Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson solidified his case for NFL MVP honors on Sunday when he threw three TD passes and ran for more than 100 yards in a comeback win at Cleveland. In doing so, his team clinched the No. 1 AFC seed for the playoffs. Hey, good for Jackson and his Ravens, whose primary goal is to play in the Super Bowl in February, but bad for fantasy managers relying on Jackson (and other Ravens) for Week 17. The Ravens will likely bench most of their key players for their now-meaningless regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Many fantasy leagues crown their champions prior to Week 17 because of this very scenario, in which some of the top players for four months simply sit out the final week of the season, so it is eminently possible that tonight's Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings tilt on ESPN ends your fantasy season(s). That game matters, and those teams should have something to play for in Week 17 as well, since nary an NFC playoff seed is as of yet official. In fact, even though only two overall playoff spots remain unclear (NFC East winner, the second AFC wild card), most teams still have something important on the line, thus the top players will play. This is good for fantasy managers.