Here we are. (Or at least we’ll be here after Monday Night Football.) Sixteen weeks later, the Fantasy Football Championship arrives. Unless you’re playing for third place, or to avoid last-place penalties, or to make the league finals in Week 18, this is for all the marbles. So on the final weekend of most fantasy seasons, I have a special Stock Report column exploring the hottest and coldest players worthy of making roster decisions this week. Buckle up and let’s go win some championships!
📈 RB in stock
Saquon Barkley, Eagles
No, you probably weren’t considering benching Saquon Barkley at any point. But throughout November, you start to feel like the star running back is hurting you more than helping you. Fortunately, Barkley got his offense going at the right time, scoring 16 or more points in three straight games heading into an exciting showdown with the Bills defense in Week 17. Barkley found the end zone in each of those three games and had over 120 rushing yards in two of the three games. After a lackluster 2024, the Eagles guard is expected to win the fantasy title (again) this weekend.
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Blake Colum, Rams
Over the last month, Blake Corum has quietly emerged as one of fantasy’s most consistent backers. He has scored 12 or more points in four straight games, including five touchdowns, and has rushed for more than 70 yards in three of four games. The last two games have come against extremely tough run defenses, and Atlanta (Week 17) is not in that group. This sets Corum up for another great game as part of Sean McVay’s elite committee – he should play either the RB2 or flex role in almost every fantasy tournament.
Tony Pollard, Titans
Well, I’m not sure what kind of “Michael’s Secret in Space Jam” Tony Pollard mastered in Week 14, but after a mediocre season, he’s now had three straight games with over 100 yards rushing (including Sunday against a Chiefs defense that even Taj Spears had his day). It’s too consistent to be ignored anymore. Simply put, Pollard should be in the starting lineup in Week 17 against the Saints.
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📈 WR in stock
Justin Jefferson, Vikings
After legitimately relegating Justin Jefferson to the must-sit spot after two months of horrific play, the all-purpose receiver had six catches for 85 yards on eight targets on Sunday. This is especially impressive considering JJ McCarthy and Max Brosmer combined for just 160 passing yards. McCarthy’s fitness will be determined on Christmas Day on Thursday, but to be honest, I don’t know if Brosmer will be relegated. Jefferson should be available for a break in a great matchup against the Lions — a game against which he scored his only touchdown in the last 15 weeks.
DJ Moore, Bears
With the recent absences of Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, DJ Moore has now scored 19+ fantasy points in two straight games. While he scored 11.1 of his 19.4 points in Saturday’s final overtime game, the fact that he was the one making that play does matter. He has scored five touchdowns in the past five weeks and will likely play a big role in the offense again on Sunday night in Week 17 against the 49ers … pending injury status. Stati? The point is, if Odunze, Burden, or both don’t play for Chicago, Moore should play for your fantasy team.
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George Pickens, Cowboys
A week into the “Stock Down” portion of this column, after scoring a combined 11 fantasy points in Weeks 14 and 15, George Pickens absolutely exploded for 130 yards and a touchdown on seven catches against the Chargers. Considering he had 15 targets during that two-game mini-slump and was dominant the rest of the year, I think we can confidently view that period as an aberration. On top of that, he and the Cowboys earned the title of Commander on Christmas Day. Their defense is terrible, and division rival Dallas will be motivated to fight despite being eliminated from the playoffs. Pickens is the one who has to start again.
Chris Olave, Saints
Tyler Shough has been surprisingly good at quarterback for the Saints, and Chris Olave has scored in double digits in five of the past six games, especially in the past two weeks when he scored 49.3 points. He had 10 catches, 148 yards and two touchdowns on 16 targets in a win over the Jets on Sunday and will look to build on that momentum next weekend against a weak Titans secondary. Olave has been slow to start the season, but at this point, he’s a borderline must-play player as a WR2, and against the Titans, his WR1 ceiling is high.
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📈 Stock up elsewhere
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars
Two weeks ago against the Jets, Trevor Lawrence scored an impressive 44.3 points. But honestly, his 31.16 points against Denver’s defense is more impressive. T-Law had 279 yards and three touchdowns through the air for the Broncos, plus 20 yards and one touchdown on the ground. He has gone four straight games without an interception and scored 12 touchdowns in that span. Heading into a meeting with the Colts — Duvall has big playoff hopes — Lawrence is too hot to sit out and should be on the air as a top-six or so quarterback in fantasy tournaments.
Kyle Pitts Sr., Falcons
this. This is what old truther Kyle Pitts has been dreaming about for years. Over the past month, Pitts has scored four touchdowns and caught 31 passes for 395 yards. Importantly, he still scored 15.2 points on Sunday with Drake London back in the lineup. Given the lack of reliable starters at tight end, Pitts is a must-have in Week 17 and could even play in flex if you happen to also have Trey McBride, George Kittle or Brock Bowles.
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📉 RB stock reduction
Rico Dowdell, Panthers
Rico Dowdle has scored just one touchdown in his last five games, a performance that salvaged an otherwise terrible Week 15. Additionally, he has held fewer than 60 yards rushing in six straight games, with an especially bad performance on Sunday, when he totaled just 43 yards on 13 touches. Chuba Hubbard’s situation isn’t much better, but he’s certainly still involved, while Dowdle has failed to regain the cap hit he’s had since the start of the year (it’s been two months now). He’s fallen significantly from his RB1 prime, and with a bad game against the Seahawks in Week 17, he’ll be a RB3 or flex player if he even cracks your lineup.
David Montgomery, Lions
After scoring a touchdown in three straight games, David Montgomery failed to find one on Sunday … and ended up scoring just 1.4 points. In fact, in eight games this year without a rushing touchdown, Montgomery is averaging just 5.0 fantasy points per game. The last six weeks have been particularly bad, as he’s only had more than 35 rushing yards once during that stretch. Against the Vikings on Christmas Day, it’s purely a touchdown against Montgomery – if he misses, he could ruin your week.
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📉 WR stock reduction
Emeka Egbuka, Buccaneers
Former Rookie of the Year front-runner Emeka Egbuka has been featured in this section of this column before, but with 97% of them on Yahoo, it’s time for a reminder. You can’t play this kid in a fantasy tournament. He’s scored in single digits in nine of his last 10 games and just finished with his fifth consecutive game with four or fewer receptions (specifically, he had two catches against Carolina). In a tough matchup with the Dolphins, it doesn’t matter who you find against him, but finding someone. For example, Parker Washington. Gee, Chimere Dike has been better this past month.
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DK Metcalf, Steelers
As I write this late Sunday night, we don’t have many details about DK Metcalf’s altercation with Lions fans. If he’s suspended before Week 17, this “stock drop” is pretty self-explanatory. But even if he doesn’t, I’d avoid him in fantasy tournaments. The Browns have been very tough at receiver, and Metcalf has been inconsistent, despite his stellar performance against the Ravens in Week 14. He has five catches or fewer in all but one game this season and has only one catch for 60 yards or more in the past 10 games.
📉 Inventory reduction elsewhere
Travis Kelce, Chiefs
Losing Patrick Mahomes and replacing him with Gardner Minshew and third-stringer Kris Oladokun has proven not to be good for Travis Kelce’s fantasy prospects. The future Hall of Famer caught just one of his four targets for six yards against the Titans on Sunday. The entire offense passed for just 126 yards. Unfortunately, you’ll need to find another option for your tight end position on Christmas Day against the Broncos.
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Dalton Kincaid, Bill
Dalton Kincaid looked great early this year. He then missed three games. Then he showed another solid performance in his return in Week 14…undeniably against the Bengals. But over the past two weeks, he’s caught just three of five targets for 34 yards — including a goose egg Sunday against the Browns. There’s an extremely ugly game against the Eagles next week, and just like Kelce, you’re going to need to find another option for your tight end position.