Week 17 Fantasy Football Takeaways: Drew Lock, Tyjae Spears, Marvin Mims, Olamide Zaccheaus and More

Week 17 of the NFL regular season was a fun one, with a number of really entertaining games with big playoff implications.

Let’s look at some fantasy football takeaways from the Saturday and Sunday games, after already looking at some takeaways from games on Wednesday and Thursday.

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Drew Lock Delivers

The New York Giants’ season has been a disaster, and they just ruined their chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the draft after beating the Colts 45-33.

Drew Lock drew the start at quarterback and delivered a monster showing. He was 17-of-23 passing for 309 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Lock added a rushing touchdown, despite not having a rushing yard across five scrambles.

Lock was a second-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but hasn’t found too much success to this point. Depending on how much the Giants like the quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft, Lock might have earned himself another year with New York.

For those of you playing in week 18, Lock remains an option. He’s got a very tough matchup against the Eagles though, so he’s a risky starting option at best.

I do like the idea of adding Lock in deep dynasty leagues (if you can still make moves) just on the slim chance that he’s a team’s starter in 2025. It’s a risk-free move, and someone you can move on from if he’s back to being a backup.

New Starting Backs in 2025?

Bucky Irving and Tyjae Spears are both top-10 PPR backs in week 17 at this point. They could both be starting for teams in 2025.

Irving had 113 rushing yards on 20 carries, while adding 77 receiving yards on four receptions and targets. That’s an incredible fantasy score for not scoring a touchdown.

Spears also didn’t find the end zone, but had 95 rushing yards on 20 carries and added eight yards on three catches and four catches.

Irving seems like a no brainer choice to be a starting back next year. He’s already functioning as the Bucs’ top running back, and the team seems ready to move on from Rachaad White at some point. 

Irving is a great week 18 option for those of you still playing, and should be drafted inside the top-four rounds of 2025 fantasy drafts. He could be a top-10 fantasy back for years to come.

Spears could be the Titans’ top back in 2025. Tennessee just signed Tony Pollard this season, but with the Titans building toward the future, it wouldn’t surprise me if the team traded or even cut Pollard. Spears is a younger and cheaper back, and it makes all the sense in the world to let the young back take on the lead role for a whole season.

If Pollard remains inactive for week 18, Spears would be a good starting option after a slightly below-average Texans’ defense. I think his long-term fantasy outlook is even better, so I’d be stashing him in dynasty leagues in hopes that he takes on a larger role in 2025 and beyond.

Marvin Mims Continues Late-Season Surge

Courtland Sutton is the unquestioned leading pass catcher in Denver, but Marvin Mims is starting to separate himself as the team’s No. 2 option.

He had 103 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches and targets on Saturday against the Bengals. It was his third time at or over 65 yards over the past four games, and he’s gone for 40 or more yards in five of the past six contests - Mims has scored four touchdowns in that span.

Mims was a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and finally seems to be getting rolling as a weekly asset, both in real life and fantasy. With a young QB in Bo Nix in place, Mims seems primed to be a decent fantasy asset for years to come.

A week 18 matchup against the Chiefs looks tough on paper, but with Kansas City having already locked up the top seed, I could see several key members of the defense sitting this one out, making Mims a solid fantasy option. In the team’s first meeting of the season, Mims had 30 total yards on seven touches (four catches and three rushing attempts).

Mims is another one to add and stash in dynasty leagues, as I think his fantasy value is even better in 2025 and beyond. 

Olamide Zaccheaus Emerging as No. 2 Option in Washington?

All season, it’s pretty much just been Terry McLaurin as the top passing target for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Over the past couple games, Olamide Zaccheaus has started to step up as the top secondary option in the passing game.

Zaccheaus had 85 yards and a score on eight catches and nine targets this week. He added an eight-yard rush.

He had 70 yards and two scores on five receptions and eight targets last week. Zaccheaus had 36 yards on three catches and four targets the week before that.

This positive trend makes Zaccheaus a good fantasy option, especially in deeper leagues, for week 18. A favorable matchup against the Cowboys makes Zaccheaus a player for standard league owners to also consider, and he’ll be a cheap option for those of you doing DFS this NFL postseason.

Zaccheaus is a bit of a journeyman wide receiver at this point, but he’s done enough this season to earn another contract, whether that be with Washington or another NFL team. He doesn’t have a ton of dynasty value as a 27-year-old, but in deep setups, I wouldn’t mind stashing him.

Trey McBride in the Running for Top Fantasy TE?

Rookie Brock Bowers has quickly emerged as the best fantasy tight end in the game, but Trey McBride’s season is being a bit overlooked in my eyes.

McBride had 123 yards and a touchdown on 12 receptions and 16 targets in the team’s loss to the Rams on Saturday. He now has 1,081 yards on 104 catches and 136 targets for the season.

I didn’t mention McBride’s season touchdown total because I want to make a point here. If you add three more touchdowns (to match Bowers’ season total), they have basically the same amount of PPR points this season.

I see Bowers as the unquestioned fantasy TE1 for 2025, and I’m a bit confused as to why McBride is not more in that conversation. Bowers is a borderline top-10 fantasy pick on most early-ranking pages, while McBride is a late second rounder or early third-round pick.

Sure, many people are expecting Marvin Harrison Jr. to be better in his second NFL season, but Arizona has a better offense than Las Vegas, and actually has a quarterback in place. 

Maybe the debate between the two will tighten up after this season/going into next season, but right now, McBride is a bit undervalued for 2025, in my opinion.

As for week 18, McBride is a must-start option. He’s got a tough matchup against the Niners, but you don’t sit a fantasy player of this caliber, especially at the tight end position. McBride had 53 yards on six catches and nine targets in the first meeting between the NFC West teams.