Fantasy Thoughts 2016 Week 17

By Chad Stapley

The Baltimore/Cincinnati game could see some offensive fireworks as neither team has anything to play for realistically and they could play little to no defense.

If you have an off playoff set up where you are still in the playoffs this week for Fantasy Football then Joe Flacco, Terrance West, Andy Dalton, and Rex Burkhead are all worth a start as this could be a high scoring shootout.

Mike Wallace could be a nice FLEX option this week against a weak Bengals secondary, he also could take the week off seeing as they have nothing to play for.

The Bucs need to win to have any hope of potentially making the playoffs (they need a lot of things to happen for that to even become possible) so they might be aiming for a high scoring game. Jameis Winston and Mike Evans should be started as the Panthers have a terrible secondary and they should light up the score board.

Charles Sims could offer a nice option as a third RB or a FLEX as he has the potential to take a short pass the distance, start him this week on your fantasy football roster.

The Texans should keep Matt Cassel and the Titans passing attack at bay, there is no reason to start Cassel even in desperation where your fantasy football league starts two QBs.

DeMarco Murray on the another hand is a no brainer to start this week as the Titans should lean heavily on him to produce for the offense as they are using their backup QB.

Tom Savage seems to get better each week. He isn’t worthy of starting in fantasy football just yet but he is someone to keep an eye on heading into next season.

The Colts/Jags game is sure to produce some offensive fireworks as well as neither team has a chance for the playoffs and neither team plays much defense anyway. Blake Bortles and Andrew Luck are going to throw a lot and try to win with their offense, start both of them.

That makes TY Hilton and Allen Robinson must starts as well, as if they were already. Both of these young WRs have been having tremendous success in fantasy football and have made a lot of people happy.

Matt Moore continues to impress in the short term playing for the injured Ryan Tannehill. Moore has thrown for six TDs and 516 yards and he will most likely be playing the majority of the game against the Patriots second team defense. Look for Moore to light it up this week, he could be a sneaky good start in two QB fantasy football league.

Both RBs in the Dolphins/Patriots matchup should be started for fantasy football this week as the Patriots like to rely on LeGarrette Blount heavily and the Dolphins have found themselves a winner in Jay Ajayi who is having a breakout season.

Jordan Howard could be in for a big game against the Vikings defense who, as of lately, have been nothing short of terrible. With the game being in Minnesota and the Bears having to use Matt Barkley at QB look for them to run the ball early and often. Howard has been one of the lone bright spots on the Bears season.

Two WRs who are having HUGE years out of nowhere will be playing in the Vikings/Bears game, Adam Thielen & Cameron Meredith both lead their teams in WR categories respectively and both are worthy of starting each week in fantasy football. Thielen has caught 68 passes for 960 yards and five TDs and Meredith has caught 62 passes for 827 yards and four TDs. Look for both of them to carry this success into next year.

LeSean McCoy could have a huge game this week against the Jets. Not only are the Jets terrible but the Bills are starting their backup QB and they already are soft at WR to begin with. McCoy should be started on every fantasy football team still playing.

Dallas is most likely going to play their starters very limited so avoiding the offensive players on their roster for fantasy football purposes this week is something that everyone should do.

The NY/Washington game is one of the few games played on Sunday that still has playoff implications. Washington needs to win to have any chance of making the playoffs. Kirk Cousins & Rob Kelley are must starts this week in fantasy football. The Giants are already locked into the 5th seed in the NFC so they might be resting their players early in the game which could lead to a big game for both of the mentioned players.

Packers/Lions is the other game with playoff implications and division title is on the line. Aaron Rodgers has been playing out of his mind lately and Jordy Nelson/Davante Adams have been the biggest beneficiaries of his great play. Rodgers, Adams, and Nelson are all must start players for any fantasy football team.

Matthew Stafford is another QB that is a must start, he has been playing great this season and if the Lions want to have any chance of winning it is going to be by him throwing the ball. Golden Tate and Marvin Jones Jr. could be in for big games as the Packers secondary and defense in general is nothing to be scared about.

Zach Zenner & Theo Riddick could be the difference makers in the division title game for the Lions. Zenner started hot last week then they didn’t really give him the ball much in the second half. With a weak Packers defense look for the coaches to try and establish the run game early and often.

Colin Kaepernick is playing for a contract in 2017, in essence. Through this season, solely judging by his play not his off field analytics, he has proven to be a capable starter at QB in the NFL. The 49ers have one of the worst WR crews in the NFL and their star RB, Carlos Hyde, is always hurt. This week against the Seahawks is the best way to prove he can win in the NFL, as the Seahawks are always one of the toughest teams to play.