When trying to target games in Week 17, the first task is to determine which teams will likely put forth their best efforts and which have already moved onto the offseason. This is a difficult task if looking at all 16 games on the schedule, but that’s specifically why we hone in on a few.
A Note from Mario: Last week was another 1-3 performance. I will continue to provide these picks as I see fit, but please do your research and play responsibly.
In the world of daily fantasy roster construction, ‘stacking’ players from the same team can often lead to big results. In this column of games to target in Week 17, Luke and Mario will give their thoughts on a few games that are worth watching for fantasy purposes, and whether they like the value or feel the game is getting too much attention.
Luke’s Top Games to Watch
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
With so many games featuring at least one team with nothing to play for, I have to target one of the only games in which both teams are actively fighting for something. The Packers are looking to clinch the top spot, and first round bye, in the NFC while the Bears are a win away from securing the final playoff spot. Just as we predicted at the start of the season, Aaron Rodgers has reminded the entire world just how good he is, and he has led one of the very best offenses in the entire league throughout the whole season. The Packers have the third most total yards of offense, the most points scored and they rank 3rd in net yards per pass attempt and sixth in yards per rush attempt. There has only been one game all season in which they scored fewer than 20 points and the last time they played this Bears team, they put up 41 points. In an important Week 17 game, I have a hard time seeing how the Packers offense will be slowed down when Rodgers and his top weapons are playing as well as they are. It may sound crazy, but since Mitchell Trubisky returned as the starting quarterback, the Bears’ offense has been legitimately good. In their last five games, including one against the Packers, the Bears have scored at least 25 points and accumulated over 350 yards of offense in every single game. Their competition has certainly not been great over that stretch, but no matter who the opponent is, that is not an easy streak to produce. A big reason for the constant production has been the tremendous play of David Montgomery, and he should be vital once again this week. He has been nothing short of great over the last five weeks, and that includes a 103 yard rushing game on just eleven carries against this Packers team to kick off his strong run here. Against a Packers defense that ranks 24th in the league in yards allowed per rush attempt, Montgomery should be very important in helping the Bears keep pace in what should be one of the higher scoring, high-stakes games of the week.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
In a week filled with