In most fantasy leagues, the championship is decided with the end of the Week 16 games. Some leagues, for some unfathomable reason, insist on playing out the regular NFL season to determine their champions. If you are in such a league, either get your commissioner to change the format and end the season with the Week 16 games, or find another league. Week 17 is too unpredictable to rely on player performance, with teams resting star players or simply tossing in the towel and looking at their younger players for next season. In this final edition of the IDP Report, focus is on those teams vying for a wild-card or better seed in the playoffs, so the options are limited. Plus, pay particular attention to the injury report at the end of this article.
Elevator Going Up
Linebackers
C.J. Mosley BAL
Manti Te’o NO
Avery Williamson TEN
You will have a tough time rostering Mosley, as he is owned in 86.3% of ESPN leagues and 89% of Yahoo leagues. If for some reason he is available, he has a nice matchup against the Bengals in Week 17. Over the past three weeks, he is the 6th ranked LB for fantasy purposes.
Te’o just finished outside of the top-10 LBs from Week 14-16, and New Orleans is fighting for a home playoff game and a division title in their Week 17 tilt against Tampa Bay. He has had 21 total tackles over the past three games (16 solo) and while the Buccaneers are not a great matchup, look for him to play significant snaps on defense.
Williamson has accumulated 11 combined tackles over the past two weeks (10 solo) and has nabbed two sacks over his past three games. The matchup in Week 17 is extremely favorable, as the Jaguars are I the top-5 teams in terms of allowing fantasy points to opposing linebackers.
IDPs to consider that have been previously profiled: Deion Jones ATL (Week 7), Wesley Woodyard TEN (Week 4), Preston Brown BUF (Week 6), Craig Robertson NO (Week 7)
Defensive Linemen
None to speak of except those previously profiled, as set forth below.
IDPs to consider that have been previously profiled:Jurrell Casey DT TEN (Weeks 5 & 6), Matt Judon DE BAL (Week 7), Julius Peppers DE CAR (Week 3), Kwann Short DT CAR (Week 6), Ryan Davis DE BUF (Week 16), Melvin Ingram DE LAC (Week 6), Dion Jordan DE SEA (Week 11)
Defensive Backs
Earl Thomas S SEA
Marshon Lattimore CB NO
Thomas is coming off an 11 total tackle effort against the Cowboys in Week 16 (five solo). He has been on a tear the past three weeks, racking up 28 combined tackles and a pass defensed (PD) thrown in for good measure. Seattle is fighting for a playoff berth this coming week, so look for Thomas to continue to produce for his owners.
Lattimore has truly picked up his game lately, with an interception in each of his past three games. He collected five total tackles against the Falcons in Week 16 (four solo), and the matchup against the Buccaneers in Week 17 is enticing. He is the CB to target on the wire for both big play potential and good tackle numbers.
IDPs to consider that have been previously profiled: Daryl Worley CB CAR (Week 15), James Bradberry CB CAR (Week 16), Jordan Poyer S BUF (Week 3), Kurt Coleman S CAR (Week 9), Bradley McDougald S SEA (Week 15), Desmond King CB LAC (Week 13), Johnathan Cyprien S TEN (Week 12), Byron Maxwell CB SEA (Week 14), Tre’Davious White CB BUF (Week 4)
Escalator Going Down
There are no players to avoid this week, save for those listed on the injury report below.
Matchups to Exploit
Remember, the second team listed is the one to use your IDPs against. Do not go crazy, and play a LB5 against the Ravens, but certainly you will do well if you own a top LB on the Rams, Titans or Steelers that you can plug in this week, for the most part.
Linebackers
Los Angeles Rams v San Francisco
Cincinnati @ Baltimore
Tennessee v Jacksonville
Pittsburgh v Cleveland
Defensive Ends
Indianapolis v Houston
Seattle v Arizona
Kansas City @ Denver
Defensive Tackles
New York Giant v Washington
Atlanta v Carolina
Indianapolis v Houston
New England v New York Jets
Safeties
Buffalo @ Miami
New York Jets @ New England
Seattle v Arizona
Cornerbacks
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh
Kansas City @ Denver
Pittsburgh v Cleveland
Waiver Wire Targets
All these players are spotlighted above, and you can read my comments about them in the "Elevator Going Up" section of this article. Not all the players commented on are here, however, as there is no need to waste your time searching for players that are heavily owned. This group consists of those that you may have a chance of locating on your league's waiver wire in that they are owned in significantly less than 50% of leagues. Happy claiming for your weekly matchups.
Linebackers
Manti Te’o NO
Avery Williamson TEN
Defensive Linesmen
None listed above, and thus none listed here
Defensive Backs
Earl Thomas S SEA
Marshon Lattimore CB NO
Ouch (My Aching Roster)
All the injury reports below need evaluation prior to kickoff. Teams are notoriously sketchy about injury reports, and we often do not know a player's status until just before game time. Consider the list below as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.
Linebackers
Josh Bynes ARI ankle
Gabe Martin ARI hamstring
Haason Reddick ARI foot
Vontaze Burfict CIN shoulder
Jordan Evans CIN concussion
Clay Matthews GB hamstring
Nick Perry GB ankle
LaTroy Lewis HOU shoulder
Blair Brown JAX concussion
Denzel Perryman LAC hamstring
Brandon Watts MIA back
Kyle Van Noy NE calf
J.T Thomas NYG groin
B.J. Goodson NYG ankle
Corey Lemonier NYJ foot
D.J. Alexander SEA concussion
Reuben Foster SF shoulder
Zach Brown WAS Achilles
Ryan Anderson WAS knee
Defensive Linemen
DE
John Hughes NO elbow
Trey Henderson NO ankle
Leonard Williams NYJ back
Mario Edwards OAK ankle
Teyvon Hester OAK ankle
Brandon Graham PHI foot
Robert Ayers TB shoulder
DT
David Irving DAL concussion
Richard Ash DAL shoulder
Zach Kerr DEN ankle
Corey Liuget LAC knee
Vincent Taylor MIA knee
Shamar Stephen MIN ankle
Alan Branch NE knee (meniscus)
Corbin Bryant NYG elbow
Nazair Jones SEA ankle
Evander Hood WAS elbow
Defensive Backs
S
Shawn Williams CIN head
Ed Reynolds CLE knee
Josh Jones GB shoulder
Corey Moore HOU knee (MCL)
Adrian Phillips LAC ankle
Marqui Christian LAR shoulder
Michael Thomas MIA knee
Adrian Colbert SF shoulder
Su’a Cravens WAS personal
CB
Shareece Wright BUF concussion
E.J. Gaines BUF knee
BrieanBoddy-Calhoun CLE knee
Orlando Scandrick DAL back
Nevin Lawson DET concussion
Damarious Randall GB knee
Kevin Johnson HOU knee
Chris Culliver IND undisclosed
Rashaan Melvin IND hand
Alteraun Verner MIA hamstring
Tramaine Brock MIN foot
David Amerson OAK foot
Coty Sensabaugh PIT shoulder
Greg Mabin SF calf
Ryan Smith TB ankle
Logan Ryan TEN ankle
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
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team does not “have any feelings on competition” when asked about the quarterback room.
O’Connell was asked about a potential quarterback competition on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday and was unclear on whether J.J. McCarthy would have to compete to start. He said, “we’ve got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase.” O’Connell discussed first putting Brett Rypien and the newly acquired Sam Howell in a position to play before any competition would occur. He continued that McCarthy is “owning it” this offseason and is taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. After missing last season with a torn meniscus, McCarthy has been ramping up workouts in the offseason and is the front-runner to start for the Vikings in 2025. As of now, Howell looks to be reinforcement at the backup spot in case it turns out McCarthy is not ready to start.
Texans re-signed DT Foley Fatukasi.
Fatukasi initially joined the Texans last offseason on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old was a rotational defensive lineman, tallying four tackles for loss and one sack. He returns to Houston for 2025, where he will be a part of a deep Texans front seven.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports there are “multiple people in the league who believe the new regime is not so high on Travis Etienne.”
Fowler also noted Tank Bigsby’s fumbling issue but didn’t directly relate that to the feelings of the new brain trust in Jacksonville. The Jags clearly felt they were lacking at running back this offseason and addressed that opening via the draft with Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen in the seventh. The pair of additions complicate an already-messy backfield by committee. Etienne is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is a long-shot to be brought back in 2026. The Jags could opt to move on early by trading him, clearing $6.1 million in cap space in the process. If the team does trade Etienne, Tuten would likely be the team’s top back in the long run, making him a high-upside bet in early fantasy drafts.
Broncos signed third-round pick WR Pat Bryant to a four-year contract.
The deal includes $1.4 million guaranteed and is worth $6.6 million in total. Sean Payton compared aspects of Bryant’s game to those of Michael Thomas in his post-draft press conference and there are at least a few similarities in their profiles. Bryant stands at 6'2/204 and ran a 4.61-second Forty at the combine. Thomas measured in at 6'3/212 and clocked a 4.57-second Forty. Though the two have similar physical characteristics, Thomas was known for his proficiency from the slot while Bryant primarily played on the outside as a field-stretcher at Illinois. Bryant’s transition to slot duties may take some time, but third-round draft capital makes him worth a shot in dynasty leagues.
Colts EDGE Samson Ebukam (Achilles) said he is expected to be cleared for training camp.
Ebukam suffered a torn Achilles in training camp last year and did not play in the 2024 season. He broke out in 2023 with a career-high 9.5 sacks in his first season with the Colts. He now has one year left on his deal and will be looking for a rebound season as he stares down free agency in 2026