Week 17 IDP Rankings

Chris Gregory's Week 17 fantasy football IDP rankings at LB (linebacker), DL (defensive line), and DB (defensive back) plus top sleepers, streamers, and fades.

As many of us have already discussed, Week 17 is an odd time for fantasy football. With at least one or two NFL teams looking to rest multiple starters the final week of the season every year, a lot of fantasy leagues end their season in Week 16 as a way of avoiding that fantasy plague. It's a logical and smart way to handle the issue, but it isn't how every league is run. Some of you are still competing this week, which makes the wild and weird Week 17 unfortunately relevant for you.

Given the unique nature of Week 17 and the fact many of you are no longer invested in it, we tailored this week's IDP Waivers column to specifically address Week 17 teams/players likely to be impacted by "rest for the playoffs." We will do the same with this Week 17 Rankings column, too. Below you will see our standard rankings, but you will also see a change in our Streamers and Fades section. This week we will be addressing noteworthy fantasy defenders whose Week 17 fantasy production could be hurt by limited playing time.

With all of that said, I would also like to thank my readers for coming back every week in this weird year that was 2020. Your attention and interest are appreciated, and I hope you all have a much better 2021 than you did a 2020.

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Top-25 Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

Relevant DLs Who Could See Limited Snaps (or none) in Week 17:

Stephon Tuitt, Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, Frank Clark, Za’Darius Smith, Bradley Chubb, Yannick Ngakoue, Calais Campbell, Sheldon Richardson, Jeffery Simmons, Harold Landry III, Brian Burns, Shaquil Barrett, and Chris Jones

This is a relatively long list, but it could be longer if we went into every player who could be rested due to injury or a lack of playoff implications in Week 17. Of these players, only one is above benching for any reason other than injury.

As we already addressed in our IDP Waiver column, the Chiefs and Steelers are the two teams most likely to sit their starters in Week 17 for "rest" purposes. Andy Reid has already announced Patrick Mahomes won't play this week due to the team having nothing to play for, and it shouldn't surprise anyone if he sits star defenders like Frank Clark and Chris Jones for some portion of this week's game. Those playing in more shallow leagues or in need of a concrete fantasy floor from their DLs should feel comfortable benching Jones and Clark for a waiver priority like Montez Sweat, who is available in approximately 90% of IDP leagues.

The Steelers are the more interesting team on this list because they have some heavy-hitting fantasy linemen, and they have a reason to play this week. However, the Steelers are also sitting Big Ben, and with Mason Rudolph at the helm, we could see players like T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward sitting for the second half against Cleveland. You'll still play T.J. Watt as long as he is projected to play, but Stephon Tuitt is on the injury report with a back issue and could easily sit as a precaution this week. Consider other options over him.

Beyond the obvious Chiefs and Steelers, who we have addressed in-depth, there are several interesting names on this list who could miss all or part of this week’s games. Keep an eye on several hobbled defensive linemen for the Browns, Ravens, and Packers, as each of those teams could pull and rest their injured pass rushers if victory seems certain. Players possibly impacted by that sort of move include Za’Darius Smith, Yannick Ngakoue, and Sheldon Richardson. Also be aware that Shaquil Barrett, who would have been a top-ten fantasy DL this week, has been ruled OUT due to a close-contact COVID designation.

As for teams that are entirely out of it, the Chargers, Eagles, and Broncos all have hurt DLs who could see rest due to meaningless matchups in Week 17. That means you have to worry about a guy like Bradley Chubb playing a series or two and then sitting down if he plays at all. These things happen in Week 17 every year, and fantasy managers should be prepared.

Top-25 Fantasy Linebackers of the Week 

Relevant LBs Who Could See Limited Snaps/Value (or none) in Week 17:

T.J. Watt, Devin White, Avery Williamson, Troy Reeder, and Micah Kiser

Perhaps most important on this list is star linebacker, Devin White. He has been a staple amongst our top-three fantasy LBs all season. Unfortunately, White was placed on the COVID list today along with Shaquil Barrett. Thus, White has been ruled out for this week, and anyone riding with him should replace him ASAP. It is a considerable loss for even those in shallow IDP leagues. However, some reliable replacements like Jon Bostic and Kenneth Murray Jr are available on waivers in most leagues.

Beyond the bad news about some key Buccaneers coming down today, IDP players also have to worry about one of the best defenders in the NFL this week. While T.J. Watt is not to be benched as a fantasy defensive lineman, you can consider taking him out of your lineup if he is only LB eligible in your tackle-premium IDP league(s). Both Watt and his teammate Avery Williamson could see their snaps limited this week, and they drop several spots in our rankings because of that possibility.

Also of concern this week are the Rams' linebackers. This year the team has gotten some excellent fantasy impact from Micah Kiser, Troy Reeder, and David Long at different points in the season. The problem now is that Micah Kiser has been activated from the IR, and with him back, we simply don't know how the LB snaps will be distributed between these three. We also don't know how each will perform in fantasy when playing with one another, as Reeder has zero starts or impactful games when Kiser was active. Even worse, we could see the Rams fall behind in this matchup early with a backup QB on the field. If that happens, it will throw the LB rotation into even more flux as the Rams could pull Kiser, Reeder, or both. It is tough to trust Reeder or Kiser as an LB1 or top-tier LB2 in your championship match with that sort of uncertainty.

Top-25 Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

Relevant DBs Who Could See Limited Snaps (or none) in Week 17:

Marlon Humphrey, Chuck Clark, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Carlton Davis, Jordan Poyer

Marlon Humphrey is on the injury report this week, which should concern fantasy managers. While there is a good chance Humphrey can suit up this week against the Bengals, the Ravens should have little trouble getting ahead of Cincy early in this one. If the game is in hand, we should expect Humphrey to rest his injury for the second half of the matchup. That is bad news for fantasy managers, considering how inconsistent fantasy corners can be at the DB position anyway.

Jordan Poyer could face a similar issue as Humphrey in his matchup, as the Bills could rest their starters if Pittsburgh falls apart early against Cleveland or if the Bills control their matchup against Miami. You're not benching Poyer based on those possibilities, but even a slim chance that he could sit for a quarter is enough to slip him behind Jeremy Chinn and Kamren Curl in my ranks.

Finally, fantasy managers should strongly consider fading Daniel Sorensen and cutting Carlton Davis at this point in redraft formats. Sorensen could join his teammates in seeing little or no snaps this week, even though he is healthy. Meanwhile, Carlton Davis is listed as DOUBTFUL to play this week, and that label is concerning enough to fade him even if he can suit up.

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