For most fantasy leagues, Week 17 is championship week. It’s the last full week of the regular season before teams with locked up playoff spots start resting their players for the playoffs.
Everything comes down to this and the quarterback position figures to play a significant role with many top signal callers entering juicy matchups for fantasy purposes. Whether you’ve been riding Josh Allen or Tom Brady to the championship or you’re on the waiver wire looking for a last-minute add, don’t find yourself on the losing end of the title game because your QB fell flat.
Here are the top 20 quarterbacks for Week 17.
Byes: None
2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL QB RANKINGS: WEEK 17
Weekly rankings: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Defense/Special Teams
1. Josh Allen (Bills) vs. Falcons
- 2021 passing stats: 374 completions, 4,048 yards, 34 TDs, 12 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 102 attempts, 619 yards, 4 TDs, 8 fumbles
Josh Allen leads all fantasy players with 369.9 points this season and he nabs the top spot this week going up against the dreadful Falcons defense. Atlanta allows the third-most fantasy points per game to QBs (19.4) and fantasy owners should feel confident starting Allen in all formats.
2. Aaron Rodgers (Packers) vs. Vikings
- 2021 passing stats: 323 completions, 3,689 yards, 33 TDs, 4 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 30 attempts, 86 yards, 3 TDs, 3 fumbles
A top-8 QB each of the last five weeks he’s played a game, Aaron Rodgers is on some kind of tear with 17 touchdowns and no interceptions over that span. It all started with a four-touchdown performance against the Vikings in Week 11 and there’s no reason to expect different results this time around.
3. Tom Brady (Buccaneers) at Jets
- 2021 passing stats: 422 completions, 4,580 yards, 37 TDs, 11 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 28 attempts, 81 yards, 2 TDs, 4 fumbles
Fantasy owners of Tom Brady might consider themselves lucky to still be alive in the playoffs considering his performance the last two weeks. However, there’s no better get-right opponent than the Jets, who give up chunk yardage through the air and only have six interceptions all year. Ride Brady one last time.
4. Jalen Hurts (Eagles) at Washington
- 2021 passing stats: 248 completions, 2,930 yards, 16 TDs, 9 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 132 attempts, 740 yards, 10 TDs, 9 fumbles
Jalen Hurts finds himself back in the top five this week going up against Washington, the only defense in the NFL allowing more than 20 fantasy points per game to QBs (23.0). Hurts torched the Football Team for three total touchdowns in Week 15 and the way that defense is scuffling, he’s a must-start.
5. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) at Bengals
- 2021 passing stats: 383 completions, 4,310 yards, 33 TDs, 13 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 55 attempts, 302 yards, 2 TDs, 9 fumbles
The Patrick Mahomes of old appears to be back in full force. He has just one interception over his last three games while throwing eight touchdowns and averaging 308.7 passing yards per contest. Cincinnati is no push-over, but fantasy owners drafted Mahomes early for a reason. This is that reason.
6. Matt Stafford (Rams) at Ravens
- 2021 passing stats: 357 completions, 4,339 yards, 36 TDs, 13 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 31 attempts, 44 yards, 0 TDs, 4 fumbles
Yes, Matt Stafford threw three interceptions last week. It was the first time in 55 games that he did so, snapping a streak that dated back to Week 1 of the 2018 season. Fantasy owners might have a sour taste in their mouths, but just look at what Joe Burrow did to the Ravens last week. Stafford has too much upside to let emotions get in the way.
7. Justin Herbert (Chargers) vs. Broncos
- 2021 passing stats: 387 completions, 4,394 yards, 33 TDs, 14 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 57 attempts, 299 yards, 3 TDs, 1 fumble
Justin Herbert has finished outside the top 10 fantasy QBs just once since Week 9, leading all signal callers in fantasy points over that span. He has a tough assignment this week in the Broncos but retains as high a floor as anybody. The only reason not to start him would be if you roster one of the above QBs.
8. Joe Burrow (Bengals) vs. Chiefs
- 2021 passing stats: 336 completions, 4,165 yards, 30 TDs, 14 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 35 attempts, 108 yards, 2 TDs, 5 fumbles
If you’ve been following along these rankings this year, then you know Joe Burrow has made a few appearances in the top 10. So don’t consider this an overreaction when you read that Burrow can win you a fantasy championship this weekend. The Chiefs’ defense is improved but still leaky, and the Bengals QB is playing some really good football right now.
9. Kyler Murray (Cardinals) at Cowboys
- 2021 passing stats: 279 completions, 3,284 yards, 21 TDs, 10 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 74 attempts, 344 yards, 5 TDs, 13 fumbles
The Cardinals have dropped three straight and Kyler Murray’s play has been far from inspiring for fantasy owners. He still has the QB1 upside that we saw from him during Arizona’s 7-0 start, but the Cowboys allow the sixth-fewest fantasy points to QBs. If you’re looking for a Hail Mary of a win, Murray is a solid choice.
10. Dak Prescott (Cowboys) vs. Cardinals
- 2021 passing stats: 365 completions, 3,928 yards, 29 TDs, 10 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 43 attempts, 126 yards, 1 TD, 11 fumbles
There’s nothing like a matchup with the Washington defense to bust you out of a slump. Dak Prescott entered Week 16 with just five touchdowns in his last four games. He then threw four of them in the first half against Washington before eventually being taken out for Cooper Rush in the fourth quarter. His expectation should be somewhere in the middle facing Arizona this weekend.
11. Lamar Jackson (Ravens) vs. Rams
- 2021 passing stats: 246 completions, 2,882 yards, 16 TDs, 13 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 133 attempts, 767 yards, 2 TDs, 6 fumbles
12. Russell Wilson (Seahawks) vs. Lions
- 2021 passing stats: 224 completions, 2,639 yards, 18 TDs, 5 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 33 attempts, 154 yards, 1 TD, 5 fumbles
13. Kirk Cousins (Vikings) at Packers
- 2021 passing stats: 358 completions, 3,971 yards, 30 TDs, 7 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 28 attempts, 116 yards, 1 TD, 11 fumbles
14. Taysom Hill (Saints) vs. Panthers
- 2021 passing stats: 54 completions, 649 yards, 2 TDs, 5 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 53 attempts, 311 yards, 5 TDs, 2 fumbles
15. Trey Lance (49ers) vs. Texans
- 2021 passing stats: 25 completions, 354 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
- 2021 rushing stats: 30 attempts, 137 yards, 1 TD, 0 fumbles
16. Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins) at Titans
- 2021 passing stats: 230 completions, 2,339 yards, 15 TDs, 9 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 35 attempts, 89 yards, 3 TDs, 6 fumbles
17. Derek Carr (Raiders) at Colts
- 2021 passing stats: 384 completions, 4,363 yards, 20 TDs, 12 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 39 attempts, 109 yards, 0 TDs, 12 fumbles
18. Mac Jones (Patriots) vs. Jaguars
- 2021 passing stats: 310 completions, 3,313 yards, 18 TDs, 12 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 39 attempts, 113 yards, 0 TDs, 6 fumbles
19. Jared Goff (Lions) at Seahawks
- 2021 passing stats: 311 completions, 3,007 yards, 17 TDs, 8 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 17 attempts, 87 yards, 0 TDs, 9 fumbles
20. Justin Fields (Bears) vs. Giants
- 2021 passing stats: 159 completions, 1,870 yards, 7 TDs, 10 INTs
- 2021 rushing stats: 72 attempts, 420 yards, 2 TDs, 12 fumbles
Weekly rankings: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Defense/Special Teams
All stats via FantasyPros