Week 17 of the 2025 fantasy football season is championship week in most leagues and it featured standout performances by Drake Maye, Derrick Henry and Chase Brown. On the flip side, fantasy stars Jahmyr Gibbs, Josh Jacobs and CeeDee Lamb were among the biggest disappointments.
Who were the big winners and losers around the league during the most important week of the fantasy football season?
Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis.
Jump to a topic:
Ranking winners | Ranking losers
Biggest injuries and what’s next
Ranking fantasy winners of Week 17
1. Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots: Maye had a career-high 32.4 points versus a lifeless New York Jets defense (27.36 points at the half), before taking a seat in the third quarter of the blowout win. Maye tossed four touchdowns by the end of the first half, finishing with a career-best five, and he completed over 90% of his throws (19-of-21). Too easy. Plus, Maye added 22 yards rushing. Big time finish to the season for Maye, who scored 20 or more points in his past four games. — Bowen
2. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens: Like Puka Nacua the week before, Henry in Week 17 gave his fantasy teams a big cushion heading into Sunday’s NFL slate, scoring the third-most fantasy points of his entire 10-year, 152-game career on Saturday night (45.6). It’s only the third time since the NFL moved to an 18-week schedule that he has scored 25 or more in any of the season’s final five weeks. That Henry did it against the Green Bay Packers, which entered the week affording running backs the seventh-fewest fantasy points, made it all the more unusual. Henry, the No. 12 overall pick on average during the preseason, got off to a sluggish start that resulted in him being on a finalist’s roster in only 20.6% of ESPN leagues, 18th-most among running backs. Two weeks and 68.4 fantasy points later — that represents his Weeks 16-17 total — he’ll probably be responsible for a lot of league titles. — Cockcroft
3. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals: If you steered your fantasy team into the playoffs despite the preseason third rounder’s six consecutive games of 12 fantasy points or fewer from Weeks 2-7 — the first six that Joe Burrow missed because of injury — Brown has at least rebounded to carry you since. Brown scored 29.1 fantasy points in Week 17, giving him a running back-leading 96.5 in the four weeks of ESPN standard playoffs (Weeks 14-17). He’s now eighth at the position in scoring for the season despite his slow start. — Cockcroft
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4. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots: Stevenson had a season-high 27.2 points (on just 13 touches) in Sunday’s blowout win over the Jets. Stevenson had eight carries in this one, compared to 19 for TreVeyon Henderson, however, he finished with 47 yards and touchdown on a goal-line attempt. Plus, Stevenson had 55 yards receiving on five receptions, adding a score on a 22-yard grab. Stevenson had at least 17 points — and a touchdown — in each of his past two games, providing winning Flex numbers for managers in the fantasy playoffs. — Bowen
5. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: Chase posted 25.0 points in Sunday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, Chase had just 60 yards receiving in this one, catching 7 of 9 targets. However, it was the first time since Week 7 that Chase found the end zone, securing two scoring grabs on red zone targets. Chase showcased his physical catch and run ability on a quick smoke route, plus he took advantage of poor leverage/scheme from the Cards’ secondary on an end zone slant. Chase played his expected volume role over the past three games in the fantasy playoffs (36 total targets), while scoring at least 19.9 points in each. — Bowen
6. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints: Olave had 25.9 points in the win over Tennessee, catching 8 of a team-high 11 targets for 119 yards and a touchdown. The development of rookie quarterback Tyler Shough in Kellen Moore’s offense must be discussed here too, as it opened the door for Olave to post WR1 numbers. Olave finished the season with 20 or more points in his past three games, including the 36.8 he dropped on the Jets’ defense in Week 16. The Saints have a quarterback for the future in Shough. — Bowen
7. Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks: He was the Seahawks’ backfield star of Week 17, totaling 20 touches, 122 yards from scrimmage and 26.2 fantasy points, while playing more snaps (53.0%) than Kenneth Walker III. Charbonnet benefited greatly from a heavy dose of goal-line work, as he had four rushing attempts, the most by any running back in a single game in 2025, and converted two for touchdowns. His success in the role this season should assure him a prominent role heading into 2026, as well as in Week 18 — if the No. 1 NFC seed remains up for grabs. — Cockcroft
8. Malik Willis, QB, Green Bay Packers: He warrants a shout out for his career-best 31.52 fantasy point Saturday night performance, which included scoring two rushing touchdowns, albeit one that ended prematurely after he aggravated a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter. Willis was added in 2% of ESPN leagues in the four days leading up to the game and was started in 1.6%. — Cockcroft
9. Jaxson Dart, QB, and Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants: In the widely advertised battle-for-the-No. 1-overall-pick, both players exceeded 20 fantasy points while displaying solid chemistry. Dart was more free to utilize his mobility in this game, scoring two rushing touchdowns, while Robinson set season highs in targets (14) and receptions (11). The matchup, against a flat Las Vegas Raiders defense, of course contributed. We’ll see whether Dart is afforded a full 60 minutes with no restraint in the running game for Week 18 against the Dallas Cowboys. — Cockcroft
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Ranking fantasy losers of Week 17
1. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions: Gibbs scored 6.4 points in the Christmas day loss to the Vikings, his second game with fewer than 10 points in the fantasy playoffs. Gibbs did have 17 carries in this one, so the rushing volume was there to create numbers. However, Gibbs couldn’t find consistent daylight, averaging 2.4 YPC, and he failed to produce splash plays on the ground. Plus, Gibbs caught just 2 of 3 targets for 23 yards. We saw Gibbs produce big time breakout weeks this season, with 37 or more points in four games, but his lower-level playoff production most likely ended some championship runs for fantasy managers. — Bowen
2. Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers: Though he wasn’t on the injury report for Week 17, he played only 27% of the offensive snaps and had four rushing attempts in Saturday’s 41-24 loss to Baltimore. Jacobs’ once-solid season has come to a screeching halt at the most critical time in the fantasy schedule, as he has totaled 6.1 fantasy points in the two-week championship matchups (Weeks 16-17) in ESPN standard leagues. With the Packers locked into an NFL wild-card spot, they will surely be resting Jacobs and other regulars in Week 18. — Cockcroft
3. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys: Among the many Christmas Day letdowns was Lamb’s 9.6 fantasy point performance against the Washington Commanders, despite seeing 10 targets in the game. Putting aside his injury-abbreviated Week 3, he has now delivered his two worst scores of the season in the past two weeks — he scored 11.1 fantasy points in Week 16 — and there’s not a lot of motivation for him to put forth a big rebound effort in Week 18 with his Cowboys already eliminated from the postseason. — Cockcroft
4. Jared Goff, QB; Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions: Goff had a disastrous game in the Christmas day loss to Minnesota, turning the ball over five times (two interceptions, three fumbles), while posting a season-low 2.1 points. Goff’s limited mobility was exposed versus the Vikings’ pressure schemes, and he looked frenetic in the pocket, which led to the poor ball security. Williams, who had scored 17 or more points in three of his past four games, was also a nonfactor, catching just two of three targets for 37 yards (5.7 points). Rough day for the Lions’ pass game on the fantasy championship stage. — Bowen
5. De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins: While he exceeded 100 yards from scrimmage for the 10th time this season, the Dolphins’ offensive struggles contributed to Achane failing to reach the end zone for the sixth time in 2025. Achane finished with 14.2 fantasy points, his worst output since Week 7, despite entering the week as one of the best-projected players. Credit to Achane for being consistent, however, as he has a league-leading 16 games with at least 12 fantasy points. — Cockcroft
6. Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Irving’s lack of production (8.3 points) continued in the loss at Miami. Sure, game flow played a role here as Baker Mayfield attempted 44 passes, but Irving saw just nine carries (which were a team-high), finishing with 19 yards rushing. Irving’s five receptions (for 14 yards) did add to his total, but he has now scored fewer than 10 points in three straight games on a quickly fading Bucs’ team. Tough stretch for Irving in the fantasy playoffs. — Bowen
7. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: After three straight games with 17 or more points, and a touchdown, Barkley was held to 6.8 in Sunday’s win over the Bills. Barkley did see steady volume on the ground, notching 19 carries, but he rushed for only 68 yards (3.6 YPC), and he didn’t catch a pass. Like we discussed with Hurts, the second half was a nightmare for the Philly offense, and that really limited Barkley, too. No rhythm, no tempo. Tough to find running lanes. — Bowen
8. Kenneth Gainwell/Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers: They were started in a near-identical rate of ESPN leagues, 60.3% for Gainwell and 60.1% for Warren, and expected to shoulder the load on offense with wide receiver DK Metcalf suspended, but neither could get anything done against the Cleveland Browns‘ defense. Gainwell scored 6.8 fantasy points and Warren scored 6.4, the first time a Steelers running back failed to reach double-digits since Week 8. If your league counts Week 18 in its championship matchup, the two should at least be plenty motivated for their AFC North showdown with the Ravens. — Cockcroft
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9. James Cook III, RB, Buffalo Bills: While the matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles surely contributed, Cook scored only 8.7 fantasy points at the worst time for his managers, the first time he had been held beneath 10 points since Week 6. He did have a goal-line chance during the third quarter, but lost a yard, contributing to his Bills turning the ball over on downs. Cook does get a much better matchup in Week 18 against the New York Jets, but his Bills are now locked into a wild card spot and have little reason to play him. — Cockcroft
10. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks: After scoring 25.4 points in the Week 16 game versus the Rams’ defense, Walker struggled to produce in Seattle’s backfield split during Sunday’s win over the Panthers, finishing with 7.7 points. Walker did see 15 carries, compared to 18 for Charbonnet, but he averaged 3.4 YPC, and he posted low level numbers in the pass game, bringing in two receptions for six yards. And despite his Week 16 numbers, Walker failed to post double-digit fantasy points in three of his past four games during the playoffs. — Bowen
11. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders: Expected much more here from Jeanty (9.3 points) in a positive Week 17 matchup versus the Giants defense. However, despite seeing 18 touches, Jeanty finished with 73 total yards, and he didn’t create an impact as a receiver (two receptions, 13 yards). Jeanty did have the big Week 16 game versus Houston (31.8 points), but he also failed to score more than 10 points in three of his last four. Look for the Raiders to make major changes (again) this offseason. — Bowen
12. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles: Tough weather in Buffalo on Sunday, and this Eagles offense vanished in the second half, producing just 17 total yards. Hurts (8.9 points) completed less than 50% of his throws in this game, finishing with 110 yards passing and a touchdown. Plus, Hurts didn’t create numbers on the ground, rushing for just five yards on three carries. — Bowen
Injury impact
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns
What we know: He aggravated a groin injury on a 28-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter and was ruled out for the day during halftime. Thankfully for Fannin’s managers, the touchdown catch afforded him 11.0 fantasy points before his departure.
What’s next: Fannin might be less likely to swiftly recover from this setback, making his Week 18 status iffy at best. The Browns will face the league’s best tight end matchup in the Bengals, but with Fannin and David Njoku (knee) uncertain for that game, the team might have to go with a combination of Blake Whiteheart, Brenden Bates and Sal Cannella. — Cockcroft
