Seattle Seahawks are traveling to Chicago to face the Bears in week 17. However, the Seahawks will not have the services of Kenneth Walker. Walker suffered an ankle injury late in the game vs the Vikings.

Seahawks are not eliminated from the playoff hunt yet but they are dependent on the other teams if they want to reach the playoffs. The Bears have also struggled to win a game in recent times so this can be a good opportunity for the Seahawks to win this game and be hopeful to make the playoffs.

Zach Charbonnet will replace Walker as the primary back for the Seahawks. Charbonnet has proved that he can take on a heavy workload and be productive for the offense. Fantasy managers should definitely be looking forward to starting Charbonnet during the final week of fantasy contest as he should be getting the majority of workload. Kenny McIntosh should also be getting some limited touches behind Charbonnet and may offer some relevance in a deep fantasy football leagues.

-Sagar

Week 16 was Jonathan Taylor’s 4th career 200 yard game. It was also his second highest yardage total since trouncing Jacksonville to the tune of 254 yards and 2 touchdowns in his rookie campaign. The Colts running backs, along with QB Anthony Richardson’s 70 yard contribution, set the Indianapolis franchise single game rushing record at 335 yards last Sunday.

Taylor has one more potential gift to leave us under the tree as the potent Colts ground game takes on the New York Giants. Their rush defense ranks second to last this season, allowing 142.6 yards per game. Expect Indy to lean into the strength of the matchup and hopefully you can lean into a fantasy championship with Jonathan Taylor in your lineup. 

Lukasz Stec, @Lukasz_FF01

Diontae Johnson has had a roller coaster of a career since leaving Pittsburgh, the veteran receiver is now on his 4th team in the past 12 months. Johnson, who was prominently featured in Carolina earlier this season, earned only 5 targets through his 5 game stint with the Baltimore Ravens. Whether the Ravens were slowly bringing him along, or merely keeping him out of the hands of rival teams remains unknown. Johnson’s loud and public grousing about his playing time didn’t land well with the Ravens, who first suspended then ultimately released him.

Houston was quick to waiver claim Johnson on Monday, beating out other interesting landing spots such as Washington, Pittsburgh and Kansas City. The move made perfect sense as the Texans are playoff bound and have now lost their #2 and #3 receivers (Diggs and Dell) to knee injuries. Diontae Johnson brings experience and sure hands to Houston and should compliment Nico Collins well. Since the Texans already clinched a playoff spot, C.J. Stroud and his new receiver can use the remaining regular season games to build rapport before making a postseason run. 

Lukasz Stec, @Lukasz_FF01

In what can only be described as a cursed year, Tank Dell will be the 3rd primary receiving weapon to land on IR for the Texans. The WR room is already missing Stefon Diggs for the season, and previously had Nico Collins on short term IR. Dell, who leads all Texans receivers in snaps and is second only to Collins in targets, will be sorely missed as the team competes in the playoffs. Collins and TE Dalton Schultz target share should be further consolidated and we can expect the Texans to lean on Joe Mixon even more if possible.

Beyond this year, the Houston front office will have to carefully consider how best to support their young franchise quarterback heading into his 3rd season. No ancillary receivers have stepped up to fill in for injured stars this year, Stefon Diggs is on the wrong side of 30 and rehabbing his own ACL, but would otherwise be a great candidate for a 1 year extension. The 2025 rookie draft should have a few options for the Texans; Tight End Tyler Warren and receivers Luther Burden, Emeka Egbuka or Isaiah Bond could be available around the Texans 1st round pick. Diontae Johnson, while a long-shot, could be claimed off waivers this Monday or one of  Marquise Brown, Chris Godwin or Keenan Allen could be acquired in free agency. 

While we hope for a full recovery without complications for Dell, we should lower expectations for C.J. Stroud next season and raise Nico Collins and Joe Mixon in our pre-season rankings.

Lukasz Stec, @Lukasz_FF01

Jalen Hurts has been having a solid season once again. Philadelphia Eagles faced Washington Commanders in week 16, where they are pushing for #1 seed in NFC. However, Hurts suffered a concussion and had to exit the game. Kenny Pickett entered the game afterwards and kept the Eagles hopes alive in a competitive matchup. However, they did end up losing the game.

Eagles head coach confirmed that Hurts is in a concussion protocol and will be questionable to suit in week 17 when they face the Cowboys. The Cowboys have been playing really well in their last 2-3 games and they will try to ruin the Eagles plans to gain #1 seed in the NFC.

If Hurts does end up missing this game then it will also have an impact on fantasy football as most of the leagues are going into a final round. AJ Brown, Saquon Barkley and Devonta Smith may take some hit with their production and may be limited to provide a huge fantasy points.

-Sagar

The Giants lost to the Falcons 34-7 Sunday and are on their way to the number one pick in the NFL Draft. Drew Lock was the starting QB in this one, and threw two pick-sixes to the Falcons defense. Lock did throw a TD pass to his own running back, Tyrone Tracy Jr., who had a nice toe-tap catch in the back of the end zone. Tracy ended the day with 11 touches for 69 total yards and the TD.

Malik Nabers was the target leader for the Giants with 14 looks, but caught only seven for 68 yards and no TD. Wan’Dale Robinson saw 12 targets, but caught only seven for 62 scoreless yards. It’s hard to see the upside in the Giants’ offense with Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito under center, save for Nabers as a PPR flex play.

– Joel Ybarra, @metaffb