Week 17 Fantasy Football Recap: Watt and Fitzpatrick Boom Up The Charts
With their playoff lives on the line, the Pittsburgh Steelers somehow found a way to stay alive, pulling out a 16-13 victory over their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens.
Arguably, running back Najee Harris played the biggest role in their win, finishing with a season-high 111 rushing yards and the game-winning touchdown. For his part, his fantasy value among running backs has increased over the last four weeks. This past week, he rose two spots to No. 13 with 169.5 fantasy points, according to fantasypros.com. Worth mentioning is the value of backup running back Jaylen Warren, who contributed 76 rushing yards on 12 carries to the Steelers' win on Sunday. He moved up four spots to No. 53 with 61.0 fantasy points.
Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett engineered a game-winning touchdown drive for a second straight week. Despite finishing with just 168 passing yards against the Ravens, he was one of the highest-graded players in Week 17 according to Pro Football Focus. Despite his efforts, Pickett remains 28th among quarterbacks with 144.96 fantasy points.
Among the pass catchers, rookie George Pickens finished the game with just 29 receiving yards and moved down to the 38th spot among receivers with 101.3 fantasy points. Fellow receiver Diontae Johnson, who finished with 35 yards on two receptions, moved up one spot to No. 42 with 88.9 fantasy points. Lastly, tight end Pat Freiermuth moved down one spot to No. 9 at his position with 85.2 fantasy points. Freiermuth finished Sunday's game with 36 yards on three receptions.
For a second straight week, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick provided the Steelers with insurance with another game-sealing interception, increasing his season total to six. As the current NFL leader in this category, Fitzpatrick saw his value boom, moving up six spots to No. 16 among defensive backs with 158.0 fantasy points. Cornerback Cameron Sutton, who did not record any splash plays, moved down five spots to No. 107 with 94.2 fantasy points. Levi Wallace currently stands at No. 111 with 93.4 fantasy points.
New to the list is rookie linebacker Mark Robinson, who replaced starter Devin Bush and was stout in helping the Steelers defense stop the Ravens' run offense. For his efforts, he currently sits 171st with 6.8 fantasy points. Linebacker Robert Spillane was the team's most active defender on Sunday, finishing with nine tackles and two stuffs. He currently sits 66th with 105.9 fantasy points.
Edge rusher TJ Watt recorded his fifth sack of the season to go with four tackles on Sunday. For his effort, he ended up as the team's highest mover (8 spots) and currently sits 65th with 107.4 fantasy points. Lastly, fellow pass rusher Alex Highsmith moved down three spots to No. 40 with 160.1 fantasy points.
Steelers To Start In Week 18
Defense
S Minkah Fitzpatrick
LB TJ Watt
DL Cam Heyward
CB Cam Sutton
LB Mark Robinson
Offense
QB Kenny Pickett
RB Najee Harris*
RB Jaylen Warren
TE Pat Freiermuth
WR Diontae Johnson
WR George Pickens