NFL Sleeper Top Picks & Plays for Week 17 Sunday Featuring Ezekiel Elliott and More!
Only two weeks in the regular season remain, and a big chunk of those games go down today. There’s no Monday Night Football this week, so we’re looking to make the most out of these afternoon games after a very exciting Thursday night slate that saw the legend of Joe Flacco grow larger than life (even if he was falling asleep on the sidelines).
As you may know, we’ve joined forces with our friends at Sleeper to introduce their Sleeper Picks feature. With Sleeper Picks, you can choose from a variety of players and stat lines, choose whether that player will have more or less than the given stat, and combine your picks for a chance to increase your payout. If you build enough, you can even multiply your entry up to 100x! We went two of three on Thursday night, so let’s keep it going into today.
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Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots
With Rhamondre Stevenson being placed on injured reserve earlier this week the Patriots backfield firmly belongs to Ezekiel Elliott. Not only has he been getting the carries, but his work in the receiving game has been huge, seeing 25 targets over the last three weeks. The Buffalo Bills are allowing an average of 5.4 receptions per game to the running back position, with Elliott averaging over six yards per catch, so he should easily reach this mark today.
Pick: Ezekiel Elliott more than 27.5 receiving yards (1.77x)
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints
This mark seems ridiculously low against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On the season, the Bucs are allowing 210 yards per game to the wide receiver position and even if Chris Olave sees the majority of that today, Shaheed isn’t going to be left out. While his target share hasn’t been huge, he is seeing an average target distance of 14.9 yards, good for ninth in the NFL, so he could beat this mark with just two catches. It’s a great matchup in and must-win game, and I think he well exceeds this number.
Rashid Shaheed more than 33.5 receiving yards (1.74x)
DJ Moore, Chicago Bears
With Darnell Mooney already ruled out and Cole Kmet questionable to suit up, this Bears passing offense is going to run through DJ Moore. He may face more double coverage than usual, but he is exceptionally good against man coverage, averaging 2.66 fantasy points per target. The Falcons have given up quite a few points when in man coverage, so even if he gets more attention, he should still be able to exploit them. I’m seeing double-digit targets for him today, putting him well on the way for more than 4.5 receptions.
Pick: DJ Moore more than 4.5 receptions (1.53x)
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Player News
49ers signed No. 11 pick EDGE Mykel Williams to a four-year contract.
The deal is worth $24.9 million and is fully guaranteed. As is the case with all first-round picks, his contract includes a fifth-year option. The 49ers shed hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts this offseason and the bulk of those savings came on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive end was an obvious position of need and Williams was widely regarded as the best pass-rusher on the board when 49ers GM John Lynch was on the clock. Williams totaled five sacks in 2024 and left Georgia with 14 sacks across three seasons as a starter.
Vikings signed No. 24 pick OG Donovan Jackson to a four-year contract.
It’s a fully guaranteed deal worth $17.2 million with a fifth-year team option. Minnesota taking Jackson with the 24th-overall pick came as a bit of a surprise on draft night, but the Vikings needed offensive line help and Jackson was considered worthy of a first-round pick by some draftniks. He was primarily a left guard at Ohio State but successfully kicked out to tackle for the bulk of his senior season. Jackson is likely fated for guard duties in Minnesota, but the positional versatility remains a plus.
Titans claimed Anfernee Orji off waivers from the Saints.
Orji played primarily on special teams in New Orleans but was credited with two starts across 16 appearances. He totaled 30 combined tackles and a pair of TFLs. Orji will need to continue seeing work on special teams to make the Titans’ roster.
Patriots signed RB Trayveon Williams, formerly of the Bengals.
Henderson was passed on the Cincinnati depth chart by Chase Brown last year and the team even traded for Khalil Herbert midseason. Despite having no role on offense, Williams was active for all 17 games as a special teamer. He will likely hold a similar role in New England if he cracks the team’s 53-man roster.
Free agent RB Jordan Mims worked out for the Patriots.
The Pats also worked out former Bengals running back Trayveon Williams. Mims ran 20 times for 70 yards in 2024 while adding 12 catches for 71 yards through the air. He also got some run on special teams. The Patriots are looking for some extra depth at running back, but there isn’t room for another fantasy-relevant option behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson.
Jaguars signed TE Quintin Morris, formerly of the Bills, to a one-year contract.
Morris is purely a blocking tight end. He caught just 15 passes during his three years with the Bills, though he did manage to find the end zone three times. Morris will back up Brenton Strange in Jacksonville.