Most fantasy leagues (wisely) wrapped up their playoffs last week, so we’re not going to do our traditional fantasy football posts — waiver wire watch, love ’em & leave ’em, Q&A — this week. Instead, since a few online leagues do a “free-for-all” contest in Week 17, I thought I’d list a few players to consider.
The last week of the season is pretty dicey for fantasy owners since some teams have wrapped up playoff spots and/or positions and are resting their players. Other teams are out of the hunt and are thinking about where they want to spend their vacation this spring. So what I’m looking for when putting together a “free-for-all” lineup are players/teams that still have something to play for. It helps if they are playing for a playoff spot, a new contract or if they’re just trying to play spoiler against a rival. Of course, favorable matchups are important too.
I’ll list my top five players at each position (three for TEs, kickers and defenses) along with a brief explanation of why I think they’ll perform well this week.
Quarterbacks
1. Jay Cutler
His date with the Chargers is essentially a playoff game, so the Broncos will be focused on a much-needed win. San Diego owns the 31st-ranked pass defense and has allowed 1.6 pass TD per game this season. Plus, the weather should be pretty nice.
2. Phillip Rivers
“The Blockhead” — my new nickname for him — has a great matchup with Denver’s #27 pass defense. The Broncos are a little better in pass TD allowed per game (1.2 per game) and they are playing better of late, which is why he trails Cutler on this list.
3. Drew Brees
Overall, the Panthers have a pretty good pass defense, but they’ve been pretty generous to QBs over the last month and a half. Brees is chasing Dan Marino’s single-season yardage record and the Saints proved last week that they are still trying to win football games. As an added bonus, the game is indoors.
4. Aaron Rodgers
Barring horrible weather, I’d expect a big game from Rodgers and Co. as they take out a season of frustration on the hapless Lions, who are too busy booking their vacation accommodations to worry about playing a football game.
5. Matt Cassel
The Bills would love to play spoiler, but Cassel is rolling right now and Buffalo has been weak against the pass of late. Keep an eye on the weather though.
Running Backs
1. DeAngelo Williams
The Saints are playing better run defense lately, but how can you NOT go with the hot hand? Williams is absolutely on fire right now – he has 11 TD over the last four games and 16 TD over the last eight.
2. Michael Turner
Atlanta still has a chance at the #2 seed, so a lot is on the line for the Falcons. Turner faces the league’s 28th-ranked rush defense, one that has allowed 23 rush TD in 15 games. Tuner is bound to score at least once.
3. Pierre Thomas
Surprisingly, Thomas carried two of my fantasy teams to championships this season. He has scored nine TD in the last six games and has been averaging almost 19 touches a game during that span. Sunday’s game against the Panthers should be a good one, and with Reggie Bush out, I expect Thomas to excel.
4. LaDainian Tomlinson
LT2 hasn’t been himself of late, but he’s still the #10 RB this season. He has a great matchup with a Denver defense that is 27th in the league in rushing yards allowed and has allowed the fourth-most rush TD per game (1.4). This is a must-win for the Chargers, so I expect LT2 to bring his “A” game.
5. Matt Forte
He missed some time in Monday’s game against the Packers, but was the difference in the second half for the Bears. They’re still in the hunt while the Texans are coming off a bad loss in Oakland. Houston has been playing better defense of late, but the Bears simply need this one more.
Wide Receivers
1. Steve Smith
The Saints have struggled all year against the pass and I’d expect Smith to have a great game in a shootout.
2. Brandon Marshall
The Chargers 31st-ranked pass defense won’t know what to do with Marshall, who torched them with 18 catches for 166 yards and a TD in Week 2.
3. Andre Johnson
After last week’s humbling performance against standout corner Nnamdi Asomugha, I think AJ will have a bounce back game against a very suspect Bears’ secondary.
4. Marques Colston
Colston has 15 catches and three TD over the last two weeks and I think this game against the Panthers will be a shootout. He’s the New Orleans receiver likely to benefit the most.
5. Roddy White
White was quiet last week against the Vikings, but St. Louis shouldn’t be able to stop him from catching passes all over the field. My only concern is that the Falcons put this one away early and don’t have to pass.
Tight Ends
1. Tony Gonzalez
Simply put – Gonzo has been the best TE all year and I think he’ll finish strong in a meaningless game against a mediocre Bengals defense.
2. Antonio Gates
Gates has 11 catches for 121 yards and two TD over the last two weeks and the Chargers really need a win. His matchup with a bad Broncos pass defense is promising.
3. Owen Daniels
Philly is excellent against TEs, or I’d otherwise pick Witten here. Daniels has 17 catches over the last three weeks and Chicago can be had in the passing game.
Kickers
1. Stephen Gostkowski
Barring terrible weather, fantasy football’s top kicker should have a field day against the Bills.
2. Jason Elam
If the weather is bad in Buffalo, look for Elam to have a nice day against a bad Rams defense.
3. Matt Bryant
The Bucs need a win and with Oakland coming to town, Bryant should have several opportunities to score.
Defenses
1. Baltimore
The Ravens can lock up a wild card berth against the Jags. They’re the #1 defense and they’re at home.
2. Pittsburgh
They were embarrassed against the Titans, and even though they could rest their starters, I think they’ll take out their frustrations on the hapless Browns.
3. Green Bay
With Detroit coming to town and freezing temperatures likely, I don’t expect that the Lions will be able to do much against an angry Packer defense.
This season, Saban led a team with only nine scholarship seniors to a 12-1 record and a Sugar Bowl date against Utah for only its second Bowl Championship Series berth.
