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For those still alive in fantasy football leagues, Week 17 offers a bigger minefield to navigate than usual.
Other than dealing with the usual factors, such as matchups, injuries and the like, owners also have to worry about a contender shrugging off a meaningless game and not playing starters for all four frames.
Even worse, teams could outright not play starters at all.
So it goes for those late-ending leagues, with rumblings of starters not playing harder to nail down than official injury reports. As such, let's take a look at matchup comparisons at each spot, though owners will want to keep hitting refresh on sits right up until kickoff Sunday.
Quarterback
Matchup to Exploit: Aaron Rodgers, GB (at DET)
With many big names perhaps taking a seat for periods in Week 17, owners have to find quarterbacks with something to play for.
Hence Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers here. The man has 21 or more points 10 times this year and enters Week 17 seeking a playoff berth, coming off a 36-point outburst.
His next opponents are the Detroit Lions, who are allowing the fifth-most points to quarterbacks this year, with six passing scores allowed over their last three outings.
Rodgers hit up the Lions for 26 points on four touchdown passes back in Week 3, so the rematch figures to be just as lucrative.
Matchup to Avoid: Kirk Cousins, WAS (vs. NYG)
Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins also has something to play for to close the season, but he's in a no-fly zone against the New York Giants.
Cousins posted 19 points on these Giants back in Week 3. But that is looking more and more like an anomaly, seeing as that is the biggest output New York has allowed all year to quarterbacks and the fact it hasn't happened again.
As such, the Giants allow the second-fewest points to quarterbacks this year and have allowed multiple passing scores in a game just three times.
With everything at stake after a grueling season, leaning on Cousins to pull off another miracle seems too risky.
Running Back
Matchup to Exploit: Thomas Rawls, SEA (at SF)
The Seattle Seahawks could have running back Tomas Rawls use a game against the San Francisco 49ers as a warmup for the postseason.
Rawls has been erratic at best since taking the field in Week 11. He has a high of 23 points but has not hit double digits over his past three outings, marred by either injuries or poor matchups.
Now healthy and going against a defense that is coughing up the most points to running backs on average, Rawls should have a huge day as he preps for the playoffs.
Keep in mind former teammate Christine Michael hit up the 49ers for 22 points on 20 carries for 106 yards and two scores earlier this year. Similar production for Rawls isn't out of the question.
Matchup to Avoid: Jay Ajayi, MIA (vs. NE)
Look, it's no fun to sit a guy like Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi with everything on the line.
But look at the whole situation. Ajayi is dealing with a shoulder injury. It won't hold him out—but the coaches might. Miami is heading to the playoffs soon and needs Ajayi at 100 percent.
And beside, a game against the New England Patriots is always prone to turn into a blowout, which means less running and more passing.
If Ajayi sees a full workload? Keep in mind he's hit single digits in three of his last four and that the Patriots are permitting the third-fewest points to backs on average this year. It's simply a miserable situation worth avoiding.
Wide Receiver
Matchup to Exploit: Golden Tate, DET (vs. GB)
If owners couldn't tell, the Green Bay-Detroit standoff promises plenty of scoring.
For the Lions through the air, it's all about Golden Tate. The veteran has passed Marvin Jones in relevance as of late and has outings of 12 and 20 points over his last four games.
Granted, the other outings were single-digit performances, making Tate a feast-or-famine sort of guy. Owners can expect a feast against the Packers, though, seeing as the team permits the most points to wideouts on average.
Tate only scored four points on the Packers in Week 3, but remember Jones erupted for 32 thanks to a pair of touchdowns. Keep in mind Jones has since fallen on the back burner and hasn't scored since Week 6, meaning Tate is the No. 1 option in a great situation.
Matchup to Avoid: Michael Crabtree, OAK (at DEN)
Oakland Raiders wideout Michael Crabtree has been a revelation for fantasy owners this year, hitting double digits nine times and leading the team in targets, catches and touchdowns.
A couple of factors make the veteran a must-sit player to close the season, though.
For one, Crabtree has to go against the Denver Broncos, the team allowing the fewest points to receivers on average. It's a unit that kept him in line in Week 9, holding him to two points.
Two, the 29-year-old doesn't have starting quarterback Derek Carr under center anymore. The coaching staff will want Crabtree to get some reps in with the new starter before the playoffs, but it won't be a productive day from a fantasy outlook.
Tight End
Matchup to Exploit: Travis Kelce, KC (at SD)
Tight end is a bit of a wasteland from a matchup standpoint in Week 17 thanks to injuries and playoff teams suggesting questionable usage.
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, though, doesn't need a ton game time to make an impact—and especially not against the San Diego Chargers.
Those Chargers have allowed seven or more points to opposing tight ends nine times this year, a nice floor for any tight end lining up against the unit.
Kelce isn't any tight end, of course. He has seven double-digit outings on the year, five which have come over his last six outings. He might not even need to score in order to hit the mark again.
Matchup to Avoid: Delanie Walker, TEN (vs. HOU)
Owners would have a better time finding a streaming option than trotting out Delanie Walker of the Tennessee Titans to close the season.
It has all unraveled for Walker and the Titans. He hasn't hit double digits since Week 12. He scored in Week 16, but there is a big difference between doing so on the Jacksonville Jaguars and making it happen against the Houston Texans.
The Texans surrender just the third-fewest points to tight ends on average, with only three scores allowed all year. Walker only posted three points on the unit back in Week 4.
Sans Marcus Mariota, Walker will fizzle to end the year.
All scoring info and statistics courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.
Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
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