Week 17 Wrap: Saquon Barkley surpasses 2,000 rushing yards in the fantasy football championships

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles

• Saquon Barkley entered the record books while helping the Eagles clinch the NFC East, becoming just the ninth running back in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards. He saw a season-high 31 carries with Jalen Hurts out, including five straight to open a drive in the fourth quarter, netting him 52 yards and pushing him over 2,000. Barkley was then immediately removed, as he finished as fantasy’s RB4 this week despite not finding the end zone and sitting the final 10:49 of the lopsided win.

• Barkley is just 101 rushing yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s 40-year record, and he looks poised to do so in Week 18. Remarkably, just four of Barkley’s 15 touchdowns have come from inside 10 yards this season. Just imagine his fantasy season if Hurts didn’t steal 11 goal-line TD runs. Barkley will be 28 years old next season, but he’ll enter 2025 with a strong argument to be fantasy’s top pick.

• The Eagles didn’t run a snap on offense until 10 minutes into the game (with Dallas already totaling 100 yards) and had just six plays in the first quarter, but Kenny Pickett was effective (9.5 YPA) while recording a TD pass and run. Pickett had a third touchdown to A.J. Brown during the opening drive in the second half nullified by penalty. To add injury to insult, Pickett took a hit on the play from Micah Parsons that would force him to exit the game. Pickett then watched QB3 Tanner McKee toss touchdowns on two of his four career pass attempts.

• DeVonta Smith was banged up in the first quarter but shook it off and pulled down touchdowns from each Philadelphia quarterback Sunday. Smith was also tackled at the 1-yard line late in the first half (Pickett executed a tush push TD instead), so he almost had three TDs despite the Eagles attempting just 19 passes in the easy win.

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• Before departing, Pickett had the play of the day. Only the opposite. Pickett also required a pain-killing injection for his broken ribs both before the game and at halftime, but he couldn’t finish, so McKee might be starting in Week 18.

• Brown nearly had the catch of the year, but he was just outside the end zone (he would record a TD catch later that same drive).

• C.J. Gardner-Johnson recorded a pick-six during Dallas’ opening drive, as the Eagles forced nine takeaways over two games versus the Cowboys this season.

• Grant Calcaterra pulled down a sick one-handed catch:

• Nick Sirianni has the second-most wins (behind George Seifert) through four seasons in coaching history.

• Rico Dowdle eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the fourth time over his last five games, but he lost a fumble and hasn’t reached the end zone over the last month. It was still an impressive performance in a tough matchup and on a depleted Dallas offense missing CeeDee Lamb.

Atlanta Falcons @ Washington Commanders

• Jayden Daniels threw three touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime. He also ran for a career-high 127 yards, surpassing Robert Griffin III for the most rushing yards by a rookie QB in NFL history. Daniels was tackled at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter, but he finished as a top-five QB this week anyway. The Commanders are averaging the most points per game with a rookie QB ever, and Daniels has led Washington to a playoff berth.

• Olamide Zaccheaus was the WR110 over Weeks 1-15, but he’s pulled down three touchdowns over the last two weeks and recorded a career-high eight catches Sunday night. Zaccheaus also committed a late drop and had a second TD catch nullified by penalty in the fourth quarter.

• Terry McLaurin saved his worst fantasy performance of the season for championship week. McLaurin had more touchdowns (six) over his previous four games than he had receiving yards (five) Sunday night.

• Brian Robinson Jr. saw 13-of-19 RB rush attempts, but he lost a goal-line score to Chris Rodriguez Jr. and was stuffed at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.

• Bijan Robinson had two TD runs in the first half, when he also forced eight missed tackles (he leads the league this season). Robinson had a very quiet second half, and Michael Penix Jr. missed him wide-open, which could’ve gone for a 67-yard touchdown late in the first quarter, but he was fantasy’s RB3 this week anyway. The Falcons had 101 rushing yards in the first half but just 25 in the second half and overtime.

• Penix’s aDOT (12.5 yards) was in the 95th percentile, as he consistently attacked downfield. The rookie QB made a nice tackle after an interception, and Penix’s first career touchdown pass came on fourth-and-goal from the 13-yard line to send the game to overtime. The Falcons lost the coin toss and then never saw the ball.

• Drake London saw 13 targets and eclipsed 100 receiving yards for just the second time this season. He secured a clutch 31-yard catch on a fourth-and-11 to extend the game late in the fourth quarter, and London was open for a touchdown during Atlanta’s final drive — but Penix overthrew him in the end zone (before finding Pitts for the score). London and Penix figure to be a strong connection for years to come.

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills

• Josh Allen bounced back with three total touchdowns before resting the entire fourth quarter. The Bills are locked into the No. 2 seed, so it will be interesting to see how much (if at all) Allen plays next week while fighting for the MVP award.

• James Cook recorded his 15th rushing touchdown after totaling four over his first two years in the league. He’s up to 17 total TDs on the year despite playing with a quarterback who’s run for 12 scores.

• Amari Cooper saw just three targets, but one went for a nice 30-yard touchdown.

• Keon Coleman led Buffalo with seven targets. He hauled in a score and also had a 40-yard catch on the opening drive nullified by penalty.

• Aaron Rodgers entered aiming for his 500th career TD pass, but he became the most sacked QB in NFL history (surpassing Tom Brady) instead. He had a 14:1 TD:INT ratio over his previous eight games, but Rodgers was picked off twice Sunday, when he also took his first safety in nearly a decade. The Bills’ defense was healthier Sunday, but they had allowed 35.6 points per game over the last three weeks. To make Rodgers look even worse, Tyrod Taylor immediately threw two touchdowns after replacing him in the fourth quarter. Rodgers produced the lowest QBR (1.2) of any game this season.

• Davante Adams was clearly limited by his injury (and Rodgers), and he finally failed to come up big during fantasy championship week.

• Garrett Wilson suffered a bad lost fumble in the third quarter, but he added a garbage-time TD catch from Taylor.

• Breece Hall failed again, seeing just one target against a Buffalo team bleeding receptions to backs. Hall was the No. 2 fantasy back behind only Christian McCaffrey after his snap limit was lifted in Week 6 last season, but he will go down as a fantasy bust in 2024 despite being a year further removed from knee surgery and the Jets replacing Zach Wilson with a four-time MVP winner at quarterback.

Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Baker Mayfield was 16-of-20 for 225 passing yards (11.3 YPA) with three TD passes at halftime. He’d finish with a career-high five touchdown tosses, benefitting from a bunch of throws inside the 10. Mayfield has 14 TD passes over the last four games, and he finished as fantasy’s QB2 this week. Mayfield has been great (his +20.2% CPOE was in the 98th percentile this week), but OC Liam Coen also deserves a ton of credit for an incredibly effective system.

• Bucky Irving impressed yet again while acting as Tampa Bay’s clear lead back (Rachaad White appeared to be punished for losing a crucial fumble last week). Irving was tackled at the 1-yard line after a nice catch-and-run, only to watch Mayfield throw four touchdowns inside the 10. Irving will enter 2025 as a clear top-10 fantasy back.

• Mike Evans caught two short touchdowns after teammates were tackled just shy of the end zone, and he’ll enter Week 18 only 85 receiving yards short of his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard season to open his career.

• Jalen McMillan caught two more touchdowns, giving him six over the last four games. He’s totaled just 25 targets over that span (so regression is obvious), but it helps playing for a Tampa Bay offense averaging 32.7 points over six games since its bye.

• The Buccaneers recorded a blocked punt that was returned for a score, with the help of a duck?

• Bryce Young took too many sacks, but he got zero help from his rushing attack (or defense) with Chuba Hubbard out and finished with a +9.9% CPOE despite an aDOT (13.8 yards) in the 98th percentile.

• Adam Thielen had four catches for 107 yards and two touchdown catches in the first half. He’d add just one reception for three yards in the second half and finish with only six targets, but Thielen was fantasy’s WR6 this week anyway.

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings

• Sam Darnold threw for a career-high 377 passing yards and multiple TDs for the sixth time in his last seven games. Darnold is the latest example of why it often pays to wait on drafting fantasy quarterbacks, but he’s been even better than his most optimistic fans could’ve hoped. Darnold has posted a 100+ Passer Rating during 13-of-16 games this season. His 14 wins are the most ever by a Minnesota QB, and the Vikings will be the No. 1 seed if they win in Detroit next week.

• Jordan Addison was open for a 40-yard touchdown in the first quarter, but Darnold underthrew him. Addison bounced back with a TD catch during the second half’s opening drive, but his fantasy game could’ve been much bigger.

• Justin Jefferson saw no official targets until six minutes were left in the first half, although he helped Jalen Nailor get wide-open for an easy score and drew a 17-yard defensive pass interference penalty. Jefferson also pulled down an incredible catch in the fourth quarter that was negated by penalty. Not scoring was disappointing after recording five TDs over the past three weeks and Jaire Alexander being out, but Jefferson has recorded at least seven catches for five straight games, and his presence was huge for the Vikings’ win.

• Josh Jacobs scored a rushing touchdown for the seventh straight game (totaling 11 over that span), but he lost his second fumble (during the opening drive) over the last three weeks and a late goal-line score to Emanuel Wilson. Jacobs had an awesome 19-yard TD run in the fourth quarter called back (Wilson would run in a score later that drive), and he leads the NFL in rushing yards on inside runs this season. Sunday was a solid effort in a tough matchup and coming off short rest.

• Jordan Love’s biggest fantasy issue had been volume, but he flopped once again in a matchup against a pass-funnel defense. Love threw for 389 yards and four touchdowns when he faced the Vikings earlier this year, but he managed just 6.2 YPA while indoors this week. Love had been just the QB28 since Week 8 before Sunday’s dud, as he’s been a fantasy bust over the second half of the season.

• Romeo Doubs led Green Bay in targets (11) with Christian Watson sidelined, while Jayden Reed recorded just one catch for six yards despite a zone-heavy matchup. Reed committed a bad drop on fourth down to end a second quarter drive; he’s also been a fantasy bust over the second half.

Indianapolis Colts @ New York Giants

• Drew Lock started 7-of-8 for 153 passing yards and three touchdowns (and a perfect 158.3 Passer Rating). He became the first Giants’ QB to record 300+ passing yards, four TD passes and a TD run in the same game since Eli Manning in 2014. Lock finished as fantasy’s QB3 and with the sixth-best EPA/play by any quarterback since 1999! Daniel Jones hasn’t thrown three TDs in a game since 2020.

• Malik Nabers was playing injured and saw his second-fewest targets (eight) in any game this season, but he turned them into two touchdowns and a career-high 171 yards. Nabers’ first target of the game went for a 31-yard score, and he’d later add a 59-yarder in the fourth quarter. Nabers was also tackled inside the 1-yard line, so he nearly had three touchdowns after being a “game-day decision.” Nabers is up to 104 catches on the season (despite missing two games), so he has a chance to break Bowers’ record in Week 18. Nabers’ upside is fantasy’s WR1 as soon as next season, but New York needs to get him a quarterback.

• Dane Belton recorded a nice interception, and New York returned the opening second-half kickoff for a touchdown.

• The Giants went from having the No. 1 overall pick to No. 4 after winning.

• New York entered averaging an NFL-low 14.3 points but somehow scored 45 for the first time since 2015.

• The Giants snapped their 10-game losing streak and avoided becoming the first team ever to finish 0-9 at home.

• Jonathan Taylor finished as fantasy’s RB1 during each of the last two championship weeks of the season. He’d struggled with Joe Flacco earlier this season, but Taylor matched a career-high with 32 carries Sunday. He’s scored five rushing touchdowns over the last two weeks, and Taylor has racked up 450 rushing yards over the last three. Taylor appeared a bit banged up in the second half (and ceded some snaps), and he also botched an easy walk-in two-point conversion in a 28-26 game. Still, managers will forgive Taylor, who's been one of fantasy’s heroes in the playoffs.

• Joe Flacco had both an ugly pick and lost a fumble inside the final three minutes. The Giants entered with just three interceptions all season but recorded two Sunday. Still, Flacco slung it 38 times and helped both Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce finish as top 10 fantasy WRs this week.

Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars

• Brian Thomas Jr. saw double-digit targets for the fifth straight game, and he scored his fifth touchdown over that span (performing a “too small” celebration afterward). BTJ saw multiple designed plays and had 89 yards from scrimmage and seven targets by halftime. The rookie was tackled inside the 5-yard line after an 18-yard run, but fantasy managers can’t complain. Thomas Jr. will deal with more target competition next year, but he’ll be a borderline first-round fantasy pick in 2025.

• Parker Washington pulled down an incredible catch in the back of the end zone.

• Tyjae Spears set a career-high with 95 rushing yards before exiting with another concussion late in the third quarter. Spears was fantastic Sunday, and he can be a top-10 fantasy back any week he’s given a full workload. But Sunday marked his second concussion of the season (despite wearing the Guardian Cap few other RBs do); he’s not built for a heavy workload.

Las Vegas Raiders @ New Orleans Saints

• Ameer Abdullah saw 24 opportunities while suddenly acting as Las Vegas’ lead back. Abdullah impressed while amassing 147 yards from scrimmage, topping 100 rushing yards for the first time in his 10-year career. Abdullah nearly scored, but he was tackled at the 1-yard line on back-to-back plays during the opening drive (Alexander Mattison was also stuffed on the next play).

• Brock Bowers secured all seven targets and broke the record for most catches by a rookie. He’s up to 108 with one more game to go.

• Jakobi Meyers caught his first TD in nine weeks, although his day could’ve been even bigger. Aidan O’Connell had a bad throw during a possible long gain to Meyers during the opening drive, and Meyers fell in the end zone on what would’ve been his second TD grab early in the fourth quarter.

• Spencer Rattler led New Orleans in rushing (Clyde Edwards-Helaire saw more opportunities than Kendre Miller), but he finished with a -14.2% completion percentage over expectation in the seventh percentile.

• Foster Moreau’s touchdown catch came via some trickery.

• The Saints finished with just 22:10 time of possession.

Miami Dolphins @ Cleveland Browns

• Tyreek Hill maintained fantasy value despite Tua Tagovailoa being out, but the move to Tyler Huntley destroyed De’Von Achane during championship week. Achane had seen at least seven targets in four straight games before getting just two Sunday despite no Jaylen Waddle.

• Jerome Ford injured his ankle midway through the second quarter, which led to D’Onta Foreman leading Cleveland in carries.

• Jerry Jeudy suffered a drop to end the opening drive of the second half, but his 18 targets were the third most in any game this season. Jeudy turned them into 12 catches for 94 scoreless yards, which is herculean given his quarterback.

• Dorian Thompson-Robinson got 3.6 YPA on 47 passes. His -14.9% CPOE was in the sixth percentile despite an aDOT (5.6 yards) in the ninth. It’s almost unfathomable, but DTR has produced just six points during his last 30 drives. Few if any quarterbacks have been less effective in NFL history.