Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston will have another good matchup where he can try to find some consistency in Week 17 against the New England Patriots. Johnston has had a boom-or-bust season without too many huge booms. In the past four games, he has either finished as a top-25 fantasy receiver or outside of the top-80. The Patriots defense hasn't done much to slow down opposing wide receivers, so Johnston could find himself in more of a WR2 boom week. His floor is always close to zero, but he should be able to put some points up this week.

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Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tyler Boyd (foot) missed a second straight practice this week on Thursday. Boyd suffered a foot injury in last week's loss to the Indianapolis Colts and is now in danger of having to sit out this Sunday's divisional contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 30-year-old veteran will need to return to practice on Friday to avoid being ruled out entirely. In Tennessee's lackluster offense and low-volume passing attack in 2024, Boyd hasn't really been on the fantasy map while working behind WR1 Calvin Ridley. In 15 games in his first year with the Titans, Boyd has a mere 37 receptions on 53 targets for 376 yards and no touchdowns. He has not had more than six receptions or 55 yards receiving in a single game in 2024. In the last four games, he has just eight catches for 103 yards. Avoid Boyd in Week 17.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (foot, hamstring) was listed as a non-participant in practice for the second straight day on Thursday. Shepard is now in danger of sitting out the Week 17 contest against the division-rival Carolina Panthers this Sunday. He will likely need to return to the practice field on Friday to avoid being ruled out entirely. Tight end Cade Otton (knee) also hasn't practiced this week and is on track to miss a second straight game. Shepard injured his hamstring in the Week 16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The 31-year-old missing this weekend's game would mean that Ryan Miller and Trey Palmer would compete for WR3 duties behind Mike Evans and rookie Jalen McMillan. When healthy, Shepard has been a hard sell as a WR4/5, even in deep fantasy leagues. He's scored just once on the year and has two catches for 36 yards in the last two games.

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Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee made his long-anticipated return last week following an ACL injury sustained last January, and this week he'll continue that comeback against the Cardinals on Saturday night. In Week 16, he was limited to just 14 snaps and had only one catch, but it was a memorable one since he scored a pivotal touchdown in the Rams' win over the Jets. While Higbee was sidelined, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, and Hunter Long shared responsibilities but none emerged as fantasy options. In his return, Higbee did not suffer any reported setbacks and should be able to continue to ramp up his involvement this week in a favorable matchup against the Cardinals. However, since he's still in a reduced role in an offense with multiple pass-catchers, Higbee is only RotoBaller's TE35 this week.

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Arizona Cardinals rookie running back Trey Benson (ankle) was limited in practice all week and is considered questionable to play in Week 17 on Saturday night against the hosting division-rival Los Angeles Rams. Lead back James Conner (knee) was also limited in practice all week and questionable for Week 17. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said he's uncertain about the statuses of both Conner and Benson heading into Saturday night. Benson, who did not play in the team's Week 16 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers, would only be worth a look in fantasy as an RB3/flex if he returns and Conner is ruled out. If both Arizona backs are unable to gain clearance, the Cardinals would likely split the backfield touches amongst DeeJay Dallas and Michael Carter. The 21-year-old Benson is averaging 4.6 yards per carry in his first 13 NFL games, but he's been afforded only 63 carries behind Conner.

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Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater (knee) was limited in practice all week but was ruled out on Friday for the team's Week 17 divisional contest against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night. Prater had his 21-day practice window opened to return from Injured Reserve last weekend and has been limited in six practices. However, the 40-year-old will not be activated from IR, and with the regular-season finale being next weekend with the Cardinals eliminated from the playoff picture, we have a suspicion that he will not play again this year. With Prater out again this weekend against the Rams, Chad Ryland will once again fill in as the starting placekicker. In an inconsistent Arizona offense now with nothing left to play for but pride, Ryland won't be a recommended fantasy starter in Week 17. The 25-year-old has made 25 of his 29 field-goal tries and all 21 of his extra points in 11 games with Arizona in 2024.

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Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum continues to be minimally involved every week in the Rams' rushing attack. The rookie from Michigan had five carries for 14 yards last week and also had a 32-yard run which was called back due to an illegal motion penalty. Corum does bring an element of explosiveness to the offense, but his role is still extremely limited. He typically plays a drive or two early in the game, and Kyren Williams handles the rest of the work. He has the potential to break out and is in a favorable matchup, but he is only RotoBaller's RB52 this week since his role is so limited and Williams has had so much success.

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Los Angeles Chargers running back Hassan Haskins could have a larger role than usual in a Week 17 game against the New England Patriots. With Gus Edwards (ankle) ruled out and J.K. Dobbins (knee) questionable after missing the past four games, Haskins and rookie Kimani Vidal could split the backfield in a game in which the Chargers are favored. If Dobbins is able to play, Haskins likely won't have fantasy value, but if it gets down to just Haskins and Vidal, both should have decent floors with higher ceilings than usual.

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Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams continues to grind out big games every week, and he remains a strong starting option this week against the Cardinals on Saturday night. Williams has over 100 rushing yards in three of his last four games after finishing with 122 rushing yards and a touchdown in last week's win over the Jets. He also hauled in his only target for an additional seven yards. Williams' touchdown gives him 15 scores on the season, tied for fourth-most in the NFL. Williams will set a new career-high if he scores another touchdown this season, and he already set a personal best with 1,243 rushing yards. The Cardinals should be a good matchup for him this week since they have allowed 14 touchdowns and an average of 108.7 rushing yards per week to running backs this year. In such a good spot, Williams is RotoBaller's RB8 this week, making him a must-start in most formats for Week 17.

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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (wrist, rest) remained limited in practice for the second straight day this week on Thursday. Hill continues to be listed on Miami's injury report with a wrist injury that he's dealt with pretty much all year. He hasn't missed any games because of it, though, and that won't happen this Sunday in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns. In all likelihood, the 30-year-old speedster will practice in full on Friday and be removed from the final injury report. In the Week 16 win over the San Francisco 49ers with Jaylen Waddle (knee) out, the Cheetah only caught three of his seven targets for 29 yards, but he also managed to find paydirt for the third time in the last four games. Regardless of whether Waddle plays this weekend, Hill should be considered a must-start high-end WR2/low-end WR1 for fantasy matchups in Week 17.

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Los Angeles Chargers rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey is set up for a strong performance in a Week 17 Saturday game against the New England Patriots. McConkey has been a top-25 fantasy receiver for five straight games (skipping Week 14, where he did not play), and should be right in those same rankings again this week. The Patriots defense has been pretty generous to opposing wide receivers, and McConkey should once again be the focal point of the Chargers offense, especially with injuries in the running game making it likely that the Bolts will need to pass early and often. McConkey has a high floor like usual with an even higher ceiling than most weeks.

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Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (shoulder, rest) returned to full practice on Thursday after he was rested in Wednesday's session. Ertz had a three-game stretch of finding the end zone in each game from Weeks 11-13, but in two games since the team's Week 14 bye, he's caught only three of four targets for 37 yards and no touchdowns. The 34-year-old will likely be removed from Friday's final injury report and should be active this Sunday when the team takes on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. Ertz will be looking to get more involved in the passing attack in that one against a Falcons defense that has surprisingly only allowed 8.3 full-PPR points per game to the TE position. As he has been pretty all season, Ertz checks in as a touchdown-dependent TE2 heading into Sunday night's game in Week 17.

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Los Angeles Chargers rookie running back Kimani Vidal could end up in the starting role in a Week 17 game against the New England Patriots. Starter J.K. Dobbins (knee) has missed four games and is listed as questionable for this matchup and fill-in starter Gus Edwards (ankle) has already been ruled out. There's a chance that Dobbins is able to return and if he does he'll likely lead the backfield, but if Dobbins is also ruled out or limited in the game, Vidal would rise to the top of the depth chart and share it with Hassan Haskins. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on pre-game warmup reports, if Dobbins can't suit up, Vidal could be a solid RB2 option with a rather high floor.

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Washington Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown (hamstring) was listed as a DNP for the second straight day this week on Thursday. Brown injured his hamstring in the Week 16 win over the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles and will now need to practice on Friday in some fashion to avoid being ruled out in Week 17 as the team takes on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night. Even if the 25-year-old pass-catcher is able to practice on Friday and suit up on Sunday against the Falcons, he won't be much of an upside play as a flex option in deeper fantasy leagues despite a plus matchup. In his fourth year with the Commanders, Brown has a career-high 27 receptions for 292 yards and one touchdown on his 36 targets over 15 games played (two starts). Olamide Zaccheaus will probably be the biggest beneficiary in the offense if Brown is unable to play this weekend.

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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has a good matchup against the New England Patriots defense in Week 17. The Bolts and Pats will play on Saturday afternoon in New England, where Herbert will look to build on his overall QB7 against the Broncos in Week 16. Herbert looked much healthier last week, showing much more mobility on his injured ankle. He did not appear on the injury report at all heading into this game, his first time totally off the report in weeks. With running backs Gus Edwards (ankle) out and J.K. Dobbins (knee) questionable at best, the Chargers may need to rely on the passing game even though they are favored in this game. Herbert has a nice ceiling in this one and a fairly high floor as well.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp will look to bounce back against the Cardinals after posting back-to-back down weeks at the worst possible time for his fantasy investors. He was shut out in Week 15 and managed just three catches for 24 receiving yards in Week 16 against the Jets. Kupp has taken a backseat to Puka Nacua over the last few games and only has a total of six targets in the last two weeks, compared to 17 targets for Nacua over that span. Kupp's season numbers are still solid, and he has stepped up when called upon. However, he's hard to trust in a reduced role. He left the Rams' first game against the Cardinals with an ankle injury after four catches for 37 yards. He'll try to help the Rams avenge that Week 2 loss in a favorable matchup this week. The Cardinals have allowed four WR touchdowns in the last four weeks and rank in the middle third of the NFL in fantasy points allowed to the position on the season. Kupp is RotoBaller's WR19 this week, making him a fringe WR start in most formats on Saturday night at home with a good ceiling but also a low floor since his volume has dropped off so sharply.

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua continues to establish himself as one of the top fantasy wide receivers on a weekly basis due to his heavy volume and high ceiling, regardless of game script. The former BYU Cougar has at least seven catches in six of his last seven games and has totaled 15 catches for 153 yards the last two weeks, even though the Rams have been in low-scoring run-heavy contests. Nacua has at least eight targets in every full game he has played this season and should be heavily involved as the Rams come home to face the Cardinals. He didn't face Arizona earlier this season, but the Cardinals have allowed four WR touchdowns in the last four weeks and an average of 144.1 receiving yards per game to the position. Nacua is RotoBaller's WR4 this week, making him a must-start in most formats on Saturday night.

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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett (ribs) was a full participant in Thursday's practice. Meanwhile, starter Jalen Hurts (concussion) missed his second straight day of practice this week. Pickett said he doesn't expect to have any limitations for Sunday's Week 17 contest against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys. "Something I'll have to deal with," Pickett said. The former Steelers QB could have to deal with it in his first start of the season if Hurts is eventually ruled out with his concussion. The 26-year-old wasn't terrible in relief of Hurts last week, but he wasn't able to lead the team to a win against the division-rival Washington Commanders, going 14-for-24 for 143 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Pickett shouldn't be considered as anything more than a low-end QB2 in fantasy if he's forced to start, but he at least has some high-end offensive weapons to work with.

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford leads the Rams into a big divisional matchup on Saturday night against the Arizona Cardinals. Stafford has had back-to-back down games but led the Rams to low-scoring road wins over the 49ers and Jets. In his last home game, he lit up the Bills for 320 passing yards and two touchdowns and is averaging 252.8 passing yards per game in his seven home games this season. On the year, the veteran has 20 passing touchdowns and just eight interceptions and has reached over 3,500 yards. He only managed 216 yards and no touchdowns in Week 2 against the Cardinals, but the Rams' offense is in a much healthier place coming into this rematch. The Cardinals have allowed eight quarterback touchdowns in the last four weeks and have been eliminated from playoff contention. While he isn't a locked-in must-start option anymore, Stafford is RotoBaller's QB13, making him a fringe starter in standard formats for Week 17.

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Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (ankle) returned to a limited practice on Thursday after he was a non-participant in the first practice of the week on Wednesday. McLaurin might need to practice in full on Friday to avoid an injury designation for the weekend, but he has a pretty good shot to play now on Sunday in the Week 17 contest versus the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. The 29-year-old pass-catcher needs to stay in all fantasy lineups as well. He'll carry a four-game touchdown streak into this Sunday's contest. In that same span, he's caught 25 of his 30 targets for 308 yards and six total touchdowns. In the last five weeks in half-PPR scoring, McLaurin ranks as the WR10 overall. McLaurin has been thriving in 2024 as impressive rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels' No. 1 target.

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