5 biggest Week 17 fantasy football sleepers: Jalen McMillan, Mason Rudolph and more

Ahh, another Thursday night disappointment. For the second time in three weeks, no touchdowns were scored in the Thursday game, with the Seahawks defeating the Bears 6-3 this week.

If you started any players on those teams, I'm sorry. You've likely found yourself in a hole at the worst possible time as you play for a fantasy championship this week.

The good news is that you still have some time left to recover, but you might not have the stars on your roster right now to do the recovering. If you need to dive deep for some value, we've got some options for you.

Below are five sleeper picks for Week 17. To count as a sleeper, quarterbacks and tight ends need to be ranked outside the top 15 at their position on FantasyPros’ weekly rankings, while running backs and wide receivers are ranked outside the top 25.

Mason Rudolph, QB, Tennessee Titans

Week 17 ranking: QB25

Mason Rudolph earns another start for the Titans this week after throwing a pair of touchdowns last week against the Colts. He's got a bit of a turnover issue with four picks over the last two games, but he's throwing the ball better than Will Levis was and has two top 20 fantasy finishes in a row.

This week, Rudolph gets an appealing matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who allow a league-high 21.3 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.

Only two teams have failed to reach 200 net passing yards against the Jags this year, and one of those teams was the Levis-led Titans a few weeks ago. The switch to Rudolph should be enough for Tennessee to take advantage this time around.

Ameer Abdullah, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Week 17 ranking: RB36

It's been a rough year to be the Raiders backfield, but veteran Ameer Abdullah has come alive over the last couple of games, finishing as a top 20 fantasy running back against both the Falcons and Jaguars.

Most of the reasoning for that has been his usage in the passing game, but last week Abdullah found the end zone on the ground for the first time since Week 5, finishing with 38 rushing yards to go along with his 47 receiving yards.

Up next is a meeting with the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans has done a relatively good job defending against receiving backs, but they have surrendered 17 rushing scores to the position, the most in the league.

You could make a strong argument for Alexander Mattison this week as well in this matchup, and I do think Mattison has the higher floor between the two Vegas backs, but Abdullah is capable of more explosive plays.

Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 17 ranking: WR38

Over the past three games, Jalen McMillan has emerged as a bonafide No. 2 receiver for the Buccaneers, finishing with 50 plus yards and at least one touchdown in each contest.

Last week against the Cowboys, McMillan was targeted seven times, catching five of those passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. His recent stretch has ignited hopes that he can be a long-term part of this Buccaneers offense, especially with Chris Godwin heading toward free agency.

McMillan has a great shot to continue his recent run of luck against the Panthers this weekend, a team that's allowed the second-most passing touchdowns in the league this season. With McMillan scoring touchdowns in three consecutive games, Week 17 is set up nicely for the rookie out of Washington.

Olamide Zaccheaus, WR, Washington Commanders

Week 17 ranking: WR64

One of the biggest surprises last week was Olamide Zaccheaus, who caught a pair of touchdown passes for the Commanders. He was actually one of two Washington players to find the end zone twice, but the other, Jamison Crowder, felt like a fluke.

Zaccheaus could be a fluke as well, but I'm willing to bet on another good performance from him this week against the Falcons, his former team. That's because Zaccheaus was second among the Commanders wide receivers last week in snap rate, playing 69% of the offensive plays for Washington, second only to Terry McLaurin.

Then there's the fact that his biggest competition on the team for targets is Dyami Brown, who has missed two consecutive practices with a hamstring injury, putting his ability to play this week in jeopardy.

Washington also has a plus matchup against the Falcons, who have allowed the second-most passing touchdowns in the NFL (tied with Carolina) and allow the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers.

Foster Moreau, TE, New Orleans Saints

Week 17 ranking: TE29

I really don't love the situation at tight end this week when it comes to sleepers. The best matchups belong to players without a viable shot of having a good game.

There could be something here for Foster Moreau, though. In last week's nightmare of a game against the Packers, Moreau was the team's leading receiver, though he had two catches for just 33 yards.

Someone has to catch passes for this beat-up Saints team and Moreau has 30 or more receiving yards in four of the last five games. Is it much? No. But the Raiders allow the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends and Juwan Johnson has been limited in practice with a foot injury.

If this wasn't championship week, I might get real weird at tight end with someone like Lucas Krull, who faces a Bengals team that allows the most fantasy points per game to tight ends, but I don't think I'm willing to go all the way there this particular week.