Top Players to Stash For Week 17 Fantasy Football Championships: Handcuffs, Defenses, Streamers

We’re nearly there. Tomorrow’s matchup between the Chargers and Broncos marks the start of Week 16, aka the fantasy football semifinals. After a long season, it may be tempting to simply start your studs, hold your backups, and rely on the players who got you here. However, it’s actually more important than ever to maximize your bench slots, and the way to do that is radically different now than it was early in the season. 

At this point, there is no reason to hold onto low-upside backups at most positions. Instead, it’s time to grab streaming defenses, handcuff running backs, and other high-upside pieces who have a real shot at making your lineup in Week 17. Let’s take a look at the top options in each of these categories.

Sync your league with the Fantasy Assistant to get rankings, waiver help, trade suggestions, optimal lineups, and more. Not sure Who You Should Start? We can help. Utilize our fantasy football trade analyzer to make sure you’re getting the best value.

Top Players To Stash For The Fantasy Football Championship

Priority 1: Top Running Back Handcuffs 

The number one type of player to have on your bench at this stage of the season is running back handcuffs. Unique among fantasy football positions, running back scoring is primarily determined by volume, meaning any given back can become a must-start when thrust into the right opportunity, usually due to injury. Over the last few weeks we’ve seen Zach Charbonnet and Isaac Guerendo deliver week-winning performances following injuries to the backs ahead of them on the depth chart, and we may see a few more before the season is done. Here are the top RB handcuffs to hold heading into Week 16:

Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints (11.5% Rostered)

Kendre comes first in this list because there is a chance the injury he needs to be a must-start has already occurred. Alvin Kamara exited Week 15 early with a groin injury, and we still haven’t gotten any concrete updates about his status for Week 16. If Kamara is out, Miller (who has been very efficient with his touches this season) will step in as the Saints’ RB1.

Patrick Taylor, San Francisco 49ers (20.5% Rostered)

Like Miller, Taylor might already be his team’s top healthy back. Isaac Guerendo, himself a handcuffing success story, missed San Francisco’s Wednesday practice with a hamstring injury. Taylor is the next man up in this very valuable Kyle Shanahan backfield.

Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (16.9% Rostered)

Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles (5.4% Rostered)

Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons (35.0% Rostered)

Khalil Herbert, Cincinnati Bengals (7.0% Rostered)

These four backs are my favorite handcuffs who aren’t behind a currently injured back. They would all almost certainly see workhorse usage on above-average offenses if something were to happen to their teams’ current RB1s. (Trey Benson would make this list if he were not dealing with an injury of his own.) 

Other Running Back Handcuffs to Stash

There are plenty of other handcuffs to consider as well. Some players like Tyjae Spears, Jaylen Warren, and Tank Bigsby already see enough usage to be borderline useable (and therefore may already be rostered) but could see their usage skyrocket with an injury. Players like Antonio Gibson, Roschon Johnson, and Devin Singletary are on bad offenses but are one injury away from elite usage. For deeper leagues, you can consider players who would probably end up in a timeshare even with an injury but could still be useable: Cam Akers, Ray Davis, Jaylen Wright, Emanuel Wilson, Jeremy McNichols, Rasheen Ali, Dameon Pierce. That’s 20 of 32 NFL teams, but the other 12 also have players to consider — it’s all about who is available in your league. 

Priority 2: Defenses to Stash For Week 17

Technically, you should be stashing any player that you plan to start in Week 17 (more on that later). But D/ST is the only position where matchup is important enough to make a waiver option a must-start, so they deserve a special breakdown. If you are in the fantasy football semifinals, it is vital to have your Week 17 defense lineup already lined up. Here are some of the top options to consider:

Philadelphia Eagles (69.2% Rostered) vs. Dallas Cowboys

They are rostered in most leagues, but the Eagles have been red-hot defensively and should easily shut down the Cooper Rush Cowboys in Week 17. 

Miami Dolphins (48.5% Rostered) @ Cleveland Browns

The Browns have announced Dorian Thompson-Robinson as their new starting quarterback, and the sophomore out of UCLA has unfortunately been the single worst QB in the league this season. Even if the Browns give up on DTR after one week, Jameis Winston and his 1.7 interceptions per start is also a good target.

Indianapolis Colts (16.9% Rostered) @ New York Giants

The Giants’ offense is atrocious, whether they are starting Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, or Tim Boyle. The Colts can absolutely take advantage. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (46.5% Rostered) vs. Carolina Panthers

After a few good weeks, Bryce Young and the Panthers’ offense came crashing back down to Earth in an ugly Week 15 loss to the Cowboys. The Buccaneers’ defense is bad, but they should still project as a solid option at home against Carolina in the fantasy finals.

Seattle Seahawks (23.4% Rostered) @ Chicago Bears

With the exception of Week 15, the Seahawks’ defense has been very solid in recent weeks, and the new-OC bump seems to be wearing off in Chicago. Caleb Williams has taken over four sacks per game in his rookie season, giving a solid boost to any fantasy defense facing the Bears. 

Priority 3: Other Week 17 Streamers

While D/ST is by far the most commonly streamed position (for good reason), you may have been using streamers at other positions as well. The traditional one-off positions (quarterback, tight end, and kicker) lend themselves to being streamed in particular. Whether you’ve already been streaming a given position or just don’t love your starter’s matchup for Week 17, it’s worth looking ahead.

At quarterback, your options will depend wildly on the size of your league (and how much your leaguemates like to hoard backup QBs). In shallow formats, guys like Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Sam Darnold might even be available. In the middle range, Anthony Richardson has been running a ton since returning from the bench and has a great Week 17 matchup with the Giants. If you’re desperate, Mason Rudolph gets to face the Jaguars’ woeful secondary, or maybe Michael Penix can take advantage of a matchup with the Commanders in his second career start. 

At tight end, it’s important to consider both Week 17 matchup and which players are actually seeing volume. Brenton Strange jumps out at 10.5% rostered coming off a 12-target game, even if his Week 17 matchup with the Titans is just okay. Grant Calcaterra has been steadily involved in the Eagles’ offense without Dallas Goedert and gets a good matchup with the Cowboys. Juwan Johnson hasn’t done much but has been running routes since Taysom Hill’s injury and faces one of the best possible TE matchups in the Raiders’ defense.

Honestly, you probably don’t need to stash a kicker. Most fantasy football managers aren’t bothering to stream them, and streaming kickers is more of an art than a science, so having to go with a slightly “worse” option isn’t that big of a deal. However, if both you and one or more of your potential championship opponents have been consistently churning through waiver kickers, it can’t hurt to get ahead of one with a good matchup for Week 17.

Bottom Line

Like all things fantasy football, who to stash for Week 17 depends greatly on your individual league’s settings and environment. It’s also important to know your roster. If you have three elite RBs, maybe handcuff your own guys — you’re not starting Tyler Allgeier over Saquon Barkley even if Bijan Robinson is out, but you sure would start Kenneth Gainwell if you have a Saquon-sized hole in your lineup. If you’re weak at tight end, maybe stash Isaiah Likely or even Noah Gray, who would rocket up rankings if the veterans in front of them missed time. 

The one rule of thumb to remember is that if you don’t see a realistic path for a player to make your Week 17 lineup, that’s not a player worth holding. You know your league and your roster better than I do, so trust your gut. Let’s go win some fantasy football championships!

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.