Team of the Week
QB: Brock Purdy, SF
Purdy has been white hot in the fantasy playoffs, and last night was a new high point for him with 36.92 fantasy points in the 42-38 thriller over Chicago. The performance—with three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns—came after five scores in Week 16, and Purdy doing it without George Kittle (ankle) or Trent Williams (left early with a hamstring injury) made it all the more impressive.
RB: Derrick Henry, BAL
Saturday night was a reminder of just how dominant Henry can be in December, and he carried plenty of fantasy owners to a championship with 36 rush attempts for 216 yards and four touchdowns. Not having Lamar Jackson (back) in the lineup led to Henry being fed with Baltimore’s season on the line, and he’s combined to rush 65 times for 444 yards (6.8 YPC) and six touchdowns in the fantasy playoffs.
RB: Chase Brown, CIN
Brown started the season slow with the Bengals struggling, but he’s shown the potential fantasy owners had for him with how he’s played since—particularly over the past two weeks with point totals of 30.9 and 27.6. Focusing on Week 17, Brown turned 25 touches into 141 total yards and two touchdowns.
WR: Luther Burden III, CHI
There was some risk for Burden after he missed last week with an ankle injury, but he came through in a huge way for those who started him—catching eight-of-nine targets for 138 yards and a touchdown. The outing was good enough to lead all wideouts heading into Monday night, and the rookie surely won plenty of matchups with the primetime breakout.
WR: Chris Olave, NO
Olave is another player who has been excellent in all three playoff games for fantasy owners—going for lines of 6/85/1, 10/148/2, and 8/119/1 over the past three weeks. Cupcake matchups have helped over the past two weeks in particular, but Olave has shown a great connection with rookie Tyler Shough, and he’s up to 100 receptions on the season.
TE: Trey McBride, ARI
A slow start for McBride led to some early frustration for fantasy owners (especially after a quiet game in Week 16), but he eventually racked up 10 receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown in the loss to Cincinnati. Easily the overall TE1 on the season, McBride will be worth taking early in 2026 drafts.
FLEX: Christian McCaffrey, SF
It was only fitting that the fantasy season for McCaffrey—who remained healthy all year—ended with another high-end RB1 showing, and he finished Sunday night with 23 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown while adding four receptions for 41 yards. Look for him to be fed again next Saturday night with the No. 1 seed in the NFC on the line.
D/ST: Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings weren’t a popular start facing the Lions on Christmas, but they went off for anyone who decided to roll with him—putting up 22.0 fantasy points with six takeaways and five sacks in the 23-10 victory. If defensive coordinator Brian Flores remains in 2026, Minnesota should again be one of the league’s best units.
K: Joey Slye, TEN
There were several kickers who came through in Week 17, and Slye led the way by hitting all four field goals (including two of 50+ yards) and both extra points in a loss to New Orleans.
Surprise of the Week: Malik Willis
Willis shining on Saturday night wasn’t a major surprise for those who have watched him play over the past couple of years, but this is still a spot to highlight the dual-threat passer—who heads into free agency this offseason. Unlike many quarterbacks who might be overrated by NFL decision-makers based on a smaller sample size, Willis is the real deal and should be a value in dynasty leagues.
Disappointment of the Week: Quiet stars
Whether it was CeeDee Lamb having a ton of production left on the field, Jahmyr Gibbs being bottled up, Josh Jacobs being held to 0.8 fantasy points, Marvin Harrison Jr. not recording a catch, or superstar players being held to single-digit point totals—championship week was unfortunately filled with quiet outings for those who didn’t have someone like Derrick Henry or Christian McCaffrey. On some level, it left fitting in what was a weird season in general.
Rookie of the Week: Luther Burden III
Burden was only started in around 10% of leagues, but he showed his ability with a featured role upon his return from a one-game absence—with the 23.8 fantasy points giving many fantasy owners a comeback win. With both the downfield ability (35-yard touchdown) and run-after-catch skills on display, Burden probably won’t be flying under the radar at all over the summer.
Week 17 MVP: Derrick Henry
Maybe one of these years the doubters who say Henry isn’t worth an early-round selection will be correct, but he proved what he can do when fed with a legendary championship performance (45.6 points). From a real-life perspective, King Henry cracked the top 10 in all-time rushing yards (12,892) and now ranks fourth all-time in rushing touchdowns (122).