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Fantasy football playoffs wide receiver rankings - Week 17 rankings for 2025. Who to start at wide receiver? Read the top-accuracy fantasy football playoffs rankings.
Most great fantasy teams have a few target hogs on the roster at wideout, and hopefully, that's the case for your team entering the fantasy football championship. We're here to help you bring home the hardware with our fantasy football playoffs wide receiver rankings for Week 17. Below, you will see where key pass-catchers such as Michael Wilson, Tetairoa McMillan, Terry McLaurin, Troy Franklin, Jaylen Waddle, and Jakobi Meyers stand for the title game.
Nick Mariano puts together our fantasy football playoffs rankings. Below the rankings, you will also find a summary of the important fantasy football news for this week. There are always key injuries and developments to keep track of, so check back throughout the week for updates.
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Editor's Note: Stay on top of your draft prep with RotoBaller’s fantasy football rankings, featuring expert analysis, ADPs, and draft insights for both PPR and non-PPR leagues.
Fantasy Football Playoffs WR Rankings (Week 17)
Fantasy Football Playoffs WR Rankings Outlooks
Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Los Angeles Rams "very well could shut down" wide receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) for the final two regular-season games. Head coach Sean McVay already said that Adams is doubtful to play on Monday night against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17, and a team source told Fowler that "it wouldn't be a surprise" to see Adams also miss the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals. The Rams' goal is to "ensure Adams is 100 percent for the first week of the playoffs."
Adams is currently considered week-to-week after aggravating his hamstring injury on Dec. 14 against the Detroit Lions. The Rams held him out of last Thursday's overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and fantasy managers shouldn't expect to have him the rest of the way. Konata Mumpfield, along with star Puka Nacua, could be the biggest beneficiary in L.A.'s passing attack if Adams misses two more games.
Deebo Samuel Sr., Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. has been held under 50 yards in three straight games and hasn't found the end zone since Week 11. Samuel has exceeded 50 receiving yards only twice over the past nine games. The former San Francisco 49er draws a potential get-right spot on Christmas Day against the Dallas Cowboys, who have struggled to defend the pass. Dallas has allowed the most passing yards per game and the most PPR points per game to wide receivers this season.
Washington's pass-catchers could take a hit for fantasy with quarterback Marcus Mariota (hand, quadriceps) uncertain to play after missing consecutive practices to begin the week, opening the door for journeyman Josh Johnson to make his first start since 2021. Samuel currently ranks as RotoBaller's WR29 in PPR leagues in Week 17.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Ian Rapoport spoke on Good Morning Football on Wednesday and said Detroit Lions star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (knee) should play on Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings. St. Brown has dealt with a few injuries over the past few weeks, including knee and ankle injuries, but still has played through them, even if he has not been at 100%.
Still, given his progression throughout the short week, it's great news that he is expected to play, and fantasy managers should confidently fire him up in their lineups this week, regardless of the situation or matchup. The Vikings' defense has been stellar of late and tough against opposing wide receivers and quarterbacks. Still, the Lions are in a must-win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive, and shouldn't hold anything back against the Max Brosmer-led Vikings on Thursday.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has provided a major lift to the passing game since returning in Week 13. McLaurin has compiled 16 catches on 26 targets for 259 receiving yards and two touchdowns, ranking 16th among wide receivers in yards over that span. The 30-year-old wideout has a golden matchup on Christmas Day against a Dallas Cowboys defense that is allowing a league-high 8.8 yards per pass attempt over the last five games.
However, the Ohio State product is set to be catching passes from journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson, with Marcus Mariota (hand, quadriceps) out after missing two straight practices to open the week. McLaurin still profiles as a solid start with upside in Week 17 as Washington's clear top target, ranking as RotoBaller's WR14 in PPR leagues.
DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf will miss the remainder of the regular season after the league upheld his two-game suspension. Metcalf was suspended after a confrontation with a fan during Sunday's win against the Detroit Lions. The 28-year-old appealed his suspension but was unsuccessful as the league upheld the decision on Tuesday.
The Steelers will now be without their top wideout for the final two games of the regular season. Adam Thielen and Calvin Austin III (hamstring) should see larger roles in the receiving game. Also, running back Kenneth Gainwell could take on an even larger role as he has tallied five or more receptions over each of his last three games. If Austin can move past his hamstring injury, he could hold WR3 upside in deeper leagues in a tilt against the Browns, as he should take on the WR1 role in the offense.
Roman Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin went "out of his way to point out" wide receiver Roman Wilson as a player who could step up in the wake of wideout D.K. Metcalf's two-game suspension for punching a fan during the team's Week 16 win over the Detroit Lions, per Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show. Wilson has seen limited usage so far this season, recording 12 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns on 21 targets across 12 games.
However, with Metcalf suspended and fellow wideout Calvin Austin III (hamstring) battling a hamstring injury, the Steelers are now quite thin at the wide receiver position heading into their Week 17 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. In addition to Wilson, Adam Thielen, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Scotty Miller, and Ben Skowronek are all candidates to see increased playing time at wide receiver in Pittsburgh.
Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney continued to be an afterthought in the Atlanta offense, drawing just two targets in Sunday's 26-19 win over the Cardinals. The 28-year-old converted both targets into receptions for 24 yards, but is firmly behind Drake London (knee), Kyle Pitts Sr., and Bijan Robinson in the receiving pecking order, giving him little fantasy relevance. Even when London was absent the last four weeks, he failed to carve out a consistent role, with David Sills V finding more success than the 5-foot-11 receiver in those contests.
The veteran wideout does have a favorable matchup in Week 17 against a Rams defense that is bottom 10 in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers, so he could be a deep league dart throw for managers desperate enough to need his services, but it is probably a situation to avoid if possible.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 17 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on players like - DJ Moore, Terry McLaurin, Chris Godwin, Ladd McConkey, Brian Thomas, Deebo Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Troy Franklin. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 17.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 17 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 17 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 17 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 17 for players like DJ Moore, Terry McLaurin, Chris Godwin, Ladd McConkey, Brian Thomas, Deebo Samuel, Khalil Shakir, Troy Franklin:
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