We are three NFL games into the fantasy football semi-finals weekend. Most of the Thursday and Saturday games had cut-and-dry decisions as far as who to start and sit. If you find yourself in a deficit or need a big day from an unlikely player, then these Week 16 bold predictions may be for you. I wouldn’t necessarily start any of these players over an obvious stud, but in certain scenarios, I believe they can provide a boost that your lineup may need to advance to the finals.
Week 17 Bold Predictions for the 2024 Fantasy Football Season
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
Bold Prediction: 300 passing yards, 2 touchdowns; 25 rush yards
22.5 fantasy points
Bryce Young has 10 passing touchdowns in his last eight starts. Even better, Young has logged one rushing touchdown in three of his last four starts. That includes each of the Panthers’ last two games. In Week 17, I expect Young to take to the air far more than usual with the news that Chuba Hubbard’s season is over due to a calf injury. In Young’s first matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season, he threw a season-high 46 times.
Fortunately for Young, the Buccaneers are one of four teams that have allowed over 4,000 passing yards to opposing quarterbacks heading into Week 17. My Week 17 bold prediction for Young suggests a highly successful, high-volume approach to a rematch with the Bucs. Young does not have a 300-yard passing game yet this season. The closest he’s been to doing so was with 298 yards against Tampa Bay in Week 13. If you need a quarterback with a high ceiling in place of Jalen Hurts or Tua Tagovailoa then Young is a top option.
Alexander Mattison, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Bold Prediction: 15 carries, 70 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns; 2 receptions, 10 yards
22.0 fantasy points
After one of the most successful fantasy seasons for the running back position in a long time, managers are scrambling everywhere to find starters on championship Sunday. Over the last two weeks players such as Alvin Kamara, Kenneth Walker, David Montgomery, Tony Pollard, and others have missed time, including Week 17, due to injury. When it comes to finding a high-upside replacement with your league’s title on the line, Alexander Mattison checks a lot of boxes.
Mattison should handle lead back duties in New Orleans against the Saints. Last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he played 10 more snaps and logged five more carries than Ameer Abdullah. In the passing game, Mattison received one more target, though he caught one less pass for 18 less yards. The Raiders should be successful running the ball against the Saints. New Orleans is not only playing on a short week, having played Monday night in Green Bay, but three different Packers running backs combined for 144 total rush yards and each scored a touchdown. Heading into Week 17, the Saints have allowed the ninth-most rush yards to running backs. They’ve allowed 4.85 yards per carry to the position.
In an expected high-volume role, this Week 17 bold prediction suggests high efficiency and the potential for not one, but two touchdowns on the ground. After last week’s game, New Orleans entered this week allowing a league-high 17 rushing touchdowns to running backs.
Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Bold Prediction: 6 receptions, 75 receiving yards, 1 touchdown; 3 carries, 25 rush yards
22.0 fantasy points
I’m listing Deebo Samuel in the Week 17 bold predictions piece in case managers competing for a league title, who are fortunate enough to be doing so to begin with, are considering benching Samuel especially after the 49ers have been eliminated from the playoffs. Last week, Samuel caught seven of nine targets for 96 yards and a touchdown. He added five rush attempts for 25 yards, as well. I expect Samuel to have similar success in Week 17 at home against the Detroit Lions. They’ve allowed an average of 348 passing yards per game over the last two weeks. Their defense has suffered a ton of injuries as of late which is a huge advantage for the entire 49ers offense, Samuel included. He and George Kittle are tied with 16 total targets for the team lead over the last two weeks. Last week was not a fluke for Deebo Samuel and he should carry that momentum into Monday Night Football to clinch your league’s title.
Chig Okonkwo, TE, Tennessee Titans
Bold Prediction: 5 receptions, 60 receiving yards, 1 touchdown
17.0 fantasy points
Heading into Week 17, no tight end had more targets than Okonkwo (21) in Weeks 15 and 16 combined. With Mason Rudolph as his quarterback, Okonkwo has logged at least 10 targets in each of the last two weeks as the top target in Tennessee. As a result, Chig Okonkwo has scored 32% of his 2024 fantasy points in Points Per Reception scoring across Weeks 15 and 16, as well. They account for just two of three games this season in which he’s scored double-digit fantasy points. That includes a season-high 19.1 points in Week 16 hauling in nine of 11 targets for 81 yards and a two-point conversion.
My bold prediction for Week 17 is that Chig Okonkwo will post his second-straight top-five performance. Obviously, at the time of this publication, six games have already come and gone. Only Travis Kelce (22.4 points) has stood out thus far amongst tight ends. Unless you have Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, George Kittle, and maybe T.J. Hockenson set to play, there’s no other tight end I would want more than Okonkwo with a league title on the line given his recent role.
Okonkwo and the Titans will face the Jaguars in Jacksonville. Their defense has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. His target share plus an advantageous matchup could equal a championship for your team in Week 17.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 17 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!