Yards Per Gretch: Week 17
Ben Gretch, Editor in Chief of Fantasy Insiders, takes an ultra-high resolution look at the upcoming NFL week. If you haven’t yet been introduced to Ben’s level of thinking, get ready for great takes loaded with analytical insight.
Week 17
Week 17 is a little like preseason DFS. Who is playing and who is out? How much run will guys get? Fantasy football is an opportunity-based game, and simply tracking the news to make sure the guys in your lineup will be seeing solid opportunity can be a major differentiator. Salary, typically the backbone of every DFS decision, is a less constraining variable this week.
Some eliminated teams will use Week 17 as an opportunity to get more work for younger players, while others will play to win. Teams with playoff implications — whether getting in or just seeding — are easier to peg, as there are those who clearly have something to play for, while others (New Orleans and Dallas specifically) do not.
Let’s get to the picks.
Exploitable Situations
Damien Williams vs. OAK
The return of Spencer Ware will scare some people off Williams, but the latter is still viable if you buy that he may now be ahead of Ware on the depth chart. Ware is listed as questionable but has practiced in full while returning from a hamstring injury. In his absence, Williams has been a productive lead back, and the Chiefs just inked Williams to a two-year extension this week.
The duo will likely split work in some capacity in a great setup as big home favorites against Oakland. Kansas City carries a slate-high team total and needs to win to lock up the No. 1 seed, with the potential cost of losing being not a slip to No. 2 but all the way down to No. 5, as the Chargers could still win the division and push Kansas City into a wild card spot. You can bet they’ll take the game seriously.
It’s a great spot for whoever the lead back is, and my money’s on Williams at least leading a tandem. There should be plenty of RB production in the offense, and even a 60/40 split could put Williams and his 94th-percentile speed score in position to post strong numbers. Given Ware’s injury designation, though, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Williams get something like 75% of the RB touches, which makes him a strong tournament play at his salary.
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