Week 17 Fantasy Football Winners

Week 17 is over, and the playoff picture is almost completely set. Two playoff spots will come down to Week 18, and the seeding is very much in the air for many who have already clinched. The Ravens won a must-win game in Green Bay, while the Steelers lost to the now 4-12 Browns, leaving Week 18 as a battle for the AFC North. Despite the Bears losing on Sunday Night Football, Chicago clinched the NFC North following Green Bay’s loss to the Ravens. The Patriots clinched the AFC East for the first time since Tom Brady’s last season in New England. The first-round bye is still up for grabs in both conferences, setting up a great week of football in Week 18. While Week 18 will be a great week of football in an already crazy year, Week 17 marked the championship round for the majority of fantasy leagues, assuming Week 18 would be a rest week for most NFL stars, so let's look at the players who dazzled the box score in the biggest week of fantasy football.

RB Derrick Henry – (45.6 Fantasy Points)

The Ravens needed a win, and without their starting quarterback, the game plan was clear days before kickoff. Give the ball to Derrick Henry. Henry had a historic night, rushing the ball for a career-high 36 times for 216 yards and four touchdowns, which ties his career-best. Henry has not carried the ball more than 30 times since 2021 and recorded his first 200-yard game in Baltimore. Other milestones Henry broke that night are moving into the top-10 in all-time career rushing yards, most 200-yard games of all-time with seven, and fourth place in all-time rushing touchdowns. While he feels like an ageless wonder, Henry will be a hot commodity in 2026 Fantasy Drafts, but age and workload must be taken into consideration.

QB Brock Purdy – (36.92) and RB Christian McCaffrey – (28.1 Fantasy Points)

Christian McCaffrey is a no-brainer winner in fantasy football this year, breaking 400 total fantasy points in PPR formats. CMC ran the ball 23 times for 140 yards and a touchdown, adding 41 yards on four catches in a crazy Sunday Night Football win over the Bears. For CMC’s QB, Brock Purdy, the night began on a bad note, but turned up the heat, rewarding owners who saw the momentum San Francisco had coming into the game. While he threw a pick-six on the first drive, Purdy finished with 303 yards and three passing touchdowns on 72.7% completion, adding 28 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. Purdy finished as the QB1 for the second consecutive week with 10 total touchdowns after throwing for five in a win over the Colts. CMC is a must-draft player in 2026, and Purdy has the potential to shine, but his floor is lower than most quarterbacks due to how successful the 49ers’ run game is.

QB Drake Maye – (32.44 Fantasy Points)

Second-year QB Drake Maye finds himself on this list for hitting a career high in touchdown passes in a single game. Granted, the win over the Jets was a blowout from the beginning, but Maye completed 19 of his 21 passes for 256 yards and five touchdowns. Maye has only thrown for more than 300 yards once in his career, coming just a week ago against the Ravens, but has never thrown more than three in a single game until this week. Maye has turned into a viable starting QB in all fantasy leagues, sitting at QB2 on the season, but will need to prove his consistency next season for those who draft him at the top end of the quarterback run. 

WR Luther Burden III – (27.8) and TE Colston Loveland – (21.4 Fantasy Points)

Jumping back to the crazy Sunday Night Football game between the 49ers and Bears, recognition must find its way to the team that lost in the final seconds. Luther Burden III finished the game with 138 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions, connecting on a 35-yard bomb late in the first quarter. Burden stepped into the WR1 role nicely as Rome Odunze was still sidelined due to injury, and D.J. Moore was suiting up but fighting an illness. Another impact player in the passing game for Chicago was rookie tight end Colston Loveland, who has surpassed Cole Kmet on the depth chart, recording six receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown on a team-high 10 targets. Both Burden and Loveland had crucial drops in the fourth quarter, but their fantasy production still spoke to their future involvement in Chicago’s offense. 

TE Trey McBride – (23.6 Fantasy Points)

Cardinals TE Trey McBride added to his already impressive season with 10 receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. McBride has shattered all of his previous career-highs, all recorded last season. With one game to go, the star tight end has 161 targets, 119 receptions, 1,174 yards, and 11 touchdowns. McBride currently sits at fifth for the record of most fantasy points scored by a tight end in a single season with 302.4 points. In 2011, Rob Gronkowski broke the record with 330.9 points, previously held by Todd Christensen of the 1983 Raiders. McBride should be the first TE off fantasy draft boards, but be wary of how Kyler Murray and James Conner’s return to the field will impact McBride’s target share. 

RB Bijan Robinson – (39.9 Fantasy Points)

The Falcons had nothing to play for on Monday Night except for pride, and that is exactly what they got. After jumping out to a 21-0 halftime lead over the Rams, LA made a comeback, but Atlanta held on, kicking a game-winning field goal with less than 30 seconds left. Bijan Robinson led the Falcons every step of the way, carrying the ball 22 times for 195 yards and a touchdown, adding 34 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. The way that Robinson moves with the ball in his hand is something not commonly seen, making people miss with the slightest of jump cuts. Slightly less than half of his rushing yards from Monday came on a 93-yard touchdown in the first half, making one move and outrunning every Ram defender. Bijan putting up almost 40 doesn’t match Henry’s 45 points, but Bijan definitely contributed to someone winning their league and deserves to be a top-three pick in 2026 fantasy drafts.

D/ST New York Giants – (19 Fantasy Points)

If you started the Giants’ defense in your fantasy championship, that was a big brain move. The tank-bowl was in full swing for the Giants and Raiders, and while the Giants won the game, the Raiders moved up in the draft. To be fair, the Giants do not need a QB, which is the most commonly drafted position with the first overall pick, but New York could have gained some capital with a trade from the 1.01. The Giants held Vegas to 231 yards and 10 points, recording two interceptions and four sacks. Third-year cornerback Deonte Banks scored on a 95-yard kickoff return, adding a touchdown to the D/ST box score and the first career TD to the starting corners' resume. I would not bank on the Giants having another performance like that until they can get their personnel and roster figured out.