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The time is officially here. No, I’m not talking about the ball dropping or New Year’s resolutions. It’s championship week in fantasy football and there will be plenty of drama that occurs this weekend. If I were to make a New Year’s resolution that pertains to fantasy football, it would be to draft Cooper Kupp everywhere I possibly can next season.
For those that were wise enough to select Kupp, Davante Adams, Deebo Samuel, or Justin Jefferson, there’s a decent chance you’re still alive in your league’s playoffs. All four of them have been sensational this season, while Kupp and Adams have extremely favorable matchups entering Week 17. As we celebrate another season of fantasy football (no I’m not crying, you are), here are my top 50 wide receivers for the second-to-last week of the regular season.
WR Rankings Week 17
| RANK | NAME | TEAM | OPPONENT | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | NAME | TEAM | OPPONENT | NOTES |
| 1 | Cooper Kupp | LAR | @ BAL | Kupp is scoring a league-best 21.7 PPG and there's no team giving up more fantasy points to WRs than BAL in the past month. |
| 2 | Davante Adams | GB | vs. MIN | Rodgers said Adams is the best player he's played with and gets to face a MIN defense that is allowing the most fantasy PPG to WRs this season. |
| 3 | Stefon Diggs | BUF | vs. ATL | Diggs is WR7 on the season but is going up against an ATL defense that surrenders the 4th most PPG to WRs. |
| 4 | Justin Jefferson | MIN | @ GB | Thielen is hobbled for MIN and Jefferson has seen 10+ targets in six of his last seven games. |
| 5 | Tyreek Hill | KC | @ CIN | Hill was held in check in Week 16 but should be involved in a potential shootout vs. a CIN defense that is giving up the 7th most PPG to WRs in the past month. |
| 6 | Deebo Samuel | SF | vs. HOU | Lance is likely going to start for SF, which could lower Samuel's receiving numbers. Samuel is still utilized as a RB and has high TD upside so he's still a must-play. |
| 7 | A.J. Brown | TEN | vs. MIA | Brown made quite the return in Week 16 with a 53% target share and 26 points. MIA's defense surrenders the 7th most PPG to WRs. |
| 8 | Diontae Johnson | PIT | vs. CLE | Johnson continues to be force-fed by PIT as he's almost locked into 10+ targets every week he stays healthy. |
| 9 | CeeDee Lamb | DAL | vs. ARI | DAL's offense woke up in Week 16 and they now get a declining ARI defense that has allowed the 2nd most PPG to WRs in the past month. |
| 10 | Antonio Brown | TB | @ NYJ | Brown is the clear No. 1 WRs for TB sans Evans/Godwin and has a favorable matchup vs. a NYJ defense that boasts the No. 32 ranked defense in pass DVOA. |
| 11 | Keenan Allen | LAC | vs. DEN | The LAC offense looked out of sorts in Week 16 but should bounce back in Week 17 against DEN. Williams is trending toward being out again for LAC so Allen should be busy out of the slot. |
| 12 | Ja'Marr Chase | CIN | vs. KC | Chase continues to put together a OROY worthy season for CIN and could be involved in a high-scoring affair this week against KC. |
| 13 | Jaylen Waddle | MIA | @ TEN | Waddle is a PPR machine as he's garnered 10+ targets and caught 8+ passes in 5 of his last 7 games. TEN's defense allows the 2nd most PPG to WRs. |
| 14 | Tee Higgins | CIN | vs. KC | Higgins led all WRs with 37.4 points in Week 16 and gets more single-coverage with Chase being the center of attention. |
| 15 | Hunter Renfrow | LV | @ IND | Renfrow is Carr's favorite target right now and IND's defense has given up 18 TDs to WRs (tied for 3rd most in the NFL). |
| 16 | Tyler Lockett | SEA | vs. DET | SEA's offense has been atrocious for weeks, but they figure it out against DET, right? Lockett has the safer floor while Metcalf possesses the higher ceiling. |
| 17 | Amari Cooper | DAL | vs. ARI | Cooper expressed his frustration with his role and immediately caught 7 passes for 85 yards and a TD. ARI has given up the most TDs (21) to WRs this season. |
| 18 | Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET | @ SEA | St. Brown has become a league-winner for people in the playoffs as he's averaging 15.3 PPG since Week 13 (7th most among WRs that have played more than 1 game in that span). |
| 19 | D.K. Metcalf | SEA | vs. DET | Metcalf caught his first TD since Week 8 in Week 16 but still has yet to score more than 13 points since Week 8. Could bounce back against the No. 26 ranked defense in pass DVOA. |
| 20 | Christian Kirk | ARI | @ DAL | Kirk is operating as WR1 for ARI and DAL is susceptible to big plays. Leads ARI with 21 targets in the past 2 weeks. |
| 21 | Odell Beckham Jr. | LAR | @ BAL | Beckham is a TD machine with the LAR as he's found the end zone in 4 out of his past 5 games. BAL's defense has given up 8 TDs to WRs in the past month (tied for most in the NFL). |
| 22 | Michael Pittman Jr. | IND | vs. LV | Pittman would be ranked slightly higher against LV if Wentz is active as Ehlinger is a downgrade at QB. LV's defense is also strong against WRs so expectations should be tempered for Pittman this week. |
| 23 | Marquise Brown | BAL | vs. LAR | Remains to be seen if Huntley or Jackson is active for BAL in Week 17. Hasn't seen fewer than 7 targets since Week 6 and the LAR allow the 3rd most receptions to WRs this season. |
| 24 | D.J. Moore | CAR | @ NO | Moore might be the only skill player for CAR locked into a role right now. Could see Lattimore in coverage but still has 10+ targets in 4 straight games. |
| 25 | DeVante Parker | MIA | @ TEN | Parker put up a dud in Week 16 vs. NO but now gets a TEN defense that gives up the most receptions and yards to WRs this season. |
| 26 | Brandin Cooks | HOU | @ SF | Cooks is expected to return in Week 17 after missing Week 16. SF's defense has given up the 4th most points to WRs in the past month. |
| 27 | Terry McLaurin | WAS | vs. PHI | McLaurin is tough to trust as he's basically being used as just a deep threat. He hasn't scored a TD since Week 11 and has received fewer than 7 targets in 4 straight games. |
| 28 | DeVonta Smith | PHI | @ WAS | Smith is such a talented WR but PHI doesn't throw the ball often. WAS's defense does surrender the 3rd most PPG to WRs so the opportunity is there for the rookie wideout. |
| 29 | Tyler Boyd | CIN | vs. KC | Boyd has been seeing more deep targets and is the slot WR for CIN. Could be busier in Week 17 if KC looks to contain Chase on the outside. |
| 30 | Russell Gage | ATL | @ BUF | ATL is likely going to play from behind vs. BUF so there will be targets for Gage. Gage has 35 targets in the past 4 weeks and is the No. 3 option behind Pitts and Patterson. |
| 31 | Darnell Mooney | CHI | vs. NYG | Mooney could get back on track against the NYG after scoring fewer than 10 points in 4 consecutive weeks. Still has 7+ targets in 5 of his last 6 outings. |
| 32 | Jarvis Landry | CLE | @ PIT | Landry has gone back to being the target leader for CLE as he's gotten 35 targets in the past 4 weeks. PIT's defense just got dominated by Pringle out of the slot. |
| 33 | Van Jefferson | LAR | @ BAL | Jefferson is the No. 3 WR on the LAR with Kupp and OBJ getting more usage. This could easily be a week where all 3 WRs from the LAR score a TD. |
| 34 | Chase Claypool | PIT | vs. CLE | Claypool is a hit-or-miss WR option that doesn't have a consistent role in PIT's offense. Maybe he'll finally get his first TD since Week 4? |
| 35 | Brandon Aiyuk | SF | vs. HOU | All WRs on SF could see a slight downtick in targets if Lance starts as he could run more often than Jimmy G. Aiyuk does have 5+ targets in 7 of his last 9 and has a TD in 2 of his last 3 games. |
| 36 | Adam Thielen | MIN | @ GB | Thielen reaggravated his ankle sprain in Week 16 so he's a risky WR2 in Week 17. Does have TD upside in a game where MIN could be playing from behind. |
| 37 | Isaiah McKenzie | BUF | vs. ATL | McKenzie instantly became a key cog in BUF's offense in the absence of Beasley/Davis in Week 16. Now gets to face the No. 29 ranked defense in pass DVOA. |
| 38 | A.J. Green | ARI | @ DAL | Kirk and Green could be busy this week as DAL's defense can be had on throws down the field. Green had 18 targets in the previous 2 weeks before logging only 3 targets in Week 16. |
| 39 | Michael Gallup | DAL | vs. ARI | Gallup is the No. 3 WR on DAL which makes him a threat to score at any moment. Is a bit risky to play as long as Lamb/Cooper are healthy though. |
| 40 | Jakobi Meyers | NE | vs. JAC | Meyers has the highest floor of any WR on NE and gets JAC's pass-funneling defense that is ranked 31st in pass DVOA. |
| 41 | Joshua Palmer | LAC | vs. DEN | Palmer could be in line for more snaps if Williams is out again. Don't play Palmer if Williams is in, it's that simple. |
| 42 | Josh Reynolds | DET | @ SEA | Reynolds is the vertical threat in DET's offense and the return of Goff makes him an intriguing option. SEA's secondary shouldn't strike fear into any offense. |
| 43 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling | GB | vs. MIN | MVS should return in Week 17 and he always has a chance to catch a 50+ yard TD. MIN's defense allows the 4th most receptions and the 2nd most yards to WRs. |
| 44 | Kendrick Bourne | NE | vs. JAC | Bourne has been quiet in recent weeks but this is a perfect week to bounce back. While Meyers has the safer floor, Bourne has the better chance at a TD. |
| 45 | Donovan Peoples-Jones | CLE | @ PIT | DPJ is seeing nearly all of CLE's deep targets and he just hasn't been able to come down with many of them in recent weeks. Could have some explosive plays against a PIT defense that is known to give up big plays through the air. |
| 46 | K.J. Osborn | MIN | @ GB | Osborn could see the field more if Thielen is limited or out on Sunday. Has seen 7+ targets and hauled in a TD in 3 of his past 4 games. |
| 47 | Allen Lazard | GB | vs. MIN | Lazard has been solid in recent weeks but he could lose targets to MVS in Week 17. Still a threat to score a TD and he's gotten a carry in each of the past 3 weeks. |
| 48 | Jerry Jeudy | DEN | @ LAC | Jeudy is the clear No. 1 WR for DEN but it's tough to trust anyone with the QB situation. Jeudy may get even fewer looks if DEN has success running the ball against the LAC's No. 32 ranked rush DVOA defense. |
| 49 | Braxton Berrios | NYJ | vs. TB | Berrios could be in line to handle the slot snaps again in Week 17 if Crowder remains out for the NYJ. Paced the NYJ with 5 receptions and 37 yards in Week 16 and also returned a punt for a TD. |
| 50 | Robby Anderson | CAR | @ NO | Anderson has been a massive disappointment this season due to the QB situation in CAR. Has seen 30 targets in the last 3 weeks but has yet to do much with them. |