Most of the fantasy football champions have already been crowned for this season. Many rode the back of Todd Gurley and many more hopes were shot down by Michael Crabtree or Alshon Jeffery. Still, some leagues finish up with week 17 playoffs. The landscape for week 17 is much more uncertain as there are many players who won’t see a full complement of snaps if they suit up at all. Week 17 is among the hardest weeks of the season to predict, but there are some positive options to look for if teams are struggling to fill a few positions.
Fantasy Focus Week 17 NFL Fantasy Streamers
Let’s dive in and analyze some teams and matchups and look for the solid streaming options that are still available at each position.
Quarterbacks
Jimmy Garoppolo – San Francisco 49ers
No recent quarterback has immediately impressed like the San Francisco 49ers Jimmy Garoppolo in recent weeks. We won’t even delve into his previous three starts, let’s just focus on his last one. Garoppolo threw for 242 yards, with two touchdowns, one interception and one rushing touchdown. Not too shabby. Especially when one considers that this performance was against the Jacksonville Jaguars, arguably the best overall defense in the NFL. Jacksonville has limited seven quarterbacks this season to less than 10 fantasy points.
Surprisingly Garoppolo is only owned in about 31% of Yahoo leagues making him an ideal streaming candidate for this week against the Los Angeles Rams.
Blake Bortles – Jacksonville Jaguars
There’s a stigma surrounding Blake Bortles and rightly so. At the beginning of the season he looked lost in the pocket, made horrible decisions, and looked as if he were a fresh-faced rookie throwing the pigskin. However, Bortles has turned it on at the right time. Even in a sloppy game where he threw three interceptions against a sub-par defense he still finished with a decent fantasy-line. That’s the magic of Bortles, who has somehow managed to be a top 12 quarterback for three straight seasons.
This Sunday, Bortles takes on another soft defense in the Tennessee Titans, who are allowing the 10th most fantasy points to the position. In a game where Jaguars coach, Doug Marrone has already stated he will not be resting his starters, expect as much Bortles as you can stomach. He’s only available in about 35% of Yahoo leagues, if he’s somehow still available, he’s a solid streaming play this weekend.
Tyrod Taylor – Buffalo Bills
If there’s a quarterback this week who’s really playing for something, it’s Tyrod Taylor. After some speculation in the off-season about whether or not he was going to remain the starter, to being benched in what was a terrible, five-interception outing for Nathan Peterman, Taylor has something to prove. The fact that the Buffalo Bills are basically playing for a potential playoff spot only increases the drive to succeed for Sunday’s tilt with the Miami Dolphins.
Taylor maintains a safe floor with his legs and Miami allows the 13th most fantasy points to the position. With something to play for, and a very safe floor, Taylor remains the dependable streaming option he’s been almost all season long.
Running Backs
Wayne Gallman – New York Giants
Since week 14 only Le’Veon Bell has more targets at the position than Wayne Gallman. Heading into a week 17 matchup where the New York Giants take on the Washington Redskins, who are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs, he’s a tempting streaming option that’s only owned in about 10% of Yahoo leagues. Gallman is a sneaky streaming option especially in PPR formats and in DFS games.
Malcolm Brown – Los Angeles Rams
Heading into week 17 Todd Gurley is squarely in the MVP candidate conversation. With the Rams already committed to sitting him for this contest, ring the bell for Malcolm Brown to step in for some garbage-time heroics. Facing off against a leaky San Francisco rush defense, it’s an opportunity type of play for this week.
Wide Receivers
Keelan Cole – Jacksonville Jaguars
Keelan Cole has been an on-fire option in this Jacksonville Jaguars aerial attack, a phrase most analysts never thought they’d write with Bortles under center. In the last three weeks, Cole’s yardage totals are 3/99, 7/186, and 6/108 with two touchdowns. While there was a costly poor route that resulted in an interception last week, Cole has shown he’s very capable of success at the NFL level. Cole is this week’s top streaming option at the position. He’s only 52% owned in Yahoo leagues. As a second to this, Dede Westbrook remains in the conversation if Cole doesn’t suit up or remains limited with injury.
Tyrell Williams – Los Angeles Chargers
Tyrell Williams has been a boom or bust option for fantasy purposes this season. With the Los Angeles Chargers fighting for a playoff berth, expect Williams big-play potential to be a factor. Philip River’s likes to air it out and when he does, Williams is typically the deep target.
Mike Wallace – Baltimore Ravens
Mike Wallace has come on strong the last several weeks as Joe Flacco’s go-to target. He’s averaging 76 yards-per-game over the last six games. As the Baltimore Ravens face off against a decent, but depleted Cincinnati Bengals secondary, expect Flacco to look for Wallace early, and often. Wallace has had at least one reception for 20 yards or more in six different games.
Tight Ends
Antonio Gates – Los Angeles Chargers
Just in case anyone forgot about Antonio Gates, the ageless wonder gave a subtle reminder of his talent last week. Gates represents a steady target over the middle with serious red-zone appeal. In a must-win game against an Oakland Raiders defense that has allowed the most yards this season to the position, Gates is the top streaming option this week and should be started in all formats, including DFS.
Charles Clay – Buffalo Bills
Charles Clay led the Bills in targets last week. When healthy, he has remained Taylor’s top option this season. The Miami Dolphins are among the league’s worst in defending the position and the Bills are still alive in the playoff hunt. Clay has racked up 24 targets over the last three weeks. He’s only owned in 36% of Yahoo leagues. If Gates is already owned, Clay is a close second option for this week.
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