Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 17, 2022: Model says start Christian Kirk, but sit Kirk Cousins

Giants running back Saquon Barkley went through a cold spell from late November to mid-December, rushing for 65 yards in four straight games. He bounced back with two solid outings, eclipsing the 80-yard mark in road games against Washington and Minnesota. Barkley faces an Indianapolis defense that was lit by Dallas for 54 points and slumped against Minnesota earlier this month. On the other side of the ball, Indianapolis running back Zack Moss will be looking to build on his two strong performances. Moss rushed for 81 yards against Minnesota after Jonathan Taylor was injured and he added 65 yards against the Chargers on Monday, but how high should he be in the Week 17 fantasy football standings? Before you lock in your rosters, be sure to check out the Week 17 fantasy football rankings from SportsLine’s advanced computer model.

When it comes to player rankings, SportsLine’s model has beaten human fantasy football experts over the past few seasons, especially when there were large differences in rankings. Over the course of a season, it could literally be the difference between winning your league or going home empty-handed.

Last week, the model was extremely high on Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, saying he would finish among the top 10 players in his position. The result: Lamb had 10 receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns in Dallas’ 40-34 win over the Eagles. Anyone who had him in their roster was on course for a huge week.

Now the model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, has revealed its fantasy football rankings for Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season. Head over to SportsLine now to see them.

Top Fantasy Football Picks of Week 17

One player the model is being raised on this week: Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk. He’s coming off a poor showing against the Jets last week, but it was the first time in seven games he was held under four receptions. Kirk is still one of the top 20 wide receivers in Fantasy this season, with a 23.6 percent target share in Jacksonville’s offense. He also has the sixth-most red-zone targets among wide receivers, giving him a ton of upside each week.

Jacksonville’s offense has been rolling lately, scoring a combined 95 points in its last three games. Kirk had 104 receiving yards in Detroit earlier this month and added 92 receiving yards against Dallas two weeks ago. He faces a Houston defense that gave up 336 passing yards to Kansas City two weeks ago, which is one of the reasons the SportsLine model ranked Kirk among the top 15 wide receivers this week. . See who else to target here.

And a huge shocker: Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who has thrown two or more touchdown passes in four of his last five games, stumbles wildly and doesn’t even make the top 10 at his position. Cousins ​​enters Week 17 ranked in the top five in passing yards (4,117) and passing touchdowns (27) and finished with 40+ pass attempts in three straight games.

However, Cousins ​​finished with just 160 passing yards and a touchdown in his last start against the Packers at Lambeau Field. Additionally, the Packers are giving up just 192.4 passing yards per game this season, which ranks them third in the NFL. With such a tough game on Sunday, Cousins ​​is one player to consider benching in Week 17. See who else to fade here.

How to Set Week 17 Fantasy Football Rankings

The model also calls for a surprising quarterback you wouldn’t even think of to finish in the top 10 of their Week 17 fantasy football rankings. This pick could be the difference between winning big and going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.

So who should you start and sit on this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 17 fantasy football rankings for every position, and see which QB will come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that has outplayed the experts for the most part.