The regular NFL season is over, but daily fantasy football doesn’t end just yet. There are still a few more weeks of DFS action, and if you want to be competitive in your leagues, taking a look at the final weekend of regular season play will be a big help. Here’s our Week #17 wrap up with this weekend’s busts and diamonds. Our hope is that this analysis helps you in your last few weeks of daily fantasy football play as you draft your rosters.
Busts to End the Year
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
The Giants won on Sunday, and although Manning got his job done, his fantasy showing was not great. He threw 27 passes with 17 completions and a total of just 180 yards. There were no touchdowns and no rushing yards. He was also sacked once. The Giants had already secured a playoff spot, so an outstanding performance from Manning was not a must, but we expected more from him.
Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are going to the playoffs this season, and Ajayi is a big part of the reason why. He has had an astounding season, and has had a few really impressive games. This was not one of those games. He rushed for just 59 yards. There were 3 receptions, for a total 20 yards, which helped his statistics a little bit for this game. There were no TDs, either rushing or receiving. Ajayi has had a monster season, but his performances have been a little bit hard to predict. The New England Patriots are not the strongest defense in the NFL, but they were more than enough to shut down the Dolphins on Sunday. What do we expect from him the rest of the playoffs? We’re not sure. If he’s cheap, he could be a good draft pick, but we aren’t holding our breaths.
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are playoff bound, and throughout the weeks of the regular season, Kelce has been one of those high performing fixtures on the team. He’s averaged over 70 yards receiving per game, and has 4 TDs this season, but on Sunday, Kelce had just one catch on 2 targets, picking up a total of just 8 yards. He had no touchdowns. This season, Kelce has been a go-to standard in most fantasy leagues, especially with New England’s Rob Gronkowski missing most of the season. Kelce was a disappointment this game, but we aren’t too concerned about that moving forward. There was no need for him to overextend himself, and hopefully the quiet day will have him rested for the playoffs where he will be used heavily in a fantasy setting.
Diamonds Came to Play
Landry Jones, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jones filled in for starter Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday, and although it wasn’t the best performance of the day, it was a far better showing than what was expected from him. He threw 24 completions on 37 attempts for 277 yards, throwing 3 touchdowns in the process. Jones was sacked four times and had an interception which hurt his fantasy performance a little, but this was still above and beyond for him. The Steelers have now secured a spot in the playoffs, and if Jones is used, he has more fantasy potential than originally believed.
Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints
Thomas had the standout game of his season on Sunday. He had 156 yards on 10 receptions and a touchdown. The Saints lost to the Atlanta Falcons, losing out on a place in the postseason, but there’s much we can learn from this game. For example, the Falcons defense is much better than the credit many experts have given them. The Saints did struggle frequently this season, ending their season at 7-9, but this was a strong showing by them. The Falcons have potential to step up their defense and stop strong passing performances when needed. Thomas’s stats should have been much higher than they were, despite his great game.
