This is it, Week 17 and the end of the regular fantasy football season. Sure there are playoff leagues, and daily game
action still to come, but for the most part leagues are either done, with a champion crowned, or you are hoping all your top players are going to give you significant snaps in the final week of the season. Here are the recommendations for the final week of regular season action.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
Manti Te'o SD
William Compton WAS
Karlos Dansby CLE
Vincent Rey CIN
Telvin Smith JAX
Mychal Kendricks PHI
Te'o gets to face the Chiefs this coming Sunday, and that will cut into his stats, but he is coming off an eleven tackle game with a sack, so odds are he is finally coming on this season (about time). Compton has been hot of late, beginning with Week 14, and he had a superior 15 tackles in Week 16. Dansby burst back onto the IDP scene, with seven solos and five assists against the Panthers. Baltimore, his Week 17 opponent, is not so generous with linebacker points allowed, though, so beware if you pick him up. Rey had a great game Monday night against the Broncos, with seven of his 11 tackles being solos, and he gets the linebacker friendly Pittsburgh offense on Sunday. Smith gets to go up against the Texans this upcoming game, and Houston is the eighth friendliest team to opposing linebackers overall, allowing 25.5 total tackles per game over the last 6 games. Kendricks had 10 total tackles in Week 16 (seven solos), to go with a sack and a pass deflection. I like his hot streak to continue when the Eagles hit the road to face the Giants this upcoming Sunday.
Defensive Linemen
Dion Jordan DE MIA
Corey Liuget DE SD
Cameron Heyward DE PIT
John Jenkins DT NO
Quinton Dial DT SF
Jordan only played 20 of the 63 defensive snaps against the Vikings, but still had four solos and a sack. He gets to face the Jets in Week 17, the second best team for a DL to face through the past 6 games. Liuget has been solid this season, and gets to face the ninth friendliest offense for defensive linemen over the course of this season when the Chargers head to Kansas City on Sunday. The Chiefs officials hand out solos like penny candy, so if you need a DE (or a DT in Yahoo), Liuget is a fine player to add to your lineup. Heyward's last six games are what you expected when you drafted him, with 3.5 sacks and 12 solos as part of his 24 total tackles. While Cincinnati is ranked in the middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points credited to opposing DLs, the game on Sunday matters a lot to both the Steelers and Bengals, so expect some good tackle opportunities. Andy Dalton has been known to put up a stinker during crunch time, so this may be just the time to grab the Pittsburgh DE. Jenkins is seeing plenty of snaps with Broderick Bunkley out for the season, and has snagged 13 tackles over the past two weeks (11 solo). In a DT required league, he is worth pursuing. Then again, so is Dial, who recorded a sack and seven total tackles against the Chargers in Week 16. He is getting a ton of snaps filling in on the beat up 49er D-line. He is virtually un-owned in both ESPN and Yahoo leagues.
Defensive Backs
Bradley McDougald S TB
Kemal Ishmael S ATL
Pierre Desir CB CLE
McDougald has racked up 24 total tackles over the past two games, and also collected a pass deflection in Week 16. With the Saints up next, he should see significant opportunities to show off his tackling abilities again. Ishmael will step in at strong safety if William Moore cannot go in Week 17, providing good tackle chances. Carolina is just a middle of the pack offense as far as allowing fantasy production to defensive backs, but the skills are there and Ishmael has shown them off when he has been given the chance to play significant snaps. Desir had a big game against Carolina with Joe Haden out of action, and should get a chance to build on his two pass deflections he collected last week when the Browns take on Baltimore on the road Sunday.
Escalator Going Down
Linebackers
Brian Cushing HOU
Matthews has been playing well, although he is on this list because the Packers have moved him from the inside to his
usual outside linebacking position. He has better opportunities for big plays on the outside, as evidenced by his increased sack production over the past three weeks (5.5 sacks). Do not get crazy and let him go, just realize in tackle predominant leagues his value takes a slight hit. Cushing, on the other hand, is just not playing at 100% this season. If you have room, keep him on the bench for the rest of this season. Yes, I know that is only one game.
Defensive Linemen
Calais Campbell DE ARI
Olivier Vernon DE MIA
Geno Atkins DT CIN
Campbell put up a huge goose egg in Week 16, despite being on the field for 62 out of 70 defensive snaps. His Week 17 opponent, San Francisco, has been stingy about allowing points to DLs, so do not get your hopes up too high this week. Vernon is another example of a zero point producer, despite playing all but two of the 63 defensive snaps in Week 16. He has a better match up for the final regular season game in the Jets, certainly better than Minnesota in Week 16. Atkins had just one assist in Week 16, but does have a chance to turn things around when the Bengals head off to Pittsburgh to wrap up the regular season. Still, there are better options at DT.
Defensive Backs
Micah Hyde S GB
Husain Abdullah S KC
Hyde has not been producing despite playing 75% of the snaps on defense. He did have one pass deflection in Week 16, but his tackle production has been off for several weeks. Abdullah had just one tackle last week, although some sources say he had two. Why quibble, he is not producing like a top defensive back and you can do better on the wire.
Ouch (My Aching Roster)
All the injury reports below need to be evaluated at kickoff. Teams are notoriously sketchy about injury reports, and we often do not know a player's status until just before game time. The list below is intended as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.
Linebackers
Jerrell Freeman IND (ankle)
Chad Greenway MIN (knee)
Mason Foster TB (Achilles tendon)
Trent Murphy WAS (broken hand)
Defensive Linemen
Willie Young DE CHI (Torn Achilles tendon-out for the season)
Ahtyba Rubin DE CLE (ankle)
Jared Odrick DE HOU (ankle)
Marcell Dareus DT BUF (knee)
Defensive Backs
William Moore S ATL (shoulder)
T.J. Ward S DEN (neck)
Stephon Gilmore CB BUF (shoulder, concussion)
E.J. Gaines CB StL (shoulder, concussion)
As ever, good luck and Godspeed in your fantasy efforts. Make sure to read all of our great articles to help you win your fantasy match ups every week and ultimately bask in championship glory. If you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, I can be reached at ia@fantasyalarm.com.