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The end-of-season race is heating up, as playoff spots are whittling down, fantasy championships are wrapping up, and records are close to being broken. With two weeks left before the playoffs, we're in for a wild ride through the end of the regular season.
Week 17 Power Rankings
Teams to Note
Carolina Panthers (Rose 5 spots)
The Panthers are by far the best team to root for in the NFL right now. Bryce Young has been dealing since returning from the bench, and if not for a few misfires by his receiving core and poor 4th quarter defense, they could be sitting at 7-7 right now.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Dropped 5 spots)
This may seem like a steep drop, especially after they won four straight and dropped close games against the Chiefs and 49ers beforehand, so chalk this up to just how the rankings shaped up the week. All of the teams from the 16 to 10 slot are pretty close in terms of how they would fare head-to-head.
Philadelphia Eagles (No movement)
Washington played an outstanding 2nd half to just beat the Eagles, who were without Jalen Hurts for most of the game. I'm unfazed by the loss, and Philly is still the best team in the league at the moment.
Week 16 Awards
Awards | AFC | NFC |
Offensive MVP | Jonathan Taylor | Justin Jefferson |
Defensive MVP | Kyle Hamilton | Jessie Bates III |
Special Teams MVP | Corliss Waitman | Brandon Aubrey |
Trench Tyrant | Bernhard Raimann | Jake Matthews |
Relentless Rookie | Brian Thomas Jr | Jared Verse |
Winners to Note
Jake Matthews
Matthews was on one on Sunday as he turned in one of the best performances of his career. He allowed 0 pressures against 29 pass rushes, and the Falcons tallied 86 of their 115 designed rush yards to his side, accounting for nearly three quarters of Atlanta's rushing attack. This earned him 89.2 and 90.4 pass and run block grades, respectively, giving him one of the best performances across the league in Week 16.
Bernhard Raimann
Getting some more lineman love is Bernhard Raimann, who showed his run blocking chops in a major way. On 48 run-blocking snaps, he generated a 90.5 grade, which ranked 3rd in the entire NFL last week. Of the 324 designed rush yards, 262 of them came to his side, with an astounding 137 yards coming directly behind him on 14 carries, meaning the Colts averaged nearly 10 yards a carry right behind him in one of the most dominant run-blocking performances we've seen all year.
Kyle Hamilton
Kyle wasn't flashy, he was just damn good on every snap. He allowed 2 receptions on 4 targets for just 7 yards and broke up one pass. In the run game, he generated 3 stops + TFLs and forced a fumble with great anticipation against a check-down route. This gave him a 90.0 overall grade, and adds to what is already a dominant resume three years into his NFL career.
Photo: Jared Wickerham/Pittsburgh Steelers
Fantasy Football
Week 16 Recap
Points | QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex |
Player | Michael Penix Jr | Kendre Miller | Michael Pittman Jr | Brenton Strange | Olamide Zaccheaus |
Projected | 14.6 | 7.1 | 10.5 | 8.5 | 5.9 |
Actual | 6.38 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 24.0 |
Difference | -8.22 | -2.0 | -6.6 | -6.3 | 18.1 |
Result | Bust | Bust | Bust | Bust | Boom |
Season Totals: 21 Booms / 29 Pushes / 29 Busts / 1 Inactive
Week 17 Prediction
It's Championship Week for most people, so I'm not playing around with my picks.
QB: Jared Goff vs San Francisco 49ers (proj. 16.7 points)
Goff has put up 23+ point performances in each of his last three games. The Lions are in must-win mode to maintain the top seed in the NFC, so I expect Goff to have another monster fantasy performance.
RB: Jerome Ford vs Miami Dolphins (proj. 12.1 points)
Jerome has been a firecracker since Nick Chubb went down with a broken foot. Although he hasn't gotten many more carries, he's been more explosive and is the lone bright spot on Cleveland's offense.
WR: Xavier Worthy vs Pittsburgh Steelers (proj. 12.0 points)
Xavier is starting to figure it out, and if not for two near-miss TDs last week, he would've had an incredible performance. Mahomes and Worthy will finally click this week, putting the speedster in line for a dominant outing.
TE: Mark Andrews vs Houston Texans (proj. 10.0 points)
Mandrews is finally back, as he's been the 6th best TE in fantasy since Week 6. Baltimore is going to need him to have another classic performance as they push to win the AFC North.
Flex: Jalen McMillan vs Carolina Panthers (proj. 10.6 points)
The rookie out of Washington is fully immersed in the Chris Godwin role within this offense, and he is feasting. He's been the 11th best WR in fantasy over the past three weeks, and he should shine once again in a massive divisional bout.
Week 17 Game Predictions
AFC Games
Chiefs vs Steelers (Christmas 1 PM)
Ravens vs Texans (Christmas 4:30 PM)
Chargers vs Patriots (Saturday 1 PM)
Broncos vs Bengals (Saturday 4:30 PM)
Jets vs Bills
Titans vs Jaguars
Dolphins vs Browns
NFC Games
Seahawks vs Bears (TNF)
Cardinals vs Rams (Saturday 8 PM)
Cowboys vs Eagles
Packers vs Vikings
Falcons vs Commanders (SNF)
Lions vs 49ers (MNF)
Cross Over Games
Raiders vs Saints
Colts vs Giants
Record from Week 16: 11-5
Season Record: 145-95
Photo: Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire
Final Notes
In terms of intense matchups, this week is chock-full of them. Every standalone game has pretty significant playoff implications, and many teams can lock up their spots with a win heading into Week 18.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year to everybody!
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