The Yahoo Fantasy team gives its most steadfast predictions for fantasy championship week.
The Yahoo Fantasy team gives their predictions for which players may just help carry our rosters to a fantasy football league championship in Week 17.
An unheralded TE to the rescue
Find somebody who loves you like Mason Rudolph loves TE Chig Okonkwo.
With Rudolph stepping in for the Titans the past two weeks, Okonkwo has produced a 17-140-0 line on a whopping 21 targets. Jacksonville’s defense is unlikely to get in the way of this surging duo, and Okonkwo offers some goal-line equity, too — remember he had a 2-point conversion catch last week en route to a TE2 finish. Our game is about the numbers, not the names. I’ll start Okonkwo proactively in medium and deeper leagues. — Scott Pianowski
Perfect combo of strong player + good matchup
Don’t overthink it in Week 17. Lean into the players who got you here and prioritize good matchups. Courtland Sutton is the perfect combination of a strong player in a fantastic matchup. The Bengals’ defense has been the gift that keeps on giving, and Sutton is prepared to gift fantasy managers with a top-10 performance this weekend. Cincinnati’s defense has actually held up fairly well over the past couple of weeks, but it’s faced poor quarterback play from Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Will Levis. Bo Nix is more than prepared to deliver a strong performance, and Sutton is primed for a bounce-back after a poor showing in Week 16 with just 8 fantasy points. Sutton is the Broncos’ clear WR1 and has proven that in pass-friendly matchups, 20-plus-point performances come with ease. — Tera Roberts
Brian Thomas Jr. solidifies himself as an early-round pick next year with a monster close to the season
Jaguars rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. has been great most of the season, but his play since the Jaguars’ Week 12 bye week has made him a borderline lock to be drafted in the second or third round of most leagues next year.
Thomas injured his ribs in Week 8 and was clearly hobbled by this injury the following two weeks. During this time, Jacksonville was adjusting to life without Trevor Lawrence, so the combination of injury and a new QB led to Thomas producing just four total catches for 32 yards in this two-game stretch. But since then, Thomas has averaged 11.2 targets and 22 fantasy points per game across five starts. He’s been a top-12 receiver during this stretch and he’s coming off back-to-back top-five weekly finishes at the position.
In Week 17, Thomas has the perfect matchup to help you bring home a title. The Jaguars will face the Titans this week. Tennessee has been one of the worst defenses in the league for the past six weeks. In Week 14, Thomas caught eight balls for 86 yards against the Titans. Expect another strong showing this week for the Jaguars’ first-round rookie. — Sal Vetri
Jordan Addison stays hot at the perfect moment
Jordan Addison is feasting in recent weeks, dragging his fantasy managers into Championship Week. In Minnesota’s last six games, Addison has caught 35 balls for 508 yards and six scores on 52 targets. Extend that performance over a full season and we’re talking 99 catches for 1,439 yards — that’s Ja’Marr/JJ-level production. This week, Addison is facing a Green Bay defense that he’s cooked a few times in his brief NFL career, including earlier this season (79 total yards, 2 TDs).
It seems unlikely any of you were waffling on Addison as a fantasy starter with a title on the line, but just in case: You gotta play him. We need to think ceiling in Week 17, and Addison definitely has title-winning upside. — Andy Behrens
More to Love from Jordan this week
Jordan Love has been just the QB28 since Week 8, as he’s been one of fantasy’s biggest disappointments over the season’s second half. Volume has been the major issue, as Love has gotten 8.7 YPA but averaged just 25.5 pass attempts over that eight-game span. The Eagles have attempted the fewest passes per game this season with 25.9. Green Bay has the league’s fourth-lowest pass rate over expectation this year, but things should be different Sunday against a pass-funnel Vikings’ defense. Minnesota has allowed the lowest EPA/rush but the most pass attempts (38.3 per game). Vikings’ opponents have the league’s highest pass rate (64.7%) this season.
While Love’s 6.1 YPA against man coverage is toward the bottom of the league, he ranks third in the NFL with a 9.1 YPA versus zone (h/t TruMedia), which the Vikings have used at the league’s fourth-highest rate (76.8%). This matchup could be a shootout and is indoors with a 48.5-point total. Love finishes as a top-five QB this week. — Dalton Del Don
Don’t overlook Adam Thielen if you’re in search of a boring, safe WR3 play
The Buccaneers’ defense has been in the giving spirit all season. Going against that zone-heavy secondary has been a money-maker for passing games, as so many teams have hit their ceiling in the range of outcomes against Tampa Bay. The Panthers are among that cohort. Thielen has provided a steady five-catch floor for a month-plus now, but enjoyed one of his bigger statistical games against Tampa Bay with 10 targets in Week 13. Since he returned to the lineup in Week 12, Thielen leads the team with a 22% target share when the Panthers see zone coverage, per Fantasy Points Data. Expect to see Thielen get peppered in this game. — Matt Harmon
