Fantasy Football Week 17 Rankings: Matchups and Projections for Players We Love

It's fantasy football championship week for a lucky few managers, and what a season it's been.

Not to say anything about your rostering and lineup skills, but if you made it to the title game in fantasy this year, more than a little luck was on your side. Now, you just have to do it one more time. 

Let's break down the quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs and tight ends we love heading into Week 17 of the NFL season, based in part on favorable matchups and in part on actual/projected performance.

Needless to say, while this isn't always a given, the players with the most on the line this week are most likely the ones who will pop off in fantasy. 

All rankings are based on standard scoring and assume a 12-team league. Stats and projections via fantasypros.com. 

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (vs. Falcons): Allen has had only five games this season in which he's scored fewer than 20 points. Managers have learned to bench him at their own peril; on paper, he didn't have a great matchup against the New England Patriots in Week 16, but all he did was throw for 314 yards and three touchdowns.

In Week 17, Allen has a cushy matchup against the Atlanta Falcons pass defense, which ranks 27th in opponent passer rating. (Proj.: 35 att, 267 yds, 2 TDs, 24.8 pts)

Patrick Mahomes II, Kansas City Chiefs (@ Bengals): The Chiefs have plenty to motivate them this week, as a win over the Cincinnati Bengals would get them most of the way toward securing the No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage (they also need the Tennessee Titans to lose to the Miami Dolphins, which, after Week 16, we can't say is a given).

The Bengals' pass defense is ranked 29th in the league, giving up 252.8 passing yards a game, per teamrankings.com. Mahomes is set up to feast. (Proj.: 39 att, 290 yds, 2 TDs, 22.6 pts)

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (vs. Vikings): A lot of managers like to stay away from Sunday Night Football matchups, given how sideways they often go.

Aaron Rodgers at home against the Minnesota Vikings, who have a rather shocking record of 3-5-2 in their last 10 at Lambeau Field, feels like one of those games, as the Packers are 0-1 against their archrivals so far this season. But Rodgers is dialed-in, throwing 17 touchdowns to zero interceptions in his last five, and he may have Randall Cobb and Marquez Valdes-Scantling back to boot. (Proj.: 35 att, 274 yds, 2 TDs, 22 pts)

Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (@ Ravens): If there were ever a season to hand over the MVP award to a wide receiver, this would be it. Cooper Kupp has been playing out of his mind, racking up 132 receptions, 1,734 yards and 14 touchdowns for an average of 13.1 yards per catch...with two games still to come.

He has scored more than 25 fantasy points (seven in PPR scoring) on four occasions this season. This week, he has a primo matchup against a Ravens secondary that is allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts, per Fantasy Pros. (Proj.: 8 rec, 110 yds, 1 TD, 16.4 pts)

Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers (vs. Vikings): If Aaron Rodgers is going to tear it up against the Minnesota Vikings this week, Davante Adams should be his primary accomplice.

He's coming off a Christmas Day feast in which he amassed 114 yards and two touchdowns on 10 receptions, and Minnesota is ranked 24th in the league in touchdowns given up per week. (Proj.: 7 rec, 94 yds, 1 TD, 14.4 pts)

Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Texans): The 49ers have a lot to play for this week with a playoff berth on the line. They can most easily clinch with a win plus a New Orleans Saints loss or tie.

Samuel's usage has been up-and-down this season, but in the last two games, he's seen 16 targets and has made the most of those opportunities for 219 receiving yards. No need to fix what isn't broken. (Proj.: 4 rec, 55 yds, 5 att, 38 rush yds, 11.4 pts)

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts (vs. Raiders): Only the Kansas City Chiefs have so far clinched a playoff berth in the AFC, but the Colts can join them this week if they defeat the Raiders straight-up; they control their own destiny.

They will certainly lean on Taylor, who has outperformed his projected fantasy performance in all but three games this season, including five weeks with 20 or more points (and one with a 50-burger!). (Proj.: 25 att, 109 yds, 1 TD, 19.6 pts)

Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings (@ Packers): The Green Bay Packers may be playing for the No. 1 seed, but the Vikings are playing for their postseason lives.

As the NFL playoff picture stands right now, Minnesota is on the outside looking in. But in good news for the Vikings, they're expected to get Cook back this week from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Cook has five games this season with 15 or more points and four in which he topped the 100-yard mark. (Proj.: 19 att, 83 yds, 4 rec, 27 rec yds, 14 pts)

Ronald Jones II, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@ Jets): There are a handful of fantasy running backs who are projected to get more points than Jones this week, but this is such an ideal matchup that we couldn't pass him up.

The New York Jets have given up the most rushing touchdowns in the league, with 27, and the second-most rushing yards. This is a matchup designed for Jones to take over the game and improve the Bucs' playoff seeding in the process. (Proj.: 17 att, 62 yds, 1 TD, 13.7 pts)

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (@ Bengals): The Chiefs get Kelce, who was on the reserve/COVID-19 list last week, back just in time for them to make their push for the No. 1 seed.

Not only is Kelce always a must-start (and, thankfully, he's recovered from his midseason slump), but this week he has an appealing matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who have given up the second-most yards to tight ends this season with 997. (Proj.: 6 rec, 72 yds, 1 TD, 10.5 pts)

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens (vs. Rams): The Ravens are sitting right on the postseason bubble in the NFL playoff picture, just out of it at No. 8. Andrews is the steadying force they need, given the uncertainty at quarterback they've dealt with this season.

No matter who's lining up under center, Andrews has proved to be a source of consistency, racking up 29 receptions for 376 receiving yards and four touchdowns in the last three games alone. (Proj.: 6 rec, 73 yds, 1 TD, 10.5 pts)

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Texans): Kittle is coming off one of his worst outings of the season last week, putting up just 2.1 points on two catches and 21 yards.

But fantasy managers should keep the faith; Kittle has a fantastic matchup this week against the Houston Texans, whose passing defense is ranked 19th and is giving up the seventh-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. (Proj.: 5 rec, 60 yds, 1 TD, 9.1 pts)