FantasyPros publishes approximately 7.7 million pieces of weekly fantasy content to help you win your league, and eventually take home fantasy gold. It can be difficult to read such a vast amount of content, which is why we’ve rounded up a few of the most actionable, can’t-miss stat nuggets you absolutely need to know each week to aid with fantasy football start sit decisions.
We’ve broken down this weekly TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) article by each of the four main skill positions in fantasy football (quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end), with at least two stats per position. Click on each author’s byline to read the entire article. Good luck this week.
TL;DR Fantasy Football Week 17
Must-Know Quarterback Fantasy Football Stats
Bryce Young (QB – CAR)
Bryce Young was awful to start the year, totaling three interceptions over the first two weeks. However, spending time on the bench turned around his season. The former Alabama star has played well since the Week 11 bye, averaging 1.2 passing touchdowns and 18.4 fantasy points per game over the past five weeks, totaling 23.6+ points twice. Furthermore, Young is coming off his best performance this year, totaling 158 passing yards, two touchdowns, 68 rushing yards, a rushing score and 27.1 fantasy points in the win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The second-year pro ends the fantasy season with a matchup against the Buccaneers. They’ve surrendered 20.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, one of the highest averages in the NFL, allowing 23.6+ points in nearly half of their contests. Cooper Rush completed 74.3% of his pass attempts for 292 yards, a touchdown and 15.3 fantasy points against Tampa Bay in Week 16. More importantly, Young had 298 passing yards, a passing touchdown, a rushing score and 23.6 fantasy points in the Week 13 matchup against the division rivals.
-Mike Fanelli
Jayden Daniels (QB – WAS)
After a down period between Weeks 7 to 11, where Jayden Daniels scored over 20 points a single time, he’s bounced back in a massive way to end the season, averaging 29 fantasy points over his last four games and finishing no worse than the QB7 in fantasy.
Daniels has also rushed more in recent weeks with an average of 63.7 yards per game, up from the 43 average he’s had for the rest of the season. The Falcons have allowed three different quarterbacks over 50 rushing yards this year and have given up seven top-10 finishes to opposing quarterbacks. Both teams have plenty to play for this year and this game should have plenty of upside.
-Tom Strachan
Must-Know Running Back Fantasy Football Stats
Chuba Hubbard (RB – CAR)
Last week, Chuba Hubbard was a man among boys in the upset win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The veteran ended the week as the RB2, totaling 25 rushing attempts for 152 yards, two touchdowns, four receptions for 13 receiving yards and a season-high 30.5 half-PPR fantasy points. Unfortunately, Hubbard had struggled before last week’s matchup, averaging 55.7 rushing yards and 9.3 fantasy points per game over the previous three contests, posting a 3.5 yards per attempt average. More importantly, one of those games was against the division rivals.
The veteran had 12 rushing attempts for 43 yards and 2.3 fantasy points in the Week 13 loss to the Buccaneers, his worst performance since opening weekend. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has held running backs to 18.5 fantasy points per game, the 10th-fewest in the NFL. However, they’ve been lights out since their bye, surrendering only 48 rushing yards and 10.6 fantasy points per game to running backs, allowing 12.7 or fewer in four consecutive outings. They’ve given up only 56 rushing yards to running backs in their past two games.
-Mike Fanelli
Kyren Williams (RB – LAR)
The game’s spread and Los Angeles’ implied total are excellent for Kyren Williams‘ fantasy outlook in Week 17. He’s rolling, too. Williams has had at least 97 scrimmage yards in four straight games and cleared 70 in 13 straight. In the Rams’ last two games, Williams has rumbled for 108 rushing yards and 122 with a touchdown, sprinkling in two and one reception games for four and seven receiving yards, respectively. League winner gets thrown around too often, but Williams can win leagues next week against a defense that was just trounced for 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns by Chuba Hubbard in an overtime loss.
-Josh Shepardson
Rico Dowdle (RB – DAL)
Rico Dowdle is coming off a disappointing performance against the Buccaneers in which he carried 13 times for 23 yards, and he gets a tough matchup against an Eagles defense that’s tied with the Chiefs for fewest fantasy points allowed to running backs.
But unless you have an embarrassment of riches at running back, you should probably keep Dowdle in your lineup. Over his last five games, Dowdle has averaged 19.4 carries, 21.4 touches and 112 scrimmage yards per game. He’s probably going to be the focal point of Dallas’ offense this week with star receiver CeeDee Lamb out for the rest of the season. I’m ranking Dowdle as a mid-range RB2.
-Pat Fitzmaurice
Must-Know Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Stats
Tee Higgins (WR – CIN)
No cornerback has been mentioned more times than Pat Surtain in this column this season. Tee Higgins has the matchup all wide receivers and offensive coordinators dread.
Of all the cornerbacks that have started nine or more games, no one has allowed fewer fantasy points on routes run against him than Surtain. According to Fantasy Points Data, Surtain is only allowing 0.12 fantasy points per route run against him. He is also tied for a league-low 9.4% targets per route run rate.
Higgins and the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive certainly have the offense to overcome this matchup. Fantasy managers should start Higgins given where you drafted him, but be advised there is little upside in this matchup.
-Adam Murfet
Drake London (WR – ATL)
If you were merely to look at Drake London’s Week 16 box score you probably wouldn’t realize he dealt with a quarterback change and played with a rookie making his first start. London has averaged 8.4 targets per game this year and saw eight in Week 16, catching five to stay close to his season average of five receptions. His yards per reception was 11.8, similar to his 12.1 average on the season.
Michael Penix Jr. might not be as good as prime Kirk Cousins was but we haven’t been dealing with that this year. London has been consistent regardless, ranking ninth in total PPR points among wide receivers. The Commanders rank 24th against the pass in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) and this year they’ve allowed eight receivers to finish inside the top eight.
-Tom Strachan
Davante Adams (WR – NYJ)
In retrospect, the fantasy football community should have perhaps expected Davante Adams to re-emerge as a fantasy football superstar once he reunited with longtime teammate Aaron Rodgers. The two have perennially had an excellent rapport with one another. Despite being at the tail end of their respective careers, they continue to exhibit chemistry weekly. The veteran wideout has scored a minimum of 15.1 half-PPR fantasy points in four consecutive contests.
The worry surrounding Adams’ fantasy value was the decrease in efficiency he had been showing over the past couple of years. Many questioned whether the superstar was still effective enough to remain in the upper echelons of fantasy football wide receivers. However, PFF metrics suggest he’s still an excellent pass-catcher. Since his midseason move to the Jets, he’s averaged 2.19 yards per route run and 6.5 yards after catch per reception. These tallies are both above his career averages.
Much to the dismay of Garrett Wilson’s fantasy managers, Adams’ elite target share suggests he’s earned the No. 1 WR role in the Jets’ offense. He’s averaged an absurd 11.5 targets per game since Week 13. The Jets’ running game, spearheaded by the likes of Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, has struggled mightily for the entire 2024 season. The team will remain inclined to pass the ball at a relatively high rate, which bodes well for Adams’ target volume.
All told, Adams has proven he’s still one of the league’s best sure-handed route-runners. He’ll continue to earn targets at an astounding rate with Rodgers under center. He should be seen as a rock-solid WR1 for the fantasy football finals.
-Nino Lombardi
Must-Know Tight End Fantasy Football Stats
Jake Ferguson (TE – DAL)
Like Pat Freiermuth, Jake Ferguson is a member of the ‘Tight End Wasteland’ (TM). Unlike Freiermuth, he has a truly terrible matchup this week against the Eagles, which gives up the fourth-fewest points per game to opposing tight ends. Philadelphia’s defense allows just 4.1 receptions and 36.5 yards per game to tight ends, the fifth-lowest and second-lowest marks in the league.
They’ve shut things down in recent weeks, with Mark Andrews being the only tight end to surpass 50 receiving yards against them since Week 8. Playing Ferguson against Philadelphia is essentially just hoping he will find his way into the end zone, which doesn’t seem likely, given the Cowboys have a minuscule 15.5-point team total and he hasn’t scored a touchdown all season. Even coming off a promising nine-target outing, Ferguson is not a TE1 for Week 17.
-Ted Chmyz
Hunter Henry (TE – NE)
Since Week 9, Hunter Henry has been the TE11 in fantasy points per game with a 19.8% target share, 1.56 yards per route run (YPRR) and a 22.9% first-read share.
He has four TE1 finishes and 12 red-zone targets across his last seven games. Henry is a TE2 this week with a tough matchup. The Chargers have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game and the second-lowest yards per reception to tight ends.
-Derek Brown
