To those of you that ended your Fantasy season with a championship, like my son Billy and his squad PickNRoll over Joe’s Undertakers 192-139, congratulations are in order. Conversely, if your league has its championship game in Week 18, you should consider changing that for next year. There are too many teams locked in playoff spots or resting veterans in a lost season that make fielding a competitive lineup a game of whack-a-mole. But if you must compete this week, be sure to start players with games (or personal records) on the line, and bench those with nothing left to gain.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
QB Justin Herbert (at Raiders) — Start Herbert if the Bengals defeat the Steelers on Saturday. If that happens, the Chargers have a chance to improve to the five-seed and avoid traveling to Baltimore in the first round of the playoffs. If the Steelers win, bench Herbert on Sunday as he might not play much if at all.
QB Joe Burrow (at Steelers) —Christmas gifts continue for Burrow owners, playing in a must-win game and keeping his string of nine consecutive games with three or more TD passes alive.
RB Bijan Robinson (vs. Panthers) — Atlanta is expected to play all their starters, and Bijan should explode against the Panthers, who have become a nirvana for running backs all year.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs (vs. Vikings) — You can’t run on the Vikings, unless your name is Jahmyr. He put up 116 yards and two TDs last time against Minny, and the Lions have the No. 1 seed on the line.
WR Terry McLaurin (at Cowboys) — Terry is still chasing Washington’s single season WR record for TD receptions (13). I think the Commanders will do everything possible to get him into the end zone.
WR Justin Jefferson (at Lions) — Jefferson has not been the killer No. 1 WR we all drafted. But the owners in Fantasyland will be rewarded for their early pick of J.J. this Sunday as he torches the Lions’ pass defense, ranked 31st in the NFL.
TE Brock Bowers (vs. Chargers) — The record-breaking TE has the most receptions for an NFL rookie (108), the most yards for a rookie TE (1,144), and 11 games with double-digit Fantasy points. Happy New Year!
LET OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT!
QB Josh Allen (at Patriots) — If Josh got you this deep into your playoffs, you might have to start his backup, (gulp!) Mitch Trubisky in his place. There’s no way Allen plays any more than a ceremonial three plays to keep his NFL-best 114 consecutive starts streak alive.
QB Patrick Mahomes (at Broncos) — The Chiefs are locked and loaded in the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Mahomes will be in a toasty parka on the Kansas City bench.
RB Saquan Barkley (vs. Giants) — 100 yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing mark (2,105), Philly could have let Barkley finish last week’s game to get the record instead of taking him out in the fourth quarter. I just don’t think Barkley is so selfish he would risk injury and jeopardize the Eagles’ Super Bowl fortunes.
Breece Hall (vs. Dolphins) — The heart is willing, but the body is not. Or is it the other way around for the nicked-up Hall? With nothing left to play for and a time-share in the Jet backfield, I’d look elsewhere.
WR Nico Collins (at Titans) — Locked into the four-seed and a home game in the wild card round, there’s been some noise the Texans want to fine-tune their starters after consecutive poor performances. I say that’s a lot of hooey.
WR D.K. Metcalf (at Rams) — It took 17 weeks, but Metcalf finally exploded. Unfortunately, it was his temper that exploded, and not his receiving prowess. His last decent outing was way back in Week 4.
TE Cole Kmet (at Packers) — Last year’s seventh-best Fantasy TE has been a disaster, with just six receptions in his last five games.
Saturday Night Specials: The Ravens need a victory to clinch the AFC North, and they will batter the nutty Brownies in their quest. Ravens 26, Browns 10. The Bengals are the hottest team in the NFL, and Joe Cool has them believing in miracles. The Steelers will most likely be playing for the No. 5 seed should the Ravens win the AFC North, as expected. Bengals 27, Steelers 24.
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Bill Reinhard is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and a columnist for FantasyGuru.com. Catch Bill tonight at 6:30 on “This Week in Pro Football” on YouTube TV.