X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 17 Fantasy Busts? Players To Consider Avoiding

As Week 17 approaches -- the last week of the 2019 regular season -- most of your leagues have already crowned a champion. But for some, this is the biggest weekend of the fantasy season. Some leagues run their fantasy championships in both Weeks 16 and 17. So there is still a lot on the line for both fantasy managers and NFL teams trying to punch their ticket to the postseason. The problem is that a bunch of NFL teams don't have anything left to play for and will be resting their starters. When deciding on who to play this weekend, it'll be more of an exercise on which teams are motivated to play for something more than anything. If a player is questionable and his team has nothing to play for, he becomes an even bigger risk.

Among those already guaranteed a spot in the postseason tournament, the Ravens (home-field advantage in AFC) and Vikings (locked into No. 6 seed) will be resting most of their stars. The Texans and Bills are already in and have little left to play for, so they could also rest most of their starters. The Titans, Steelers, Raiders, Eagles and Cowboys have yet to clinch a spot, so they'll be doing everything in their power to win. And the Panthers (eliminated from playoffs) will feed Christian McCaffrey as much as possible to give him a chance at a 1,000-yard rushing, 1,000-yard receiving season.

Below are 10 potential busts for Week 17 of the 2019 fantasy football season.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Potential Quarterback Busts for Week 17

Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs Vs. Chargers

KC's defense has taken the spotlight in the second half of the season. In the last five games, Mahomes has just one 300-yard game and hasn't thrown more than two touchdowns. One of those contests was against these same Chargers, when he was just 19-for-32 for 182 yards, a TD and a pick. The Bolts have allowed the fourth fewest fantasy points per game (17.7) to opposing signal-callers this year. If New England is blowing out the Dolphins on Sunday, don't be surprised if the Chiefs sit their regulars with a wild-card game next week.

Carson Wentz - Philadelphia Eagles @ Giants

Wentz went for a season-high 325 yards and two touchdowns in an overtime win over the Giants on Dec. 9, but he'll be without Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor for this must-win game. Even against a porous New York secondary, Wentz could struggle to move the ball consistently through the air with Dallas Goedert, Greg Ward and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside as his top three options. The G-Men will be hoping to play the spoiler; an Eagles loss and Cowboys win would earn Dallas the NFC East crown.

Others: Deshaun Watson (Vs. Titans), Jared Goff (Vs. Cardinals)

 

Potential Running Back Busts for Week 17

Melvin Gordon - Los Angeles Chargers @ Chiefs

The Chargers are well out of playoff contention and have been fading quickly at season's end. Gordon has seen single-digit carries each of the last two games, and he was lucky to score twice on just 15 rushing yards in Week 16 against Oakland. Against a Kansas City run defense that is holding opposing running backs to 12.2 fantasy points per game the last five weeks (four games), Gordon is in danger of ending the season on a poor note. With both Gordon and Austin Ekeler eligible to be free agents at season's end, they'll both be auditioning for the rest of the league one final time.

Devonta Freeman - Atlanta Falcons @ Buccaneers

After busting out for 13 carries, 53 yards and a score and a season-high nine receptions for an additional 74 yards and another touchdown last Sunday, Freeman is an obvious letdown candidate in Week 17. The 27-year-old back hasn't gone over 100 yards in a single game this season and has just two scores on the year, although they've both come within the last three weeks. Tampa's defensive front is their strength, limiting running backs to 12.4 fantasy points per game the last five weeks.

NEW - Saquon Barkley - New York Giants Vs. Eagles

The second-year back needs 89 rushing yards in Week 17 to open his career with two 1,000-yard rushing seasons. That would be even more impressive this year since he missed some time with a high ankle sprain. Barkley might find the sledding tough, though, despite coming off back-to-back 100-yard games with four total touchdowns. Disclaimer: that came against Washington and Miami.

The 22-year-old certainly looks like he's back to full health, but Philly is playing for the NFC East crown and their defensive front has been much better at stopping the run than their secondary has been at limiting opposing receivers. The Eagles have held running backs to 14.9 fantasy points a game this year, good for sixth best in the league. In the overtime loss to the Eagles on Dec. 9, Barkley was held to 66 yards on 17 carries, and he caught only three passes for one yard.

Others: Christian McCaffrey (Vs. Saints), Gus Edwards (Vs. Steelers)

 

Potential Wide Receiver Busts for Week 17

Breshad Perriman - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs. Falcons

Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (hamstring) have missed the last two weeks, opening things up for Perriman, who has capitalized with 12 catches (18 targets) for 215 yards and three touchdowns. Those that were savvy enough to pick him up probably have a fantasy title because of it. He remains Jameis Winston's top target, but he could underperform against a Falcons secondary that has improved drastically of late. They're allowing only 17.0 fantasy points per game to receivers in the last five games.

Tyreek Hill - Kansas City Chiefs Vs. Chargers

Since an injury on Nov. 18 against the Chargers, Hill hasn't topped 72 yards receiving. His athleticism is off the charts and he can blow up at any time, but Hill has double-digit targets just twice in 11 games in 2019. KC's offense hasn't had to do much with their defense playing lights-out in the second half. LA's secondary is fully healthy and is one of the better units in the NFL as well. As previously noted, the Chiefs could decide to rest their starters in the middle of this game if the Patriots have locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC.

DeAndre Hopkins - Houston Texans Vs. Titans

Hopkins is listed as questionable with an illness in a Week 17 game in which the Texans have very little to play for ahead of a wild-card matchup next week. Hopkins should suit up, but it'd almost be a surprise if he played this whole contest. He'll be even more of a bust candidate in Week 17 if Houston decides to hold Deshaun Watson out altogether. Head coach Bill O'Brien said earlier this week that the team plans to play their starters, but it wouldn't make much sense for them to play the entire game. All of Houston's skill players should be faded in DFS and season-long formats.

Others: Robert Woods (Vs. Cardinals), Devante Parker (@ Patriots), Tyler Lockett (Vs. 49ers)

 

Potential Tight End Busts for Week 17

Mark Andrews - Baltimore Ravens Vs. Steelers

Questionable with an ankle injury, Andrews is a good bet to be inactive on Sunday with the Ravens clinching the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the AFC last week. Even if he plays, he might only see a few snaps and/or a few offensive series. Plus, Pittsburgh has been one of the better defenses against tight ends in the last five weeks (4.8 fantasy points per game allowed). The leader at his position with 10 touchdowns in 2019, Andrews is going to disappoint fantasy owners if they leave him in their lineups this weekend.

Jared Cook - New Orleans Saints @ Panthers

The 32-year-old tight end caught three passes for 84 yards in Week 16 against Tennessee, with two of those catches going for scores. Cook has four touchdowns in the last three games and eight overall, but he's only been targeted 10 times the last three games and is extremely touchdown-dependent as a TE1. He did go for 6-99-1 in the first meeting with Carolina, but how much will New Orleans really have to throw against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league?

Others: Austin Hooper (@ Buccaneers), Jacob Hollister (Vs. 49ers)

More Weekly Lineup Prep




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Bucky Irving17 mins ago

Listed As Questionable For Week 15
Cooper Kupp21 mins ago

Held Off The Box Score On Thursday
Marquise Brown23 mins ago

Chiefs Opening Marquise Brown's Practice Window On Friday
Kyren Williams38 mins ago

Eclipses Century Mark On Thursday
Evan Engram2 hours ago

Done For Season
Joaquin Buckley3 hours ago

Looks For His Sixth Win In A Row
Colby Covington3 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Dalton Kincaid3 hours ago

Expected To Return In Week 15
Bruno Silva3 hours ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Manel Kape3 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Tampa
Keon Coleman3 hours ago

Expected To Play Against Lions
Tuco Tokkos3 hours ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
Navajo Stirling3 hours ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
Odell Beckham Jr.3 hours ago

Dolphins Mutually Agree On Release
Kevin Lankinen3 hours ago

Frustrates Panthers With Shutout Performance
Nikita Kucherov3 hours ago

Racks Up Six Points Against Flames
Leon Draisaitl4 hours ago

Continues Multi-Point Streak Versus Wild
Bryan Rust4 hours ago

Tallies Four Points In Big Win
Scott Laughton4 hours ago

Ties Flyers Record With Four-Goal Performance
Ryan O'Reilly4 hours ago

Returns With Three-Point Effort
Victor Hedman4 hours ago

Day-To-Day With A Lower-Body Injury
Aidan O'Connell15 hours ago

Doesn't Practice On Thursday
Jusuf Nurkic16 hours ago

Off The Injury Report
Kevin Durant16 hours ago

Expected Back Against The Jazz
Austin Reaves16 hours ago

Likely Out Again On Friday
Patrick Williams17 hours ago

Questionable Against The Hornets
Josh Giddey17 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday Night
Kyle Bradish17 hours ago

Begins Throwing Program
Nikola Vucevic17 hours ago

Questionable Versus Charlotte
Marquise Brown17 hours ago

Receives Final Clearance To Practice
Malcolm Brogdon17 hours ago

Out Again On Friday Night
Jake Haener17 hours ago

Named The Starter Against Commanders
Kenneth Walker III17 hours ago

Out Again On Thursday
Nolan Arenado17 hours ago

Would Approve Of Trade To The Bronx
San Francisco 49ers18 hours ago

Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw Both Active For 49ers
Isaac Guerendo18 hours ago

Officially Active On Thursday Night
Anthony Davis18 hours ago

Expected To Suit Up On Friday
Austin Reaves18 hours ago

Uncertain For Friday
Jalen Duren18 hours ago

Ruled Out For Thursday's Contest
LeBron James18 hours ago

Ruled Out For Friday's Game
Sam Hauser18 hours ago

Ruled Out For Thursday
Jalen Duren18 hours ago

Could Miss Thursday's Game
Jimmy Butler19 hours ago

Will Play Thursday
Jayson Tatum19 hours ago

Out On Thursday Night
Jake McCabe19 hours ago

Available On Thursday
Ladd McConkey19 hours ago

Limited Again In Thursday's Practice
Scott Mayfield19 hours ago

Rejoins Islanders Lineup
Yanni Gourde19 hours ago

Absent Against Bruins
Jack Drury19 hours ago

Set For Hand Surgery
Trevor Zegras19 hours ago

To Miss Six Weeks Following Knee Surgery
Roman Josi19 hours ago

Out On Thursday
J.T. Miller20 hours ago

Returns To Action Thursday
San Francisco 49ers20 hours ago

Nick Bosa Likely To Play On Thursday
Trey McBride20 hours ago

Remains Limited On Thursday
Will Dissly20 hours ago

Sidelined Again On Thursday
Evan Engram20 hours ago

Does Not Practice On Thursday
Justin Herbert21 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Thursday
George Pickens21 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Thursday
Francisco Lindor23 hours ago

Back Injury In The Rearview Mirror
Rafael Devers23 hours ago

Red Sox Prepared To Keep Rafael Devers At Third Base
Cody Bellinger23 hours ago

Yankees Targeting Cody Bellinger
Tim Stützle1 day ago

Tim Stutzle Notches Two Power-Play Assists Wednesday
Drake Batherson1 day ago

Tallies Four Points Versus Ducks
Owen Power1 day ago

Picks Up Two Points In Losing Effort
Pete Alonso1 day ago

Mets Still Trying To Bring Back Pete Alonso
Mika Zibanejad1 day ago

Scores 300th Career Goal
Adam Fox1 day ago

Records Three Points In Wednesday's Win
Corbin Burnes1 day ago

Giants The Favorites To Land Corbin Burnes
K'Andre Miller1 day ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Javonte Green1 day ago

Questionable For Meeting With Kings
Josh Richardson1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One Week
Jimmy Butler1 day ago

Probable For Thursday's Matchup
Ausar Thompson1 day ago

Ready To Return On Thursday
Sam Hauser1 day ago

Doubtful For Thursday
Al Horford1 day ago

Available Versus Pistons
Brenton Doyle1 day ago

Rockies Plan To Hit Brenton Doyle At Leadoff
Mitch Keller2 days ago

Jared Jones, Mitch Keller Available For Trade
Shane Bieber2 days ago

Throwing From 90 Feet
Cam Talbot2 days ago

Set To Return On Thursday
Chicago White Sox2 days ago

Braden Montgomery Traded To White Sox
Kyle Teel2 days ago

White Sox Land Catching Prospect Kyle Teel
Garrett Crochet2 days ago

Red Sox Acquiring Garrett Crochet From White Sox
Kyle Tucker2 days ago

Astros Targeting Seiya Suzuki, Isaac Paredes In Potential Kyle Tucker Trade
Seattle Mariners2 days ago

Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki To Make Push For Roki Sasaki
Dylan Cease2 days ago

Orioles Interested In Acquiring Dylan Cease
Luis Robert Jr.2 days ago

Reds Interested In Luis Robert Jr.
Jake Burger2 days ago

Rangers Acquire Jake Burger From Marlins
Washington Nationals3 days ago

Nationals Win MLB Draft Lottery
Nathan Eovaldi3 days ago

Reunites With Rangers On Three-Year Deal
Andrés Giménez3 days ago

Blue Jays Acquire Andres Gimenez From Guardians
Alexandre Pantoja4 days ago

Gets Second-Round Win At UFC 310
Kai Asakura4 days ago

Submitted At UFC 310
Alexander Volkov4 days ago

Takes Split-Decision Loss
Ciryl Gane4 days ago

Edges Out Split Decision At UFC 310
MMA4 days ago

Doo Ho Choi Scores TKO Win At UFC 310
Nate Landwehr5 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC 310
Kron Gracie5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC 310
Bryce Mitchell5 days ago

Scores Knockout Win At UFC 310
Ian Machado Garry5 days ago

Suffers First Defeat At UFC 310
Shavkat Rakhmonov5 days ago

Remains Undefeated After UFC 310

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Sincere McCormick - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Sneaky Starts, Pivot Plays, and Post-Waiver Pickups for Week 15 - Sincere McCormick, Adam Thielen, Aaron Rodgers, and Hunter Henry

If you are reading this, congratulations! That likely means you made the fantasy playoffs unless you just enjoy reading about sneaky starts after you’re eliminated. Making the fantasy playoffs is a huge accomplishment and doing so consistently is the biggest sign of skill in this game.  But in the infamous words of the late, great […]


Video: Week 15 Must-Start Wide Receivers - 2024 Fantasy Football Streamers, Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Analysis

The fantasy football playoffs are underway for the vast majority of leagues, meaning each decision is crucial in the quest for a title for fantasy managers. Let us help with those "championship choices" by checking out our favorite 2024 fantasy football must-start wide receivers for Week 15! RotoBaller's Matt Donnelly discusses his top "Must Start" […]


Justin Herbert - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 15 Lineups Include Rico Dowdle, Khalil Shakir, Russell Wilson

Finally! The fantasy playoffs are here! If you’re reading this article, congratulations on making the dance. Now that you’re in, anything can happen and the previous 14 weeks don’t matter at all. Everything comes down to these final three weeks. Throughout the season, I’ve tried to be as transparent as I can be with my […]


Dillon Gabriel - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Top College Fantasy Football Players Week 15 (2024)

The biggest stars usually shine brightest on the biggest stages. That would be conference championship week. The time before everything goes nuts with the transfer portal and opt-outs. There were only nine games last weekend. Which players showed out for the pro scouts? We will introduce you to these college players earlier than many of […]


Rico Dowdle - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Week 15: Jameis Winston, Rico Dowdle, DJ Moore, Amari Cooper, Stone Smartt

Week 15 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Jameis Winston, Rico Dowdle, DJ Moore, Amari Cooper, and Stone Smartt. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely outcomes, […]


Joe Mixon - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Free Week 15 NFL Betting Picks and Expert Predictions

We enter Week 15 coming off another 1-1 outing. The Steelers won comfortably in their rematch with the Cleveland Browns, and we easily cashed that ticket. The Chargers couldn’t hang on to close out the Chiefs, and we lost that moneyline play on a last-second field goal. However, we finished Week 14 up +.9 units, […]


DeVonta Smith - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 15 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include Alvin Kamara, DeVonta Smith, Tyrone Tracy, Jayden Reed, Nick Chubb, Cade Otton

Welcome to the fantasy football playoffs! Week 15 of the fantasy football season has arrived, and the stakes are higher than ever. Whether you successfully navigated difficult matchups and injuries or lucked into drafting Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry in the first two rounds, you've made it to the dance and have a shot at […]


Jameis Winston - NFL DFS Picks, Waiver Wire, Fantasy Football Rankings

NFL Week 15 Fantasy Football Weather Report

The fantasy football playoffs are here! But that also means the weather is taking a turn for the worse. And in the NFL, weather can significantly impact games, particularly as we head into the colder months of the season. In this article, we will examine how various weather elements could influence the games scheduled for […]


Derrick Henry - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 15 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 15! This Week 15 matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em will help you make the right lineup decisions in the first round of the fantasy football playoffs.  It's wild to think we are already in Week 15 of the NFL season and […]


Patrick Mahomes - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

PrizePicks NFL DFS Prop Picks - Over/Under Props for Week 15 (Sunday Main Slate)

Hello everybody, and welcome to our PrizePicks NFL DFS prop picks for Week 15 - Sunday Main Slate! The 2024 NFL season is now into the holiday season, and our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. Our partners at PrizePicks offer some of […]


Ravens Defense - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Draft Sleepers, IDP Targets

Week 15 Fantasy Football Team Defense Rankings: Bengals D/ST, Cardinals D/ST, Chiefs D/ST, Jets D/ST, Broncos D/ST, Chargers D/ST, Falcons D/ST

It's make-or-break time for your fantasy teams, as most leagues have entered the postseason portion of the 2024 campaign. If you lose, you go home, so use our Week 15 fantasy football defense (D/ST) rankings for 2024 if you need assistance. We'll help you identify the top available D/ST streamer. Ahead of the all-important Week […]


Sincere McCormick - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Updated Waiver Wire Rankings Week 15 (2024) - Mid-Week Fantasy Football Pickups Include Braelon Allen, Christian Watson, Cedric Tillman, Stone Smartt

Most waivers in fantasy leagues run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; fantasy managers can still add players until Sunday game time. Week 15 is the beginning of the fantasy playoffs, and we are back with our updated mid-week fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 15 of the 2024 season to help your teams advance to […]


Matthew Stafford - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Week 15 Predictions: Picks and Analysis for Every Game Including Thursday Night Football

The NFL regular season is heading into the homestretch! Several divisional titles are still very much up for grabs, as we kick off Week 15 with a pivotal clash between the Rams and Niners, before moving into a jampacked slate with exciting matchups. With every team in action, the Week 15 includes two Monday Night […]