NFL Fantasy Football Reactions: Week 17

Happy New Year to all. For those who were in fantasy championships, hopefully fate was on your side. To others who didn't have the best fantasy season, we'll expect that next year will bring better fortune. Let's look at Sunday's NFL action. 

Reactions

• The Ravens continued their destruction of the better teams in the NFL. Although Miami had an early 10-7 lead, Baltimore outscored the Dolphins 49-9 the rest of the way. Lamar Jackson had a signature performance. Jackson wasn't needed as a runner, but he passed for 321 yards and five touchdowns. In the last two weeks, Jackson has made himself the front runner in the MVP race. Two of those scoring strikes went to Isaiah Likely — his only grabs of the day. Zay Flowers caught a 75-yard touchdown pass to give him a solid fantasy day. Surprisingly, Justice Hill  not only scored a touchdown, but surpassed 100 scrimmage yards. Those who started Gus Edwards certainly can't complain. The bruising runner added 66 yards and a touchdown in the blowout. Baltimore clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC, so for those who play in leagues that run through Week 18, be aware that it's possible the Ravens rest starters for some or all of next week's game against the Steelers.
• After Miami had its first victory of the season against a good team last week, it crashed to earth this week. It wasn't a total loss for fantasy managers, though. De'Von Achane had the team's best fantasy performance with 137 scrimmage yards and a TD. Despite Tua Tagovailoa throwing a pair of INTs, he had a respectable afternoon with a pair of passing scores and 237 yards. Finally, Tyreek Hill had a floor game with six catches for 76 yards. Next week, the Dolphins play host to the Bills with the winner earning the division title.
• There's nothing easy about making a cross-country trip and playing at peak capacity. The Rams also had the dreaded East Coast game in which they had to play at a time that was early for their natural body clocks. That may have been a factor in barely beating the Giants. In addition to winning, their main producers played well for fantasy. It's possible the passing attack would have had a huge performance, but Kyren Williams ran in three of the Rams' four touchdowns. Williams also had 101 scrimmage yards. Otherwise, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua had high-floor performances. For the fifth game in a row, Demarcus Robinson exceeded expectations. The veteran receiver led the team with 10 targets, catching six passes for 92 yards. Without knowing all the details of NFL tiebreakers, Los Angeles most likely needs to beat the 49ers to guarantee a playoff spot. However, there likely will be plenty of scenarios that get them into the playoff field even if they lose.
• It's been a rough season for the Giants. They already have 11 losses. Regardless, they have played competitive football throughout December. They were a two-point conversion away from possibly knocking off the Rams. I recommended Tyrod Taylor as a cheap DFS option this week. Although it wasn't always pretty, the veteran signal caller passed for 319 yards with a touchdown while also rushing for 40 yards. The only other skill-position players to have impressive performances were Darius Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson. Robinson scored a rushing touchdown on a trick play and recorded 79 scrimmage yards. Slayton scored while posting 106 receiving yards. New York travels to Philadelphia next week, and it would be surprising if they didn't give everything they had to deal their division rival a loss to end the regular season.
• After not playing great football in recent weeks, the Cardinals went into Philadelphia with a purpose. Although they trailed 21-6 going into halftime, they outscored the Eagles 29-10  in the last 30 minutes to pull off the upset. The victory has the potential to take Arizona out of the mix for a top-2 pick in the 2024 draft. The star of the game was James Conner.  The veteran ball carrier recorded 133 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. This was the fourth game in a row that Conner was an excellent fantasy option. Also, Kyler Murray fired three touchdown passes despite moderate yardage totals. Finally, after being the key to the passing attack in recent weeks, Trey McBride was not the leading receiver. Those honors went to Greg Dortch, who cut all seven targets for 82 yards. The Cardinals will finish this season next week at home against the Seahawks. don't be surprised if they come out with another strong offensive effort.
• I imagine the level of panic for the Eagles' postseason hopes is reaching a critical level. Many of their losses came to some of the league's better teams. That wasn't the case this week. Playing at home, they fell apart in the second half, blowing a 15-point lead and losing to the Cardinals. Although Jalen Hurts fired three touchdown passes, his yardage totals were ordinary. No other Philly player had more than 61 yards from scrimmage. It's unlikely that many fantasy players benefited from Julio Jones scoring touchdowns on both of his receptions, as the veteran is rostered in few fantasy leagues. Next week, Philadelphia travels to the Giants. Even though the Eagles need a strong performance to win the NFC East, it's far from a foregone conclusion that they will do well.
• In a game that Indianapolis needed to stay alive in the playoff race, it held on to overcome the Raiders. Indy was led by Jonathan Taylor, who posted 104 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown. Otherwise, Alec Pierce led the receivers by catching one pass for a 58-yard touchdown. Even the typically reliable Michael Pittman was held to a moderate stat line. The star receiver caught five passes for 46 yards. It's possible that the Colts put up some offensive fireworks next week in the regular-season finale at home against the Texans.
• The Raiders were coming off a big victory last week against the Chiefs and still had hopes of making the playoffs as they went to Indianapolis this week. Despite remaining competitive, they came up short. However, fantasy players who trusted Davante Adams and Zamir White were satisfied. It was Adams who had the monster game, catching 13 of 21 targets for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Although White didn't have a huge performance, he tallied 106 scrimmage yards and five receptions. It's reasonable to expect that Las Vegas will continue to play at its highest level to end the season next week against the Broncos.
• Garbage time can be a beautiful part of the fantasy football experience. In their game against the Saints, the Buccaneers were mostly horrible on offense. Tampa Bay was shut out the first three quarters, but with the game out of hand, Baker Mayfield turned it loose in the passing game. Mayfield ended up throwing for more than 300 yards and two touchdowns. Surprisingly, the leading receiver was Trey Palmer, who recorded 84 yards and a touchdown. Not far behind was Chris Godwin with 81 yards and a score. Otherwise, both Mike Evans and Rachaad White had moderate floor performances. The Buccaneers likely will need to win next week at home against the Panthers to secure a playoff spot.
• New Orleans stayed alive in its quest to make the playoffs by winning at Tampa Bay. The only player with more than 60 scrimmage yards was Juwan Johnson. The tight end saw 12 targets, which was more than twice the total of any teammate. Johnson posted 90 yards and a touchdown. Those who chose to stream him had one of the top tight-end performances of the week. Next week, the Saints play host to the Falcons, and they'll need a win to have any chance of making the playoffs.
• The Bears have been a solid football team during the second half of the year. Justin Fields continues to make his case to be the team's long-term answer at quarterback. He passed for 268 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 45 yards and another score. With D'Onta Foreman inactive for the second week in a row, Khalil Herbert posted his second consecutive game with more than 100 rushing yards and a touchdown. If Chicago chooses to start Herbert next week against the Packers, he could end the season with another solid performance. Finally, DJ Moore had another signature performance. His 159 yards was one of his better yardage totals of the season, and he also scored another touchdown. I assume Moore will be drafted in the top 24 of most fantasy drafts next season. 
• The Falcons are a terrible road team. It was no different in their trip to Chicago. Their leading receiver was Tyler Allgeier,  who caught a screen pass for a 75-yard touchdown. Otherwise, Bijan Robinson recorded 86 scrimmage yards with three receptions. Nobody knows what will happen with this team in the offseason, but many fantasy managers will hope Atlanta fires coach Arthur Smith. On a team with three players who should be offensive superstars, this season felt like a waste of their talents.
• Fantasy managers who started the Buffalo defense were handsomely rewarded. The defense and special teams scored a touchdown while intercepting three passes. The Bills also added three sacks and a fumble recovery. In terms of fantasy, Dalton Kincaid was the only player, aside from Josh Allen, to post double-digit points. Unfortunately, Kincaid had been a non-factor the last few weeks and probably was on many fantasy football benches. Both Stefon Diggs, James Cook and Gabe Davis had fewer than seven PPR points. Next week, Buffalo will travel to Miami to play for the division title. 
• Despite scoring 21 points against Buffalo, the New England offense did little for fantasy. The only non-quarterback to reach double-digit PPR points was Ezekiel Elliott.  The veteran running back scored a touchdown to give him 11.5 PPR points. Don't be surprised to see New England struggle in its season finale at home against the Jets next week.
• Jacksonville took advantage of a home game against the worst team in the league. It shut out the Panthers 26-0.  However, it was not a big day for most of the Jaguars' offensive players. The matchup couldn't have been much better for Travis Etienne.  Even though he has struggled behind a terrible offensive line this year, his talent was more than enough to overcome the Carolina defense. The young running back turned 18 touches into 118 yards and two touchdowns. Hopefully, fantasy managers didn't make the mistake of benching him. In Week 18, the Jaguars will have a must-win game to make the playoffs. That said, playing at Tennessee might not be the easiest matchup. Hopefully, Jacksonville will get Trevor Lawrence back from injury. His return would potentially raise the scoring floor of the team's receiving options.
• It was disappointing for fantasy players to see the Texans' win big, but post little offensive production. Nico Collins had the best day of all Houston players. The third-year receiver caught seven passes for 80 yards. Also, Devin Singletary provided his investors with a solid floor game. The running back totaled 86 scrimmage yards and three receptions. Those who started Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown received little production in return. It should be noted that Brown left the game early due to injury.
• The season cannot end quickly enough for Tennessee. Its only player to post double-digit fantasy points was DeAndre Hopkins. The Titans' top receiving weapon caught all seven targets for 72 yards. Fantasy managers who started any other player on this team were likely disappointed. Also, it certainly didn't help that Will Levis was knocked out early in the game with an injury.
• To the surprise of nobody, the Commanders scored 10 points at home against the 49ers. Fantasy managers who started Terry McLaurin were treated to a 61-yard, one-touchdown performance. In addition, Brian Robinson had a respectable game and PPR leagues, as he totaled 76 scrimmage yards and four catches. Otherwise, there was little production by the offense. The Commanders will play out the string next week at home against the Cowboys.
• The big news for the 49ers was that Christian McCaffrey was unable to finish the game with a calf injury. It's unclear as to whether he could have returned. Despite scoring 27 points, the only regular contributor on this offense to perform well was Brandon Aiyuk. The receiver posted 114 yards and a touchdown. The next best offensive option was likely one who wasn't in many lineups. Elijah Mitchell stepped in for McCaffrey, rushing 17 times for 80 yards and a touchdown. The 49ers will finish out the regular season next week at home against the Rams. It's possible the 49ers rest some players in that game, as they have secured the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs.
• In what was almost a must-win game for the Seahawks, they were unable to hold off the Steelers, despite the game being played in Seattle. Geno Smith (290 passing yards) and DK Metcalf (106 receiving yards) had solid, high-floor performances. The lone Seahawk to have a strong outing was Kenneth Walker, who battled through a shoulder injury on his way to 75 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. They'll need a win and some help next week to make the NFL playoffs.
• In the last two weeks, third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph led the Steelers to a pair of wins to keep their playoff hopes alive. For the second week in a row, George Pickens ( seven catches, 131 yards) was an excellent fantasy option. Although both Pittsburgh running backs played very well, Najee Harris had his best game of the year with 122 yards and a pair of TDs. Jaylen Warren 'only' had one score, but he posted 98 yards. The Steelers may catch a break next week if the Ravens choose to rest players after clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. If that's the case, the Steelers could have another productive game on offense.
• This was a different version of the Chiefs than we saw early in the season. In beating the Bengals and clinching the AFC West, they did so by leaning on Isiah Pacheco (165 scrimmage yards and one TD) and Rashee Rice (five catches, 127 yards). The biggest shock was that despite playing one of the worst defenses against tight ends, Travis Kelce caught three passes for 16 yards. If the Chiefs play their starters next week, Kelce should be able to go over 1,000 yards for the season yet again. Otherwise, since Week 10, Patrick Mahomes has been outside the top-12 QBs in fantasy.
• Those who started Joe Mixon in a good matchup against the Chiefs were likely pleased with him posting 87 scrimmage yards and a TD. Otherwise, every other non-QB had fewer than 7.2 PPR points, and that included Ja'Marr Chase (who was less than 100 percent with a shoulder injury) and Tee Higgins (who left the game for a while with a hamstring inury). With the team being eliminated from the playoffs, I wouldn't be shocked if any players who have some type of injury are rested next week against the Browns.
• The season can't end quickly enough for the Chargers, who lost to Denver. In a potentially great matchup, Austin Ekeler had 50 scrimmage yards and just one reception. With all of the injuries and overall lack of production, Alex Erickson was the most productive player with seven catches and 98 yards.
• After playing well in the middle of the season, the Broncos were officially eliminated from playoff contention despite beating the Chargers. You know things aren't going well when the best producers were Jaleel McLaughlin and Lil'Jordan Humphrey.

Injuries

The following players injured and did not return:

• Christian McCaffrey injured his calf. it's unclear as to whether he could have returned because the game was out of hand. Elijah Mitchell took over as the lead back.
• Alvin Kamara suffered an ankle injury. 
• DeVonta Smith was in a walking boot after the Eagles' game.
• Noah Brown sustained a hip injury.
• DeVante Parker hurt his ribs.
• Juwan Johnson injured his shoulder. 
• Will Levis suffered a foot injury. Ryan Tannehill finished the game.