Here you’ll find Matt Harmon’s fantasy football PPR rankings for Week 17 — you can find his half-PPR rankings here. Remember to bookmark this page as Matt will be updating his rankings to help you with your lineup decisions throughout the week.
Advertisement
Note: You can check out Matt's half-PPR rankings right here.
Each week, fantasy football analyst Joel Smyth goes through storylines that will define the week. After 16 weeks, how will the trends of fantasy football define the championship week?
Everyone knows by now that the Bengals are one of the worst TE defenses in the history of the NFL. Great news for Trey McBride, but bad news for Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. The Bengals have yet to allow a single WR this season to score 20+ receiving fantasy points in PPR leagues (they’ve allowed five to TE/RBs). The corners are not the weakness of this defense that has been quietly improving as of late. In their last five games, the Bengals rank 16th in passing fantasy PPG allowed, despite playing against Lamar Jackson twice, Josh Allen and Drake Maye.
Advertisement
The other issue that lowers the floor of the Arizona WRs is, in fact, each other. In the last two games that Harrison has been active, neither WR has posted great numbers. Wilson’s 13.2 points last week were the highest mark, and that came on a crazy 38-yard TD grab accounting for 80% of it. I would rather start Wilson of the two, especially when considering injuries, but he is no longer the weekly WR1 in rankings.
The No. 1 overall fantasy QB since Week 5 is Josh Allen… and Trevor Lawrence (they’re tied). After being a top-two fantasy QB for his second straight week and top-15 in 10 of his last 11 games, the Jaguars QB has become a staple for fantasy playoff teams. After carrying managers to the finish, Lawrence now gets the in-division Colts, who just allowed Brock Purdy to throw for five touchdowns on Monday Night Football. With no Sauce Gardner to save them, the Colts defense, which has been trending downhill have allowed 282 passing yards per game in their last five weeks.
Advertisement
Lawrence had next to no rushing, a big day from RB Travis Etienne Jr. on the ground, and still reached 19.4 fantasy points versus Indianapolis a few weeks ago. The downfield focus and extra rushing upside have given Lawrence one of the most consistent floors while having a high weekly ceiling, similar to Baker Mayfield last season with Liam Coen. With chaos at the QB position elsewhere, Lawrence is a clear QB1 for me in Week 17.
After starting as a top-10 defense on a per carry basis, San Francisco has dropped to 28th in defensive EPA/carry in the second half of the season. The banged-up 49ers defense now has to face off against the Chicago rushing attack, which leads the NFL in success rate and yards before contact. Success rate is how often a team is “staying on schedule” with positive rushing plays, a stat that the 49ers rank 32nd in on defense in the second half of the year.
Advertisement
When adjusting to the 49ers schedule, their fantasy PPG allowed to RB actually drops from 16th to 22nd, not to mention they benefitted from facing Jonathan Taylor without Daniel Jones active. Chicago’s rushing attack usually has to get into the end zone to pay off in fantasy, something D’Andre Swift has done in exactly 50% of games. I’d say those odds are north of 50% this weekend.
Kyle Pitts Sr. being a league-winning TE out of nowhere is what fantasy is all about. Two games down, can the 25-year-old TE make it three? I think there’s a better shot than most would see on paper. First off, his connection with Kirk Cousins has been evident, with him being a top-six fantasy TE in four consecutive games, being targeted on 8+ throws each week. With Drake London banged up and the Falcons out of playoff contention, I’d be surprised to see London steal more targets than he did in Week 16.
Advertisement
The Rams defense is good, but when it comes to fantasy football, the passing production has been solid for opposing offenses later in the year. In the second half of the season, Los Angeles is 28th in receiving fantasy PPG allowed, a great sign for Pitts’ ceiling. As a TE who can be used all over the field, Pitts should be set up well to turn his volume into another productive day versus the Rams in the fantasy championship.
Streaming defenses is a great strategy to make it to the fantasy championship. If it’s brought you this far, there are six defenses playing backup QBs who are ideal plays in Week 17. I also highlighted the likely weather spots to check before this weekend’s games.
Advertisement
Of those six offenses, three of them resulted in the top-three fantasy defenses in Week 16, with 100% giving the opposing fantasy D/ST a top-10 week. Remember, upside is everything when considering fantasy defenses. I’d rather play a bad defense versus a bad offense than a good defense versus a good offense.
[Upgrade to Fantasy Plus and gain your edge in player projections and much more]
Last season, for different reasons, the Broncos beat the Chiefs 38-0 at the end of the season with Patrick Mahomes out. In short, the answer last year to “should you play Broncos fantasy players?” was yes. Courtland Sutton led the team with only seven targets and Bo Nix had only 29 passing attempts, yet it was plenty enough. Yes, blowouts mean less volume, but how are you blowing them out? Last season was the ideal: zero turnovers for the Chiefs and no defensive touchdowns for the Broncos. Denver got to drive the ball down the field against a depleted Kansas City defense, scoring drive after drive.
Advertisement
Although the Chiefs will not rest everyone, CB Trent McDuffie will likely miss the Christmas Day game on Thursday, helping the already high TD odds of Sutton. With the Chiefs starting Chris Oladokun at QB, I’d expect plenty of red-zone trip opportunities for Nix and company. Denver is top-10 in pass rate inside the 20-yard line this season, with Troy Franklin being targeted on 25% of passes and Sutton 22%, combining for seven touchdowns so far. When they are running the ball, it’s been nearly 100% to rookie RJ Harvey as of late. Harvey has had all five goal-line carries over the last month, resulting in four rushing touchdowns. The volume as a whole may be low, but with the Broncos projected to score 24.5 points, the chances of hitting pay dirt should be enough to start the Denver fantasy players.
Jared Goff has plunged you into the fantasy championship with back-to-back 25+ point games. Can he win it all versus the Vikings defense? Back in Week 11, Goff had 284 passing yards and two touchdowns versus Minnesota, a team he matches up well against for being a tough defense to face. Nobody blitzes more than the Vikings in 2025, an area where Goff ranks third in passing yards per attempt. The issue is the Vikings will be starting a backup quarterback who lost his only career start earlier this season 26-0 to the Seahawks. Sometimes, in those wire-to-wire blowouts, you throw for 128 passing yards and no TDs like Sam Darnold did.
Advertisement
Goff needs to have TD luck in his favor if the game heads in that direction, even more than most QBs. We’ve seen 46% of Goff’s fantasy points come from passing touchdowns alone, one of the highest marks in the NFL. The Vikings haven’t been dominant on the ground as of late, which gives Goff a low floor along with his high ceiling. Playing in another indoor game favors Goff’s fantasy history, but he may need help from QB Max Brosmer on the other side.
Dallas has not just been 32nd versus WRs this season; that’s far too kind. The Cowboys have given up 8.5 PPG over the NFL average to outside receivers, adjusting to their schedule. The 31st-ranked team versus outside WRs, the Detroit Lions, give up 4.4 PPG more than the average… nearly 2x less. McLaurin scored over 20 fantasy points in each game versus Dallas last season, but can he do it without QB Jayden Daniels? And Washington’s other QB Marcus Mariota?
For what it’s worth, potential starter Josh Johnson has thrown for 300+ passing yards in each of his last two starts, although they were in 2021. The Commanders defense should set them up for a pass-heavy day to give McLaurin, at minimum, good volume. To take injuries into account, McLaurin’s volume based on targets per route run this season is 23%, above his mark as a fantasy WR2 last season. The Cowboys defense can make up for a lot of woes, making McLaurin a good upside flyer for those in need.
The Chicago White Sox made a surprising signing right before Christmas when they agreed to a deal with Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami. As his posting window was nearing a close, there was a thought that the big-time power bat might not find a team. However, Murakami will be taking his power stroke to the South Side.
Advertisement
On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz is joined by special guest host Dani Wexelman as they break down the two-year, $34 million deal that will send the two-time Central League MVP to Chicago on a very much prove-it deal. They wonder how so many in the baseball world got his posting window wrong and what it could mean when he becomes a free agent at the age of 28.
Later, Jake and Dani talk about a flurry of moves that have gone on in baseball, including the Boston Red Sox trading for St. Louis Cardinals catcher Wilson Contreras, the New York Mets parting ways with another franchise staple and a wild three-team trade. They then get into the A’s extending Tyler Soderstrom and the San Diego Padres bringing back Michael King before making their picks for The Good, The Bad & The Uggla.
Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images
(Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
1:28 – The Opener: Murakami to the White Sox
Advertisement
20:32 – Around the League: Red Sox trade for Contreras
30:10 – Mets trade away Jeff McNeil
36:20 – Three-team trade
48:28 – Turbo Mode: Signings and an extension
57:23 – The Good, The Bad & The Uggla
🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube
Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv
Justin Boone won the FantasyPros Most Accurate Expert Award in 2019 and has eight top-10 finishes in the competition. He now brings his rankings acumen to the Yahoo Fantasy audience after joining the team as an analyst.
[Upgrade to Fantasy Plus and gain your edge in player projections and much more]
Be sure to follow the links below to see his latest rankings at every position. Updated rankings, including PPR, are released Wednesday, with the final version coming down Sunday morning.
Advertisement
Michigan has found their man! The Wolverines have named a new head coach. Former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham will now be the head coach at Michigan. Whittingham stepped down from Utah at the end of this season, but made it very clear he was not done with coaching. Andy Staples and Steven Godfrey react to this hire and discuss if they think Whittingham is the right man for the job. Can he succeed immediately at Michigan, and what does immediate success look like?
Advertisement
Then, the guys turn their sights to the upcoming College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchups. First, they preview the Rose Bowl. Top-seeded Indiana takes on ninth-seeded Alabama. Andy and Godfrey discuss if Alabama can win this game and what they have to do to upset the Hoosiers. They also look at how dominant Indiana has been this year and discuss what Indiana may focus on for this game.
Later, Andy and Godfrey look across the country and preview the Orange Bowl. Fifth-seed Oregon takes on fourth-seed Texas Tech. The crew discusses if Texas Tech can handle Oregon’s offense and what the Red Raiders can do to win this game. On the flip side, they look at how Oregon’s defense can impact this game and what the Ducks’ offense may do differently in the Orange Bowl. Can Oregon make a run in the Playoff like Ohio State did last year?
Get ready for the quarterfinals with College Football Enquirer.
Kyle Whittingham named Michigan head coach Photo by Dustin Markland/Getty Images
(Photo by Dustin Markland/Getty Images)
0:00:00 – Michigan hires Kyle Whittingham
Advertisement
28:39 – Rose Bowl preview
44:19 – Orange Bowl preview
Check out all the episodes of the College Football Enquirer and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv
It should come as no surprise that NBA fans want to see the game’s biggest talent play in the All-Star Game. Basketball fans made their voice heard Monday, as the NBA revealed the results of its first round of fan voting for the 2025-26 NBA All-Star Game.
With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić leads all vote-getters in the West and Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo leads all vote-getters in the East.
Those two players sit above the rest of the league, though Dončić has a slight lead over Antetokounmpo for most votes from the fans.
Advertisement
Over in the West, Dončić is followed by Nikola Jokić, Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama in the top 5. Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham and Donovan Mitchell sit behind Antetokounmpo in the Eastern Conference.
While fans won’t make the final decision on which players make it into the All-Star Game, they do carry a large percentage of the vote. The fans make up 50 percent of the All-Star votes. Players and a panel of media voters each carry 25 percent of the final vote.
The NBA will unveil multiple voting updates before the All-Star teams are finalized. The next voting update is slated for Jan. 6.
Advertisement
The NBA All-Star Game format will look a bit different this year. Two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players will take part in a round-robin tournament during the event, which will feature four 12-minute games.
The festivities begin Feb. 15, 2026, and will be held at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, where the Los Angeles Clippers play their home games.
How far can Brock Purdy take the banged-up San Francisco 49ers? Yahoo Sports’ Andrew Siciliano, Charles Robinson and Frank Schwab recap that thrilling SNF shootout and dive into key winner-take-all battles in the AFC North and NFC South. Will the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens come out on top of the division? Is it fair that the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers or hot-and-cold Carolina Panthers will host a playoff game? Closing things out, the crew looks at the most disappointing teams that missed the playoffs before discussing their “One More Thing.”
Advertisement
(6:20) – 49ers win shootout over Bears
(19:40) – Browns upset Steelers
(40:40) – Bucs & Panthers fight to win abysmal NFC South
(49:30) – Which playoffs miss is most disappointing?
(1:02:25) – One More Thing
Can Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers succeed in the playoffs? (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube
Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts
For the final podcast of the year, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down the latest on NPB stars Tatsuya Imai and Kazuma Okamoto as their MLB posting windows close, analyzing where they could sign and how their profiles contrast with previous Japanese imports like Munetaka Murakami and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The guys take a hard look at the differences between pitching and hitting projections for international talent, highlighting Imai’s adaptability and Okamoto’s ready-made bat for contending teams. They discuss the best roster fits for Imai, focusing on the Giants, Mets, and Phillies, among others, and debate which teams actually make sense for the 3B slugger Okamoto.
Advertisement
Later in the show, they open up the Bar-B-Cast mailbag and answer questions about Juan Soto, the Dodgers’ championship window and some baseball easter eggs in the latest Knives Out film, Wake Up Dead Man.
Finally, they close the episode with a round of Turbo Mode, highlighting a bevy of signings across the league in Cincinnati, Chicago, Seattle & more. Also, a special shout-out to the Buffalo Sabres.
Japanese stars Tatsuya Imai and Kazuma Okamoto will likely sign with MLB clubs before their posting deadlines of Friday and Sunday, respectively. (Photos by Gene Wang/Getty Images; Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
(Photos by Gene Wang/Getty Images; Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
1:53 – Why is it taking so long for Japanese stars Tatsuya Imai and Kazuma Okamoto to sign?
14:45 – Where will Imai sign?
24:50 – Where will Okamoto sign?
31:30 – Baseball Bar-B-Cast Mailbag: Mets, Dodgers, Knives Out & more
1:05:10 – Turbo Mode: Reds, Cubs, Mariners & more
🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube
Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv
The College Football Playoff Quarterfinals begin tomorrow. For the lone game on New Year’s Eve the country will turn its attention to the Cotton Bowl as #10 Miami takes on #2 Ohio State. The meeting is a rematch of a historic national championship game. Times have changed a bit since that meeting, as many of the players in this game had not been born for the previous matchup. Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey discuss this clash of talent. Could the talent on Miami’s roster be enough to keep up with Ohio State, or will the Buckeyes’ defense be too much for the Hurricanes to handle? Then, the guys look at the final quarterfinal matchup that they have yet to discuss. #6 Ole Miss takes on #3 Georgia. This is a rematch as well, but this previous matchup was only a couple of months ago. Although the prior matchup was recent, much has changed with one of the programs as Ole Miss now has Pete Golding leading them rather than Lane Kiffin. Andy, Ross and Godfrey discuss what kind of impact that will have on the game and if there is any way that Ole Miss can pull the upset.
Advertisement
Then, the crew discusses a bit of college football news as a familiar face returns to the college ranks. Chip Kelly has been hired by Northwestern to be their offensive coordinator. Kelly is coming off of a 2024 national title run with Ohio State followed by a short run with the Las Vegas Raiders in which he was fired mid-season. He was the offensive coordinator on both of those staffs. The guys look at why this is a good hire for Northwestern and what else they need to focus on to be successful.
Later, Godfrey asked and the Pop-Tarts Bowl delivered. After Godfrey made it very clear, a few episodes ago, that he wanted one of the care packages the Pop-Tarts Bowl was sending out, a package has arrived. Godfrey unboxes the multiple packages live and it’s something you do not want to miss. Check out the show on YouTube or on the Yahoo Sports Network if you want to see what Godfrey got.
Get ready for the CFP Quarterfinals with College Football Enquirer.
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal previews Photo by CFP/Getty Images
(Photo by CFP/Getty Images)
0:00:00 – Can Miami upset Ohio State?
Advertisement
13:30 – Can Ole Miss and Pete Golding handle Georgia?
29:20 – Northwestern hires Chip Kelly as OC
41:51 – Pop-Tarts Bowl care package unboxing
Check out all the episodes of the College Football Enquirer and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv
One of the most disappointing free-agent signings in recent memory is being paid to spend the final year of his contract away from the team. The Los Angeles Angels and Anthony Rendon have reportedly agreed to a buyout, ending Rendon’s tenure with the club, according to The Athletic.
Rendon, 35, had one year and $38 million left on the seven-year, $245 million deal he signed with the team ahead of the 2020 MLB season. Instead of paying Rendon that money this year, the team will part ways with the third baseman and defer his contract roughly three-to-five years as part of the buyout, per The Athletic. It’s unclear exactly how it will be paid out.
Advertisement
Rendon was among the most coveted free agents when he hit the market following the 2019 MLB season. He was coming off a six-year stretch in which he hit .293/.374/.500 with 129 home runs and strong defense at the hot corner. He received MVP votes in four of those six seasons, finishing a career-high third for the award just before hitting the free-agent market.
The Angels took the plunge on the then-29-year-old, agreeing to a seven-year, $245 million contract. The move came months after the team signed Mike Trout to a $430 million extension and was meant to give Trout a dangerous middle-of-the-order partner who would help lead the Angels back to the postseason.
For one season, it looked like a decent move. While the Angels struggled during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Rendon performed well, hitting .286/.418/.497 in 52 games. That performance earned him a top-10 finish in MVP voting.
But things quickly went downhill for the former star the following season. He battled numerous injuries and was limited to 58 games in 2021. Ailments soon became a major theme for Rendon with the Angels. In his five seasons with the club, he played in 257 of a possible 1,032 games due to injuries and surgeries, per The Athletic.
Advertisement
And he wasn’t very productive when he was on the field. Following his strong 2020 debut, Rendon hit just .231/.329/.336 over the next four seasons. He played in 206 games over that stretch.
Rendon was supposed to suit up for the Angels in 2025 but missed the entire season after undergoing hip surgery.
Amid his struggles, Rendon also drew criticism after a 2023 incident in which he angrily confronted an Athletics fan after a game. Rendon grabbed the fan by the shirt and lobbed expletives at him before appearing to take a swipe at the fan, which did not connect. MLB suspended Rendon for five games following the incident, though it was reduced to four games after an appeal.
Advertisement
After missing all of 2025, the Angels essentially wrote off Rendon in 2026. The team reportedly considered a contract buyout early in the offseason. General manager Perry Minasian was asked about that possibility in December and responded by saying he had nothing to report on that front. Minasian, however, did not deny that the team was looking into the possibility, giving credence to the report.
With the buyout, the Angels will free up some immediate cash that can be used to add free agents ahead of the 2026 season. The team has already been active this offseason, trading for pitcher Grayson Rodriguez and infielder Vaughn Grissom and signing relievers Drew Pomeranz, Kirby Yates and Jordan Romano.
The Angels are looking to get back into contention after finishing last season 72-90 and last in the AL West. The team hasn’t finished higher than third in the division since 2017 and hasn’t reached the postseason since 2014.