X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Players Sending Out Warning Signals Heading Into Week 17

Congratulations are in order for fantasy owners who have already claimed their championship trophy coming out of Week 16. 2016 continues to be as much of a kerfuffle of a season as any other, so coming away with any sort of winnings is certainly commendable. All that said, just because most leagues have already wrapped doesn't mean there isn't still plenty worth discussing ahead of the final week of the regular NFL season.

Whether it's a two-week final or a longer playoff schedule, tons of owners will still be fighting for a title in Week 17. That's why we'll still be viewing some players who warrant appearing on Warning Signals. Admittedly, this week was a bit tougher than usual to analyze since player usage is an even bigger question mark than usual. For most NFL teams, their playoff status (or elimination) is already set in stone while others are still fighting for their lives. Nevertheless, I've picked out four names who will presumably see a full workload come Sunday.

Good luck in Week 17, folks.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive BOTH our full season NFL and NBA Premium Passes for free, a $119.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium Passes.

 

Heed the Warning Signs

Terrelle Pryor - (WR, CLE)

Fresh off the heels of their first win of the season, the Cleveland Browns head to Pittsburgh in a game that is technically meaningless for both teams. The thing is, it isn't really meaningless for Terrelle Pryor who is set to be a free agent at the end of the year. He'll be as close to a full go as any other player in Week 17 as he'll be looking to cap off his contract year with a strong showing.

That at least takes care of whether or not he'll be on the field. What's a little less known is how effective he'll be. In games where Robert Griffin III has been under center, Terrelle Pryor has just one game of more than 36 yards with zero touchdowns to boot. His highest yardage total with RGIII came all the way back in Week 1 where he had three receptions for 68 yards. Safe to say, Pryor has predominantly struggled whenever faced with shaky quarterback play.

Luckily for Pryor, Cody Kessler might end up seeing the field on Sunday since RGIII is dealing with concussion issues. Even if that ends up being the case, I can't imagine depending on Pryor in a winner-take-all-situation. By the way, we haven't even mentioned the finger issue he's been dealing with over the last few weeks. Independent of quarterback performance, there's reason to consider benching Pryor outright. He's been hampered by both a poor offense and a lingering injury. Barring a deeper league format or a thin bench, owners need to look elsewhere for a wide receiver in Week 17.

 

Jamison Crowder - (WR, WAS)

Jamison Crowder has had himself a great, albeit overlooked, sophomore campaign in 2016. It seems as if he's flown under the radar for anyone who doesn't actually own him. Yet over the last four games, his numbers have dipped and he's been disappointing for owners who've needed him when it counts most. Fortunately for the Redskins, they still have plenty to play for in Week 17, so Crowder will be out there all game.

Most recently, Crowder yielded just one reception for three yards against the Bears. In the two games before that, he has a combined six catches for 61 yards. It's been a rough stretch for Washington's team leader in receiving touchdowns. The skinny on Crowder basically boils down to this: any owner who was depending on him for the playoff push should already have reason to use him this late in the year. There are plenty of situations where he was a usable asset. Whether it was as a WR3/flex, a deep-league play, or an injury replacement, odds are anyone using him is justified. This is a case of you knowing your own team better than I do. If Crowder has helped you get thus far, feel free rolling him out there against the Giants. If he's been more of a bench stash or you're deciding between him and someone a little more reliable like a Michael Crabtree, stay away from Crowder.

If all of that sounds like a hedge, it is. Pull up anyone's fantasy rankings of an expert you trust. I would bet that if you were already considering using Crowder he's the highest of the bunch of wide receivers you were comparing him to. He's had a better year than the likes of Brandon LaFell and Jeremy Maclin. As the old adage goes, "dance with who brung ya."

 

DeMarco Murray - (RB, TEN)

The reason DeMarco Murray makes the list this week is fairly simple. Heading into Week 16, he had successfully exceeded expectations for his 2016 season. Unfortunately, he threw up a dud at the worst possible time against the Jacksonville Jaguars and could easily be the reason a lot of owners were knocked out. Throw in Marcus Mariota being injured, the Tennessee Titans' elimination from playoff contention, and the presence of Derrick Henry, and we're looking at a cloudy matchup when Murray faces the Texans on Sunday.

As grim as his Week 17 outlook looks on paper, there still isn't enough evidence to suggest DeMarco Murray can't have a great game. Yes, the Texans can stack the box now that Mariota is gone, yes the Titans have nothing to play for, and yes Derrick Henry has earned more touches. All of that is true, yet all of it can also go the other way. Maybe the Texans, who are locked into the four seed in the AFC, decide to rest more defensive starters than they've let on. Maybe the Titans view 2016 as such an improvement over 2015 that they want to end on a high note, going about their business as usual in an effort to win. And maybe, by virtue of playing to win, they continue with the same sort of split between Murray and Henry they've utilized all year. We think we know how a game goes until that opening whistle blows and it all goes to hell.

When it comes down to it, DeMarco Murray has had far too good of a year to pull him in a championship round. He should still be viewed as a top-10 option at running back, probably even top-five given how other teams are in position to rest starters for the NFL playoffs. Don't worry about last week's struggles or the possibility of non-concrete factors hindering his projection.

 

Latavius Murray - (RB, OAK)

Our second running back and strangely our second Murray of the day, Latavius Murray had the displeasure of being the odd man out in last week's win. The Raiders had three touchdowns from their running backs yet none of them came from Murray. When at full strength, Oakland has managed to feed him with enough of a workload for him to produce all year long. He's taken what they've given him and turned it into a strong 2016 campaign at the RB2 level.

Now, if you've been paying attention to Warning Signals this year, you'll certainly recall that this is not the first time we've looked at Latavius Murray's numbers. We've mentioned that he's been in a timeshare and that it really hasn't mattered as far as his production is concerned. Strangely, Murray actually had the most touches out of Oakland's three rushers with 17. DeAndre Washington came in second with 13 and Jalen Richard ranked third with nine. Simply put, Murray was outplayed by his competition despite having more touches than both.

Looking ahead to Week 17, the Raiders draw a strong Denver defense who is more vulnerable against the run than people realize. Even with the recent emergence of Washington, Murray should still be viewed as a strong RB2. The Broncos have actually given up the fourth most rushing yards this season and have allowed 15 touchdowns on the ground. For as strong as Denver is against the pass, they're fairly easy to run on. Owners should expect Latavius Murray to take advantage of a prime bounce-back spot in a game the Raiders need to win in order to clinch a first round bye.

Updates From Last Week

Jordan Reed - (TE, WAS)

Jordan Reed was ultimately ruled out of last week's game against the Bears, but is expected to return when the Giants come to town. My position on Reed hasn't changed; he's far too risky a play to roll out there in a win-or-go home situation. There's no way he's playing at 100 precent and we've already seen how little he can do on that bum shoulder. Make other plans for Week 17.

Ben Roethlisberger - (QB, PIT)

Ben Roethlisberger didn't have a massive game against the Bengals but he didn't kill you either. He came alive late in the game and rallied the Steelers to two AFC North-clinching touchdowns. Hopefully you benefited from that and the rest of your fantasy team was able to do enough to net you a win. Locked into the three seed, Pittsburgh has announced most of their starters will rest in Week 16, Big Ben included. Start your backup QB or find one on the waiver wire.

Adrian Peterson - (RB, MIN)

Another Week 16 scratch, Adrian Peterson didn't play against Green Bay. I took a strong stance last week and basically said anyone considering starting him is nuts. Same goes for this coming Sunday.

Larry Fitzgerald (WR, ARI)

I've been a strong proponent of Larry Fitzgerald's PPR numbers but he took a noticeable dip in Arizona's Christmas Eve upset of the Seattle Seahawks. Still, it should be noted that this could end up being his last game in the NFL. I can't imagine Larry Fitzgerald taking it easy so owners already depending on him should feel confident he'll want to go out on a high note.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jake Cronenworth3 hours ago

Targeting Earlier Return
Liam Hendriks4 hours ago

Set To Return On Saturday
Jackson Merrill4 hours ago

Not Expected To Return Next Week
Martín Pérez4 hours ago

Martin Perez Will Undergo MRI On Saturday
Casey Schmitt4 hours ago

Expected To Hit Injured List
Brock Stewart4 hours ago

Expected To Return On Sunday
Luke Keaschall5 hours ago

Busy In MLB Debut
Jose Fleury5 hours ago

Continues Strong Start On Friday
AJ Smith-Shawver5 hours ago

Strikes Out Eight In Defeat
Marcelo Mayer5 hours ago

Tallies Seven RBI On Friday
Zyhir Hope5 hours ago

Hits Two Home Runs On Friday
Andrew Painter5 hours ago

Sharp In Second Rehab Outing
Tyler Anderson11 hours ago

Keeps Hot Streak Rolling Friday
Logan Webb11 hours ago

Fans 12 In Tough-Luck Loss
Carlos Rodón11 hours ago

Carlos Rodon Goes Six Scoreless To Snap Personal Losing Streak
Andrew Abbott11 hours ago

Dominates Orioles On Friday
Yoshinobu Yamamoto11 hours ago

Tosses Another Gem
Cam Smith11 hours ago

Hits Two Taters On Friday
Trevor Story11 hours ago

Mashes Pair Of Three-Run Homers
Zack Wheeler14 hours ago

Records 13 Strikeouts
LaMonte Wade Jr.15 hours ago

Out On Friday
Ja Morant15 hours ago

Cleared To Play Friday
Brandon Williams15 hours ago

Available Against Grizzlies
Anthony Davis15 hours ago

Will Play Friday Night
Gary Trent Jr.15 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Pacers
Taurean Prince16 hours ago

Returns To Bucks Lineup Saturday
NFL16 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Waived With Non-Football Injury
Isaiah Stewart16 hours ago

To Return For Game 1
Ausar Thompson16 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Rui Hachimura16 hours ago

On Track To Play Saturday
Austin Reaves16 hours ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL16 hours ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić16 hours ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
LeBron James16 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard16 hours ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
NFL16 hours ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant16 hours ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Lauri Markkanen17 hours ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL17 hours ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Bennedict Mathurin17 hours ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Pascal Siakam17 hours ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Tyrese Haliburton17 hours ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham17 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
Josh Hart17 hours ago

Back In Knicks Lineup Saturday
OG Anunoby17 hours ago

Good To Go For Game 1
Jalen Brunson18 hours ago

Available For Saturday's Game 1
NFL18 hours ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Irv Smith18 hours ago

Sticking With Texans
Ryan Lindgren18 hours ago

Set To Return Saturday
NFL19 hours ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch19 hours ago

Returning To Cardinals
Josh Manson19 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Mark Andrews19 hours ago

Could Be Traded Soon
Ondrej Palat19 hours ago

To Return For Start Of Playoffs
David Savard19 hours ago

Will Retire After Playoffs
NFL19 hours ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
Robert Thomas19 hours ago

Good To Go Saturday
Matthew Tkachuk19 hours ago

Expected To Return For Game 1
19 hours ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Jason Robertson19 hours ago

Considered Week-To-Week
Rome Odunze19 hours ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
NFL20 hours ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
James Cook20 hours ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Wins First Rocket Richard Trophy
Nikita Kucherov1 day ago

Bags Third Art Ross Trophy
Bryan Rust1 day ago

Scores Twice In Season-Ending Win
Igor Shesterkin1 day ago

Shuts Out Lightning With 27 Saves
Dylan Cozens1 day ago

Picks Up Three Points In Regular-Season Finale
Matvei Michkov1 day ago

Caps Off Rookie Campaign With Three-Point Effort
Brady Tkachuk1 day ago

Makes Early Exit For Precautionary Reasons
Jake Tonges1 day ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos2 days ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Drew Lock2 days ago

Sam Howell, Drew Lock Expected To Compete For Backup Job
New York Giants2 days ago

Giants Leaning Toward Taking Best Player Available At No. 3
New Orleans Saints2 days ago

Ryan Ramczyk Announces His Retirement
Buffalo Bills2 days ago

Tre'Davious White Reunites With Buffalo
Aaron Rodgers2 days ago

Willing To Play For $10 Million A Year
Jakob Chychrun2 days ago

Returns Against Penguins
Rasmus Andersson2 days ago

Out Against Kings
Jonathan Huberdeau2 days ago

Sits Out Regular-Season Finale
Ryan Pulock2 days ago

Out On Thursday
Jake Sanderson2 days ago

Back In Action Thursday
Thomas Chabot2 days ago

To Be Rested Against Hurricanes
Claude Giroux2 days ago

Active On Thursday
Lucas Glover3 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger3 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka3 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas3 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele3 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Maverick McNealy3 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry3 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris3 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland3 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns3 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai3 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre3 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge3 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap3 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley3 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay3 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa3 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa3 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
Alexander Volkanovski4 days ago

Reclaims Featherweight Title
Diego Lopes4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 314
Paddy Pimblett4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Suffers TKO Loss
MMA4 days ago

Patricio Freire Gets Dominated In His UFC Debut
Yair Rodriguez4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bryce Mitchell4 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 314
Jean Silva4 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 314
Dominick Reyes4 days ago

Wins Third Fight In A Row
5 days ago

Austin Dillon Nabs His First Top-10 Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
5 days ago

Ryan Blaney's Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol
5 days ago

Christopher Bell Finishes In The Top 10 After Falling Back Midway At Bristol
5 days ago

Ty Gibbs Earns His First Top-Five Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
5 days ago

Chase Briscoe Quietly Scores First Career Top-Five Finish At Bristol
5 days ago

Denny Hamlin Cuts Into William Byron's Points Lead
5 days ago

William Byron Makes Best Of His Mediocre Qualifying Run With Sixth-Place Finish
5 days ago

Despite Engine Failure, Alex Bowman's Improved Speed Looks Promising
NASCAR5 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Enters Playoff Picture With Surprise Bristol Top-10 Finish
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF