It’s the playoffs! If you’re reading this, you’re probably among the select few that have maneuvered through injuries and COVID, to put a competitive team on the field each week. Congrats! The waiver wire has come and gone. You’ve spent your FAAB dollars. It’s time to dig deep and look at the matchups to decide how to construct your starting lineups for NFL Week 17 of the fantasy football season. We’ve got you covered, friends. Let’s get into the top Week 17 sleepers and streamers!
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Week 17 Sleepers and Streamers
Cordarelle Patterson (Atlanta Falcons)
This guy has had a tremendous year, but he’s fizzled out over the past few weeks as he’s been used almost exclusively in the running game. That’s not going to be the case against Buffalo in Week 17. The Bills have the top-rated pass defense in fantasy football and a middling rush defense, but their offense can score the ball with the best of them. That’s going to force the Falcons into a pass-heavy game script, and quite frankly, Gage and Pitts aren’t going to cut it. The Falcons will need more weapons to keep up and they have the ultimate Swiss army knife in Patterson. He’s got 65 targets on the year, and while he’s topped out at 7 in a game, I expect 10+ in this matchup. Perhaps he’s able to sneak in a rushing TD as well. Put Patterson in your starting lineup.
KJ Osborn (Minnesota Vikings)
Adam Theilen is back on the IR, which means KJ Osborn is back in our hearts. This Vikings wideout has garnered 26 targets over his last four games and he’s managed to score a TD in three of the four. There’s a reason Kirk Cousins likes to throw to him. He’s got reliable hands and is a nice possession receiving compliments, to Justin Jefferson’s big-play threat ability. The Vikings are going up against an increasingly stout Green Bay pass defense, so I expect Justin Jefferson to have a pedestrian day (by his standards), which means the underneath routes will be primarily what Green Bay allows the Vikings to have. That means plenty of targets and catches for KJ. In a PPR league, you can’t ask for much more. I’d start Osborn with confidence.
Dare Ogunbowale (Jacksonville Jaguars)
James Robinson leaves with a torn Achilles, Dare Ogunbowale enters with a starting RB job. One door closes, and another door opens. That’s the nature of the NFL and the nature of fantasy football. If you’ve managed to read the Defense/ST streamers article, you’ll know that I hate this matchup for the Jags, against the Pats. Ogunbowale is a special case, though, because while I believe the game script will favor the passing game, Dare is especially equipped for the plentiful dump-offs that Trevor Lawrence will be giving him, as he’s made his bones in the NFL as a 3rd down receiving back. Ogunbowale has 9 targets in the last 3 games alone. With a full complement of snaps, I expect somewhere between 5-10 targets in an uphill battle against New England. If he can sneak in a rushing or receiving TD, Dare Ogunbowale has the potential to win you your league this week!
Week 17 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Kicker | D/ST | PPR | Flex
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