It is Championship Week in Fantasy Football, and there is no greater Christmas present than being crowned champion of your fantasy league. Luckily, there are two games on Christmas Day to kick off Week 17. The Chiefs travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers, while the Ravens and the Texans square off in Houston. There are a lot of stars who will play in these two games. Here is the breakdown of what to expect in the Christmas games.
Fantasy Football on Christmas Day Preview
Chiefs at Steelers
The Chiefs are 14-1 and are looking to lock up the #1 seed in the AFC with a win over the Steelers. Patrick Mahomes is coming off one of his best games of the season, scoring 23.7 fantasy points. He threw the ball 41 times for 260 yards and a passing touchdown. He added 33 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. It was just his second time scoring at least 20 fantasy points since Week 10. Mahomes is a high-end QB2 for the game.
Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt continue to split carries for the Chiefs. On Saturday, Hunt had 11 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown, while Pacheco had nine carries for 26 yards. Hunt added two receptions, and Pacheco had one. It is hard to trust either running back in this one, and they are both FLEX options.
Xavier Worthy had his best game since Week 1 with 20.5 fantasy points. He has had eleven targets in two consecutive games after scoring 19.6 points in Week 15. He is the WR1 on the Chiefs now and is a solid WR3 option. On the other hand, DeAndre Hopkins has had two straight single-digit fantasy point games. Find a better option than Hopkins for this week. Hollywood Brown played in his first game of the season and saw eight targets. He caught five of them for 45 yards. He is a decent FLEX option for Week 17. Kelce caught five catches for 30 yards and is a TE1 option for the game.
X is tied for the most total touchdowns (8) by any rookie this season 😤#ProBowlVote + @XavierWorthy pic.twitter.com/tf6mPqKW2Y
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 22, 2024
Quarterback Russell Wilson has not finished as a top-12 quarterback in three straight weeks and five of the last six weeks. Wilson is a mid-tier QB2 for this week. Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris split the backfield work in Week 16. Warren had twelve carries for 48 yards, while Harris had nine for 42. Warren had five receptions for 44 yards, while Harris had no catches. Unfortunately for both running backs, the Chiefs are the best fantasy run defense in the NFL. They just held Joe Mixon to 57 rushing yards. Both running backs should be avoided in this one. If George Pickens is healthy, he is the only wide receiver on the Steelers that can be started. Tight end Pat Freiermuth is a decent option, who had a touchdown in three straight games before last week.
Ravens at Texans
Quarterback Lamar Jackson had three more passing touchdowns in the victory over the Steelers. He comes in as a top-three option for the Christmas Day game. Derrick Henry had 24 carries for 162 yards. He was unable to score a touchdown but had over 20 fantasy points because of his two catches for 27 yards. Henry plays better as the season goes on and is an RB1 for this game. Wide receiver Zay Flowers had his best game since Week 9, scoring 15.3 fantasy points. He is a low-end WR2 against the Texans. Mark Andrews has scored a touchdown in four straight games and eight of the last ten games. Jackson is looking for Andrews in the red zone. Andrews is a TE1 option on Christmas.
C.J. Stroud scored 16.06 fantasy points in the Week 16 loss, which was the most fantasy points he scored since Week 6. It has not been a great year for Stroud in fantasy, and he should be left on benches for the fantasy championship. Joe Mixon is in a slump, scoring less than 11 fantasy points in three of the last four games. He had 14 carries for 57 yards and one catch for 14 yards. The Ravens have a great run defense, but Mixon is an RB2 option.
Tank Dell had a devastating injury, leaving the Texans with Nico Collins as their only main wide receiver. He is in a top-five option this week. Schultz caught five passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. It was his second touchdown in the last three games, after not having one in the first twelve weeks of the season. Schultz is a touchdown-dependent tight end this week.
Conclusion
Christmas Day is a time to catch up with family and friends while hoping Santa delivers you a championship ring for your fantasy football team.
Main Photo: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
