FantasyPros publishes approximately 7.7 million pieces of weekly fantasy football content to help you win your league and eventually take home fantasy gold. It can be difficult to read such a vast amount of content, which is why we’ve rounded up a few of the most actionable, can’t-miss stat nuggets you absolutely need to know each week to aid with fantasy football start sit decisions.
We’ve broken down this weekly TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) article by each of the four main skill positions in fantasy football (quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end), with at least two stats per position. We’ve also added a streaming D/ST section for the fantasy playoffs. Click on each author’s byline to read the entire article. Good luck this week.
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TL;DR Fantasy Football Week 17
Must-Know Quarterback Fantasy Football Stats
Bo Nix (QB – DEN)
Bo Nix is the QB8 in fantasy points per game, but his play has been up-and-down this season. I will say that he has been playing much better football overall lately. Since Week 11, among 30 qualifying quarterbacks, Nix has ranked fourth in passing yards per game, 11th in yards per attempt, 16th in highly accurate throw rate and fifth in catchable target rate.
The last time he faced this Kansas City defense, Nix was the fantasy QB19 for the week, but he played much better than that with 295 passing yards, a 64.9% completion rate and eight yards per attempt. Nix should post strong QB1 numbers this week against a pass defense that, since Week 12, has allowed the 12th-highest yards per attempt, the 11th-highest passer rating and tied for the 10th-most passing touchdowns.
Cam Ward (QB – TEN)
No one wanted to start Cam Ward in fantasy earlier this season, even in Superflex leagues. However, the rookie has quietly played well since the Titans’ bye week. He has averaged 182.4 passing yards, 1.4 touchdowns and 14.9 fantasy points per game over the past five weeks, totaling 15+ points in 60% of the contests. Furthermore, Ward has had two passing touchdowns in three consecutive games despite facing multiple solid pass defenses. Last week, he had 228 passing yards, two touchdowns and 18 fantasy points against the Kansas City Chiefs.
More importantly, Ward has a solid matchup during fantasy championship week against the Saints. New Orleans has quietly been one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winning three consecutive games. However, they haven’t faced an elite quarterback during that stretch. Last week, the Saints held Brady Cook to 188 passing yards, zero touchdowns and 3.7 fantasy points. He also turned the ball over twice. By comparison, they had surrendered 201.3 passing yards, two touchdowns and 14.3 fantasy points per contest to quarterbacks over their previous three matchups before the three-game win streak.
Must-Know Running Back Fantasy Football Stats
Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV)
Ashton Jeanty had a breakout game against the Bears in Week 14, with 138 rushing yards, 17 receiving yards and three touchdowns. However, Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller sustained a high-ankle sprain and a hairline fracture in that game, and the Raiders placed him on injured reserve (IR).
With Miller out and center Jackson Powers-Johnson also missing time, Jeanty struggled to find operating space. Over a 10-game stretch from Week 5 to Week 15, Jeanty averaged 3.2 yards per carry and ran for 50 or fewer yards in seven of those games, with a high-water mark of 75 rushing yards. He was the fantasy RB28 in half-PPR fantasy points per game over that span despite averaging a robust 17.4 touches a game.
Last week, in a seemingly nasty matchup against the vaunted Houston defense, Jeanty carried 24 times for 128 yards and a touchdown, adding a 60-yard touchdown catch to finish as the fantasy RB1 for the week. In Week 17, Jeanty has a dream matchup against the Giants, who are giving up 121.9 rushing yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry to running backs. The Raiders may get Miller back this week. He’s returned to practice and could be activated in time for Sunday’s game.
Michael Carter (RB – ARI)
It turns out, as well as being a team to target for quarterbacks, the Bengals are by far the easiest opponent for fantasy running backs. Running backs have averaged 28.2 half-PPR points per game against Cincinnati’s defense — 3.5 points more per game than against any other team.
For his part, Carter was the Cardinals’ clear No. 1 RB in their first week without Bam Knight. His 50% running back rush share (11 carries) wasn’t great, but he easily led the backfield in snap rate (54%) and route participation (52%) and saw two targets. Although this pick might be one for beleaguered teams in the toilet bowl rather than the stacked rosters in the championship, Carter — who is still available in over 50% of leagues — is a sneaky option as a very viable Flex play or RB2 this week.
Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)
Bijan Robinson totaled 79 yards on 16 carries against the Cardinals, with 77 yards coming on 14 carries outside the tackles. per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Robinson was particularly effective against light boxes, gaining 61 yards on eight carries (7.6 yards per carry) when facing six or fewer defenders in the box. He also made a significant impact in the passing game, converting seven of his 11 targets into 92 receiving yards and a touchdown. Robinson’s 112 yards after the catch in this game rank as the fourth-most this season and the second-most in his career.
Must-Know Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Stats
Chris Olave (WR – NO)
Chris Olave had an outstanding performance in Week 16, catching 10 of his 16 targets for 148 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the Saints’ 29-6 victory over the Jets. He was the main feature of the aerial attack and was frequently open due to his speed and precise route running. He had one of the highest individual air yards totals for any game in 2025 with 258. It’s clear Olave and quarterback Tyler Shough are developing a connection that should bode well for them as they prepare for an improved season in 2026.
In 2025 drafts, Olave was the 34th wide receiver selected, on average, and was selected around pick 75 overall. There were obvious concerns about the team environment, the quarterback situation, New Orleans’ desire to win versus tanking and a host of other factors. But we overlooked the fact that Olave (even with his injury history) is an elite wide receiver on a team that lacks playmakers. Olave is now the WR9 in half-PPR fantasy points per game and has scored fewer than 11.5 fantasy points once since Week 8. He is second in the league in total air yards (1,467) and is looking like he will shoot up draft boards in 2026.
Parker Washington (WR – JAX)
Parker Washington has had a few stellar performances this year. However, Sunday’s showing was his best of the year, barbecuing Denver’s vaunted pass defense for six receptions, 145 receiving yards and a touchdown on 10 targets. It was his third game with at least 10 targets this year. Unfortunately, his showings have been inconsistent, creating a level of risk.
Washington has only a 58.4% route participation rate this year because the Jaguars have rotated wideouts. In his Week 16 blowup, Washington had a 65.1% route participation rate. It’s higher than his season mark, but it’s still not optimal. Nevertheless, Washington also had a 47.9% air yards share, 25% target share, 0.32 TPRR and a 23.8% first-read rate on Sunday.
Washington had a 28.6% wide alignment rate and 71.4% slot rate against the Broncos. He has a plus matchup against the Colts this week. From Week 12 through Week 15, the Colts allowed 33.6 half-PPR points per game to wide receivers. During that period, they allowed 21.1 half-PPR points per game and 9.68 yards per target to perimeter wideouts and 10.3 half-PPR points per game and 9.55 yards per target to slot receivers. Washington can carve up the Colts from the outside or from his primary alignment in the slot.
Must-Know Tight End Fantasy Football Stats
Oronde Gadsden II (TE – LAC)
After seeing his route share dip in Week 15, Oronde Gadsden saw his route share sit at 69.7% last week. Since Week 6, Gadsden has been the TE17 in fantasy points per game with a 15.8% target share, 53.3 receiving yards per game, 1.98 yards per route run and a 17.7% first-read share. In those 10 games, he has 10 red-zone targets, two touchdowns and eight deep targets. Gadsden is back on the streaming radar this week. Since Week 10, Houston has allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to tight ends while ranking 17th in yards per target.
Dalton Schultz (TE – HOU)
Since Week 3, Dalton Schultz has been the TE8 in fantasy points per game with an 18.5% target share, 48.3 receiving yards per game, 1.60 yards per route run, and an 18.7% first-read share. In those 13 games, Schultz has had three touchdowns, nine red zone targets, and five deep targets. CJ Stroud should lean on Schultz this week. Since Week 10, the Bolts have allowed the fourth-highest yards per target to tight ends while ranking 17th in fantasy points per game.
Must-Know Streaming D/ST Fantasy Football Stats
Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST @ Cleveland Browns
Shedeur Sanders has exceeded expectations since taking over the Browns’ starting quarterback job in Week 11, but the last couple of games have been rough. The Browns got clobbered by the Bears in Week 15, in which Sanders threw three interceptions, and the team managed just a field goal for scoring.
Last week was better — a surprisingly close game against the Bills — but ultimately a loss in which Sanders threw another two interceptions. Now he has to face a Steelers team ranked sixth in turnover differential.
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