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Top 10 potential lineup busts to avoid starting in fantasy football. Justin Carter lists NFL players to consider sitting or benching as Week 17 lineup disappointments.
The NFL regular season ends on Sunday.
It was a year that saw the emergence of Patrick Mahomes and the fall-off of Tom Brady, a year where rookie running backs like Saquon Barkley and Phillip Lindsay put up big numbers, and one where the some of the same names continued atop the wide receiver and tight end leaderboards. It was a season of change, of weirdness, and it all ends this week. Most fantasy leagues are over, but for the ones that are still continuing into the season's final week, you'll have to sift through all the players sitting for rest and the players sitting to prevent injuries heading into the offseason. It's not a great position to be in.
Below are 10 lineup busts and avoids for Week 17 of NFL action.
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Top 10 Busts - NFL Week 17
Ryan Tannehill - Miami Dolphins - Quarterback
Reports indicate that the Ryan Tannehill era is coming to a close in Miami after Sunday's meeting with the Bills. Buffalo is, uhh, not really the defense you want to be facing if you're a quarterback trying to go out on a high note. The Bills allow the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing passers and have held five of the last seven quarterbacks they've faced to under 10 fantasy points.
The "Nothing To Play For" Quarterbacks
These guys are worth starting every single week...except this one, because their teams are likely to limit their snaps or bench them entirely with nothing on the line: Drew Brees and Dak Prescott. The Saints and Cowboys have their playoff positioning set, so there's no reason for either guy to play. Meanwhile, I know people are worried about Mitch Trubisky since the Bears face a difficult task of needing a win and a Rams loss to move up in seeding, and the matchup with the Vikings isn't good, but he's still a playable option.
Marlon Mack - Indianapolis Colts - Running Back
This Colts/Titans game is going to be a good one, with the winner heading to the playoffs. The Titans are holding opposing running backs to the fewest fantasy points in the league this season. The last time a back found the end zone was Week 12, though Mack ran for a touchdown against them in Week 11. Still, trusting the second-year back this week is a scary proposition.
Nick Chubb - Cleveland Browns - Running Back
The Ravens allow the third-fewest points to running backs and are playing for a playoff berth this week, so expect their defense to continue their strong play. Chubb has been great -- he's already inched into the second round of next year's fantasy drafts -- but I'm nervous to trust him in Week 17. Yes, the Browns will be trying to play spoiler, but that doesn't make Chubb a safe call.
The "Nothing To Play For" Running Backs
Ezekiel Elliott, Mark Ingram, and Alvin Kamara are names you'd never expect to see as must sits, but this week they're essentially must sits with their teams playing for nothing and needing them healthy for the playoffs. Christian McCaffrey's team isn't heading to the playoffs, but he's expected to see limited snaps as well.
Corey Davis - Tennessee Titans - Wide Receiver
The Colts allow the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. The Titans are starting either Blaine Gabbert or a less than 100 percent Marcus Mariota. Davis has a hamstring issue. He's been held below 50 yards in five of the last six games. None of that sounds very good, does it?
Jarvis Landry - Cleveland Browns - Wide Receiver
Landry is coming off three rough outings in a row yardage-wise, and he has just three touchdowns all year and three 100-yard games. This week, he faces a Ravens team that allows the third-fewest fantasy points per game. That's not a great combination of factors for Cleveland's last game of the season.
The "Nothing To Play For" Wide Receivers
Yeah, yeah, yeah...you know the drill by now. Michael Thomas and Amari Cooper are the top receivers on offenses that have clinched their seeds, and it would be a bad idea for their teams to give them serious playing time.
Eric Ebron - Indianapolis Colts - Tight End
Ebron may not make it through concussion protocol in time to play, so if he misses Sunday's contest against the Titans you can sub in whoever starts for the Colts in this spot. The Titans are one week away from ending this season without having allowed a receiving touchdown to a tight end, and at this point it seems like a good bet to think they'll make it to a 16th game of not allowing one.
Trey Burton - Chicago Bears - Tight End
Putting aside the whole "what will the Bears be playing for since the Rams are almost certainly going to win" question, Burton faces a tough contest against a Vikings defense that hasn't allowed a touchdown to a tight end since Week 7. Burton hasn't hit the 40-yard mark since Week 10 and he's had just one touchdown during that time. Not the week that I want to trust my championship hopes to Burton.
