Dynasty Fantasy Football Stat Pack: Week 17
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. This is the last week for the Stat Pack this year.
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.
Quarterbacks
Week Seventeen QB1s (top 12 scorers)
One of the huge surprises of Championship Week in fantasy leagues was the play of Jarrett Stidham, who made his first career start against the 49ers. Facing one of the league’s top defenses with a team that has at times appeared to have given up on the season was not a recipe for success. Regardless of all of those factors, Stidham slung the ball around all day and helped take the Niners to overtime. Stidham put up 26 fantasy points, something Derek Carr has not done since Week Two of the 2021 season.
Year to Date QB1s
Daniel Jones went wild in Week Seventeen as his Giants clinched a playoff berth. Jones threw for two scores and ran for two more, helping him to move from QB9 to QB7 for the season. Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars were in cruise control against the Texans, exiting the game early in the second-half. That cost him some fantasy production, dropping him from QB5 to QB8 for the year. Tom Brady rejoined the QB1 ranks, replacing the injured Lamar Jackson.
QB1 Games this Season
Most QB1 Games Allowed
The Chiefs have now allowed a dozen QB1 games on the season, the most in the league. With a lack of clarity in how the playoff seeding will play out in the season’s final week, we should expect the Chiefs to play as normal. This could offer Stidham another opportunity for a big day of fantasy production.
The Lions, Raiders and Vikings are next in line, allowing eleven QB1 games each. The Lions will end the week facing the Packers in what will be a must-win game for Aaron Rodgers and company. As previously mention, the Raiders face Kansas City, which is yet another reason to feel confident in Patrick Mahomes. Finally, the Vikes travel to Chicago in a meaningless game for the Bears. I expect Kirk Cousins to put on a show after last week’s disappointment.
There are now seven teams who have allowed for the fewest QB1 games allowed with three each. The Texans are allowing the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and face the Colts and, presumably, Sam Ehlinger. Nothing more to see here. The Browns (vs. Kenny Pickett), Bills (vs. Mac Jones) and Bengals (vs. Tyler Huntley) are other teams that are matchups to avoid in Week Eighteen.
Running Backs
Week Seventeen RB1s (top 12 scorers)
It is no surprise to see both Austin Ekeler and Christian McCaffrey at the top of this week’s running back list. After all, these two also hold the same positions on the season-long list below. The term gets thrown around too often, but these two are certainly league-winners.
Beyond that reliable duo, the rest of the Week Seventeen running back list was an odd one. The Lions, Falcons and Jaguars each produced two RB1s, while Jerick McKinnon kept his surprising hot streak going with his third RB1 game in the past four weeks. Another league-winner, and much cheaper to acquire than Ekeler and McCaffrey.
Year to Date RB1s
There was very little change among the top-scoring running backs for the year. Aaron Jones rushed for over 100 yards for the first time since Week Ten, which helped him climb two spots up to the RB8 for the year. While Derrick Henry and Tony Pollard did not play in Week Seventeen, they held onto their positions as RB4 and RB7, respectively.
RB1 Games this Season
Most RB1 Games Allowed
The Texans have surrendered 13 RB1 games on the season after allowing both Travis Etienne and JaMycal Hasty to rank as top-twelve scorers last week. In the season finale, Houston faces the Colts, which could offer Zack Moss a chance to prove his worth for the future.
The Cardinals are next up, allowing a dozen RB1 games. Arizona faces the 49ers and with Christian McCaffrey and company hoping to lock up the second seed in the NFC, this is expected to be a one-sided game. The Bears (vs. Dalvin Cook), Chargers (vs. Latavius Murray) and Seahawks (vs. Cam Akers) are other teams we should be chasing when looking for running backs in fantasy lineups.
A trio of teams have allowed only two RB1 games. Those are the Cowboys (vs. Brian Robinson), Giants (vs. Miles Sanders) and Titans (vs. Travis Etienne.) In meaningful games for the Eagles and Jaguars, this would not be enough to make me avoid Sanders or Etienne.
Some other backs with potentially difficult matchups include Jones and AJ Dillon (vs. DET), James Conner (vs. SF), Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott (vs. WAS) and Devin Singletary and James Cook (vs. NE.)
Wide Receivers
Week Seventeen WR1s (top 12 scorers)
After weeks of frustration and disappointment, Mike Evans went wild for the Buccaneers. Evans scored three times along with his 207 yards on ten receptions. We already discussed Stidham’s performance but much of his success came with the help of superstar receiver Davante Adams, who busted out of his recent slump.
Finally, the Vikings had a pair of WR1s in Week Seventeen but somehow neither of them was named Justin Jefferson. In fact, Adam Thielen didn’t even get the job done. Instead, it was KJ Osborn and Jalen Nailor benefitting from the garbage time in their blowout loss to the Packers.
Year to Date WR1s
Since Deshaun Watson took over for the Browns, wide receiver Amari Cooper has struggled. That ended in Week Seventeen as Cooper exploded for two scores along with his first 100+ yard game since Week Eleven. That production moved Cooper inside the WR1 range, slotting in at WR10. Bengals receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who obviously did not officially play in Week Seventeen, each fell off the list and Seattle receiver Tyler Lockett replaced his teammate DK Metcalf as the WR12.
WR1 Games this Season
Most WR1 Games Allowed
Play your wide receivers against the Lions. It’s that simple. This week, that means using Allen Lazard and, if healthy, Christian Watson, as the Packers hope to earn a playoff berth on Sunday night. The Titans are the only other team to allow more than nine WR1 games, giving up a dozen on the year. They have a “winner take all” game on Saturday against the Jaguars, meaning Christian Kirk and Zay Jones are back in play this week after consecutive tough matchups against the Jets and Texans.
Speaking of the Texans, they have still only allowed a league-best one WR1 game all season. Way back in Week One. The player who stung them for that top-twelve performance was Michael Pittman and he gets a chance to double-dip against Houston this season. Other teams with difficult matchups in Week Eighteen include Seattle (vs. Van Jefferson), the Jets (vs. Tyreek Hill/Jaylen Waddle), Denver (vs. Mike Williams/Keenan Allen) and Charger (vs. Jerry Jeudy/Courtland Sutton.)
Tight Ends
Week Seventeen TE1s (top 12 scorers)
It is a rare week when neither Travis Kelce nor George Kittle finish among the top-twelve scorers but that’s what happened in Week Seventeen. Dalton Schultz started the week with a two-touchdown game and held onto his TE1 rank throughout the rest of the weekend.
With Greg Dulcich landing on the injured reserve list, the Broncos went back to a committee approach and both Albert Okwuegbunam and Colby Parkinson ended up as top-twelve fantasy scorers.
Year to Date TE1s
That TE1 performance for the week boosted Schultz into the TE1 range, sitting at TE9. He replaces Dawson Knox, who did not end up playing, while David Njoku also fell from the list. It’s also notable that the Saints currently have a pair of TE1s, with Taysom Hill and Juwan Johnson among the top-ten scorers.
TE1 Games this Season
Most TE1 Games Allowed
The Seahawks have been getting torn up by opposing tight ends, which could mean another big week for Rams starter Tyler Higbee. If you’re playing in Week Eight, Higbee is worth a start. The Falcons have allowed eleven TE1 games and now face Buccaneers rookie Cade Otton, though there is a chance Tampa Bay rests their starters with nothing to play for in the season finale. Other matchups to target include Arizona (vs. Kittle) and Miami (vs. Tyler Conklin.)
The Cowboys (vs. Logan Thomas), Saints (vs. Tommy Tremble) and Commanders (vs. Schultz) have allowed only three TE1 games on the season so far. With a good chance that Schultz does not play the entire game, these are already players that were not likely to see fantasy lineups this week.
Finally, here is the chart summarizing how teams have fared against each position. I’ve also included the schedule for this week for reference.
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