The fantasy football playoffs are in full force, either in the semifinals or finals heading into Week 17.
Is there any last-minute holiday shopping that you can do to put some coal in the stocking of your opponent heading into the new week?
We had some players on the naughty list for fantasy purposes in Week 16, but it wasn’t necessarily their fault. Some quarterback changes shook up their entire makeup of the offense, and the struggled trickled down to formerly productive players. Other younger players are finding themselves front and center, getting a long look down the stretch.
If you’re still here and reading, first off, Happy Holidays to you and your family. And, second, you are likely still alive for a fantasy championship, and your readership is appreciated. Good luck, and go get that trophy!
Denver Broncos running backs
In the ever-changing backfield picture in the Mile High City, it was back to rookie Audric Estime in Week 16’s Thursday’s road loss against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Previously it was Jaleel McLaughlin leading the backfield, but he was on the shelf with a quadriceps injury, so a change needed to be made.
We’ve seen Javonte Williams with a major role in the past, and he had four carries for 24 yards in Week 16, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. Not bad, but head coach Sean Payton relied upon Estime to guide his sleigh against the Bolts. The rookie went for 48 yards on nine carries, good for 5.3 yards per tote, and he scored a touchdown.
Williams is much better catching the ball out of the backfield, and he had seven receptions with a game-high 11 targets, while Estime was not used in the passing game at all.
In PPR formats, when choosing between the two backs, Williams is more favorable, while Estime is the selection in standard formats. Now, that all hinges upon McLaughlin being sidelined in Week 17. If he is back in there, it’s a three-headed monster you’ll likely want to avoid due to the uncertainty.
Cleveland Browns WR Jerry Jeudy
Just as quickly as he emerged in fantasy leagues, lifting managers to big things for a month, it looks like he is back to being mostly a nonfactor.
A lot of people are criticizing the Browns for starting QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson in what is being criticized as obvious tanking. Former QB Jameis Winston was moving the offense, although he was also making beaucoup mistakes.
Anyway, as long as DTR is under center it is terrible news for downfield threats, especially Jeudy.
Jeudy really built quite the rapport with “JabooWins,” but the receiver was targeted just three times, posting two catches for 20 yards in Week 16 at Cincinnati. Jeudy had shot all the way up to low-end WR1 in some fantasy formats with Winston, but he is back to low-end WR3 or flex status in Week 17 due to the shaky play of DTR.
Tennessee Titans TE Chigoziem Okonkwo
Okay, one week is a fluke. Two weeks is a habit, and it appears Okonkwo could be here to stay.
Remember back in the day when it was all about Delanie Walker and Frank Wycheck at the tight end position for the Titans? Move over, bacon, here come Okonkwo.
Chig appears to have the eye of QB Mason Rudolph as the two have hooked up frequently. He had eight catches for 10 targets last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, which were new career highs, thought two targets and as many catches came from Will Levis. In Week 16, he bested those marks with nine receptions, 11 targets and a career-high 81 yards, too.
The tight end position is a fantasy wasteland after the top handful, but Okonkwo looks like he is tossing his hat into the ring to be under consideration as a low-end TE1 in Week 17, as well as a name to remember going into 2025.
Las Vegas Raiders running backs
In Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the fill-in for the past couple of weeks, RB Sincere McCormick, was injured. But, the team had veterans Ameer Abdullah and Alexander Mattison splitting the backfield touches against the Jags.
Abdullah had seven carries for 38 yards and a touchdown, while also going for five receptions for 47 yards on six targets. Alexander ran 12 times for just 27 yards, although he did have a rushing score, and he added four receptions for 29 yards on seven targets.
Abdullah is the much more attractive option of the two, if you’re in need of some depth going into Week 17, especially in PPR formats for his work catching the ball out of the backfield.
Mattison has averaged 4.0 or fewer yards per carries in each of his past eight appearances dating back to Sept. 29. There’s just not enough upside at play here.
