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Fantasy Stat Pack: Week Seventeen

Ryan McDowell Posted On December 27, 2018
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If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably noticed a series of tweets I share on a weekly basis regarding player and team defensive performances, all from a fantasy lens. I’m going to be sharing some of that same information with you here.

I use this each week as I am making my own lineup and waiver wire decisions and thought you might find this valuable as well.

Note: The scoring system used for this data is always PPR with four points for passing touchdowns.

All year to date fantasy ranks are based on total points.

*Week Seventeen note: For many, the fantasy season is over and the volatility of Week Seventeen is well-documented. If your league includes a game this week or if you are playing daily fantasy, remember that many key players will leave their respective game early or simply not play at all.

Quarterbacks

Week Sixteen QB1s (top 12 scorers)

The story of Week Sixteen was Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who set multiple franchise records on his way to a QB3 performance. In most weeks, his game would’ve been good enough to be the top fantasy scorer but Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson each ran for a pair of touchdowns to boost their bottom line.

Year to Date QB1s

  • QB1 Patrick Mahomes, KC
  • QB2 Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
  • QB3 Matt Ryan, ATL
  • QB4 Aaron Rodgers, GB
  • QB5 Deshaun Watson, HOU
  • QB6 Drew Brees, NO
  • QB7 Andrew Luck, IND
  • QB8 Russell Wilson, SEA
  • QB9 Jared Goff, LAR
  • QB10 Cam Newton, CAR
  • QB11 Philip Rivers, LAC
  • QB12 Kirk Cousins, MIN

There was a ton of movement last week in the season-long fantasy ranks. Rodgers QB1 performance moved him from QB10 to QB4 while Watson jumped from QB8 to QB5. Obviously, this meant some signal callers had to fall and the victims were Drew Brees (QB4 to QB6), Andrew Luck (QB5 to QB7), Cam Newton (QB6 to QB10) and Philip Rivers (QB7 to QB11).

QB1 Games this Season

  • 13 Patrick Mahomes
  • 12
  • 11 Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan, Russell Wilson
  • 10 Ben Roethlisberger, Deshaun Watson
  • 9
  • 8 Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, Kirk Cousins, Philip Rivers

Most QB1 Games Allowed

  • 10 KC
  • 9 ATL, TB
  • 8 CIN, NO, PHI, WAS
  • 7 GB, NE, NYJ, SF
  • 6 CAR, DEN, HOU, JAX, MIA, OAK, PIT, SEA
  • 5 ARI, BAL, CLE, DET, IND, LAC, LAR, NYG
  • 4 CHI, TEN
  • 3 BUF, DAL, MIN

The Chiefs have allowed a league-high ten QB1 games and face Derek Carr and the Raiders in the season’s final week. Even in a lost season, the Raiders have been playing to win each game so Carr is unlikely to be pulled early regardless of the outcome. The Falcons and Buccaneers are next on the list, surrendering nine QB1 games each and they play each other. With both teams well out of the playoff hunt, who knows what the usage will look like. Jameis Winston seems like a safer bet to play the full game and is also at home.

The Bills, Cowboys and Vikings have been the toughest teams against quarterbacks. Buffalo hosts Miami’s Ryan Tannehill, who shouldn’t be a fantasy option regardless, while Eli Manning gets the Cowboys defense. The Vikings host the Bears in a must-win game for Minnesota, which is a bad spot for Mitchell Trubisky.

Running Backs

Week Sixteen RB1s (top 12 scorers)

It was a frustrating week for fantasy players as Todd Gurley sat out and many players who were on the waiver wire just weeks ago, or even days ago, came through with a breakthrough performance. Chiefs veteran Damien Williams ends the fantasy football season with three straight RB1 performances.

Year to Date RB1s

With Gurley sitting out with a knee injury, Panthers do-it-all back Christian McCaffrey moves into the overall RB1 spot for the year, breaking records along the way. Cardinals back David Johnson had a quiet game but somehow moved from RB11 to RB9 while Phillip Lindsay moves into the top 12 scorers, pushing Bears pass-catcher Tarik Cohen out of the RB1 range.

RB1 Games this Season

  • 12 Todd Gurley
  • 11 Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley
  • 10 Alvin Kamara
  • 9 Melvin Gordon
  • 8 Ezekiel Elliott
  • 7 James Conner, Joe Mixon

Most RB1 Games Allowed

  • 11 ATL
  • 10 CIN
  • 9 ARI, KC, MIA
  • 8 NYG, SEA
  • 7 CLE, IND, LAC, PHI
  • 6 BUF, DEN, DET, HOU, TB
  • 5 CAR, CHI, DAL, NYJ, OAK
  • 4 BAL, GB, JAX, NE, NO, PIT, SF, WAS
  • 3 LAR, MIN
  • 2 TEN

The Falcons have struggled against running backs as well and Tampa Bay, their Week Seventeen opponent, has been trying to get running back Peyton Barber more involved, though he’s shown a limited ceiling this year. The Bengals face the Steelers, who must win the game and need help to make the playoffs. The status of Pittsburgh’s James Conner is yet to be determined but either he or rookie Jaylen Samuels would make an exciting play this week.

The Titans face the Colts in a “win and in” matchup for a playoff spot. The Colts have tried to lean on running back Marlon Mack in recent weeks but Tennessee has been the top team when it comes to allowing RB1 games, giving up only two the entire season. The Rams (vs. Jeff Wilson) and Vikings (vs. Jordan Howard/Tarik Cohen) are not ideal matchups either.

Wide Receivers

Week Sixteen WR1s (top 12 scorers)

While the running back group was a collection of seemingly random names, many of the top wideouts came through with huge performances for the fantasy finals, including Steelers Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Seahawks recevier Doug Baldwin is also making the best of a difficult season for him, posting back-to-back WR1 games.

Year to Date WR1s

The two-touchdown game from Brown moved him from WR7 to WR2 for the season and gives him a chance to claim yet another overall WR1 season. Saints receiver Michael Thomas also came through with big numbers in that same game, moving him from WR6 to WR3. DeAndre Hopkins, Adam Thielen and Tyreek Hill each fell two spots.

WR1 Games this Season

  • 9 Julio Jones
  • 8 Davante Adams, Adam Thielen, Antonio Brown, Michael Thomas
  • 7 DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans
  • 6 Keenan Allen, Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs
  • 5 JuJu Smith-Schuster, Odell Beckham

Most WR1 Games Allowed

  • 13 NO
  • 12 CAR
  • 11
  • 10 GB, PHI
  • 9 TB
  • 8 ARI, DET, LAR
  • 7 CIN, CLE, SEA, TEN
  • 6 ATL, KC, MIA, NYJ, PIT, WAS
  • 5 CHI, DEN, SF
  • 4 BAL, DAL, HOU, NE, NYG
  • 3 BUF, JAX, LAC, OAK
  • 2 MIN
  • 1 IND

The Saints have been the worst team when it comes to allowing big performances from wideouts, giving up 13 WR1 games. This week is a meaningless game for them, having already locked up home field, so that could be even more appealing for the Panthers. Carolina will again start Taylor Heinicke at quarterback, which limited the receiver performances last week. Flipping the field, the Panthers have been the next worse team. If you’re buying into the idea that the key members of the offense rest, gambling on Saints receivers like Keith Kirkwood or Tre’Quan Smith could be appealing.

The Colts have shut down opposing receivers all year and the Titans could be without starting quarterback Marcus Mariota. These are just a couple of easy reasons to avoid receiver Corey Davis this week. The Vikings have given up only a pair of WR1 games all year, which is bad news for Bears receiver Allen Robinson and company.

Tight Ends

Week Sixteen TE1s (top 12 scorers)

As has been the case for the majority of the season, the tight end position in Week Sixteen was a nightmare. Both Zach Ertz and Kyle Rudolph had massive games but many of the TE1s on this list did so while on dynasty waiver wires.

Year to Date TE1s

High-scoring performances caused a massive shake-up among the season-long tight end group. Rudolph moved from outside of the group up to TE7, while David Njoku climbed from out of the top 12 to TE9. Patriots veteran Rob Gronkowski didn’t even record a catch, falling from TE8 to TE10 while injured tight ends O.J. Howard and Jordan Reed fell out of the TE1 range.

TE1 Games this Season

  • 12 Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz
  • 11 George Kittle
  • 10 Eric Ebron
  • 9
  • 8
  • 7 OJ Howard, Trey Burton

Most TE1 Games Allowed

  • 11 KC
  • 10 IND, TB
  • 9 CLE, HOU
  • 8 CAR, CIN, NE, PIT
  • 7 ATL, DAL, JAX
  • 6 CHI, DET, LAC, MIA, OAK, WAS
  • 5 ARI, BAL, DEN, GB, LAR
  • 4 MIN, NYG, SEA, SF
  • 3 BUF, NYJ, PHI
  • 2 NO, TEN

The Chiefs have struggled recently against tight ends, moving them to the top of this list with 11 TE1 games allowed. This could be a good spot for Raiders veteran Jared Cook to finish the season on a strong note. The Colts (vs. Anthony Firkser) and Buccaneers (vs. Austin Hooper) have also struggled against tight ends.

The Saints and Titans have allowed only two TE1 games all season, which gives Panthers rookie Ian Thomas and Colts star Eric Ebron difficult matchups. Ebron suffered a concussion last week, so his status was already shaky.

Finally, here’s the full defensive chart you might’ve already seen on Twitter.

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