Week 17 Rankings & Tiers (PPR) QB, RB, WR, TE

By Steve BradshawDecember 26, 2024
Week 17 Rankings & Tiers (PPR) QB, RB, WR, TE

We’ve officially made it to week 17! If you’re still reading these articles, odds are you’ve made it to the fantasy football championship, or you’re trying to avoid a last-place punishment. Either way, we’re going to look at the top 24/36 quarterbacks, tight ends, running backs and wide receivers in order to help you win your week.  

   

As always, these rankings are constructed through statistical analysis, matchup data, sportsbook data, and film. PSA: All players who have already played on Christmas are excluded from these rankings. 

 

 

Week 17 QB Rankings

 

Tier 1

 

1. Josh Allen vs NYJ  

 

2. Joe Burrow vs DEN  

 

3. Jayden Daniels vs ATL  

 

Tier 2

 

4. Jared Goff @ SF  

 

5. Baker Mayfield vs CAR  

 

6. Sam Darnold vs GB  

 

7. Bo Nix @ CIN  

 

8. Kyler Murray @ LAR  

 

9. Jordan Love @ MIN  

 

10. Anthony Richardson @ NYG  

 

11. Brock Purdy vs DET  

 

 

Tier 3

 

12. Justin Herbert @ NE  

 

13. Drake Maye vs LAC  

 

14. Geno Smith @ CHI  

 

15. Bryce Young @ TB  

 

16. Tua Tagovailoa @ CLE  

 

Tier 4

 

17. Michael Penix Jr. @ WAS  

 

18. Caleb Williams vs SEA  

 

19. Aaron Rodgers @ BUF  

 

20. Matthew Stafford vs ARI  

 

21. Cooper Rush @ PHI  

 

22. Aidan O'Connell @ NO  

 

 

Tier 5

 

23. Mason Rudolph @ JAC  

 

24. Mac Jones vs TEN  

 

Must Start: QB

 

Jared Goff @ SF  

ESPN Projection - QB15

 

For the FTR start of the week, the players that will be eligible for this list are all close to being ranked as a back-end QB1/TE1 or RB2/WR2 based on ESPN’s PPR projections. With Goff, myself and ESPN have him in a completely different stratosphere and I just don’t get it. Goff has crashed in his last three games, scoring 22, 41.1 and 25.2 points. 

 

While the matchup isn’t fantastic, I’m looking to ride the hot hand. The 49ers have done a good job limiting quarterbacks, allowing the 4th least fantasy points (235.4) to quarterbacks this year. That said, there’s an opportunity for a ton of scoring as BetMGM has the over/under at 50.5 points. With how well the Lions are playing, I see Goff finishing the week in the top eight once again.

 

 

Week 17 TE Rankings

 

Tier 1

 

1. Brock Bowers @ NO  

 

2. Trey McBride @ LAR  

 

3. George Kittle vs DET  

 

Tier 2

 

4. Jonnu Smith @ CLE  

 

5. T.J. Hockenson vs GB  

 

6. Sam LaPorta @ SF  

 

7. Chig Okonkwo @ JAC  

 

 

Tier 3

 

8. David Njoku vs MIA  

 

9. Tucker Kraft @ MIN  

 

10. Dalton Kincaid vs NYJ  

 

11. Hunter Henry vs LAC  

 

12. Zach Ertz vs ATL  

 

Tier 4

 

13. Cade Otton vs CAR  

 

14. Brenton Strange vs TEN  

 

15. Jake Ferguson @ PHI  

 

Tier 5

 

16. Kyle Pitts @ WAS  

 

17. Mike Gesicki vs DEN  

 

18. Noah Fant @ CHI  

 

19. Cole Kmet vs SEA  

 

 

Tier 6

 

20. Stone Smartt @ NE  

 

21. Juwan Johnson vs LV  

 

22. Tyler Conklin @ BUF  

 

23. Daniel Bellinger vs IND  

 

24. Ja'Tavion Sanders @ TB  

 

Must Start: TE

 

Zach Ertz vs ATL

ESPN Projection - TE14

 

If you’re against putting Zach Ertz as a must-start, I don’t blame you. My goal is always to look beyond the obvious and with four tight ends eliminated from these rankings, Ertz has been pushed up. The matchup isn’t very good for Ertz, as the Falcons have allowed the 4th least fantasy points (142.9) to tight ends this year. Ertz is also coming off back-to-back games with under five points and only two targets.

 

On the flip side, there are very few tight ends in this range who are averaging 9.1 PPG on the year. Playing with Jayden Daniels, we’ve also seen Ertz demonstrate some good upside, scoring more than 12 points five times this year. Prior to those two bad games, Ertz looked very impressive, scoring 18.7, 15.8 and 12.5 points in weeks 11-13. 

 

 

Week 17 RB Rankings

 

Tier 1

 

1. Jahmyr Gibbs @ SF  

 

2. Saquon Barkley vs DAL  

 

3. Bijan Robinson @ WAS  

 

4. Josh Jacobs @ MIN  

 

Tier 2

 

5. Jonathan Taylor @ NYG  

 

6. De'Von Achane @ CLE  

 

7. Kyren Williams vs ARI  

 

8. Chuba Hubbard @ TB  

 

9. Chase Brown vs DEN  

 

10. Zach Charbonnet @ CHI  

 

11. James Cook vs NYJ  

 

12. James Conner @ LAR  

 

13. Bucky Irving vs CAR  

 

 

Tier 3

 

14. Breece Hall @ BUF  

 

15. Aaron Jones Sr. vs GB  

 

16. Jerome Ford vs MIA  

 

17. Tony Pollard @ JAC  

 

Tier 4

 

18. Tyrone Tracy Jr. vs IND  

 

19. Rachaad White vs CAR  

 

20. Rico Dowdle @ PHI  

 

21. Rhamondre Stevenson vs LAC  

 

22. Brian Robinson Jr. vs ATL  

 

 

Tier 5

 

23. Tyjae Spears @ JAC  

 

24. Gus Edwards @ NE  

 

25. D'Andre Swift vs SEA  

 

TIer 6

 

26. Kendre Miller vs LV  

 

27. Tank Bigsby vs TEN  

 

28. Travis Etienne Jr. vs TEN  

 

29. Javonte Williams @ CIN  

 

30. Alexander Mattison @ NO  

 

Tier 7

 

31. Audric Estime @ CIN  

 

32. Tyler Allgeier @ WAS  

 

33. Ray Davis vs NYJ  

 

34. Antonio Gibson vs LAC  

 

35. Kimani Vidal @ NE  

 

36. Ameer Abdullah @ NO

 

 

Must Start: RB

 

Tyrone Tracy Jr vs IND  

ESPN Projection - RB26

 

Outside of a 4.5-point week 15, Tyrone Tracy has been very impressive as of late. In weeks 13-16, Tracy has gone over 14 points in three of four games. While it’s a little concerning to see Tracy only carry the ball seven times last week, he’s being utilized in the passing game with four targets in week 16 and 10 targets in week 14. The lack of carries was due to a blowout, not Devin Singletary, who had four carries in that game.

 

Unlike the other starts for this week, Tracy has a fantastic week 17 matchup. The Colts have allowed the 9th most points to running backs this season with 384.8. Due to his talent, Tracy has a ton of upside and when the Giants have even a solid matchup, I’m putting him in my lineup. 

 

Week 17 WR Rankings

 

Tier 1

 

1. Ja'Marr Chase vs DEN  

 

2. Justin Jefferson vs GB  

 

Tier 2

 

3. Puka Nacua vs ARI  

 

4. Amon-Ra St. Brown @ SF  

 

 

Tier 3

 

5. A.J. Brown vs DAL  

 

6. Mike Evans vs CAR  

 

7. Terry McLaurin vs ATL  

 

8. CeeDee Lamb @ PHI  

 

9. Davante Adams @ BUF  

 

10. Tee Higgins vs DEN  

 

11. Brian Thomas Jr. vs TEN  

 

12. Jaxon Smith-Njigba @ CHI  

 

Tier 4

 

13. Tyreek Hill @ CLE  

 

14. Drake London @ WAS  

 

15. Courtland Sutton @ CIN  

 

16. Ladd McConkey @ NE  

 

17. Malik Nabers vs IND  

 

 

Tier 5

 

18. Garrett Wilson @ BUF  

 

19. Cooper Kupp vs ARI  

 

20. Jordan Addison vs GB  

 

21. Jauan Jennings vs DET  

 

22. Keenan Allen vs SEA  

 

23. DJ Moore vs SEA  

 

24. Jalen McMillan vs CAR  

 

Tier 6

 

25. DK Metcalf @ CHI  

 

26. Calvin Ridley @ JAC  

 

27. Jakobi Meyers @ NO  

 

28. Jayden Reed @ MIN  

 

29. Adam Thielen @ TB  

 

30. Josh Downs @ NYG  

 

 

Tier 7

 

31. Jameson Williams @ SF  

 

32. Deebo Samuel Sr. vs DET  

 

33. Darnell Mooney @ WAS  

 

Tier 8

 

34. Khalil Shakir vs NYJ  

 

35. Marvin Harrison Jr. @ LAR  

 

36. Jerry Jeudy vs MIA  

 

 

Must Start: WR

 

Drake London @ WAS  

ESPN Projection - WR26

 

Drake London hasn’t been anything special over the last few games, but he’s still averaging 14.8 PPG on the year. In London’s last four games, he’s scored 17.3, 12, 14.3 and 10.9 points. While it hasn’t been WR1 numbers every week, it’s a stretch to leave him out of the top 24. 

 

As a massive Penix believer, it’s very encouraging to see London draw eight targets in their first game together. Even before Penix, London has been commanding targets, drawing 16,10,3 and 8 during that stretch. The Commanders don’t scare me either, as they’ve allowed the 14th least fantasy points (489.4) to wide receivers this year. Start London as a WR2 with confidence this week.