The final week of the season is here. And, unfortunately, some Fantasy owners are as confused as ever. That's because the hard part about playing in Week 17 is knowing if your stars are going to play or not.
The NFL teams that have clinched their playoff spots might decide to rest some starters, and Atlanta (No. 1 seed in the NFC), Indianapolis (No. 5 seed in the AFC) and Cincinnati (No. 6 seed in the AFC) can't change their fate by winning or losing Sunday. Our expectation is the Falcons give their regulars minimal action, the Colts go all out for the majority of the game and the Bengals play about a half.
That, along with injuries -- Matt Forte, Trent Richardson, Cecil Shorts, Mike Wallace, Vernon Davis and Heath Miller are among several stars who could sit in Week 17 -- leaves Fantasy owners still alive scrambling for options. As always, we're here to help.
You might also be looking for a free agent DST option in Week 17, and the two we like best that could be available are the Chargers (64 percent) vs. the Raiders and the Bills (36 percent) vs. the Jets.
Editor's note: We're going with a modified version of Playing the Waiver Wire this week so add these players where needed for the final week of the season. The ownership percentage listed is how many leagues that player was owned in the previous week for CBSSports.com.
Quarterbacks
Add: Jay Cutler, Bears (69
percent), Russell Wilson, Seahawks (62
percent), Michael Vick, Eagles (54
percent), Chad Henne, Jaguars (23
percent), Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins (20
percent)
The breakdown: Here's how we would rank the
quarterbacks for Week 17: Wilson, Vick, Cutler, Henne, Tannehill. ... We
doubt Wilson is available in most standard formats at this point, but in
10-team leagues or smaller some owners might not have fully bought in
before his performance in Week 16. He dropped 30 Fantasy points against
San Francisco, and he should finish the season strong against the Rams.
He has at least 20 Fantasy points in four of his past five home games.
... Vick will start for the injured Nick Foles
(hand), and this is his final audition for a starting job in 2013. He
had 19 Fantasy points against the Giants in Week 4, and the Giants have
allowed 58 Fantasy points the past two games against Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco with five
touchdowns and no interceptions. ... Cutler might have to carry the
Bears with Forte (ankle) banged up, and the Lions have allowed nine
quarterbacks to score at least 18 Fantasy points. Consider Cutler a
high-end No. 2 option in two-quarterback formats. ... Henne and
Tannehill should also be considered as starters in two-quarterback
leagues. Henne plays the Titans, who have allowed at least 20 Fantasy
points to three of the past five quarterbacks they have faced, including
Henne in Week 12. We would like Henne a lot more if Shorts (concussion)
were able to play. ... Tannehill has 46 Fantasy points the past two
weeks against the Jaguars and Bills, and he has five touchdowns in his
past three games. He also hasn't thrown an interception since Week 12,
and he's playing well. He might get some garbage production at New
England this week.
Running Backs
Add: Joique Bell, Lions (65
percent), Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers
(63 percent), Ben Tate, Texans (57
percent), Mark Ingram, Saints (52
percent), Montell Owens, Jaguars (32
percent), Jackie Battle, Chargers (22
percent), Montario Hardesty, Browns (11
percent), Bernard Pierce, Ravens (11
percent), Ryan Grant, Packers (7
percent), Lamar Miller, Dolphins (4
percent), Cedric Peerman, Bengals (3
percent), DuJuan Harris, Packers (3
percent), Jason Snelling, Falcons (1
percent), Kahlil Bell, Bears (0 percent)
The
breakdown: Here's how we would rank the running backs for Week 17:
Ingram, Mendenhall, Owens, Joique Bell,
Pierce, Kahlil Bell, Tate, Grant,
Battle, Peerman, Hardesty, Snelling, Miller, Harris ... The Saints
continue to rely on Ingram, and he continues to produce. He has three
touchdowns in his past four games with at least six Fantasy points in
each of those outings. He faces the Panthers in Week 17, and he scored
against Carolina in Week 2. ... Mendenhall should be the primary back
for the Steelers in the season finale against the Browns after he had 11
carries for 50 yards in Week 16 against the Bengals. In the past three
games the Browns have allowed five rushing touchdowns and three running
backs to gain at least 90 total yards. ... Owens had over 100 total
yards in Week 16 against New England and now has double digits in
Fantasy points in two of his past three games. The Titans just allowed
three rushing touchdowns to the Packers with Grant gaining 114 total
yards. ... Joique Bell has emerged as
the second-best receiver for the Lions behind Calvin Johnson. He has 19 catches in his past four games, and he has
at least eight Fantasy points in four of his past five outings. ... If
the Ravens decide to give Ray Rice some
rest in Week 17 at Cincinnati then Pierce could shine. He had 14 carries
for 123 yards in a blowout effort against the Giants in Week 16 and is
capable of another solid outing against the Bengals. ... Kahlil Bell and Hardesty are injury replacements for the Bears and
Browns, respectively. We could see Bell having a solid game in Week 17
against the Lions, who have allowed seven touchdowns to opposing running
backs since Week 12. We would likely avoid Hardesty if possible against
the Steelers. ... Tate could be a star in Week 17 at Indianapolis if the
Texans decide to rest Arian Foster, who
dealt with a minor heart condition in Week 16 against the Vikings. All
signs point toward Foster playing against the Colts, but Tate is worth
keeping an eye on. ... Grant played well against the Titans with Alex Green (concussion) out, and Harris scored. That was a blowout
performance, but we can't see the Vikings laying down like the Titans.
Also, Minnesota was stout against Foster before he left the game, and
the Vikings haven't allowed a rushing touchdown for the past three
games. Grant is a flex option at best. ... Battle has a great chance to
score against the Raiders in Week 17 since Oakland has allowed 14
rushing touchdowns to running backs this year. Battle led the Chargers
in carries in Week 16 at the Jets with 19. By comparison, Ronnie Brown had five carries and Curtis Brinkley had one. ... Peerman could get increased carries if
the Bengals pull BenJarvus Green-Ellis
early in Week 17 against Baltimore, but he's a risky option. The same
goes for Snelling against Tampa Bay, although we would expect Jacquizz Rodgers to see the most action once Michael Turner rests. If Rodgers (73 percent ownership) is still out
there then add him over Snelling.
Wide Receivers
Add: Santana Moss, Redskins (63
percent), Brandon LaFell, Panthers (43
percent), Greg Little, Browns (22
percent), Randy Moss, 49ers (21 percent), Emmanuel Sanders, Steelers (14 percent), Jason Avant, Eagles (9 percent), Riley Cooper,
Eagles (5 percent), Doug Baldwin,
Seahawks (4 percent), Jordan Shipley,
Jaguars (0 percent)
The breakdown: There aren't great options
at receiver in Week 17, but here's how we would rank them: Randy Moss, Avant, Santana Moss,
Baldwin, Little, LaFell, Sanders, Shipley, Cooper. ... Randy Moss has a chance to be a hero for the 49ers with Mario Manningham (knee) out and Davis (concussion) banged up. Moss
had six targets in Week 16 at Seattle and scored against the Cardinals,
his Week 17 opponent, in Week 8. ... Avant, Cooper or Jeremy Maclin will have a field day if matched up against Giants
cornerback Corey Webster. We like Maclin
the best, but Avant has at least seven catches in two of his past three
games. And Cooper has a touchdown in two of his past four games. All the
Eagles will benefit with Vick back under center. ... Santana Moss had four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown at Dallas in
Week 12, and he faces the Cowboys again in Week 17. He has at least
seven Fantasy points in each of his past five meetings with Dallas,
including three touchdowns over that span. ... Baldwin just scored two
touchdowns against the 49ers in Week 16 on a season-high six targets.
He's worth the gamble that he gets hot heading into the playoffs. ...
Little has at least seven Fantasy points in each of his past three
games, and he scored a touchdown in Week 16 at Denver. But he's facing
the Steelers in Week 17, and he had one catch for 6 yards against
Pittsburgh in Week 12. He also has Colt McCoy
at quarterback with Brandon Weeden
(shoulder) hurt. ... LaFell had seven targets in Week 16 against
Oakland, which is a good sign that he might be over his toe injury even
if he finished with just five catches for 38 yards. Still, he's facing
the Saints in Week 17, and he had six catches for 90 yards against New
Orleans in Week 2, which was one of nine secondary receivers to reach at
least nine Fantasy points against the Saints this year. ... Sanders
could see an increased role if Wallace (hip) is out. If Joe Haden matches up with Antonio Brown
then Sanders could see an uptick in targets. ... Shipley played well
against the Patriots in Week 16 with five catches for 82 yards on 10
targets. With Shorts out he could be heavily involved again in Week 17
at the Titans.
Tight Ends
Add: Jacob Tamme, Broncos (47
percent), Dwayne Allen, Colts (21
percent), Delanie Walker, 49ers (0
percent)
The breakdown: Here's how we would rank the tight
ends for Week 17: Allen, Walker, Tamme. ... Since Week 11 the Texans
have allowed at least seven Fantasy points to five tight ends, including
Allen in Week 15 when he had three catches for 36 yards and a touchdown.
There's a good chance he could score again. ... Walker will likely
replace Davis, and he has been productive even with Davis active. He has
a touchdown in each of his past two games, and he has at least seven
Fantasy points in three of his past five outings. ... Tamme gets the
Chiefs in Week 17, and he scored against Kansas City in Week 12.
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