Fantasy football 2024: One QB, RB, WR and TE primed for huge Week 17 performances

Who's ready for some Christmas Day football? We have two games on Wednesday, starting with the Texans playing host to the Ravens in a game that will feature Beyonce. You can Netflix and watch ball, or Netflix and watch Bey. (I want to acknowledge immediately how bad that joke was. It's almost 2025. I can do better.)

It's a little weird that this week of NFL games starts on a Wednesday but think of it like an extended week to celebrate the fantasy football finals.

Unless you're in a league that plays in Week 18, this is the week that determines if you're walking away with the title in your league or not, so let's talk about some players who can help you get there.

Below is one player at each skill position who is set to have a strong 2024 Week 17 performance for fantasy football.

Quarterback: Bo Nix - Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has finished outside the top 10 in fantasy scoring in three consecutive games, the longest such streak since Week 1 through Week 4.

But Nix is a top 10 play in Week 17 as Denver goes on the road to take on the Cincinnati Bengals.

That's because Cincy's pass defense has really struggled this season. The Bengals allow the fourth-most fantasy points per game to the position. Notably, the team has allowed 26 touchdown passes, just two fewer than the three teams tied for the most given up.

The defense's numbers have improved a bit lately, but some context is needed. The team has held two of its last three opponents to under 200 net passing yards, but those teams were quarterbacked by Cooper Rush and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Nix is leaps and bounds ahead of those guys.

Nix enters this game with multiple passing scores in five of the past six games.

Running Back: Bucky Irving - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last week, I mentioned in my fades vs. starts article that Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving "as a great shot to be the defining factor in your quest for a fantasy football championship over the next two weeks."

Irving had a great matchup against the Cowboys last week, but his numbers weren't quite as impressive as I expected. He had 16 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown and also caught three passes for 24 yards.

Now, that's certainly not a bad game!!! Irving was the overall RB16 for the week, marking the fifth time in the last six games that he's finished as a top 20 fantasy running back. But I really thought he would deliver top five numbers.

Guess what? I think that again this week, and I'm even more confident in it as he faces the Panthers, who allow more fantasy points per game to the running back position than any other NFL team.

Back in Week 13, Irving went off against this Panthers team, carrying the ball 25 times for 152 yards and a touchdown while catching three passes for 33 yards. He finished as the overall RB1 that week.

Wide Receiver: Jayden Reed - Green Bay Packers

Trusting a Packers receiver feels like playing roulette. When the wheel stops spinning, someone is going to score big, but it's up to luck to determine who that someone is.

It can be risky to play a Packers receiver in the fantasy championship game, but it's hard to resist with the team taking on the Minnesota Vikings, who allow more fantasy points to the wide receiver position than any other NFL team.

Reed also has a strong showing against the Vikings on his resume already this season. Back in Week 4, he finished as the overall WR2 in fantasy for the week, catching seven passes for a season-high 139 yards and a touchdown.

It's also worth factoring in that the Packers might be without Christian Watson on Sunday. He suffered a knee bruise last week, with head coach Matt LaFleur saying he could "potentially" play this week. If Watson is sidelined, Reed's stock goes up even more.

Tight End: Pat Freiermuth - Pittsburgh Steelers

Kansas City might have the league's best record and one of the league's best defenses, but one weakness has been its ability to defend against opposing tight ends.

We saw that on display on Saturday when the Chiefs took on the Texans. Dalton Schultz has had an inconsistent season for the Texans, but he caught five passes for 45 yards and a touchdown in the game.

Overall, the Chiefs have given up 1,090 receiving yards to opposing tight ends, more than any other team in the league. From a volume perspective, KC has allowed the third-most receptions to the position.

Now, we head into this game Wednesday where Pat Freiermuth has a shot to deliver some strong numbers.

Last week against the Ravens, Freiermuth caught just three passes for 16 yards, but coming into that game he'd caught a touchdown pass in three consecutive games, finishing as a top-eight fantasy tight end in each of those contests.

There's a pretty clear group of nine tight ends who you have to consider must starts every week right now, but if you don't have one of those guys — Marj Andrews, Brock Bowers, T.J. Hockenson, Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Sam LaPorta, Trey McBride, David Njoku and Jonnu Smith — then you could certainly justify Freiermuth as the guy worthy of that No. 10 spot this week.