Fantasy Football Week 17 RB Preview: Few must-starts, but J.K. Dobbins leads a stable of high-end flexes

Welcome to the week of the high-end flex running back. Looking at the projections at the bottom of this article, you'll see more than a dozen guys I have a really hard time differentiating between J.K. Dobbins at RB20 and Zonovan Knight at RB34. 

Some of these guys, like D'Onta Foreman, were fantastic last week, but I don't expect them to repeat. Others, like Brian Robinson, were miserable in Week 16, but circumstances are lining up much better for them in Week 17. And two of them, Zack Moss and Hassan Haskins were widely available on the waiver wire at the beginning of the week. As Chris Towers said on our Thursday stream, you're basically playing touchdown roulette with this class of running back. They're all likely to live in the six-to-10 point range without a score, but a touchdown could make them a low-end No. 2 running back.

• Week 17 Previews: QB | WR | TE

One guy towards the top of this list who isn't discussed in the waiver section because he's just about the threshold is Jamey Eisenberg's Start of the Week, Tyler Allgeier. Allgeier is coming off of his best game of the season, and if it wasn't for the fact that his usage in the passing game had been so sporadic, he'd be above everyone on this list. Allgeier has 213 rushing yards in his last two outings and is a must-start in non-PPR. But before last week's four-catch outburst he had two targets over his past four games. In full PPR, that puts him squarely in this group, just towards the top. Needless to say, if he's available on your waiver wire he should be a top priority.

Now let's get to the rest of the Week 17 RB Preview:

Week 17 RB Preview

Who's Out

Numbers to Know

Matchups That Matter

Waiver Wire Targets

DFS Plays

Projections

RB Preview

Who's Out

The following players are not being projected to play in Week 17 at this time. Here's what it means:

Derrick Henry RB

BAL Baltimore • #22
Age: 30 • Experience: 9 yrs.

Hassan Haskins is a high-end flex if the Titans choose to rest Henry.

Tony Pollard RB

TEN Tennessee • #20
Age: 26 • Experience: 6 yrs.

Malik Davis could approach RB2 territory in a blowout win over the Titans.

RB Preview

Numbers to know

• 75% -- Cam Akers has played at least 75% of the snaps in each of the past two weeks. It's the first time he's hit that mark in back-to-back weeks.
• 4 -- Rhamondre Stevenson has just four catches for -1 yard in his past two games.
• 22 -- Tyler Allgeier saw a career-high 22 touches in Week 16. He's taking this backfield over.
• 9 -- Najee Harris saw a season-high nine targets against the Raiders. He had five targets in his previous four games combined.
• 8 -- D'Onta Foreman has eight games with more than 100 yards rushing in the past two seasons.. Only Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, and Nick Chubb have more.
• 10 -- Zonovan Knight had 10 catches in three games with Mike White. He caught one pass in Zach Wilson's two starts.
• 29% -- Antonio Gibson's 29% snap share in Week 16 was his lowest since Week 6.

RB Preview

Matchups that matter

Matchups that Matter

D'Andre Swift RB

CHI Chicago
Age: 25 • Experience: 5 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs CHI DET -6 O/U 51.5

OPP VS RB 26th

PROJ PTS 13.9

RB RNK 19th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 439	REC 37	REYDS 289	TD 6	FPTS/G 12.3

Brian Robinson Jr. RB

WAS Washington • #8
Age: 25 • Experience: 3 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs CLE WAS -2.5 O/U 40.5

OPP VS RB 30th

PROJ PTS 10.4

RB RNK 26th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 710	REC 9	REYDS 60	TD 3	FPTS/G 9.5

James Conner RB

ARI Arizona • #6
Age: 28 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ ATL ATL -3.5 O/U 41

OPP VS RB 18th

PROJ PTS 16

RB RNK 4th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 703	REC 43	REYDS 269	TD 8	FPTS/G 15.5

Tyler Allgeier RB

ATL Atlanta • #25
Age: 24 • Experience: 3 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs ARI ATL -3.5 O/U 41

OPP VS RB 29th

PROJ PTS 10.2

RB RNK 25th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 817	REC 15	REYDS 127	TD 3	FPTS/G 9.4

Travis Etienne RB

JAC Jacksonville • #1
Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ HOU JAC -4.5 O/U 43.5

OPP VS RB 32nd

PROJ PTS 13.4

RB RNK 10th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 1000	REC 30	REYDS 267	TD 4	FPTS/G 11.8

Raheem Mostert RB

MIA Miami • #31
Age: 32 • Experience: 10 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ NE NE -2.5 O/U 42.5

OPP VS RB 2nd

PROJ PTS 8.2

RB RNK 40th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 791	REC 21	REYDS 150	TD 4	FPTS/G 9.8

D'Onta Foreman RB

CLE Cleveland • #21
Age: 28 • Experience: 6 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ TB TB -3 O/U 39.5

OPP VS RB 6th

PROJ PTS 8.4

RB RNK 29th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 811	REC 5	REYDS 26	TD 5	FPTS/G 8.1

Zack Moss RB

CIN Cincinnati • #21
Age: 26 • Experience: 5 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ NYG NYG -5 O/U 39.5

OPP VS RB 16th

PROJ PTS 8.3

RB RNK 32nd

YTD Stats
RUYDS 268	REC 8	REYDS 32	TD 0	FPTS/G 3.3

Cam Akers RB

MIN Minnesota • #31
Age: 24 • Experience: 3 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ LAC LAC -6.5 O/U 41

OPP VS RB 25th

PROJ PTS 12.6

RB RNK 21st

YTD Stats
RUYDS 559	REC 9	REYDS 83	TD 7	FPTS/G 8.6

Najee Harris RB

PIT Pittsburgh • #22
Age: 26 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ BAL BAL -3.5 O/U 36

OPP VS RB 8th

PROJ PTS 10.5

RB RNK 24th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 843	REC 38	REYDS 207	TD 8	FPTS/G 12.6

RB Preview

Waiver Wire Targets

Week 17 Adds (RB Preview)

Zack Moss RB

CIN Cincinnati • #21
Age: 26 • Experience: 5 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ NYG NYG -5.5 O/U 38.5

OPP VS RB 16th

RB RNK 31st

ROSTERED 49%

YTD Stats
RUYDS 268	REC 8	REYDS 32	TD 0	FPTS/G 3.3

In Week 17, Moss faces the only defense that has allowed more yards per carry than his Week 16 opponent. That matchup against the Giants, combined with Moss's 69% snap share in Week 16, makes him a high-end flex in full PPR and a borderline No. 2 in non-PPR.

Hassan Haskins RB

TEN Tennessee • #25
Age: 24 • Experience: 3 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs DAL DAL -14 O/U 40

OPP VS RB 3rd

RB RNK 33rd

ROSTERED 21%

YTD Stats
RUYDS 50	REC 7	REYDS 31	TD 0	FPTS/G 1.2

With Derrick Henry out, we expect Haskins to see 15-plus carries for the Titans and he'll likely catch a couple of passes as well. He's caught two passes in each of the Titans' past two games and has produced 50 yards on his 11 rush attempts this season. He's right there with Zack Moss as a high-end flex in full PPR.

Malik Davis RB

DAL Dallas • #34
Age: 25 • Experience: 2 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ TEN DAL -14 O/U 40

OPP VS RB 4th

RB RNK NR

ROSTERED 2%

YTD Stats
RUYDS 103	REC 4	REYDS 40	TD 1	FPTS/G 2.4

The Cowboys like Davis' talent and could give him a lot of work in the second half against a Titans defense resting most of their good players. He has a higher ceiling than Zack Moss or Hassas Haskins if everything goes right, but there is not much floor if the game stays competitive. We do not expect the game to stay competitive.

RB Preview

DFS Plays

Top DFS Play

Christian McCaffrey RB

SF San Francisco • #23
Age: 27 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ LV SF -5.5 O/U 44.5

OPP VS RB 27th

PROJ PTS 23

RB RNK 1st

YTD Stats
RUYDS 973	REC 76	REYDS 635	TD 12	FPTS/G 20.7

McCaffrey has a four-point edge on every other running back in this week's projections. The fact that he's coming off a disappointing outing doesn't bother me at all. Maybe he won't be complete chalk. Before his Week 16 "letdown," he'd compiled 437 total yards and four touchdowns in Brock Purdy's first three outings.

Contrarian DFS Play

Travis Etienne RB

JAC Jacksonville • #1
Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ HOU JAC -4.5 O/U 43.5

OPP VS RB 32nd

PROJ PTS 13.4

RB RNK 10th

YTD Stats
RUYDS 1000	REC 30	REYDS 267	TD 4	FPTS/G 11.8

I don't really buy that Jacksonville will rest anyone this week because they have a viable path to the wild card if they win this week and the Dolphins lose out. Etienne's breakout campaign has been marred by a lack of touchdowns, but the Texans have surrendered 21, the most in the NFL, to running backs this season. This could be a top-five week for the second-year running back.

RB Preview

Heath's Projections