It’s the fantasy football finals, and if you’re like me, you’re once again dominating the Football Absurdity Writer’s league. Oh, what’s that? Only 2 people are in those finals? Sorry if you’re reading this, Waleed. With one week left in the season, it’s time to make some hard choices to add that one final piece to your fantasy roster. If it’s the last week of the year, there’s no reason to have some of these guys on your roster. We won’t go as much in-depth with these guys as we have in the past, because the real question here is if someone is a viable play in week seventeen thanks to the matchup. Let’s ride, one last time.
Quarterbacks
Tua Tagovailoa at Baltimore (97% rostered)
The Ravens just picked off the 49ers five times and were the third-worst matchup in the league before that happened. Tua, conversely, has been a top-20 quarterback just once in the last five weeks.
Trevor Lawrence versus Carolina (94% rostered)
Injuries are starting to take their toll on T-Law, who suffered yet another one in week sixteen (a shoulder sprain). He also has back-to-back games with fewer than 15 fantasy points. This week he gets the worst possible passing game matchup on the year with the run funnel Carolina Panthers.
Sam Howell versus San Francisco (67% rostered)
Sam Howell has been benched twice in the last two games, and the 49ers have to win out to get the one seed. The 49ers’ pass rush will obliterate the Commanders and their bottom-ten win-rate offensive line in a Chase Young revenge game.
Wide Receivers
Courtland Sutton versus L.A. Chargers (90% rostered)
Courtland Sutton suffered a concussion in the week sixteen game against the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football. Players rarely make it back within a week, and I wouldn’t expect to have Sutton back for the finals.
Marquise Brown at Philadelphia (78% rostered)
Brown has been in and out of the lineup with a heel injury, something that is likely to limit his upside in week seventeen if he even plays.
Jakobi Meyers at Indianapolis (77% rostered)
Meyers has had over 50 yards just one time since week seven, and he’s averaging five targets since the Raiders’ bye. Aiden O’Connell just won a game against the Chiefs without completing a pass after the first quarter, and they did it without Josh Jacobs. Who knows what is going on inside of Antonio Pierce’s head over there? But it’s working.
Jahan Dotson versus San Francisco (58% rostered)
The 49ers’ pass defense is beatable, but the Commanders’ passing game is also a major mess right now, with Sam Howell hitting the bench in the last two games. The Commanders’ #3 wide receiver has more than five targets just once since week ten and has over 50 yards just once in that period.
Josh Downs versus Las Vegas (51% rostered)
We’ll always have weeks 5 through 8. Downs had a hot run in the middle of the season but has completely fallen out of favor in recent weeks. Even the Colts missing Michael Pittman couldn’t get him a great day: he had nine targets, but his six catches went for just 39 yards. It marked the seventh straight game with single-digit fantasy points for Downs.
Running Backs
Brian Robinson versus San Francisco (85% rostered)
Robinson is banged up and might not even play in week seventeen. But, even if he does, he will get the insanely stout 49ers’ run defense as his reward. They’ve allowed the 12th-fewest fantasy points to running backs on the season and will have a major mismatch against the woeful Commanders’ O-Line.
Alexander Mattison versus Green Bay (82% rostered)
Ty Chandler fully Wally Pipped Mattison last week, as Mattison returned from injury to a total of two carries for -1 yard on 5 snaps.
A.J. Dillon at Minnesota (67% rostered)
Dillon scored a touchdown in the last game that he played, and he still managed just 7.2 fantasy points. He maxed out the year at 13.6 fantasy points way back in week 5, and hasn’t passed 11.5 PPR points since then.
Tight End
Dalton Kincaid versus New England (84% rostered)
Kincaid has been an afterthought to the Bills’ passing game since Dawson Knox returned, logging four targets in the last two games. He has one catch for 7 yards in those games.
