Week 17 Rankings: Team Defenses

Micah Parsons and the Cowboys should feast on a rookie quarterback.

Add it all up. About five months of prep, dozens if not hundreds of articles digested, hours upon hours of games watched over the 2022 NFL season come down to one week of results. Remember, fantasy football is a game of preparation. The results out on the field are out of control. All we can do is put ourselves in the best position possible. Trust the process! Let's take a look at the snapshot of where the league is at.

The Eagles, Bills, Chiefs, Vikings, Bengals, Cowboys, 49ers, Ravens and Chargers are locked into the postseason. Buffalo, Kansas City, Minnesota and San Francisco have clinched their respective divisions. Eight teams are eliminated from postseason contention: Houston, Chicago, Arizona, Denver, Indianapolis, Atlanta, L.A. Rams and Cleveland.

Before we get to my PPR rankings, I want to once again point out the games with high point totals since they can typically be counted on to provide the most fantasy points. These are Week 17's three highest totals on SI Sportsbook. The highest point total game is Bears vs. Lions (O/U 51.5). The next two highest totals are Bills vs. Bengals (O/U 49.5) and Vikings vs. Packers (O/U 48.5).

I recommend that you fade matchups with low point totals because they are unreliable and result in fewer fantasy points. The contest with the lowest point total on SI Sportsbook is Steelers vs. Ravens (O/U 35.5). The next two lowest point total games are Colts vs. Giants (O/U 38.5) and Panthers vs. Buccaneers (O/U 39.5).

NFL Playoff Picture:
AFC Last Team In: Dolphins (8-7, 2nd in AFC East)
AFC First Team Out: Patriots (7-8, 3rd in AFC East)
NFC Last Team In: Commanders (7-7-1, 4th in NFC East)
NFC First Team Out: Seahawks (7-8, 2nd in NFC West)

NOTE: The rankings below reflect my opening rankings. For a complete list of the updated positional rankings, CLICK HERE.

Week 17 team defense rankings:

1. Cowboys, DAL (at TEN)
2. 49ers, SF (at LV)
3. Chiefs, KC (vs. DEN)
4. Eagles, PHI (vs. NO)
5. Ravens, BAL (vs. PIT)
6. Jaguars, JAC (at HOU)
7. Giants, NYG (vs. IND)
8. Jets, NYJ (at SEA)
9. Chargers, LAC (vs. LAR)
10. Buccaneers, TB (vs. CAR)
11. Patriots, NE (vs. MIA)
12. Bills, BUF (at CIN)
13. Commanders, WAS (vs. CLE)
14. Lions, DET (vs. CHI)
15. Steelers, PIT (at BAL)
16. Browns, CLE (at WAS)
17. Seahawks, SEA (vs. NYJ)
18. Panthers, CAR (at TB)
19. Packers, GB (vs. MIN)
20. Dolphins, MIA (at NE)
21. Bengals, CIN (vs. BUF)
22. Vikings, MIN (at GB)
23. Rams, LAR (at LAC)
24. Falcons, ATL (vs. ARI)
25. Colts , IND (at NYG)
26. Cardinals, ARI (at ATL)
27. Raiders, LV (vs. SF)
28. Texans, HOU (vs. JAC)
29. Saints , NO (at PHI)
30. Bears , CHI (at DET)
31. Titans, TEN (vs. DAL)
32. Broncos, DEN (at KC)