Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. Otton will miss his second game in a row due to a left knee injury he suffered in Week 15. In his absence, the Buccaneers will call on Payne Durham to step up in Week 17. In Week 16, during Otton's absence, Durham had five catches for 29 yards and played 93% of the snaps. The Buccaneers need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive, so look for Baker Mayfield to lean on his wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan in the passing game. The Buccaneers are 8.5-point favorites at home versus the Panthers, and game flow may play in favor of running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White. Durham ranks as TE34 in the latest RotoBaller tight end rankings for Week 17.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (foot, hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. Shepard exited last week's contest due to a hamstring injury. In addition, he has been dealing with a lingering foot issue. The Buccaneers need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive, so look for Baker Mayfield to lean on his wide receivers Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, Ryan Miller, and Trey Palmer in the passing game. McMillan should be the biggest beneficiary of Shepard missing the game. The Buccaneers are 8.5-point favorites at home versus the Carolina Panthers, and game flow may play in favor of running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White.

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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (ankle, knee) is questionable for Saturday's game against the Denver Broncos. His limited participation in practice the last few days is an encouraging sign that he is trending toward playing. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, there's "optimism" he can play on Saturday. Although Higgins has had an up-and-down campaign in 2024, he has been a consistent and reliable wide receiver for fantasy managers and quarterback Joe Burrow lately. Higgins has scored 15 plus fantasy points in four of his last five games. RotoBaller ranks him WR10 in Week 17. The Bengals host the Broncos, who have been solid against the pass. However, this Bengals offense has been firing on all cylinders of late, and it would be difficult not to start Higgins with the upside this offense has. Keep a close eye on the weather, as the Ohio forecast may call for wind and rain on Saturday. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with Higgins for the fantasy championship week if active.

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Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (knee) is dealing with a knee injury he suffered in Week 16 and is officially listed as questionable for Saturday night's game against the Los Angeles Rams. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, he is "trending in the right direction" to suit up on Saturday. Although it is great news he is trending in the right direction to play, fantasy managers might want to limit their expectations as the Cardinals were knocked out of the playoffs with their loss last week, as the knee injury he is dealing with could limit Conner's effectiveness and volume. Regardless, Conner has treated fantasy managers excellently this year. Producing as the RB10 with 1,090 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns on the season. This week, Conner can be started as an RB2 with upside if he's active.

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Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown hauled in six passes for 70 receiving yards and a touchdown in a Week 16 victory at the Chicago Bears. Not much was asked of the Lions' offense in the fourth quarter, as they had a two-score lead for most of the second half. Throughout the season, St. Brown has been Jared Goff's go-to target, averaging a 25.4% target share, 75 receiving yards per game, and having 11 touchdowns. This week, the Lions travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers in a rematch of last year's NFC title game. Look for St. Brown to have a big game, as the Lions are four-point favorites on the road and want to keep pushing for that No. 1 spot in the NFC. Fantasy Managers can start St. Brown with confidence in Week 17. RotoBaller ranks him as our WR3 for the week.

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Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel indicated that wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (knee) will be questionable for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns. On the bright side, Waddle logged a limited practice on Thursday, an encouraging sign for his chances to suit up on Sunday. The Dolphins travel to Ohio to take on the Browns (3-12) and try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. The Dolphins are notorious for underperforming in cold weather, making Waddle challenging to trust in Week 17. Waddle comes with risk for fantasy championship week and is a borderline WR3/FLEX option if active against the Browns. Malik Washington would see an uptick in targets and be on the FLEX radar in deep leagues if Waddle can't suit up against Cleveland.

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Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs has had a fantastic season in 2024 and will look to keep things rolling against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17. He ranks as the overall RB3 for the year, and that's also come with splitting most of his touches with David Montgomery (knee), who recently got injured and is done for at least the regular season. Last week without Montgomery, Gibbs received 23 carries, rushed for 109 yards, and added four catches for 45 receiving yards and scored a touchdown. Gibbs is a must-start in all fantasy formats versus San Francisco in Week 17. He is one of the most electric players in the NFL, and he plays on one of the best offenses in the league. Fantasy managers can start him with confidence as RotoBaller's No.1 overall ranked player in Week 17.

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Buffalo Bills Wide receiver Curtis Samuel (rib) was inactive last week against the New England Patriots. Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott said he has not ruled any players out for this Sunday's contest against the New York Jets. The Kansas City Chiefs locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC with their win on Wednesday, so the Bills might play cautiously with their injured players over the next few weeks. Samuel has been disappointing on the season, catching just 24 passes for 201 yards and one touchdown. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere at the wide receiver position for production in Week 17.

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Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has put together a fine season in 2024. Throwing for 4,095 yards, 33 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. This week, the Lions travel to take on the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of the NFC championship game from last year's playoffs. Certainly, Goff and the Lions will want some revenge as the 49ers went on to play in the Super Bowl. On the season, the 49ers' defense ranks in the top five in points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. However, Goff has found a way to be effective as a passer, utilizing all of his weapons, like Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Sam LaPorta. The Lions are four-point favorites, and considering the game should be close, game flow should not be a concern for this Lions offense. Fantasy managers can start Goff with confidence in Week 17, and he comes in as RotoBaller's ninth-ranked quarterback for fantasy championship week.

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Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz enters the team's Week 17 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday on a streak of five straight games without missing a single kick. Since having a potential game-winning field goal blocked against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10, Lutz has made all 11 of his field-goal attempts and all 19 of his extra points in the last five games. He's currently the No. 5 fantasy kicker in 2024 and has made 90.6% (29-for-32) of his field-goal tries over 15 games for the Broncos. He's been as reliable as they come and has pretty much been in the mix as a weekly top-12 kicking option for fantasy managers since midway through the season. The Bengals defense allows the fifth-most points per game (26.2), but they're also allowing only 6.7 fantasy points per game to kickers. Lutz may not be the best fantasy option in Week 17, but he should have a high floor.

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With injuries ahead of him on the depth chart, Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter has a huge range of possibilities in Week 17 against the L.A. Rams that varies from remaining on the practice squad to being the team's starter. Both James Conner (knee) and Trey Benson (ankle) are questionable to play in the game, and with Arizona officially eliminated from playoff contention, the team doesn't have much incentive to rush two players under contract next year back into action now. Last week, Carter earned 10 touches after Conner's injury, five of which were catches. He holds some streaming appeal, particularly for managers relying upon Conner, but they'll have to check in before game time Saturday to see who is active for Arizona.

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Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele scored his second touchdown of the year in last Thursday night's loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, but fantasy managers should have more reliable options to choose from for their flex spot this Saturday when the Broncos take on the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. The Bengals defense is ripe for the picking -- they allow 26.2 points per game -- but Vele's lack of consistent opportunities in Denver's passing attack make him far too risky to rely on with championships on the line in most fantasy leagues in Week 17. While the 27-year-old seventh-round selection did find paydirt in LA last week, he only caught two passes for 21 yards. The previous week in the win over the Colts, Vele failed to catch his lone target, and the week before that against Cleveland he caught only one pass for 16 yards.

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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson is a low-end WR5 option with his team set to take on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17. The sophomore has been one of the middle-ground receivers who is just productive enough to hold onto in deeper leagues, but without the breakout potential to warrant starting on a weekly basis. Wilson ranks 55th among PPR receivers, doesn't have a top-25 finish this year, and is now on a team playing meaningless games to close out the season. The Rams rank 24th against fantasy receivers, so there is some matchup potential, but mostly in formats with three-plus flex spots.

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For at least another week, Chad Ryland will maintain the starting kicker role with the Arizona Cardinals, but managers should still look for another option with the Cards playing the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17. The second-year kicker has filled in nicely for the injured Matt Prater (knee), connecting on 25 of 29 field-goal attempts and all 21 extra points. Though Ryland's performance hasn't been the issue, Arizona is beaten up at running back with both James Conner (knee) and Trey Benson (ankle), and now that they're officially eliminated from the playoffs, this is a meaningless game for them. For managers still playing, seeking a better kicker situation is the smart move.

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Arizona Cardinals running back DeeJay Dallas may see some added snaps on Saturday since James Conner (knee) and Trey Benson (ankle) are both considered questionable. Dallas received one target and no carries in their last game against the Panthers, but he did turn it into a touchdown. That was his first offensive touchdown since 2021. The last time he started a game was in 2020 with the Seahawks, and his two starts produced mixed results. The Los Angeles Rams are in the middle of the pack against the opposing backfields as they allow 20.0 fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats. Dallas, even if he gets extra opportunities, isn't a reliable option for fantasy managers looking to win their championship.

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. has been more productive in recent weeks but will still be hard to trust in fantasy championship matchups in most leagues in Week 17 when the Broncos travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals on Saturday in a game with huge playoff implications for both teams. Mims has scored both of his touchdowns on the year in the last five games and also has at least 40 yards in four of his last five games, including a 100-yard performance in Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns. However, the 22-year-old second-year wideout played a season-high 47% of the snaps in last week's loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, and the most targets he's seen in a game in 2024 is five. Mims has plenty of big-play ability with the ball in his hands and will be facing a vulnerable Bengals defense, but his lack of consistent involvement in the offense makes him a flex play to avoid in most leagues.

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The Arizona Cardinals defense/special teams should be left on waivers ahead of a Week 17 meeting against the Los Angeles Rams. Aside from having their full rotation of dangerous skill players in running back Kyren Williams and receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, the Rams have been adept at limiting negative plays, ranking in the top 10 in the league in sack rate and turnover rate. Conversely, Arizona ranks in the bottom 10 in scoring percentage allowed, yards per rushing attempt, and turnover percentage. With most leagues in the championship round, there's no reason to risk playing the Cardinals in this matchup.

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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has had quite the rollercoaster ride of a rookie season, especially in terms of fantasy football. He's finished as a WR3 or better in six weeks this season but has finished outside of the top 50 in seven weeks. Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals aren't going downfield very often, which directly affects Harrison's value. In Week 17, they'll try to play spoiler against the Los Angeles Rams. While the Rams allow an average of 27.8 fantasy points per game to wideouts, their defense has improved in the second half of the season. They've only allowed one touchdown in the last two games, which leaves Harrison as a flex play in this matchup.

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Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride may still be looking for his first receiving touchdown of the season, but he sits at the TE4 on the year in half-PPR formats. In Week 16, he posted his first finish outside of TE1 territory since Week 7. After some strong words about how his team played that week, McBride is sure to bounce back against the Los Angeles Rams who give up an average of 10.5 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. He's received around a 25% target share through this season, and there isn't any reason for that to change. Fantasy managers can still consider McBride a must-start, especially in PPR leagues.

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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has had quite the rough stretch over his past seven games and is currently the QB11 on the season. Since Week 9, he's finished as a QB1 just two times, a QB2 three times, and finished even worse in the other two. They face off against their divisional foe, the Los Angeles Rams, in Week 17, and they've been improving on the defensive side of the ball. Murray finished as the overall QB1 the last time these two teams faced off in Week 2, but the tides have changed considerably. Murray holds QB2 value going into this matchup.

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