), but within the pocket and buying time for passing lanes to open up. But his foot injury should have everyone on edge. Allen didn’t attempt to run in the second half. Accordingly, the Bills’ yards per drive and third-down conversion rate plummeted. There’s no doubt Allen will be out there to ensure Buffalo makes the playoffs, but his level of effectiveness should be on everyone’s mind.

Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers

Sure, DJ Moore (and Caleb Williams, of course) was the hero against the Packers last Saturday. And Rome Odunze’s continued absence should entice fantasy managers to keep Moore in their lineups. But he only had seven targets that night. Olamide Zaccheaus only had one fewer pass thrown his way through regulation. Moore’s connection with Williams and Williams’ reliance on Moore for big plays should keep the veteran WR as a top-24 option. But putting him in the top-12 discussion might be a bridge too far.

Coincidentally, Jauan Jennings isn’t too dissimilar from Moore. Let’s assume Ricky Pearsall needs another week to get right. George Kittle’s ankle injury will have the veteran TE limited at best. In other words, you’d think the targets would condense around Jennings. But without Pearsall in primetime, Jennings was at an 18% target rate. However, he led the WRs in targets in obvious passing situations and when Brock Purdy threw into the end zone. As a result, Jennings’ contextualized usage should keep him in our lineups for Week 17.

Los Angeles Rams @ Atlanta Falcons

There’s a scenario where the Rams have a clear playoff picture prior to kickoff. It’s not a certainty, but between now and Monday night (and for Week 18, to boot), motivation may be in question for L.A. But for Matthew Stafford, there’s nothing but certainty. Stafford sits at 40 passing TDs, seven more than the next QB (Jared Goff). We’ve seen HC Sean McVay ensure his guys get their season-long accolades. Confirming his QB makes a case for the NFL’s greatest honor shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Kyle Pitts Sr. may not have turned in a season that fantasy managers expected. However, it’s been better than most would want to admit. Pitts sits behind only Trey McBride in the amount of yards and first downs generated. And if you’re a stat nerd (like me), Pitts’ 1.75 yards per route run ranks third amongst all TEs. Again, it’s taken Drake London missing time and Darnell Mooney playing on a busted collarbone for us to get back to some semblance of Pitts’ historic rookie year. But, as much as some won’t want to admit, we’re seeing it through four months of action.