Best & Worst QB, RB, WR Matchups: Week 17

Browse our Game and Player Matchup Dashboards to see how injuries will affect each matchup on the Week 17 slate. Our player matchup dashboards offer a wide array of statistical rankings, including explosive runs and passes, red zone carries, targets and receptions, YAC, reception counts, QB rushing yards, RB receiving yards and more.

Saturday Injury Updates and Impacts to Skill Positions

  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs continue to be very banged up on the defensive side of the ball – LB Shaquil Barrett and CB Carlton Davis are both OUT – the Saints do not have a prolific passing attack under Derek Carr, but they’ll have an opportunity to take advantage of a Bucs’ passing defense that ranks 32nd in passing YPG, 25th in YPA and 32nd in passes of 10+ yards.
  • San Francisco 49ers: Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams are all off the final injury report, which is a good sign as they will be facing a defense that ranks 25th in defensive efficiency, 29th in EPA/play allowed, 30th in passing YPG allowed, 30th in YPA and 24th in passes of 10+ yards. SF’s high-powered offense will be well equipped to mow down the Commanders.
  • Washington Commanders: Not only will the 49ers be fully healthy, the Commanders will be without their top 2 CB’s in Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St. Juste and S Percy Butler against an SF offense that ranks 1st in the league in offensive efficiency, EPA/play, series conversion rate and YPP.
  • Miami Dolphins: Miami will be without WR Jaylen Waddle – a number of other players including RB Raheem Mostert, CB’s Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey and S Jevon Holland are all listed as questionable.
  • Houston Texans: CJ Stroud is back for the Texans, which is a huge shot in the arm fortheir playoff chances, as they head into Week 17 locked in a 3-way tie for the AFC South lead with a matchup against the Titans. Stroud will face a Titans’ defense that ranks 24th in defensive efficiency, 25th in EPA/play and 29th in RZ trips allowed. Prior to going down with injury against the Jets, Stroud was on a 5-game tear in which he was averaging a 66% completion rate and 348 passing YPG.
  • Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks are extremely banged up and will be without OT Jason Peters, LB Frank Clark and S Jamal Adams, while RB Kenneth Walker III, WR DK Metcalf and CB Devon Witherspoon are all questionable. Pittsburgh’s offense is not the most prolific in the league, but they’ll have an opportunity to sustain some success against a Seahawks’ defense that ranks 32nd in defensive efficiency, 24th in EPA/play, 30th in series conversion rate and 27th in rushing YPG allowed.
Player Stats Dashboard: Passing YPG

Best QB Matchups

Passing Splits Dashboard: Dak Prescott

Dak Prescott (O275.5 passing yards, FD) will be facing a Lions’ secondary that ranks 24th in passing YPG allowed (254.7 per game), 26th in YPA and 29th in passes of 10+ yards that just allowed Nick Mullens to throw for 411 yards and 2 TD’s in Week 16. Dak leads a Dallas passing attack that ranks 5th in passing YPG (267.1 per game), 8th in YPA and 3rd in passes of 10+ yards and will have an opportunity to light up Detroit through the air in Week 17.

Passing Splits Dashboard: Brock Purdy

Brock Purdy (O264.5 passing yards, DKNG) leads a SF passing attack that ranks 2nd in passing YPG, 1st in YPA and 3rd in passes of 10+ yards, with an excellent matchup against a Washington secondary that ranks 25th in defensive efficiency, 29th in EPA/play, 30th in YPP, 30th in passing YPG allowed (272.5 per game), 30th in YPA and 24th in passes of 10+ yards. The Commanders will be without their top 2 CB’s in Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St. Juste along with tie rstarting S Percy Butler. Purdy has cleared this number in 6 of his L9 games; he has been held in check the L2 weeks but has faced Arizona (13th in passing YPG allowed) and Baltimore (8th in passing YPG allowed) secondaries that are above average in defending the pass. Tua threw for 280 yards in less than 3 quarters of action in pouring rain against the Commanders in Week 14 before he was removed from the game; Purdy should have an opportunity to spread the ball around and get back on track heading into the postseason.

Passing Splits Dashboard: Pat Mahomes

Pat Mahomes (O266.5 passing yards, FD) leads a KC offense into Week 17 that ranks 6th in passing YPG, 8th in passes of 10+ yards against a Cincy defense that ranks 32nd in YPP allowed, 28th in passing YPG allowed, 32nd in YPA and 31st in passes of 10+ yards. Opposing passers have cleared this number 5 of the L7 weeks against Cincy – Mason Rudolph (17-27, 290 yards, 2 TD’s) and Nick Mullens (26-33, 303 yards, 2 TD’s, 2 INT’s) have performed extremely well over the L2 weeks, while CJ Stroud (23-39, 356 yards, 1 TD) and Brock Purdy (22-31, 365 yards, 1 TD) have also torched this defense in late October and early November.

Worst QB Matchups

Passing Splits Dashboard: Justin Fields

Justin Fields (O/U 191.5 passing yards, FD) faces an Atlanta secondary that ranks 7th in passing YPG allowed, 8th in YPA and 9th in passes of 10+ yards in Week 17 and has allowed opponents to throw for 181.5 yards on average over the L4 weeks. Fields faced an Arizona defense that ranks 28th in YPA allowed, 31st in defensive efficiency and 32nd in EPA/play and threw for just 170 yards in Week 16 but used his legs to run for 97 yards and a TD on 9 carries.

Best RB Matchups

Player Stats Dashboard: Rushing YPG
Rushing Splits Dashboard: Kyren Williams

Kyren Williams (O/U 94.5 rushing yards, FD) faces a Giants’ rushing defense that ranks 29th in rushing YPG allowed, 30th in YPC and 31st in runs of 10+ yards. Williams is averaging 22 carries and over 120 rushing over the L5 weeks since returning from injury and now will match up against a defense that has allowed opponents to run for at least 123 yards in 6 of the L7 weeks and most recently allowed Philly to go for 170 in total in Week 16.

Rushing Splits Dashboard: D’Andre Swift

D’Andre Swift (O66.5 rushing yards, FD) is the feature back in a Philly offense thatranks 6th in rushing YPG and 10th in runs of 10+ yards and now has an excellent matchup in the ground game against a Cardinals’ defense that ranks 32nd in rushing YPG allowed, 31st in YPC and 31st in runs of 10+ yards. Chicago just ran for 250 yards on the ground and posted 420 yards of total offense at home against Arizona in Week 16, while Kyren Williams (16 carries, 143 yards) and Royce Freeman (13 carries, 77 yards) lead a Rams’ rushing attack that posted 228 yards in total in late November. Swift has cleared this number in 4 of the L6 weeks and should have every opportunity to torch the worst rushing defense in the league at home in Week 17.

Rushing Splits Dashboard: Najee Harris

Najee Harris (O51.5 rushing yards, FD) faces a Seattle run defense in Week 16 that ranks 27th in rushing YPG allowed and 25th in YPC allowed that has allowed 4 of their L5 opponents to clear at least 162 yards on the ground. Harris has cleared this number in 5 of his L8 games and 3 of the L5; most recently he took 18 carries for 79 yards against a Cincy defense that ranks 25th in rushing YPG allowed, while Derrick Henry took 19 carries for 89 yards and a TD in Week 16 against the Seahawks. Harris has had an up and down season but has an excellent matchup against a Seattle defense that is struggling to stop the run in Week 17.

Rushing Splits Dashboard: Rachaad White

Rachaad White (O/U 62.5 rushing yards, FD) has been on a bit of a tear over the L5 weeks in which he is averaging nearly 83 yards rushing on over 20 carries per game; he has an excellent matchup this week against a Saints’ run defense that ranks 26th in rushing YPG, 27th in YPC and 30th in runs of 10+ yards allowed. The Saints have allowed opponents to run for at least 125 yards 7 of the L8 games, and let the Panthers (204 rushing yards) and Falcons (228 rushing yards) each go for over 200 yards in Weeks 12 and 14. Kyren Williams (22 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD), Chuba Hubbard (23 carries, 87 yards), Miles Sanders (10 carries, 74 yards) and Bijan Robinson (16 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD) have all dominated this defense over the L5 weeks.

Worst RB Matchups

Rushing Splits Dashboard: Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry (O/U 57.5 rushing yards, DKNG) will face a Houston run defense that now ranks 5th in the league in rushing YPG allowed, 1st in YPC and 8th in runs of 10+ yards allowed, held Henry to just 9 yards on 16 carries in Week 15 and has limited opponents to 81 yards or less of total rushing output in 7 of the L9 weeks, while Henry is averaging just 26 rushing YPG in his L4 matchups with top 10 run defenses by YPG allowed.

Best WR Matchups

Player Stats Dashboard: Receiving YPG
Receiving Splits Dashboard: Deebo, Aiyuk, Kittle

SF 49ers WR’s / TE’s: Washington already ranks 32nd in YPP allowed, 28th in passing YPG allowed, 32nd in YPA and 31st in passes of 10+ yards, and now will be without their top 2 CB’s and S in a matchup where the 49ers will be seeking to get back on track after falling on their face against Baltimore in Week 16. Of the trio of Kittle, Deebo and Brandon Aiyuk, Kittle (O49.5 receiving yards, DKNG) appears to be one of the juiciest options given that he’s cleared that number in 8 of his L9 games dating back to Week 7. Deebo (O61.5 receiving yards, FD) offers additional value given that the Commanders are going to have all sorts of players in the secondary playing different positions and the fact that Deebo ranks 8th in the league among WR’s in YAC (Kittle ranks just behind him at 9th).

Rashee Rice (O/U 64.5 receiving yards, FD) has increasingly become one of Mahomes’ favorite targets over the course of this season – over the L5 weeks, he is averaging 7.6 receptions, 10 targets and 78 receiving YPG. Rice has cleared this number in 3 of the L5 weeks and has an excellent matchup against a Cincy secondary that ranks 28th in passing YPG allowed, 32nd in YPA and 31st in passes of 10+ yards. If Mahomes goes off on this Bengals’ secondary, Rice will likely have a significant role in that through the air.

Receiving Splits Dashboard: George Pickens

George Pickens (O50.5 receiving yards, FD) is the definition of a boom or bust type of option given that he has a low target share but is a home run hitter in Pittsburgh’s offense, but he went for 4 catches, 195 yards and 2 TD’s with Mason Rudolph at QB against Cincy’s horrible secondary in Week 16. Pickens and the Steelers will be facing a Seattle defense that will be without Jamal Adams and potential CB Devon Witherspoon (questionable) that ranks 23rd in passes of 10+ yards allowed and ranks in the league’s bottom 10 in missed tackles. Pickens has been all over the place this season, but has cleared this number in 3 of L5 weeks and playing with a QB in Rudolph who gave him opportunities early last week to go get some deep balls.

Head over to our Dashboard section of the site to comb through game matchup dashboards for every game on the board in Week 17, and browse our Player Matchup Analysis dashboards to optimize your DFS / FF lineups and target the player prop markets.

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