Week 17 Starters & Benchwarmers

Week 17 is always a crapshoot, with several teams resting starters or coasting into the off-season. Typical “no-brainer” starters aren’t so obvious this week, while seldom-used backups get their moments in the sun. In short, it’s a terrible week to contest your fantasy Super Bowl.

In my leagues, we play a “Free for All Bowl,” in which everyone except the champ sets one final lineup. Highest points gets a token share of the pot.

Here are my picks to roll, and get rolled, in Week 17 of the 2017 season.

Watch ‘em roll

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, 49ers at Rams. Garoppolo is exactly the kind of guy who soars in Week 17. Not only has he taken the league by storm, winning all four of his starts as a 49er, but he humbled the league’s most fearsome defense (Jacksonville) last week. With the Rams resting Aaron Donald, and probably other defensive starters, Garoppolo will have a perfect opportunity to end his season on a very high note.

Alex Collins, RB, Ravens vs. Bengals. Not only is Baltimore battling for a wild card spot, but they’re facing the rushing doormats from Cincinnati. Collins needs 105 yards for his first 1,000-yard season, and that’s well within his reach in this matchup, despite the nagging presence of Buck Allen and Danny Woodhead.

Kenyan Drake, RB, Dolphins vs. Bills. Drake put up a semi-stinker in Week 16 against the Chiefs, but he is a near lock to shine in the finale against the horrid Buffalo run defense. Miami would love to play spoiler to their division rivals’ postseason hopes, and Drake will be the key ingredient in their winning recipe. Look for copious touches – both running and receiving – for the Dolphins’ emerging workhorse.

Jamison Crowder, WR, Redskins at Giants. Cousins has one more chance to impress the scouts before entering free agency again. Look for him to exploit a depleted and demoralized Giants secondary with the help of his only reliable wideout, Crowder, and TE Vernon Davis, who has scored twice over the last three weeks despite catching just two passes each game.

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts vs. Texans. Hilton has been the model of inconsistency this season, so perhaps we’d be wise to overlook his 175-yard, 2-TD outburst in Week 9 against the Texans. But that seems silly. That was also Jacoby Brissett’s best performance of the season, and Houston’s defense has only gotten worse since then.

More thumbs up: QBs Tom Brady, Matt Stafford, Philip Rivers; RBs LeSean McCoy, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry, Bilal Powell, Carlos Hyde, Christian McCaffrey, C.J. Anderson, Jamaal Williams, Frank Gore, Dion Lewis; WRs Kelvin Benjamin, Marvin Jones, Julio Jones, Demaryius Thomas, Jarvis Landry, Larry Fitzgerald, Marquise Goodwin, Michael Thomas, Keenan Allen.

Roll ‘em back

Nick Foles, QB, Eagles vs. Cowboys. We’ve been told that Foles will start, mostly due to his sub-par outing last week. But it would be foolish for the team to risk their only viable QB’s health for long, given their hopes for a deep playoff run. Be prepared for Foles to get an early hook if he (a) gets knocked around by the Dallas pass rush, (b) looks sharp or (c) leads a scoring drive or two.

Charcandrick West, RB, Chiefs at Broncos. In all likelihood, Kareem Hunt will see little – if any – action in this meaningless contest. That should mean the majority of the touches would go to West, the next man up. But don’t be surprised if West gets an early hook, too, and Akeem Hunt takes over. Regardless, they all will face the stout Denver run defense. Avoid this backfield entirely, if at all possible.

Giovani Bernard, RB, Bengals at Ravens. Over the last few weeks, Bernard has resembled the fantasy stud he once was. With Joe Mixon still troubled by a tender ankle, Bernard should again see the lion’s share of the carries. But they will come against a stalwart, highly motivated Baltimore run defense.

Doug Baldwin, WR, Seahawks vs. Cardinals. Baldwin has just five receptions for 41 yards (and 1 TD) over the last two games, and his slump is likely to continue. Arizona sports one of the league’s stingiest secondaries, and Baldwin will inevitably draw elite CB Patrick Peterson in Sunday’s rematch.

Michael Crabtree, WR, Raiders at Chargers. Crabtree left Monday night’s game early with a hamstring issue and a big, fat Christmas goose egg. He’s not on the injury report this week, but look for another disappointing outing against one of the NFL’s top coverage units. It’s a must-win game for the Chargers, while Crabtree and friends are just hoping to get through the game unscathed.

More thumbs down: QBs Andy Dalton, Marcus Mariota, Jay Cutler, Derek Carr, Dak Prescott, Eli Manning, Brett Hundley, Joe Flacco; RBs Marshawn Lynch, Kerwynn Williams, Jay Ajayi, DeMarco Murray, Matt Forte, Samaje Perine, Mike Davis, Wayne Gallman, Mike Gillislee, Aaron Jones; WRs Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Kendall Wright, Amari Cooper, Eric Decker, DeSean Jackson, Paul Richardson, DeVante Parker, Randall Cobb, Dez Bryant, Josh Gordon, Robby Anderson, Sammy Watkins, Cooper Kupp, Devin Funchess, Sterling Shepard, Chris Hogan, Jeremy Maclin.

TAKING A FLIER

Keelan Cole, WR, Jaguars at Titans. Cole has been en fuego throughout December as Allen Hurns, and then Marqise Lee, were sidelined. Look for the rapidly emerging rookie to build on his stellar month in Tennessee. Though the Jags could pull their starters early, Cole may not be one of them, given his inexperience and the team’s depleted WR corps.

DON’T BE THE BONEHEAD WHO… assumes your stalwarts will suit up as usual this weekend. The Rams, Chiefs and Steelers have already signaled they will sit their stars, while playmakers on the Eagles and Jaguars may see only minimal action. Other teams with nothing on their minds but the offseason could choose to limit their stars’ exposure to potential injury in inconsequential games. Plan accordingly.

Week 16 Heros & Zeros

This was a great week to play…

QBs

Jared Goff, Rams – Passed for 301 yards and 4 TDs, with a fumble.

RBs

Todd Gurley, Rams – Had another monster game, rushing for 118 yards and added 10 receptions for 158 yards and 2 TDs.

Dion Lewis, Patriots – Owned the 4^th quarter, with 129 rushing and 24 receiving yards on 5 receptions, scoring both ways.

Giovani Bernard, Bengals – Rushed for 116 yards and a TD and added 7 catches for 52 yards.

C.J. Anderson, Broncos – Ran for 88 yards and a TD, caught 7 passes for 45 yards and added a 2-point conversion.

WRs

Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals – In PPR leagues, his 9 receptions for 119 yards and a TD were sweet.

D/STs

Cardinals – Amassed 2 sacks, 2 INTs, 1 fumble and a TD on a fumble return while shutting out the Giants.

Seahawks – Collected 4 sacks, 2 INTs, a fumble and a TD on an INT return.

Ks

Harrison Butker, Chiefs – Nailed 5 of his 6 FGs (from 21, 29, 31, 32 and 49 yards) and both his XPs.

This was a great week to play against…

QBs

Brett Hundley, Packers – Just 130 passing yards and 48 rushing yards without a score, plus 2 INTs.

Marcus Mariota, Titans – Passed for 275 yards and an INT and ran for 24 yards, without a TD.

Eli Manning, Giants – Passed for 263 yards without a score but with 2 INTs and a fumble.

Dak Prescott, Cowboys – Threw 2 INTs without a TD, and just 182 passing and 21 rushing yards.

RBs

Jonathan Stewart, Panthers – Ran for 19 yards and lost a yard on his only reception.

LeGarrette Blount, Eagles – Continued to take a back seat, totaling just 15 yards.

Joe Mixon, Bengals – Left early after combining for 32 yards. 

Derrick Henry, Titans – Rushed for 25 yards and caught a 6 yarder.

WRs

Alshon Jeffery, Eagles – Blanked on MNF.

Will Fuller, Texans – Had a 10 yarder in his Christmas stocking.

Jordy Nelson, Packers – Surely his 11 yards on 3 receptions came on someone’s bench.

Devin Funchess, Panthers – He had 11 on 3 as well.

Golden Tate, Lions – Limited to 14 yards on 3 receptions.

Josh Gordon, Browns – Caught 2 passes for 19 yards.

Brandin Cooks, Patriots – So did he.

Paul Richardson, Seahawks – Caught 2 passes for 21 yards.

Adam Thielen, Vikings – Saved his worst game of the season for championship weekend, with 24 yards on 2 receptions.

Randall Cobb, Packers – Just 22 yards on 4 catches.

Danny Amendola, Patriots – Took 3 passes 28 yards.

Marquise Goodwin, 49ers – His team put up 44 points on the Jags’ defense, but he only had 37 yards on 3 catches to show for it.

TEs

Kyle Rudolph, Vikings – Caught a 6 yarder.

Evan Engram, Giants – Had a 12 yarder.

Jared Cook, Raiders – Finished with a 15-yard reception.

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Greg Olsen, Panthers – Bounced back the wrong way, with 3 catches for 27 yards.

Christmas miracle or meltdown?

I don’t know if the NFL intentionally plans it this way, but scheduling Week 16 on Christmas weekend seems especially cruel. 

Who wants to spoil their merriment by losing a fantasy championship on Christmas? Sure, a victory is an extra sweet gift, but half of us are now licking our wounds, and the vast majority of fantasy owners weren’t even in the game.

I’ve already made one New Year’s resolution: to never draft Cam Newton again. That way I won’t have to labor over the start/bench decision on him, even in very favorable matchups. I trusted him in Week 15 against the Packers, and he came through with flying colors. So why not one more time against a sorry Bucs secondary?

Yep, he Scrooged me.

Benching Jared Goff was the right call last week, but the same decision nearly spoiled my Christmas Eve.

At least I didn’t have to face Todd Gurley, who has apparently been doubling up on his Wheaties. Gurley not only led countless fantasy teams to glory, but he cemented his status as the consensus first pick in next year’s draft.

For that matter, for the first time since the Kurt Warner era, everyone is going to want a stake in the Rams next season. Gurley and Goff, the defense and Greg Zuerlein and at least two wideouts will be in high demand.

I should have known the weekend wouldn’t go my way after Adam Thielen turned in his worst performance of the season on Saturday. To underscore his poor timing, my opponent was treated to one of Stefon Diggs’ best days of an otherwise disappointing 2017.

Oh well, there’s always next year. Congrats to everyone hoisting a trophy today. And to those who save their championship matchups for Week 17, prepare to play with some of your top talents – including Gurley, Kareem Hunt and others – either sitting out or exiting early.

WAIVER WIRE PICKS

To win a fantasy championship, it helps to start with a great draft. But filling gaps in your roster with the occasional waiver-wire acquisition is also important. At this point in the season, the pickings are slim and your best bet is to stick with your regular starters. But here's a look at some players worth considering for one last week.

Derrick Henry, RB, Titans. Still available in roughly four out of 10 leagues, Henry should shoulder the load against the Jaguars in the finale with DeMarco Murray likely sitting out after sustaining a knee injury. It’s a tough matchup, but the 49ers just exposed some serious cracks.

Kapri Bibbs, RB, Redskins. Samaje Perine left Sunday’s contest with an Achilles injury, opening the door for Bibbs to lead Washington’s depleted backfield against the vulnerable Giants run defense. The Redskins will go scrounging for another back, but Bibbs is the next man up and he could offer solid returns for those playing one more game.

Peyton Barber, RB, Buccaneers. Barber had more than twice as many carries as Doug Martin against the Panthers, which confirms that Tampa Bay’s coaches have accepted what we already knew: Martin’s days as a workhorse are long gone. Barber should again get the majority of the touches against the Saints in Week 17.

Giovani Bernard, RB, Bengals. Just when we thought Cincinnati’s backfield would return to Joe Mixon’s hands, the rookie exited with an ankle injury. Bernard exploited the Lions as both a high-volume rusher and receiver, and he should get a similar workload in a tough contest with the Ravens next weekend.

Keelan Cole, WR, Jaguars. With both Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee missing time, Cole has been a target magnet. He found the end zone in three straight weeks before the 49ers game, but still breached the 100-receiving-yard mark on Sunday. He’ll be in position for another stellar outing against the Titans.

Sunday morning observations -- Week 16

Good morning, Fools. If you're reading this, you're probably playing for a fantasy championship, and that makes me happy. What makes me even happier is that I am, too!

I'm already playing from behind, however, since I started Adam Thielen and my opponent had Stefon Diggs. But there's plenty of ball left to be played -- including a two-fer on Christmas Monday.

Here's what we need to know to set our best lineups today:

In case you've been living under a rock, Zeke Elliott is back. If you've been sitting on him, look for a fine outing from him today. It looks like LT Tyron Smith will play, too, which is great news for him and the Cowboys' passing attack.

Samaje Perine has been dealing with a groin injury and at one point was trending toward not playing. Now, he's a game-time decision. If he plays, he'll get some help from Kapri Bibbs. Against Denver's solid run D, I don't like either of their chances.

I doubt you're counting on Matt Forte or Elijah McGuire, but both are expected to play. Maybe you have Bilal Powell; so note that he'll have a lot of competition for touches.

It's never good when a player lands on the injury report late in the week, but that's what happened to Michael Thomas. He tweaked his hammy -- presumably in practice -- and is questionable for today's contest. That could be a brutal, unexpected loss, so keep an eye on the inactives in a bit. He did appear to warm up well this morning, so there's reason for optimism; but he's clearly going to be a game-time call.

Both Emmanuel Sanders and Cody Latimer stayed behind in Denver and will not play in Washington.

Allen Hurns is likely out. And the Pats are planning to play without both Chris Hogan and James White. Rex Burkhead is already on I.R.

Kelvin Benjamin is expected to play today, but he's been a disappointment ever since he was traded to Buffalo. He's also still dealing with a knee injury that will require offseason surgery. Despite the good matchup with the Pats, I wouldn't start him.

And if you're counting on any Eagles players, you got good news last night. The Vikings' win means Philly still has incentive to play its starters. They need a win to advance their cause for the top seed in the NFC.

Finally, it's the time of year for weather concerns, and we have some potential issues today in Chicago (snow, winds) for the Bears and Browns; in Kansas City (cold, winds) for the Dolphins and Chiefs; and in Tennessee (wind, rain) for the Titans and Rams.

That's it for now, Fools. I probably won't be able to tweet the inactives today because we're leaving early for Christmas Eve service. So be sure to check them yourself (http://www.nfl.com/inactives). Good luck to all Fools! Let's go get us another title!

Week 16 Starters & Benchwarmers

It’s title time! Wondering whether or not to start Ezekiel Elliott and DeAndre Hopkins, or to bench Eddie Lacy and Justin Hardy? The network bozos specialize in that kind of advice. If you’re looking for help with your real starting lineup conundrums, read on.

Here are my picks to roll, and get rolled, in Week 16 of the 2017 season.

Watch ‘em roll

Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers at Jets. Rivers is coming off his second-worst game of an otherwise solid season, so a nice rebound is in order. Fortunately, Keenan Allen is on track to return for this delicious matchup, and the Jets’ young and generous pass defenders await with another embarrassing outing.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, Panthers vs. Buccaneers. Jonathan Stewart fell back to Earth last week, while McCaffrey shined. That trend should continue Sunday against a Bucs defense missing two of its best run defenders. McCaffrey will produce in both phases, especially if Devin Funchess is limited with his shoulder.

Dion Lewis, RB, Patriots vs. Bills. As Tom Brady continues to work through his late-season blues and the weather outside turns frightful, New England’s running game will remain on center stage. Lewis should continue to be the featured back, especially with Rex Burkhead out. Look for stellar production as a runner and receiver against the imploding Buffalo defense.

Golden Tate, WR, Lions at Bengals. Marvin Jones has been producing at a high level, but Tate has actually been targeted more frequently over the last four weeks (32 for Tate vs. 26 for Jones). Against Cincinnati’s decimated and weary secondary, both wideouts should shine as the Lions continue to rely almost exclusively on Matt Stafford’s arm.

Mike Wallace, WR, Ravens vs. Colts. I rarely vouch for Joe Flacco, or his wideouts, but this week is promising. Not only has Flacco been on his game lately, but he’ll be facing arguably the NFL’s most vulnerable secondary. Jeremy Maclin may miss this game, further boosting Wallace’s prospects for a fine showing.

More thumbs up (excluding the no-brainers): QBs Cam Newton, Matt Stafford, Blake Bortles, Case Keenum, Drew Brees, Jared Goff, Russell Wilson, Nick Foles; RBs Devonta Freeman, Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray, Kenyan Drake, Leonard Fournette; WRs Larry Fitzgerald, Keenan Allen, Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Nelson Agholor, Dede Westbrook, Robert Woods, Michael Crabtree, Demaryius Thomas, Dez Bryant, Brandin Cooks, Jarvis Landry

Roll ‘em back

Matt Ryan, QB, Falcons at Saints. Chances are, you haven’t advanced this far because of Ryan, who has thrown as much interceptions (3) as TDs over the last four games. Ouch. By the way, all three of those picks came against the Saints just two weeks ago.

Carlos Hyde, RB, 49ers vs. Jaguars. Hyde has had an up and down season, but it’s mostly been down since Jimmy Garoppolo ascended to the starting job. Hyde’s role in the passing game has diminished, and he’s not grinding out a ton of rushing yards, either. Against the Jaguars’ mighty defense, he can’t be trusted.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Raiders at Eagles. In order for Lynch to be an effective fantasy contributor, he needs to break a big one or score on a limited number of touches. With his best blocker sidelined and a talented Philly defense on tap, Lynch’s carries are unlikely to deliver big returns.

Randall Cobb, WR, Packers vs. Vikings. Both Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams were placed on I.R. after Green Bay’s postseason hopes were dashed. Brett Hundley will be back under center, and we know he still doesn’t recognize Jordy Nelson. That means Cobb will likely be shadowed by Xavier Rhodes in a matchup you don’t want to see in your championship lineup.

Marquise Goodwin, WR, 49ers vs. Jaguars. Goodwin has been a revelation in the early stages of the Garoppolo era, but both players will be facing tough sledding this weekend against the stifling Jaguars secondary. While Goodwin should remain a highly targeted go-to option for the young QB, A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey will be blanketing him all day.

More thumbs down: QBs Kirk Cousins, Jay Cutler, Andy Dalton, Derek Carr, Eli Manning, Marcus Mariota, Jimmy Garoppolo, Brett Hundley; RBs Tevin Coleman, Ameer Abdullah, Samaje Perine, Jamaal Williams, Frank Gore, Derrick Henry, Mike Davis, LeGarrette Blount, Matt Forte, Wayne Gallman; WRs Robby Anderson, Jordy Nelson, Rishard Matthews, Josh Gordon.

TAKING A FLIER

Martavis Bryant, WR, Steelers at Texans. Even without Antonio Brown in the lineup, Pittsburgh’s passing game is one to reckon with. Bryant has been a disappointment most of the season, but he came alive in the red zone last week. With Houston’s defense forced to focus on Le’Veon Bell, its porous secondary will have a rough time keeping up with Bryant and fellow wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster.

DON’T BE THE BONEHEAD WHO…ignores the quirky schedule this weekend. Not only is there no Thursday or Sunday nighter, but there are two Saturday and two Monday games. And keep in mind that if the Vikings win on Saturday, the Eagles could potentially rest some of their starters for at least part of their Monday night outing.