In a season filled with ups and downs, surprises and disappointments, the one constant that we were able to count on from week to week was Josh Allen. He was drafted as the top QB in most drafts, and he had paid off in spades as he was the top scoring player in all of fantasy all season through the first 16 weeks of the season. Then last week happened. If you’ve been riding the Josh Allen train all season and somehow managed to win your playoff game despite his lowest fantasy game performance since his rookie season, then this just might be your year. For most of us, overcoming Allen’s career-worst game (since his rookie season) was a bit much, but such is the life of a fantasy football player; what can you do? If you have Allen, just realize that things could be worse. Just take a quick look at who is starting at quarterback on Christmas Day, and you’ll start to feel better about things. Allen did get banged up last week and is nursing a foot injury, so keep an eye on his status before plugging him back in for this weekend. Even injured, he’s still a good bet for this week when you consider the rest of the quarterback landscape across the NFL. So, without further ado, let’s see where he falls in our Week 17 quarterback rankings.
Week 17 Quarterback Rankings
1) Joe Burrow vs. Cardinals
One of the 10 commandments of playing fantasy football is, “Thou shalt not chase last week’s points.” This isn’t that. Burrow showed us last week that he is indeed going to finish out the season, and he’s going to sling the ball around the stadium in the process. This week, he gets a Cardinals team that likes to engage in shootouts, and the Bengals defense has been an unwilling participant in these types of games all season long. This is a smash spot for all relevant players who are playing in this matchup, and none of them are more fantasy relevant than Joe Cool.
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2) Dak Prescott vs. Commanders
The 30 pass attempts from Prescott last week against the Chargers represent just his second-lowest total on the season, and he has averaged almost 38 attempts per game over his 15 starts. The volume is there every week, thanks to the Cowboys defense allowing opponents to score at will all season long. That may be a bit of an issue on Christmas Day, as Washington will be forced to start Josh Johnson under center, so we may not be getting the shootout we are hoping for. Despite a potential game script that may mute his typical heavy volume, I still like Dak to get us 20 fantasy points in the early portion of the game. The world will be watching, many still in their pajamas with torn wrapping paper sitting at their feet, so I expect Dak to gift all of CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and even Jake Ferguson with touchdowns.
3) Matthew Stafford vs. Falcons
You could really see how much Stafford missed Davante Adams last week, couldn’t you? The veteran QB didn’t miss a beat and simply took the volume that he had been splitting between Puka Nacua and Davante and just gave it all to Puka. Some of us would have appreciated a few more of those 457 passing yards to go Colby Parkinson’s way, but that’s a rant for a different article. Stafford is one of the few actual stud quarterbacks still standing, and you have to play him if you have him. The Falcons aren’t quite as strong against the pass these days as they were earlier in the season, but they are still a decent unit overall. The only concern we have with Stafford is the potential for a blowout in a game so close to the end of the season. It would make a lot of sense for Sean McVay to rest his veteran signal caller as soon as the game is in hand, so just be aware.
4) Jalen Hurts vs. Bills
Hurts is probably the best option available when you consider skill set and health, but this matchup isn’t the greatest. The Bills rank second in the league against the pass and fifth overall against the quarterback position in fantasy. If you have Hurts, he’s a must-start as there just aren’t any better options around the league that give you his rushing upside combined with his offensive weapons. My biggest fear in this game is if Buffalo decides to rest Josh Allen in favor of Mitchell Trubisky. If that should occur, I would move Hurts down behind players like Jacoby Brissett or Bo Nix. We’re playing Hurts here, expecting Allen to start and for this to be a competitive game.
5) Josh Allen vs. Eagles
It only makes sense to come right back with Allen, as he is directly linked to Hurts this week. I didn’t move Allen down on my list because of last week’s performance, as that would be breaking another of my fantasy commandments: “Thou shalt not sit your studs because of one bad game.” No, we are a little concerned here because of his foot injury and how it appeared to affect his contributions to the rushing game. Allen had four carries in the first half of last week’s contest against the Browns for a total of 17 yards, He went to the locker room to get x-rays just before halftime and when he returned in the second half he didn’t run the ball at all until the very end of the game when he managed a 2 yard run just before two kneel downs. Even if he isn’t able to help us with his legs, he’s still a great quarterback who is capable of passing the ball for 300+ yards and multiple scores, but he does make us nervous. If he’s cleared to play, you have to fire him up, but I wouldn’t blame anybody for benching him in favor of a healthier option with a better matchup, like Trevor Lawrence or Brock Purdy.
6) Trevor Lawrence vs. Colts
Speak of the devil, look who we have here. TLaw has finally arrived after a mere five years of patient waiting by Jaguar fans. He was able to follow up his monster game in Week 15 with another big performance over the formidable Broncos defense, with 31+ fantasy points to finish as the overall QB2 for the week. This week, he gets a Colts defense that was partially responsible for his QB2 finish, as they just allowed Brock Purdy to claim the top spot with a huge game on Monday night. He’s the hottest QB in the league right now. Get him in your lineup and hope he has one more monster left in him.
7) Jacoby Brissett vs. Bengals
Last week was the first time in Brissett’s 10 starts this season that he finished the week outside of the top 12 overall in the league. It was a bit curious to see, as he did have his full complement of receivers, and the Cardinals trailed for most of the game. Trey McBride was shut down, but it seemed like Brissett adjusted and leaned on Elijah Higgins to get the yards that the defense was giving them. I expect a big bounce back this week against this Cincinnati defense that is ranked 29th in the league against the pass and 32nd overall in total points allowed.
8) Brock Purdy vs. Bears
Purdy had himself a day on Monday night against the Colts, and the 49ers have their sights set on a Week 18 matchup against the Seahawks that very well may decide the top seed for the NFC playoffs. Before they get to that game, they will need to get past a red-hot Bears team that has been improving each week on the defensive side of the ball. I’m expecting a tight game here with the 49ers needing to lean on Purdy to find Christian McCaffrey more as a receiver than as a ball carrier. He probably won’t connect for five touchdowns against, like last week, but it’s very possible he throws for three as he did in Week 15.
9) Bo Nix vs. Chiefs
The late game on Christmas day features an AFC showdown for the ages as Bo Nix and the upstart Broncos look to wrest the mantle of Kings of the West from Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Wait, sorry, that’s what I was planning to write when I circled this game on my calendar a few weeks ago. Let me correct that. Bo Nix and the Broncos travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the hollowed-out shell of a team that used to be known as the great Kansas City Chiefs, led by some guy named Chris Oladokun. This game very well could have been an exciting affair, but now I’m expecting the Broncos to wash the Chiefs out and to lean heavily on their run game in the second half. Play Nix if you have him and hope he can hit Sutton, Franklin, and Mims with deep passes in the early part of the game. It’s a very similar situation to Dak Prescott, where we should temper our expectations due to the projected game script.
10) Drake Maye vs. Jets
Maye is easily the top young quarterback in the league right now. He would rank higher on this list, but much like Nix and Prescott, we don’t love quarterbacks in mush matchups. When the Patriots took on the Jets back in early November, Maye was able to carve them up, but it was Treveyon Henderson who scored twice in the easy New England victory. That could very well be the case again this week, but Maye is still a better option than somebody like Justin Herbert going against the Texans or Jared Goff going against Minnesota. Maye just edged out Caleb Williams for the last spot on this list. I also like the Bear QB very much this weekend.
Good Luck and Happy Holidays!!!
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