NFL Week 17 Preview
Fantasy Football Start Em’ Sit Em
Quarterback Start: Matt Ryan, Andrew Luck, Kirk Cousins, Tony Romo
Quarterback Sit: Colin Kaepernick, Dak Presscott, Andy Dalton, Philip Rivers
Running Back Start: Bilal Powell, LaGarrette Blount, Mark Ingram, Jacquizz Rodgers
Running Back Sit: Jeremy Hill, Rashad Jennings, Ronnie Hillman, Ezekiel Elliot
Wide Receiver Start: Michael Thomas, Steve Smith Sr., Sammy Watkins, Adam Thielen
Wide Receive Sit: Michael Crabtree, Rishard Matthews, Taylor Gabriel, Emmanuel Sanders
Tight End Start: Kyle Rudolph, Zach Ertz, Martellus Bennett, Dennis Pitta
Tight End Sit: Eric Ebron, Dion Sims, Jason Witten, Brandon Myers
Defense/ST Start: Texans, Cardinals, Bills
Defense/ST Sit: Giants, Titans
Clinching Scenarios: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000764681/article/nfl-playoff-scenarios-for-week-17
Week 17 Game Picks
Patriots vs. Dolphins: Both teams have already clinched playoff berths, so don’t expect to see much from these two teams. At best, expect a half of football from the starters of each team. So in a battle of back up players, you can pretty much call this one a toss up. I’ll just pick the Pats to win.
Jaguars vs. Colts: No playoff implications here, so expect the best possible effort from these two. The Jaguars completely blew up the Titans playoff hopes last week and it seems Doug Marrone has been able to fix a few things with the team. Blake Bortles played well and the defense looked pretty scary as well. On the Colts side, I’m sure they want to at least finish with a .500 record. So I expect them to throw everything into this game. I’ll pick Indianapolis to win.
Panthers vs. Buccaneers: The Buccaneers can still make the playoffs if they win, Washington ties and Green Bay loses. A long shot to be sure, but it’s still something to play for. So I expect a desperate brand of football from Tampa. The Panthers haven’t had anything to play for in a long time. Coming off of a beating from Atlanta, I’m sure they have one foot out the door for vacation. I’ll pick the Bucs to win this one.
Bears vs. Vikings: Another game strictly for pride. I’ll pick the Vikings to win through their defensive effort.
Browns vs. Steelers: The Browns got their win last week and could make it two in a row since the Steelers will be resting their star players. So I’ll pick the Browns to win their second in a row.
Bills vs. Jets: EJ Manuel gets the start in the post Rex Ryan era. Probably doesn’t bode well for Tyrod Taylor’s future in Buffalo. Fortunately for Manuel, he has a healthy Sammy Watkins to throw to and LeSean McCoy to hand the ball to. On the other side of the field, he has a turnover waiting to happen in Ryan Fitzpatrick. Look for the Bills to win the game.
Cowboys vs. Eagles: Don’t expect to see much of the Dallas starters in this one, but you will see Tony Romo in what will basically be an audition for other teams. With that on the line, I expect a good game from Romo and a Cowboys victory.
Texans vs. Titans: The Titans season came to a heartbreaking end with Marcus Mariota going down with injury and a beating from Jacksonville. With their loss, the Texans were able to lock up a playoff berth. Houston may decide to give Tom Savage a lot of reps to get ready for next week, but they should really be hoping to avoid the Chiefs. I’m picking the Texans to win almost by default.
Ravens vs. Bengals: Tune in to this one to get one final look at a future Hall of Famer in Steve Smith Sr. This will also probably be the last game for Marvin Lewis as the head coach of the Bengals. I expect Smith to get a lot of passes in his direction and to have a big game, but I’m picking the Bengals to win the game.
Chiefs vs. Chargers: History will be made in this game. This will be the final NFL game played in the city of San Diego and Antonio Gates will probably at least tie Tony Gonzalez’s TD record. With all that’s gone on behind the scenes in San Diego, don’t expect any tearful goodbyes in this one. After an embarrassing loss to the Browns, the Chargers will try to play for pride, but this game is necessary for the Chiefs. With a win and a Raiders loss, they can get themselves a first-round bye. So I’m expecting the Chiefs to try and jump on the Chargers en route to a win.
Raiders vs. Broncos: Oakland finally makes the playoffs after a 14 year hiatus only to have their MVP caliber quarterback go down with injury. Matt McGloin will get the start from here on out. What we really need to be looking at is if the Raiders defense will finally play up to their potential. They’ll need it going forward and the Broncos hapless offense could serve as a confidence booster. Unfortunately, I don’t think this game will end well. I’m expecting the Broncos defense to make McGloin uncomfortable and force turnovers out of him. So Denver will win this game and send the Raiders into the wildcard weekend.
Seahawks vs. 49ers: Even Seattle’s backups should have no problem beating the Niners.
Cardinals vs. Rams: A very disappointing season for Arizona will end with a victory over the hapless Rams.
Saints vs. Falcons: The Falcons still have something to play for. With a win, Atlanta secures a first-round bye. With bad defenses on both sides, expect a shootout in this one. With so much on the line, I expect the Falcons to take care of business.
Giants vs. Redskins: Washington can clinch a playoff berth with a win to go with a GB/DET tie or a tie with a GB and Tampa loss or tie. So basically they need to take care of business themselves. I expect the Giants to be one of the few teams to play their starters as if they need to win this game. It’s worked twice before in the Tom Coughlin era as the Giants went on to win the Super Bowl. That spells bad news for the Redskins as their defense could serve as a confidence booster for Eli Manning. Plus, Washington has a bad tendency of losing games they’re supposed to win. So I’ll pick the Giants to win the game and end Washington’s season.
Packers vs. Lions: The NFC North title is on the line in this one. The Packers have been the hot. They’ve managed to find new ways to win just about every week down the stretch. One thing to be concerned about is their passing defense that can easily be torched. Matthew Stafford probably can’t wait to see them on the field. So you can already expect a close game. The difference is the Packers are able to run the football and that will be the deciding factor. Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael will be the difference as the Packers win the NFC North.
