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.
Player News
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Cowboys are finalizing a trade for Steelers WR George Pickens.
The move, which includes a 2026 third round pick and a 2027 fifth round pick sent to the Steelers, comes after another ESPN report saying Pickens, 24, wanted to remain in Pittsburgh. Acquiring Pickens — who has 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over three NFL seasons — addresses an area of acute need for the Cowboys, who have one of the league’s weakest wideout room behind CeeDee Lamb. Pickens and Lamb will make for one of the NFL’s best receiver duos, with Pickens functioning as a viable downfield threat for Dak Prescott, who last season ranked 15th out of 40 qualifying quarterbacks in deep ball accuracy. Pickens in 2024 was third in deep targets and second only to Alec Pierce in receiving yards on downfield receptions. Pickens will have far more upside in the Dallas offense than he did in Pittsburgh. DK Metcalf, meanwhile, will enter the 2025 season as the unquestioned No. 1 wideout for the run-heavy Steelers. His fantasy prospects look much brighter with Pickens in Dallas.
NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports Saints QB Derek Carr wants to “see if he can play through with this shoulder injury.”
Slater reports that Carr believes he injured his throwing shoulder in the same Week 14 game against the Giants that he injured his left wrist last season. The shoulder issue was apparently discovered as he ramped up throwing in the spring, not as the season wound down in 2024. Carr has already had surgery on that arm and wants to see if he can play through the injury. Slater adds that Carr made two trips to New Orleans to meet with the team doctor and a decision will be made “sooner rather than later” as the 34-year-old tries to make the best decision for his shoulder and the Saints aim to make the best decision for their franchise. It would be a surprise to see Carr return to start for the Saints, especially without having surgery. New Orleans has signaled an attempt to move on by selecting Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Carr has two seasons left on his four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints and a decision on his future is looming.
9News’ Mike Klis reports free agent QB Desmond Ridder will get a veteran tryout at the Broncos’ rookie minicamp.
Ridder is a former third-round pick of the Falcons in 2022 and started 13 games for them in 2023. Atlanta moved on from Ridder after his 12-touchdown, 12-interception season; he joined the Raiders to play six games and start one in 2024. The 25-year-old is searching for backup jobs around the NFL after throwing for 5.4 yards per attempt and earning a 45.7 PFF grade last season, good for No. 69 out of 75 quarterbacks. The Broncos will bring him into rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, where Ridder looks to earn the chance to compete with Sam Ehlinger for the third-string quarterback spot in Denver.
Bengals DT B.J. Hill was seen in a protective boot at Tuesday’s voluntary workout.
Hill was seen in a protective walking boot for his left foot at the Bengals’ voluntary workout session on Tuesday. It seems to be a new injury for the veteran, though it is not yet clear what the injury is. The Bengals just signed Hill to a three-year, $33 million contract in the offseason and will be hoping one of the investments into their defense gets healthy for the start of the regular season.
The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf reports Brian Schottenheimer was “non-commital” on whether the Cowboys would have a lead back or take a committee approach.
“Schottenheimer wants to see how things unfold during offseason workouts and training camp,” Yousuf continues. It certainly seems to be a situation where Jaydon Blue could carve out a role in a hurry. “If Blue proves himself, he’ll have the chance to carve out a significant role,” Yousuf writes. Certainly nothing we saw from Javonte Williams or Miles Sanders in recent years would lead us to believe that they’ll be blocking Blue if he shows out in training camp.
Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said he’s “expecting Kyle [Pitts] to take a big jump.”
“Year 2 of the system. Year 2 of understanding what we’re trying to do offensively. All those things that come with it, so expecting a lot of good things from Kyle,” Robinson continued, presumably while trying to sell the people who asked him this question a bridge. The good news for those who would want to buy in on Pitts is, like the Spanish Inquisition, nobody is expecting a Pitts breakout year in his fifth season. He’s now a freeroll. But it’s hard to believe he’ll do any better than low-end TE1 duty this year.