It all comes down to this week. The fantasy football championship is on the line, and if you are reading this, there's a good chance you're playing for it. Congratulations! Hopefully your title-contending team is in such great shape that you don't have much work to do on waivers. Either way, I've compiled some options for you below.
Good luck, and for the final time in 2024, let's get wired!
The only rule here: Players must be rostered in less than 60 percent of NFL.com leagues to be eligible for the list.
QUARTERBACKS
ROSTERED: 55%
These are dark times for the Bears, but Williams is providing a reason to be excited about the future at quarterback. After throwing for 334 yards as his team tried to chase down the Lions on Sunday, he has now put up 22-plus fantasy points in three of his last five games. It hasn’t always been pretty, but Williams has a TD-to-INT ratio of 10:0 in his last five games, an impressive run for any rookie. He’s also averaging 34.3 rushing yards per game over his last six contests. He has a short week to prepare for the Seahawks, who visit Chicago on Thursday night, but I would consider giving the No. 1 overall pick a start if you don’t have a decidedly better option. Seattle has allowed a top-10 fantasy QB in each of the past three weeks.
ROSTERED: 46%
How big of a risk are you willing take with a title on the line? We know from what we witnessed early this season that Richardson’s floor can be a scary place, but the ceiling? Well, that’s the thing that could win you a championship if it all comes together for him. There is plenty to like about his production since he returned to the starting lineup in November, even though he did complete just seven passes on Sunday, when the Colts pounded the rock 50 times. The dual threat has posted 20-plus fantasy points in three of his last five outings, averaging a highly respectable 19.4 fantasy points per game in that span. He has a favorable matchup this week against the Giants. If you like living dangerously, roll the dice.
ROSTERED: 1%
I can’t believe I’m writing this, given how the season started for Young and the Panthers, but Bryce could win you your league. Jayden Daniels was the only QB with more fantasy points than Young in Week 16, and the reinvigorated second-year passer next draws the Buccaneers, who have one of the worst defenses in the league when it comes to slowing down fantasy QBs. Young sliced them up to the tune of 23.62 points back in Week 13, which was his season-high until he dropped 27.12 on the Cardinals in Week 16. It’s true that he was held to just 11.96 points just in Week 15, but I’m feeling bullish and have a ton of respect for the former No. 1 overall pick's resiliency.
RUNNING BACKS
ROSTERED: 46%
Spears has just 32 rushing yards in his last two games. He belongs here, though, because he has four touchdowns and 126 receiving yards in that span, too. He scored 21-plus fantasy points in each contest, and now he has a matchup against a Jaguars defense that has been one of the league’s most generous to fantasy running backs. Spears is no worse than a flex play if you are in the market for one. After all, he’s handled four of the Titans’ five goal-line carries in the last two weeks.
ROSTERED: 45%
"The Gus Bus" finally hit the accelerator in Week 16 after idling for much of the season. Edwards reached double-digit fantasy points for the first time in his Chargers career, rushing for a season-high 68 yards and two TDs on 14 carries against the Broncos, with most of those yards coming after contact. I’m going to guess Jim Harbaugh liked what he saw and will try to run the ball down the Patriots’ throats in Week 17, with this powerful back seeing a big share of the workload once again against a vulnerable New England defense. He’s worth a look as a flex in deeper leagues.
ROSTERED: 35%
ROSTERED: 8%
Just when it looked like Abdullah might be the Raiders back to roster in the wake of Sincere McCormick’s season-ending injury, Mattison returned to fantasy relevance for the first time in several weeks on Sunday. Both players delivered 15-plus fantasy points (19.5 for Abdullah, 15.6 for Mattison) against the lowly Jaguars, and they get another juicy matchup with a trip to New Orleans in Week 17. I don’t blame you if want to stay away, given the messy situation in terms of a split workload, but I wouldn’t mind riding with either player if I needed a flex.
ROSTERED: 27%
Taylor played 80 percent of the snaps in his first career start, but the 49ers got away from the running game as they chased points versus the Dolphins, so the fifth-year pro finished with just eight carries for 24 yards. He also had one catch on five targets. I was expecting much more than 3.5 points from Taylor against Miami, so I can’t enthusiastically recommend him against the Lions this week. If Isaac Guerendo remains sidelined, Taylor will be in line for RB1 duties once more, but San Francisco could be chasing points again versus 13-2 Detroit.
ROSTERED: 2%
It would be a huge leap of faith to trust Estimé as a fantasy starter in a championship game. He’s certainly shown the potential to reward such confidence, but I don’t know if we can trust Sean Payton to give him enough opportunities for it to pay off. The rookie led Denver with nine carries for 48 yards in Week 16, but he played just 20 percent of the snaps in a game where Jaleel McLaughlin was inactive. If McLaughlin is out again, I’d at least think about playing Estimé in a favorable matchup against the Bengals. But the ceiling is limited here, especially if McLaughlin returns from injury.
ROSTERED: 1%
This is where I tell you to keep an eye on the status of Benson and James Conner this week. Conner exited Sunday’s game with a knee injury and Benson was inactive with an ankle injury. If Conner plays in Week 17, he would be the only Arizona back to start in fantasy leagues, but if he’s out and Benson returns, the rookie could be worth a look with a matchup against a leaky Rams run defense up next. If both Conner and Benson are out but you really want to ride with a Cardinals back, Michael Carter would be the player to pick up. He had five carries for 18 yards and five catches for 30 yards against Carolina on Sunday, seeing an uptick in playing time after Conner left the game.
WIDE RECEIVERS
ROSTERED: 55%
Patrick Mahomes is going to look Brown’s way, which is enough for me to put "Hollywood" on the radar here. He was targeted eight times in his season debut, making five catches for 45 yards against the Texans. He played just 27 percent of the snaps, but I like the target volume -- he had one more than Travis Kelce. Kansas City’s receivers have a tougher matchup this week with a trip to Pittsburgh on Christmas Day, but the Steelers did give up a 49-yard pass play to the Ravens on Saturday and it would not shock me to see Brown get loose on a deep throw. He has that ability, which is why the Chiefs signed him in the offseason.
ROSTERED: 20%
I’ll continue banging the drum for McMillan. The rookie has scored four TDs in the last three games, averaging 19 fantasy PPG during that span. That will play in any format. Baker Mayfield has shown a lot of trust in McMillan, and I would expect that to continue in a pivotal game against the Panthers for Tampa Bay.
ROSTERED: 7%
The TD Machine struck again in Week 16, turning one of his two catches for 17 yards into a score. The man has a total of 45 receiving yards in the last three games, but he has nine TDs in his last 11 games. There are only four players with more than nine TD receptions this season. With the Jaguars’ porous defense awaiting Tennessee in Week 17, feel free to take a shot on Westbrook-Ikhine’s chances of hitting paydirt. Just don’t bank on much volume for him in any other categories.
ROSTERED: 0.1%
Boutte popped off for 20.5 fantasy points against the Bills, making five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. While he had yet to deliver a huge performance like that one prior to Sunday, Drake Maye has been looking Boutte’s way consistently since he took over as QB1. I don’t hate his matchup this week against the Chargers, although it should be tougher than going up against a beaten-up Buffalo secondary. If you want to take a big chance, he’s an option.
TIGHT ENDS
ROSTERED: 55%
It’s been a quiet year for Schultz, but he’s putting together the makings of a strong finish. He’s posted 15-plus fantasy points in two of his last three games, with a TD in each of those two spike weeks. Now he draws a Ravens defense that hasn’t been great at stopping anything this season. Perhaps C.J. Stroud looks the tight end's way a bit more with Tank Dell out. I’d scoop up Schultz if you need a TE and he’s available.
ROSTERED: 42%
Henry has become the go-to guy for Drake Maye in the quarterback's rookie year, seeing eight or more targets in four of the last five games and recording 11.3 FPPG during that stretch. He finally found the end zone again in Week 16, snapping an eight-game cold streak. The ceiling might not be super high here, but there’s a relatively safe floor, if that’s how you prefer to play things in the final week of the fantasy season.
ROSTERED: 2%
Okonkwo gets the waiver wire treatment for the second week in a row after racking up a season-high 19.1 points on Sunday. He was the second-most targeted tight end in Week 16 (11) and has been one of the most productive players at the position in the final weeks of the fantasy season. In Week 17, the Titans visit the Jaguars, who have not had many answers against tight ends in 2024. If you’re streaming, Okonkwo is one of your best options.
DEFENSES
ROSTERED: 16%
Indianapolis gave up 30 points to the Mason Rudolph-led Titans on Sunday and nearly had a full-blown collapse in the second half of the game. So, yeah, streaming the Colts comes with some risk, but the Week 17 matchup is too good to ignore. Indy will visit the Giants, who allowed 25 points to the Falcons defense on Sunday, making Atlanta the No. 1 fantasy D/ST of the week. In fact, the Giants have allowed a top-eight fantasy defense in four of their past five games. The G-Men are a mess right now, no matter who is playing quarterback for them, which means the Colts should be in fantasy starting lineups.
ROSTERED: 16%
The Dolphins have generally been a fantasy defense to avoid this season, but not this week. Miami will be visiting the Browns, who have allowed a top-three fantasy D in each of the last four weeks. Cleveland gave Dorian Thompson-Robinson a start on Sunday, but the results were pretty familiar, as he took five sacks, threw two interceptions and failed to score a TD. If you’re streaming defenses, this is a matchup to exploit.
ROSTERED: 3%
Las Vegas’ defense has done a respectable job against two bad offenses in the last two weeks, holding the Jaguars and Falcons to 14 points or fewer, and the Saints -- the Raiders’ Week 17 opponent -- fit that same bill. With Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill injured, New Orleans’ offense isn’t going to strike fear into anyone right now. If you miss out on the Colts and Dolphins in your league, this could be the unit to take a chance on because of the matchup.
