Happy Holidays, everybody! If you’re still alive in your fantasy league, congratulations. Win or lose, you’ve accomplished an amazing feat as you are still playing in week 17, and you’ve managed to get a full fantasy season out of your entrance fee. Whether you’re playing in your league’s finals or the less exciting “consolation game,” we want to help you finish strong to close out this season. The running back position took another big hit last week as we lost Cleveland‘s rookie sensation, Quinshon Judkins, to a gruesome foot injury that ended his roller coaster season. If Dylan Sampson or Raheim Sanders are on your league’s waiver wire, they make for decent desperation plays. We also need to keep an eye on Judkins’ college teammate, fellow rookie Treveyon Henderson, who is in the league’s concussion protocol after leaving the Patriot‘s game last week in the second quarter. If Henderson is able to post, he’s a must-start in a great matchup against the Jets, even in a timeshare role with Rhomondre Stephenson. Let’s not waste any more time and jump right into our running back rankings for Week 17.
Week 17 Running Back Rankings
1) Jahmyr Gibbs vs. Vikings
Last week could have been better. Gibbs had his career-worst rushing game as he managed just 2 total rushing yards on 7 attempts. Yet, he was still able to put up over 20 PPR points thanks to 10 receptions for 66 yards and a score. That’s why we love this guy, and that’s why he’s a must-start every week. The Vikings are a mess right now, and I don’t expect them to put up much resistance when these two teams play on Christmas Day. Gibbs struggled in their previous meeting, but that was when the Vikings were still playing for something. The players that show up will be there to compete, but this defense has been allowing over 4 yards per run in each of their last three games. I expect a big game from Gibbs as well as a solid game from David Montgomery as the Lions cruise to an easy win.
For more help with your Fantasy Football Championship matchup, check out our Week 17 Start’Em Sit’Em!
2) Christian McCaffrey vs. Bears
CMC has been great all year, and after last week’s big performance on Monday night, he’s probably on a very large portion of rosters in fantasy finals across the globe. If you drafted him, congratulations, you’ve made it. He not only managed to play the full season, but he has dominated the league as both a runner and a pass catcher. His 1039 yards and 9 scores on the ground are great, but when you add in his 92 receptions, 849 receiving yards, and his 7 touchdowns, you get a historic season. You didn’t need to read this to know to start him this week. I just typed all of that so you can feel good about yourself for not only drafting him but also holding onto him for the entire season. Well done.
