In order to reign supreme in your fantasy football league, avoiding potential Week 17 busts like Khalil Herbert, George Pickens, and Tua Tagovailoa might end up being the difference between first and second place. Our full busts list details those who are in line for underwhelming fantasy performances, and in line to dash your title hopes.
Of course, even "must-starts" can have off-days (We feel for you, Davante Adams owners) but you won't see those types of players among our bust picks unless we legitimately advise benching them. We're looking for players on the start-sit bubble -- not obvious starters and not players owned in just a small percentage of leagues. You might not have enough depth to bench the players below -- or you might just disagree with our picks -- but either way, it's your team, so make the decisions that work best for you.
Terry McLaurin, Jakobi Meyers, Josh Palmer, the Dolphins D/ST, and the 49ers D/ST struggled to meet their projections, but sadly, several of our Week 16 bust picks performed decently despite tough matchups. We've put that behind us and are focused on regrouping for an even more crucial Week 17.
Don't risk your championship hopes with these potential duds.
WEEK 16 FANTASY ADVICE: Sleepers | Projections | Start-sit
Fantasy RB Busts Week 17
Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks @ Steelers (Sloan Piva). Walker hit the skids against a Titans squad that looked surprisingly good in Week 16, and now the perpetually banged-up second-year back faces a Steelers D that just held Joe Mixon in check last week. Play with the fire that has been Seattle's backfield this season, and you run the risk of a championship-round burn.
Aaron Jones, Packers @ Vikings (Vinnie Iyer). Jones was pretty effective in the nice matchup vs. the Panthers, but he wasn’t used in scoring situations and now faces a tougher spot with a lot of passing in store for both teams.
Khalil Herbert, Bears vs. Falcons (Matt Lutovsky). Herbert broke out last week with 112 yards and a TD, but that was against Arizona’s last-ranked RB defense with D’Onta Foreman (personal) out. The Falcons allow the second-fewest fantasy points to RBs, and with Foreman likely back this week, the Bears’ backfield is too unpredictable to trust in fantasy championships.
WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Fantasy QB Busts Week 17
Jared Goff, Lions @ Cowboys (Piva). Goff has just 10 TDs and a 92.0 QB rating on the road compared to 17 TDs and a 105.7 rating at home. Beyond that, Dallas has been fantastic at AT&T Stadium all season and desperately needs a get-right game. We're staying off the Goff train during its visit to Micah Parsons and company in Arlington.
Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins @ Ravens (Iyer). Tua keeps on disappointing with the running game having all the major TD fun and Jason Sanders racking up field goals. Operating without Jaylen Waddle (ankle) on the road against a tough defense says no.
Jake Browning, Bengals @ Chiefs (Lutovsky). Browning has put up good numbers since taking over for Joe Burrow, but with the turnovers mounting and a banged-up receiving corps, you can't trust him in your championship matchup against Kansas City's third-ranked passing defense.
WEEK 17 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Fantasy WR Busts Week 17
Jakobi Meyers, Raiders @ Colts (Piva). Indy has been strong against the pass over the past couple of months, especially at home, so we're staying away from Meyers in this all-important week. Across four road games, Aidan O'Connell has averaged just 161.5 passing yards and totaled two TDs and four picks. The majority of Meyers owners will be tempted to ride the Vegas lightning, but that could lead to getting negatively thunderstruck.
George Pickens, Steelers @ Seahawks (Iyer). Don’t chase last week’s bench points. Although Pickens got going with an aggressive Mason Rudolph, he’s still big-play dependent and Seattle can contain that on the road.
Tyler Boyd, Bengals @ Chiefs (Lutovsky). It’s always tempting to play Boyd when Ja’Marr Chase (shoulder) is out, but he hasn’t produced much in the past two games (seven catches, 112 yards) even with increased snaps. Kansas City allows the fourth-fewest fantasy points to WRs, so Boyd seems destined to disappoint once again.
Fantasy TE Busts Week 17
Dalton Schultz, Texans vs. Titans (Piva). Schultz enjoyed an eight-catch, 61-yard performance in Week 16 against the Browns, but we don't like his chances of replicating that performance this weekend against Tennessee. The Titans have surrendered the fewest fantasy points to tight ends this season, and they held Schultz to single-digit PPR points in Week 15. You might want to consider looking for a higher upside play.
Darren Waller, Giants vs. Rams (Iyer). Daniel Bellinger is now involved from the position, and it’s more of a downfield wideout spot based on the cornerback matchup. Waller remains hard to trust even now when healthy.
Dallas Goedert, Eagles vs. Cardinals (Lutovsky). Goedert is coming off one of his best games of the year (7-71 on nine targets), and the Cardinals were just gashed by Cole Kmet (4-107) in a little over two quarters. It all adds up, right? Well, maybe not. Arizona has been solid against TEs throughout the season (12th-fewest fantasy points allowed), and Goedert likely won’t be needed much in an expected Eagles’ blowout. We think it all adds up to a disappointing day.
Fantasy Defense Busts Week 17
Dallas Cowboys vs. Lions (Piva). Sure, the Cowboys have been significantly better at home — and Jared Goff hasn't been great on the road — but we still have reservations about playing a D/ST against the Lions in a dome during championship week. Not long ago, Dallas let Geno Smith and the Seahawks post 35 points on 411 total yards at AT&T Stadium. The 'Boys can't possibly be your best option this weekend, and if they are, temper your expectations.
Las Vegas Raiders @ Colts (Iyer). The Raiders have been on a ridiculous heater in the fantasy playoffs, tearing into the Chargers and Chiefs, but it goes on ice outside of the division against a team that runs well on them all game.
Miami Dolphins @ Ravens (Lutovsky). Baltimore had little problem with San Francisco’s defense last week, so we don’t think Miami’s unit will put up much resistance. Plenty of owners were probably riding the Dolphins’ D/ST in the second half, but the train slowed down last week against Dallas. It will completely derail this week against Baltimore.
