Championship week has arrived. That means this is the finale of this running back sleepers and streamers column. To all the readers, thank you for supporting my work, and I hope it got you some wins along the way. Last week, Tyjae Spears finished as an RB1 for the second consecutive week. Jerome Ford also found a nice rhythm with Nick Chubb done for the season.
This week features running backs that have been on sleepers and streamers and have been on a hot streak as of late. All four running backs have fantastic match-ups with a great chance at finding the end zone. Good luck!
Week 17 Running Back Sleepers
Tyjae Spears @ Jacksonville Jaguars
The Tennessee Titans face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an epic “mid-off” between two terrible football teams. The bright side for the Titans is Tyjae Spears and his production over the past two weeks. Spears has found the end zone four times in the past two games, with finishes in RB3 and RB10. Although he has not produced much yardage, Spears is healthy compared to Tony Pollard, who has had an ankle injury for most of the season. The Jaguars have allowed 19 total touchdowns to running backs, with 15 coming from the run. Tyjae Spears is my favorite running back in sleepers and streamers for championship week.
Ameer Abdullah @ New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints lost to the Green Bay Packers 34-0. With no Derek Carr, the Saints are a bottom-five team in football. Also, the Raiders seem to not care about a top-three pick. The Saints are allowing the sixth most fantasy ppg to the position, a league-leading 17 rushing touchdowns. Ameer Abdullah and Alexander Mattison both have a high chance of scoring a touchdown in Week 17. My bet is on Abdullah. He has the pass-catching ability and protects the football, unlike the fumble machine Mattison.
Week 17 Running Back Streamers
Gus Edwards @ New England Patriots
Gus Edwards found the end zone twice and finished as the RB13 in Week 16. It was his best fantasy finish this season. Edwards is the RB1 since JK Dobbins was lost for the remainder of the season. Edwards now gets a match-up against the New England Patriots. The Patriots are allowing the 11th most fantasy ppg to running backs. They have also allowed 18 total touchdowns. Allowing 115.5 rushing ypg, I expect the Chargers to keep the running game alive in a cold situation in New England. Edwards finds the end zone again in Week 17 and finishes as a top-24 running back.
Rachaad White vs. Carolina Panthers
Rachaad White lost a lot of touches this year due to rookie Bucky Irving and how great he has been this season. Despite that, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against the worst run defense in the NFL. The Carolina Panthers are allowing a league-leading 29.4 fantasy ppg to running backs. They have also allowed the second most rushing touchdowns and the most rushing ypg with over 140. Bucky Irving and Rachaad White will be busy in Week 17. White is a streamer simply because Irving is looming. White is scary to start, but he averaged 6.9 ypc the last time he faced off against the Panthers, and that makes me confident we will see more production from Rachaad White this final week of fantasy football.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 17 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!