Trashman’s Fantasy Fallout Going Into Week 17 of the 2024 NFL Season

It’s our last week to delve into possible action items stemming from the previous weeks’ games. Take these options with a grain of salt, as you should already have most of your lineups locked in. If you’re in need though, these moves can help carry you to fantasy gold in Week 17. Here’s the fallout…

 

Texans- 19 @ Chiefs – 27

• Tank Dell is out for the season with a torn ACL. It’s another tragic ending to the season for Dell, who suffered a similar fate in his rookie season. Robert Woods will likely see the biggest boost as the no.2 receiver in a great matchup with Baltimore this week, while John Metchie and Xavier Hutchison will see more targets too. Dalton Schultz(5/45/1) is in play as a streaming TE too. 

 

• Xavier Worthy(7/65/1) is the no.1 WR for the Chiefs. Make sure he’s in lineups his week. Hollywood Brown(5/45) had 8 targets his first game back though, and should continue to be involved heavily in WK17. DeAndre Hopkins(4/37) is the wildcard here. He’s not getting enough targets to start this week. 

 

• Kareem Hunt(13/79/1) outplayed Isiah Pacheco(9/25), who’s underwhelmed since returning from injury. He doesn’t have a great matchup with the Steelers this week, but Hunt looks like the better play compared to Pacheco. 

 

Broncos – 27 @ Chargers – 34

• Marvin Mims(3/62) led the Broncos in receiving, but he was 3rd in targets(5) behind Javonte Williams(11) and Courtland Sutton(6). Mims played 47% of snaps and has been getting more involved in the offense, but he’s not really an option in the fantasy championships. 

 

• Javonte Williams(11/53) had double-digit touches, thanks to his 7 touches, while Audric Estime(9/48/1) out touched him on the ground. Both players have flex appeal this week, but hopefully you have better options. 

 

• Gus Edwards(15/71/2) finally had a game worth writing home about, but it probably happened on your benches. He has a great matchup with New England this week and the lead back job secured. He’s well worth starting if you’re unsure elsewhere. 

 

Steelers – 17 @ Ravenss – 34

• The Steelers offense was woefully inefficient on Saturday. Calvin Austin(4/65) led the team in receiving and could do so again this week, if George Pickens misses again. Pickens is doing individual drills, so there’s a real chance he plays, but if not, Austin will be targeted extensively against a KC team that is the best in the league against the run. 

 

• Rashod Bateman(1/14/1) scored again, but his generally low yardage totals make him a hard sell in fantasy. He’s got a plus matchup with the Texans this week, but if he doesn’t score, it’s likely he’ll ruin your chances at winning a championship. 

 

Eagles – 33 @ Commanders – 36

• Jalen Hurts left the game in the 1st quarter with a concussion and will have to clear protocol this week to play the Cowboys. Kenny Pickett(14/143/1/1) played decently in his stead and will get the start if Hurts can’t go. 23 of 25 team targets went to AJ Brown(8/97/1) and Devonta Smith(6/51), so they’re still in play if Pickett starts, but their upsides are somewhat limited. 

 

• Olamide Zaccheaus(5/70/2) led the Commanders in receiving on a day when Dyami Brown also left with a hamstring injury. If Brown can’t return this week, Zaccheaus has some juice as the no.2 opposite Terry McLaurin in  a top 5 WR matchup with the Falcons.

 

• Jamison Crowder(2/15/2) also scored twice, but had no action other than his 2 TD grabs. He’ll only be an option in the deepest of leagues, if Brown is out. 

 

Rams – 19 @ Jets – 9

• Cooper Kupp(3/24) is failing fantasy owners. If he didn’t tank you last week, he probably sank you on Sunday with his piss poor outing. If you’re still alive with him on your team, he has a better matchup with Arizona this week, but he’s more of a flex play than anything else. 

 

• Garrett Wilson(6/54) wants the ball more, but Aaron Rodgers clearly favors Davante Adams(7/68/1), who had 13 targets to Wilson’s 7. Both WRs will need to be utilized thoroughly to keep close with the Bills this week. 

 

Titans – 30 @ Colts – 38

• Chig Okonkwo(9/81) is thriving with Mason Rudolph under center. He’s got a top 10 matchup with Jacksonville this week and could buoy a lot of fantasy teams in the championships. 

 

• Tyjae Spears(13/66/2) has feasted in his last 2 appearances. Tony Pollard out gained him on the ground, but Spears got the scores. If you’ve ridden Pollard this far, it makes sense to use him this week, but Spears is just as viable a play. 

 

• The Colts resolved to feed Jonathan Taylor on Sunday, giving him 29 carries while throwing the ball only 11 times. They won, so you could say the approach was a success. Josh Downs(3/61/1) did lead the Colts in receiving though and should be a decent play against a bad Giants team this week. All hands off everyone else. 

 

Lions – 34 @ Bears – 17

• The loss of David Montgomery has boosted the fantasy production of all the other skill players, so start them all confidently this week. Craig Reynolds didn’t get the usage I’d hoped on Sunday, but you weren’t going to play him in the playoffs anyway. 

 

• The Bears 3 starting WRs all produced in PPR formats on Sunday, but the Bears just aren’t scoring enough to play any of them with confidence this week. Chicago hasn’t scored more than 27 points in a game since WK6. Keenan Allen is startable this week though, as the clear cut no.1 

 

Cardinals – 30 @ Panthers – 36

• It’s crazy to think that Trey McBride hasn’t scored a TD this season. He had the worst output in a single game he’s played this season on Sunday, so look for him to bounce back and for the team to get him his TD this week. 

 

• Marvin Harrison(4/39) can’t be played this week. He’s getting targets, sure, but he just isn’t doing enough with them 

 

• He wasn’t particularly noteworthy, but Adam Thielen(5/43/1) continues to put up solid fantasy numbers with Bryce Young. If there’s a WR on a bad team that you can count on in WK17, it’s Thielen. 

 

Giants – 7 @ Falcons – 34

• Malik Nabers(7/68) and Wan’Dale Robinson(7/62) are getting major targets(14 and 12) with Drew Lock under center, but they aren’t yielding significant results for the most part. They’re fine starts in 1 pt PPR formats, but not very attractive elsewhere. 

 

• Michael Penix wasn’t amazing in his first NFL start, but he didn’t lose the game either. Limited to short throws by his OC, Penix kept (Darnell Mooney viable(5/82). Mooney actually fits better with this scheme than Drake London(5/59). Both will be options this week, but I honestly like Mooney better. 

 

Browns – 6 @Bengals – 24

• Jerome Ford(16/131/1) put up RB1 numbers with Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center. He’s a strong play this week against a middling Miami front. 

 

• David Njoku(8/66) served as a safety blanket for DTR getting 10 targets on the day. Along with Ford, Njoku is the only other fantasy viable Brown this week. 

 

• (3/53/1) put up a nice line on Sunday but he only had 3 targets on the day. Chase and Higgins are the only Bengals pass-catchers you can roll with this week. 

 

Vikings – 27 @ Seahawks – 24

• Jordan Addison(5/35/1) didn’t explode compared to Justin Jefferson, but he found the end zone nonetheless. He’s been playing well enough to flex this week against a GB team he scored twice on and put up 72 yards against in WK4.

 

• TJ Hockenson(2/27) was mediocre, and has been for weeks, but he’s still averaging 6 targets a game. Here’s hoping he scores this week, as he’s hard not to play in an extremely shallow TE field. 

 

• DK Metcalf(3/57/1) managed to salvage a decent fantasy day, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba is undoubtedly the no.1 target in Seattle these days. With Jaylen Johnson on his plate this week, Metcalf isn’t an advised start. That being said, it’ll be hard to sit him in the championships.

 

49ers – 17 @ Dolphins – 29

• Patrick Taylor(9/24) fizzled in his start against a ho-hum Miami run defense. If Isacc guerendo(hamstring) can’t go this week, Taylor should be left on benches unless absolutely necessary. Detroit has a top 5 run defense. 

 

• Malik Washington(3/28) didn’t do much to instill confidence as Jaylen Waddle’s replacement on Sunday, but I know the young man has it in him to do major damage. That being said, you can’t rely on such things in the fantasy championships. 

 

Jaguars – 14 @ Raiders – 19

• We saw the return of Tank Bigsby(13/51/1) on Sunday, as he led the Jaguar backfield. It seems like he and Travis Etienne(11/37) trade off weeks as the bell-cow back, but Bigsby should take the reins again this week, as the Jags go up against Tennessee. Bigsby was the preferred back in that matchup only 3 weeks ago. 

 

• Brenton Strange(2/22) let us all down, as we talked him up all week on the radio. He’ll be hard to trust this week in a tough matchup with the Titans, who cover TEs pretty well. Bran Thomas Jr., and Bigsby are my only advised Jaguar plays in WK17. 

 

• Both Ameer Abdullah(18/85/1) and Alexander Mattison(16/56/1) found the endzone in WK16. Should Sincere McCormick sit again this week, both Abdullah and Mattison are decent flex options against a weak Saints front. The Raiders just don’t have enough firepower otherwise. 

 

Patriots – 21 @ Bills – 24

• Kayshon Boutte(5/95/1) led the Patriots receiving corps in WK16. He’s averaged 6 targets a game over his last 3, and he makes for an intriguing deep league flex this week against the Chargers. 

 

• The Bills offense was stagnant on Sunday, outside of the run game, James Cook in particular. It makes me gun shy for any Bills pass-catchers this week, especially as they face the Jets’ stingy secondary. Dalton Kincaid(4/15) led in targets on Sunday, and should do so again this week. 

 

Buccaneers – 24 @ Cowboys – 26

• Jalen McMillan(5/57/1) has scored 4 TDs in his last 3 games, as the no.2 WR for the Bucs. Only owned in 45% of leagues, I would add him in any format I could as a flex play this week against the Panthers. 

 

• Rico Dowdle(16/51) provided a middling fantasy line for owners, despite getting the lion’s share of touches in the backfield. He’ll have a devastatingly tough matchup with the Eagles’ 2nd ranked run defense this week, so play him sparingly. I expect the Cowboys to go pass-heavy this week. 

 

• Joey Ferguson(6/40) led the team with 9 targets on Sunday night, despite not accumulating much yardage. He’ll be a fine play this week, as the Cowboys will avoid running the ball directly at the Eagles.