We're waiting to find out the status of Raiders running back Josh Jacobs and if he'll play in Week 17. If he's out, DeAndre Washington is a must-start running back in all leagues.
Jacobs is dealing with the ongoing shoulder injury he's had for the past few weeks. He missed Week 14 against Tennessee and Week 16 at the Chargers, and Washington was a star in his place.
Oakland has a slim chance to make the playoffs with a win at Denver in Week 17 and some help from other teams, so Jacobs likely wants to help the Raiders however he can. The problem is that along with his shoulder injury he also underwent a procedure on his leg this week that the team said was for a "superficial skin infection."
The procedure on his leg reportedly won't impact his availability for Week 17, but we still don't know if he's going to play. At this point, I'd rather see Washington against the Broncos.
The last thing anyone wants is Jacobs to do further damage to his shoulder or suffer another injury heading into the offseason. He's a star in the making for the Raiders, and he's a borderline No. 1 Fantasy running back in all leagues heading into 2020.
Washington proved he can produce at a high level in place of Jacobs against the Titans and Chargers. In those two games, Washington scored at least 18 PPR points with at least 20 total touches in each outing.
He would have the chance for a similar workload and production against the Broncos, who allowed Jacobs to score 23 PPR points in Week 1. I consider Washington a starter in all Fantasy leagues for Week 17 if he starts for Oakland.
We'll see what the Raiders plan to do with Jacobs, and if he plays, hopefully he's at 100 percent. But I'm OK if they keep him out in Week 17 because Washington would be a fantastic sleeper in his place against Denver.
Here are your other sleepers for Week 17, as well as DFS lineups to consider on FanDuel and DraftKings.
Week 17 Sleepers
Mayfield has been among the biggest busts this season, but he should finish the year strong against the Bengals in Week 17. While he only scored 10 Fantasy points against Cincinnati in Week 14, he did beat the Bengals up for 64 Fantasy points in two games in 2018. Cincinnati also allows 23.0 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks for the year, and Ryan Fitzpatrick just had 38 points against the Bengals in Week 16.
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There's no guarantee Griffin plays the whole game for the Ravens with Lamar Jackson resting for the playoffs since Baltimore can also use Trace McSorley. But I would expect Griffin to get most of the playing time, and we'll see if he can thrive in this offense. The Ravens are going to rest a lot of key guys, but maybe Griffin can make some plays with his legs, as well as his arm. He's far from a must-start quarterback in all leagues, but I wouldn't be surprised if he finishes in the top-10 this week, even in a tough matchup with the Steelers.
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Dalton only scored nine Fantasy points against the Browns in Week 14, but I'm counting on his momentum from Week 16 at Miami to carry over to this week. He had 41 Fantasy points against the Dolphins last week, and this is likely his last start as a member of the Bengals since he should be replaced in 2020. Cleveland allows an average of 20.2 Fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks for the season, and Dalton will hopefully go out with a big game at home in Week 17.
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I've put Jones in this spot in each of the past two weeks, and he delivered in Week 16 with 19 PPR points against Houston. He had three catches against the Texans and should continue to be involved in the passing game due to all the injuries at receiver for Tampa Bay. Jones also scored 15 PPR points at Atlanta in Week 12.
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This might be Peterson's last game in the NFL since he's 34 and nothing is guaranteed for his future. One thing we do know is he's been playing well coming into Week 17 with at least 12 PPR points in four games in a row. He has eight games this year with at least 13 carries, and he's scored at least 11 PPR points in seven of those outings. Dallas has allowed a running back to score in each of the past two games.
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Edwards and Justice Hill are worth using this week with Mark Ingram (calf) out. Edwards should get the majority of touches for the Ravens, which could be awesome, even against the Steelers. He's averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and Ingram has scored a touchdown in five of the past seven games. Ingram also scored against the Steelers in Week 5. Hill is more of an option in deeper leagues, but he is someone to consider as a flex, especially in PPR.
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Even though Seattle made headlines this week by signing Marshawn Lynch, as well as Robert Turbin, it should be Homer who has the most touches for the Seahawks now that Chris Carson (hip), C.J. Prosise (arm) and Rashaad Penny (ACL) are out. In Week 16 against Arizona when Carson and Prosise got hurt, Homer had five carries for 16 yards, as well as six catches for 26 yards on eight targets. He's worth using as a flex in PPR against the 49ers, who have allowed three touchdowns to running backs in the past two games.
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Michel has been a regular on the sit list for most of the season, but he should do well this week against the Dolphins. And let's give him credit, he does have over 100 total yards in each of his past two games against the Bengals and Bills. However, he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 7, which has been frustrating, and the Patriots continue to use James White and Rex Burkhead to take away touches. I like Burkhead as a sleeper this week, and White should be started in PPR. But Michel should do well also, and he had 21 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown at Miami in Week 2.
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There are reports that indicate the Rams will rest some key starters this week who have dealt with injuries this season since Los Angeles is out of playoff contention. One of those guys could be Todd Gurley, who we know has dealt with concerns over his knee all year. With Darrell Henderson (ankle) out, we could see a lot of Brown in Week 17 against the Cardinals. Gurley scored against the Cardinals in Week 13 with 115 total yards, and Brown averaged 5.0 yards per carry on six carries in that game. Brown would be a solid flex play if Gurley is out in Week 17.
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Ward has scored at least 11 PPR points in consecutive games, and he should stay hot against the Giants this week, especially if Nelson Agholor (knee) remains out as expected. In his past two games, he has 14 targets for 11 catches, 132 yards and a touchdown. He would also benefit if Zach Ertz (ribs) can't go.
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Sims has scored at least 15 PPR points in consecutive games for Washington, with 21 targets over that span. He had five catches for 45 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets in Week 15 against Philadelphia, and then he had six catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns on 10 targets in Week 16 against the Giants. He would also see a boost in value if Terry McLaurin (concussion) can't play as well.
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Renfrow has scored at least 11 PPR points in four of the past five games he was able to finish, including Week 16 against the Chargers when he had seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. The targets, catches and yards were a season high, and hopefully he'll build on that performance this week against the Broncos.
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I'll stick with Miller for one more week, even after his down game in Week 16 against the Chiefs. He only had one catch for 2 yards on two targets against Kansas City for one PPR point, but prior to that he had at least 11 PPR points in five games in a row. He could easily rebound in Week 17 at Minnesota and remains at least a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.
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I like Tom Brady a lot this week as the Start of the Week, and his receivers should do well against the Dolphins, who allow the most touchdowns to opposing receivers with 27. Julian Edelman is obviously a must-play receiver, but someone from Mohamed Sanu, Harry, Jakobi Meyers or potentially Phillip Dorsett should step up in this matchup. I'll take a flier on Harry, who has scored a touchdown in two of his past five games. Hopefully, he finds the end zone at home in Week 17.
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Ross is the type of receiver you want to use in DFS this week given his upside, and he's coming off a strong game at Miami in Week 16 with six catches for 84 yards on 13 targets. Go back to the beginning of the season when he had 55 PPR points in consecutive games in Weeks 1 and 2 against the Seahawks and 49ers, and that's the type of upside Ross has in this matchup at home.
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Smith is on a nice roll coming into Week 17 against the Texans. He's scored at least 11 PPR points in three games in a row, including 16 PPR points in Week 15 against Houston. He had five catches for 60 yards on five targets in that game, including a 57-yard run. He also could see an uptick in targets if Corey Davis (concussion) is out. I like Smith as a top 10 tight end in Week 17.
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I like Hollister as a No. 1 tight end against the 49ers, and he had 20 PPR points against them in Week 10. He also has at least six targets in three of his past four games. We could see the Seahawks throwing a lot with injuries decimating their entire running back corps, which bodes well for Hollister, Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf this week.
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It's tough to trust Howard given his performance the past two games against Detroit and Houston, but I'll still give him one more chance as a low-end starting option. He has seven targets in each of his past two games and will remain involved in the passing game for Tampa Bay due to the injuries at receiver. Hopefully, this is a game where Jameis Winston and Howard are able to connect for a few big plays.
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DFS LINEUPS
DraftKings
QB - Tom Brady ($6,000) vs. MIA
RB - Christian McCaffrey ($10,000) vs. NO
RB - Damien Williams ($4,700) vs. LAC
WR - Greg Ward ($4,700) at NYG
WR - Steve Sims ($4,700) at DAL
WR - Hunter Renfrow ($4,500) at DEN
TE - Dallas Goedert ($4,900) at NYG
FLEX - Nick Chubb ($7,500) at CIN
DST - Packers ($3,000) at DET
Brady is the Start of the Week for Week 17 given his matchup with the Dolphins, and I hope he can at least replicate the three touchdowns he had against Miami in Week 2. I like Brady as a top-10 quarterback in all formats this week.
I'll spend the money on McCaffrey because I expect the Panthers to give him a chance to chase history. He is 67 receiving yards shy of becoming just the third player in NFL history to reach 1,000 as both a runner and receiver. He also needs 216 total yards to break Chris Johnson's yards from scrimmage record (2,509 in 2009). Let's hope he does that this week.
Damien Williams just had 19 total touches for the Chiefs in Week 16, so he's back as the lead rusher in Kansas City. And Chubb just had 117 total yards against the Bengals in Week 14.
You can read above why I like the receivers selected in Ward, Sims and Renfrow, and I love the setup for Goedert this week, especially if Ertz is out. In Week 16 against Dallas, with Ertz battling injured ribs, Goedert had nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets.
FanDuel
QB - Daniel Jones ($7,500) vs. PHI
RB - Aaron Jones ($8,000) at DET
RB - Kenyan Drake ($7,300) at LAR
WR - Davante Adams ($8,400) at DET
WR - Golden Tate ($5,900) vs. PHI
WR - Greg Ward ($5,600) at NYG
TE - Austin Hooper ($6,000) at TB
FLEX - Phillip Lindsay ($6,600) vs. OAK
DST - Chiefs ($4,300) vs. LAC
I'm going to stack Jones and Tate here with their matchup against the Eagles. Jones just had 352 passing yards and five touchdowns against Washington in Week 16, with six catches for 96 yards on 11 targets going to Tate. Hopefully we see more of that combo connect against the Eagles.
I'll play Jones and Drake at running back and ride the hot hands there. Jones could be even better if Jamaal Williams (shoulder) is out, and the Rams could be resting guys on defense, which would bode well for Drake. I also like Lindsay at flex with his matchup against the Raiders.
Adams should dominate the Lions, and I'll go with Ward again in this lineup. I also like the matchup for Hooper against the Buccaneers, who are No. 6 in Fantasy points allowed to tight ends for the season.
