Note: Most fantasy football leagues held their Super Bowls last week, but here at eDraft our goal is to cater to the need of every fantasy owner out there. If your league holds its championship this week, we are here to help. Here are your top-five fantasy quarterbacks for Week 17.
1. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
With the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC playoffs and a passing-yard record to break, Manning and the Broncos first-team offense is going to play for a vast majority of this game...well at least until it gets out of hand. Denver will be lining up against an Oakland Raiders defense that has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. For his part, Manning rebounded last week against a good Houston Texans defense after stuggling in Week 15 against the San Diego Chargers. Expect another good outing in this one.
Projected Statistics: 340 passing yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions
2. Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles
Foles' worst performance of the season came against the Dallas Cowboys back in October. He completed just 11-of-29 passes for 80 yards and zero scores in that one. The second-year player responded by throwing seven touchdowns against Oakland, and hasn't looked back since. Including the Raiders game, Foles has tallied 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his last seven outings. It also helps that Dallas ranks second-to-last in the NFL against fantasy quarterbacks and is giving up an average 304.8 passing yards per game this season. Even if Philadelphia comes up short in its opportunity to nab the NFC East title on Sunday Night Football, Foles will have himself a hell of a game.
Projected Statistics: 320 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions
3. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans may be facing a win-or-go-home situation in Week 17. It will be taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Superdome at the exact moment that the Arizona Cardinals host the San Francisco 49ers in the desert. A Cardinals' win coupled with a loss be New Orleans would mean that Brees and Co. will miss the playoffs. This is stunning considering the Saints 5-0 start. As it is, this means that Brees will be playing the entire game against a Buccaneers defense that has actually played well as of late. They are yielding an average of just 161 passing yards over the course of the last three games. With that said, Brees is just ridiculous when playing at home. He has thrown 23 touchdowns compared to three interceptions at the Superdome this season. Don't expect Tampa to shut him down in this one.
Projected Statistics: 330 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception
4. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
Luck is on a roll. He has thrown seven touchdowns compared to one interception in his last three outings after putting up a two-to-five split in his previous four games. Talk about rebounding at the exact right moment. Overall, Luck is the fourth-ranked fantasy quarterback this season. He now takes on a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that has yielded the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. In addition, Luck will likely play the duration with playoff seeding still on the line.
Projected Statistics: 280 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception
5. Ben Roethslisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
Don't look now, but the Steelers still have playoff aspirations heading into Week 17, and Big Ben is the primary reason why. The underrated quarterback has put up 20 total touchdowns and just five interceptions in the Steelers' last eight game, a span that has seen them go 5-3 after starting 2-5. Pittsburgh will take on the Cleveland Browns in a must-win situation on Sunday. Despite a solid overall unit, Cleveland ranks 21st in the NFL against fantasy quarterbacks and may be without shutdown cornerback Joe Haden. The indicators are here for another stellar outing from Roethlisberger.
Projected Statistics: 310 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions