Football
Week 17 is the championship matchup in a vast majority of Fantasy football leagues, so it’s the biggest week for Fantasy lineup decisions of the year for those who have made it thus far. In 2024, the players who had starred all year also showed up in the penultimate week as Joe Burrow, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Trey McBride were among the stats leaders. This year, it’s the likes of Josh Allen, Jonathan Taylor and Puka Nacua who have excelled and remain must-starts as Week 17 Fantasy football picks.
As for your Fantasy football start/sit decisions, targeting players on teams with something to play for that are facing teams out of playoff contention could be the way to go. So, the likes of Jaylen Warren, Baker Mayfield, Bucky Irving and Stefon Diggs may find themselves a bit higher in the Week 17 Fantasy football projections than expected. Some NFL injuries of note to consider for Fantasy include J.J. McCarthy (hand) being out and Lamar Jackson (back) and Jordan Love (concussion/shoulder) being day to day.
Before setting your Week 17 Fantasy football lineups for championship matchups, be sure to check out the Week 17 Fantasy football rankings from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Bet on every NFL Week 17 game at DraftKings Sportsbook, where new users can target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets if your $5 initial wager wins:
When it comes to ranking players, SportsLine’s model beat human experts in Fantasy football for the past several seasons, especially when there were big differences in ranking. Over the course of a season, that could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home empty-handed.
The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, including being ahead of the curve on players like A.J. Brown, Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara and Jahmyr Gibbs. Anybody who banked on players like those could have made a run at their league title.
Now, the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its Fantasy football rankings for Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
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Football Top Week 17 Fantasy football picks
One surprise in Week 17: The model is fading Jags wideout Brian Thomas Jr., a Pro Bowler last year who finished third in receiving yards. Thomas, who is owned in almost all leagues being started in nearly half of them, has been a top-25 Fantasy receiver over the last three weeks, but this has been his best stretch all season as inconsistency has defined his sophomore year. He had a season-low of 18 yards last week, as both Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers have passed Thomas in the eyes of Trevor Lawrence, as those two are averaging more receptions and yards over the last month. Thomas may not warrant a spot in Week 17 Fantasy football lineups as he sits outside the top 30 in wide receiver rankings.
Another curveball: The model is high on Rams tight end Colby Parkinson, despite him being the TE22 on the season and being started in just 38% of leagues this week. Parkinson has quietly performed as the TE6 since Week 10 as he’s made the most of Tyler Higbee going on injured reserve. The former has six touchdowns over his last seven games while averaging 35.9 receiving yards over this stretch. He should continue that success on Monday night versus a Falcons defense which just allowed 11 catches and 118 yards to the tight end position on Sunday, which came a week after giving up a tight end touchdown. For more start/sit Fantasy football advice, be sure to check out the rest of the Week 17 Fantasy football rankings.
New users can also target the latest Underdog promo code, good for $75 in bonus entries when you play $5 with the promo code CBSSPORTS2 in select states.
The model is also calling for a surprising quarterback you aren’t even thinking about to finish in the top eight of its Week 17 Fantasy football rankings, even slotted ahead the likes of Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. See the model’s entire Week 17 Fantasy football rankings for PPR and standard leagues here.
So who should you start and sit this week, and which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 17 Fantasy football rankings for every position, plus see which quarterback is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top eight all from the model that has outperformed experts big-time.
Read More Ross Kelly