December 27, 2025
Miami Dolphins wide receiver
Jaylen Waddle has been the team's top option since
Tyreek Hill's season-ending injury, and he'll be a solid second receiver in standard-sized leagues this week as his team hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Waddle had five catches on nine targets for 72 yards in last week's loss to the Bengals, which was the first career start for rookie QB
Quinn Ewers. Waddle led the team with those nine targets, with no other player getting more than five looks. Waddle didn't get into the end zone for a second straight week, but he has six touchdowns to go with his 910 receiving yards this season. He could get to 1,000 yards on Sunday if he has a big game against the Bucs, who rank in the middle of the league as a WR matchup. Waddle is the No. 17 WR in Week 17's RotoBaller rankings, landing him as a solid WR2 this week with a high floor due to this target volume.
--Zach ThompsonSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
Miami Dolphins running back
De'Von Achane is once again a top-ten starting option this week as his team hosts the Bucs. Rookie
Quinn Ewers will make his second straight start at quarterback for Miami, and last week Achane had 81 rushing yards and nine receiving yards in support of the rookie in the team's 45-21 loss to the Bengals. Achane had one touchdown, giving him 12 scores on the season, and he's already up to 1,267 rushing yards and 459 receiving yards with two games to play. The Bucs have been a fairly neutral matchup for running backs this season, giving up 14 RB touchdowns in 15 games with an average of 53.6 receiving yards out of the backfield for the position. Achane is the No. 7 RB in the RotoBaller Week 17 rankings, making him a strong start in most standard-sized leagues, since he's been a fantasy stalwart despite his team's struggles this season.
--Zach ThompsonSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
Miami Dolphins running back
Ollie Gordon II has flashed touchdown-dependent upside in his rookie season, but he's battled an ankle injury and fallen down the depth chart in the last few weeks, playing behind
Jaylen Wright. Gordon only played three snaps last week against the Bengals, compared to 18 for Wright. He also lost a yard on his only carry. The sixth-round pick has four touchdowns on the season, but in his limited role, he's not a great option to start in Week 17, when his Dolphins host the Buccaneers. In RotoBaller's rankings, Gordon is only the No. 66 RB, making him an option best left on the bench or waiver wire in almost all formats.
--Zach ThompsonSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
Miami Dolphins quarterback
Quinn Ewers will make his second career start on Sunday when the Dolphins host the Buccaneers in a Sunshine State showdown. Ewers completed 20-of-30 passes for 260 passing yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in his start against the Bengals last week, which was enough to earn a second start this week against Tampa Bay. The seventh-round rookie from Texas is still searching for his first NFL touchdown, and he's playing for a potential opportunity in the future since the team seems ready to move on from
Tua Tagovailoa despite his recent contract extension. Ewers is only the QB28 this week in RotoBaller's Week 17 rankings, meaning he's not a strong starting option in all but the very deepest formats this week, even though the Bucs have dropped six of their last seven games.
--Zach ThompsonSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Demarcus Robinson scored his first touchdown of the season in Week 16, but was only involved enough to see one other target and finished the game with two catches for 23 yards and the score. Since the 49ers' Week 14 bye, Robinson has slid back behind
Kendrick Bourne on the depth chart, but saw a slight uptick in playing time last week with
Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle) sidelined due to injuries. Pearsall is questionable for Week 17, as is tight end
George Kittle (ankle). Even if both players were to be declared inactive, Robinson would be a long shot to provide fantasy value. In 12 games with the 49ers, Robinson has averaged 2.3 targets per game and owns a 17-222-1 line despite the many injuries to key pass-catchers throughout the season. Robinson is too low of a priority in the 49ers' pecking order to warrant use in the final weekend of fantasy football.
--Dan StephensSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
San Francisco 49ers kicker
Eddy Pineiro was six-for-six on extra point tries against the Colts in Week 16 and made two of his three field goal attempts. Pineiro was good from 25 and 38 yards out. His miss came on a 64-yard try at the end of the second quarter. It was his first missed field goal of 2025, making him 27-for-28 on the season. In Week 17, the 49ers host the Chicago Bears, with whom Pineiro made his NFL debut in 2019. The meeting between the two high-octane offenses carries one of the highest expected point totals of this week's slate, which could translate to Pineiro seeing a glut of opportunities to put points on the board. Pineiro, who ranks fifth among kickers in fantasy points per game, is a good option to plug into lineups for the final week of fantasy football.
--Dan StephensSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
San Francisco 49ers tight end
Jake Tonges could again be called on to fill the shoes of
George Kittle (ankle), who is questionable for Week 17. With the 49ers taking on the Bears on Sunday Night Football, fantasy managers hoping to see Kittle take the field won't have many options should the tight end be declared inactive. Tonges, therefore, is one of the few potential substitutes left in play by kickoff. Tonges caught a touchdown pass from
Brock Purdy in Week 1 and served as the 49ers' primary pass-catching tight end during Kittle's injured reserve stint, posting a 22-209-2 line from Weeks 2 to 6. Managers committed to Kittle would be wise to stash Tonges but should be advised to treat the latter as a touchdown-dependent option at tight end.
--Dan StephensSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
San Francisco 49ers tight end
George Kittle (ankle) missed each of the team's practices this week and is officially questionable for the team's clash with the Bears in Week 17. Kittle is expected to be a game-time decision, and with the teams being showcased on Sunday Night Football, fantasy managers will be left with few other options should he be declared inactive. The timing couldn't be worse for managers who rode Kittle, who has averaged 20 PPR points per game since Week 10, to the fantasy championship round. Managers hoping to see Kittle take the field need to take out an insurance policy. Backup
Jake Tonges connected with quarterback
Brock Purdy for a go-ahead touchdown in Week 1, and he logged a 22-209-2 line during Kittle's five-week stint on injured reserve earlier this season. On the other side of the ball,
Colston Loveland is another low-owned option worthy of consideration.
--Dan StephensSource: San Francisco 49ers
December 27, 2025
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Kendrick Bourne has seemingly regained his role as the team's third wide receiver after
Jauan Jennings and
Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle). Bourne had slipped behind
Demarcus Robinson on the depth chart for a few weeks, but the former has outsnapped the latter in both of the 49ers' games coming out of their Week 14 bye. Bourne's involvement has been minimal, even after drawing a start last week while Pearsall was held out due to injuries. Pearsall is questionable for Week 17, as is tight end
George Kittle (ankle), who is a game-time decision. Bourne's fantasy value rests on the availability of his teammates. Should both be shelved, then Bourne would have flex appeal against a soft Bears secondary, but if either or both are active, then it is hard to see Bourne eclipsing the five targets he saw last week.
--Dan StephensSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle) logged three limited practices this week and has been tagged as questionable for Week 17. Pearsall's six-catch, 96-yard performance in Week 15 was a welcome turnaround after logging just five catches and 20 yards in the 49ers' previous three games. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle sprain and reaggravated his PCL injury in that game, which prevented him from playing last week. The 49ers square off against the Bears on Sunday Night Football, limiting fantasy managers' options should Pearsall suffer any setbacks or be declared inactive at the last minute. Despite a forgiving matchup against a leaky Bears defense, the timing of the game makes Pearsall a risky flex option. Interested managers should stash another flex-worthy candidate from the game or Monday's Rams-Falcons clash as an insurance policy.
--Dan StephensSource: San Francisco 49ers
December 27, 2025
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver
Jauan Jennings has scored a touchdown in four straight games and has visited the end zone in six of the team's last seven contests. While the scoring binge has made him a valuable fantasy asset, he has been lacking in yardage. Jennings has hit a high of 71 yards (twice) since Week 9 but has otherwise averaged a mere 42.4 yards per game. Jennings has a good chance of extending his touchdown streak and improving his overall production in a Week 17 matchup against the Bears. Chicago has allowed the second-most touchdowns to opposing wide receivers and the tenth-most receiving yards to the position this season. With
George Kittle (ankle) a game-time decision and
Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle) questionable, Jennings may see more involvement in San Francisco's passing attack than usual. He is a borderline WR1/WR2 and can be plugged into starting lineups for the final week of the fantasy football season.
--Dan StephensSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
San Francisco 49ers running back
Christian McCaffrey has finished outside of the top ten at his position just twice in 2025. The heart of San Francisco's offense, McCaffrey leads the team in targets per game, is averaging 125.9 scrimmage yards per game, and has scored a touchdown in all but four of the 49ers' games this season. CMC's role in the passing game regressed in recent weeks until his 6-29-2 line on eight targets in Week 16. His target share may remain elevated in Week 17, as tight end
George Kittle (ankle) is a game-time decision and
Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle) is questionable. McCaffrey has a welcome matchup against the Bears in Week 17. Chicago has allowed the sixth-most rushing yards per game and the second-most rushing yards before contact per attempt this year. As always, McCaffrey is in contention for an RB1 finish and should be locked into lineups for the final weekend of the fantasy football season.
--Dan StephensSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
San Francisco 49ers quarterback
Brock Purdy has turned in four top-12 finishes in five games since returning from a six-week absence due to turf toe. Purdy stepped things up since the 49ers' Week 14 bye, putting up 295 passing yards in consecutive games and a total of eight touchdowns. Purdy has a great chance of keeping his hot streak alive in Week 17 against the Chicago Bears. The Bears have given up the seventh-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks and are tied with two other teams for the third-most passing touchdowns allowed. Tight end
George Kittle (ankle) will be a game-time decision, but deep threat
Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle) is trending towards playing. Purdy projects as a QB1 given his recent track record and favorable matchup, making him a worthy starter in the fantasy championship round.
--Dan StephensSource: NFL.com
December 27, 2025
Cincinnati Bengals running back
Chase Brown is coming off his best performance of the 2025 campaign. In the Week 16 win over the Miami Dolphins, he would finish with 66 yards off 12 attempts (5.5 YPC), adding four grabs for 43 yards. Even better, Brown found the end zone three times on the afternoon. With that in mind, the 25-year-old will look to keep things going in Week 17 against Arizona. The Bengals were already projected to be one of the highest-scoring teams on the slate. However, if more players get ruled out for the Cardinals defense, the Bengals offense might be even more potent. While Brown has been ceding carries to
Samaje Perine in the last few weeks or so, the 2023 No. 163 overall pick is certainly still a must-start in any fantasy setup, obviously.
--Dennis ClausenSource: ESPN
December 27, 2025
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback
Joe Burrow looked awesome in the 45-21 win over the Miami Dolphins. The signal-caller would finish that one by throwing for 309 yards and four touchdowns off 25-for-32 passing. After the stellar showing, he was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Without question, it's been another frustrating year for the organization. That is especially true for Burrow, who spent most of the season on the shelf because of a toe injury. While the Bengals aren't going to the postseason, the team will look to close out the 2025 campaign with wins, starting in Week 17 against Arizona. The Cardinals also aren't heading to the playoffs. Although there are plenty of things wrong in Arizona at the moment, improving the defense moving ahead should be a priority. With that in mind, Burrow has arguably the highest ceiling at the position in Week 17 versus a hobbled Cardinals defense.
--Dennis ClausenSource: ESPN
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