For those of you playing into Week 17, make sure to set your lineups for your fantasy football finals.
Below are some good plays for this week, as well as some other NFL players you should consider avoiding based on matchups, injuries and trends.
If you need a last minute injury fill-in, check out Week 17 waiver wire pickups and see who is still available in your leagues.
Who to Start
— Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans (QB): The Titans have lost their last two games, but at 8-7, are still in the running for the last AFC Wild Card spot with the Steelers. Tannehill has been able to put up solid numbers in spite of the losses and enters the final game of the season with the highest passer rating of all 33 qualified quarterbacks in the league. Expect solid QB1 production this week against a Texans defense that ranks 25th in the league in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.
— Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (RB): Mostert led the team in rushing in Week 16 with 11 attempts for 53 yards and a touchdown, while Tevin Coleman saw just five attempts. He has scored in five straight games and faces the Seahawks this week, who have been gotten on the ground by Kenyan Drake, Christian McCaffrey and Todd Gurley over the last three weeks. Mostert is a high-end RB2 with upside for Week 17.
— DeAndre Washington, Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos (RB): Josh Jacobs underwent a surprise surgery on Thursday to clear up a skin infection, casting further doubt on his status entering Week 17. He has been dealing with a shoulder injury that sidelined him in Weeks 14 and 16. During those games, Washington was featured heavily and picked up 37 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and eight catches for 64 yards. He will have RB2 value this week with Jacobs unlikely to play.
— Breshad Perriman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons (WR): Perriman has been putting up monster numbers since Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Scotty Miller have gone down with season-ending hamstring injuries. He reeled in seven of 12 passes for 102 yards last week and has a great chance to make it three straight 100-yard games in a juicy matchup against Atlanta’s secondary.
— Greg Ward, Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants (WR): Ward is the last man standing in a thin Eagles receiving corps after J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert were all injured on Sunday against the Cowboys. Ward caught four of five passes for 71 yards during the game and offers flex upside against a feeble Giants secondary this week.
— Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals (TE): Higbee has been one of the best late season finds after exploding onto the scene in Week 13. He caught nine of 11 passes for 104 yards in Week 16 in his toughest matchup of the year and now has four consecutive 100-yard games. Expect huge numbers from Higbee against Arizona’s defense which has allowed the most fantasy points to tight ends all year.
— Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST at Baltimore Ravens: MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson was ruled out in Week 17 with home field advantage already wrapped up, and Mark Andrews, Marquise Brown and Mark Ingram are all doubtful. The Steelers defense has been solid all year and should have no problem facing Baltimore’s JV team this week led by Robert Griffin III under center.
Who to Sit
— Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams (QB): Murray is officially questionable heading into this game after injuring his hamstring in Week 16. His fantasy production has also dropped off significantly since the team’s Week 12 bye. In the last four weeks, the rookie has four touchdowns and five interceptions and is averaging 173 passing yards per game. With the Cardinals’ season over, the team may elect to just sit Murray.
— Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (RB): Freeman goes from one of the easiest matchup to the toughest in the league this week. He is coming off of a two-touchdown game against the Jaguars, but with Tampa Bay’s run defense on deck, he slips into RB2 territory with a low floor.
— Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets (RB): It has been a tough stretch for Singletary after facing Baltimore, Pittsburgh and New England in consecutive weeks. He faces the Jets this week, who have turned things around defensively, having allowed the second fewest fantasy points to running backs over the last eight games. This is also a meaningless game for the Bills with the No. 5 seed locked up in the AFC, so they will have little incentive to feature their starters heavily.
— DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (WR): Parker has turned heads after a truly impressive breakout season. He has only struggled in two games this year, but the bad news is one of them was against the Patriots in Week 2. He recorded zero catches on seven targets and will likely have lights-out cornerback Stephon Gilmore all over him once again.
— Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears (WR): After returning from a long injury absence, Thielen has been a non-factor, catching zero passes on four targets last week. He has an extremely low floor with the Bears on deck for Week 17 and is strictly a desperation play in deep leagues.
— Seattle Seahawks D/ST vs. San Francisco 49ers: The Seahawks’ defense has recorded just three sacks in the last four games, two of which came last week against the Cardinals’ horrendous offensive line. Temper expectations this week in a Sunday night showdown against NFC West divisional rivals, the 49ers.