• Tyler Allgeier takes over the Atlanta Falcons‘ backfield: Allgeier has run the ball 35 times over the past two weeks and finds himself in a favorable matchup for the fantasy championship week.

• Stars align for Michael Gallup: Gallup has become the Dallas Cowboys‘ clear No. 2 receiver despite all of the news around veterans, and he has a great Week 17 matchup.

• Tyler Conklin could shine with the right quarterback: Conklin has the playing time and matchup to be a Week 17 fantasy starter. Now, he just needs a healthy Mike White.

Estimated Reading Time: 16 mins

Jump to a position group:

QB | RB | WR | TE

Quarterback

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (Rostered in 53.6% of leagues on ESPN)

Goff threw for 355 yards and three touchdowns in the Lions' Week 16 loss.

He’s thrown for at least 325 yards in three of his past four games and is averaging more than two touchdowns per game in that span.
He’s been a top-12 fantasy quarterback in three of those four games.
These games correspond to Detroit finally having all of its wide receivers healthy.
Goff in Week 17 faces the Chicago Bears, who rank ninth in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks this season.

Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos (40.7%)

Wilson recorded a disappointing 214 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16.

He threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns and gained 57 yards on the ground against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14 — good for the third-best fantasy performance of Week 14.
Wilson has a rematch against Kansas City this upcoming week.
The Chiefs have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
He is a risky play, as he might not even keep the starting job, but he also has the upside of being one of the top quarterbacks of the week.

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (28.3%)

Purdy threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns in the 49ers' home victory against the Washington Commanders.

He’s thrown for two touchdowns in all four games where he’s played the majority of snaps.
He’s consistently thrown for 175-250 passing yards.
This has made him only a borderline fantasy starter each week, largely depending on how other quarterbacks play.
The 49ers play the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17. The Raiders have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
All of Purdy’s opponents to this point have been average to bad at preventing fantasy points to quarterbacks, so we should expect more of the same.

Mac Jones, New England Patriots (9.7%)

Jones put together a solid performance of 240 passing yards and two touchdowns despite the Patriots' Week 16 loss.

Jones has largely been inconsistent this season. He put together a game with 382 yards and two touchdowns a month ago but also had 112 yards and no touchdowns in Week 15.
There is also a chance New England could bench Jones at some point, making him a very high-risk, high-reward option.
The potential reward comes from the fact he is playing the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. Miami has allowed the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
Miami employs man defense at the second-highest rate this season.
Jones has more touchdowns (14-8), fewer interceptions (9-11), a better big-time throw rate (6.1% to 3.7%) and a lower turnover-worthy throw rate (1.6% to 3.0%) against man defense compared to zone.

Running Back

Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams (69.5%)

Akers' improved numbers in Week 16 correspond with an increased role in the offense.

He played 100% of snaps over the Rams' first three drives. This included the Rams' only third-and-11-plus play of the day.
Akers almost never sees snaps on those plays, but this was his third play in this situation of the season.
He was in for more than 80% of offensive snaps on the Rams' first three drives. This included 90% of snaps on first or second downs.
He didn’t play on the last two drives, as the Rams largely put backups in.
This was his second straight game with over 75% of the Rams' offensive snaps.
He’s available in only 30% of ESPN leagues, but he’s a must-add in any league where he’s still available.
The Rams in Week 17 play the Los Angeles Chargers, who have given up the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs this season.

Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons (39.1%)

Allgeier was the clear top player in the Falcons' backfield for the first time since Cordarrelle Patterson returned from injury.

He ran the ball 18 times for 74 yards and added four catches for 43 receiving yards.
He’s typically been the Falcons' primary receiving back, but this was the first time in months that he also played a majority of snaps on early downs and in short-yardage situations, even though they weren’t converted to touchdowns.
His quality of play has been consistent in recent weeks. He’s averaged 5.8 yards per carry since Week 11.
The Falcons play the Arizona Cardinals next week. This is a much better matchup, as the Falcons could be playing from ahead, and Arizona has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs this season.