Football
NFL Fantasy Football Week 17: Under the Radar with Consistency!
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NFL Fantasy Football Week 17 is here, and in this week’s “Under the Radar with Consistency” series, we’re focusing on help for the Championship round of the playoffs.
Merry Christmas, and I hope you’re all enjoying the holidays! It’s NFL Fantasy Football Week 17, and the “Under the Radar” series is here for you. Read on to see which under-the-radar players are going to help you win a championship!
For those who are new or need a refresher, here are a few key terms and definitions to help you during the season when reading.
- Clutch Factor (CF) – the average points a player needs to meet or exceed a Clutch Game based on scoring settings and league size. Think QB1, RB2, WR2, and TE1 thresholds.
- Clutch Games (CG) – weekly per-game award for a player who hits the CF factor. The more of these, the more consistent the player is.
- Clutch Rate (CR) – total of CG earned divided by total games; top fantasy players are usually > 70%.
- Football Consistency Report Tool (Scoring can be edited/Standard listed below)
- Based on 12-team leagues
- 4 points per passing touchdown
- 6 points for all other touchdowns
- 1 point per reception (PPR)
- 1 point per 20 passing yards
- 1 point per 10 rushing yards or 10 receiving yards
Let’s dig in and see who’s already flying under the radar for consistency week 17! Need more consistency? Sign up today to get full access to all the tools available at BGFS!
Fantasy Football Under the Radar (with consistency) – 12/26/2025
QB Tyler Shough, NO, NFL Fantasy Football Week 17.
The New Orleans Saints have gone through a bit of a roller coaster this season at QB. When Derek Carr retired before the season, the Saints scrambled and ended up drafting Tyler Shough in the 2nd round (40th overall). Shough didn’t start the season as the Saints initially rolled out Spencer Rattler.
Shough took the reins in week 8 and hasn’t looked back. Since Week 13, he’s QB9 in points per game at 19. He’s also eclipsed 239 passing yards in five of his last six games and posted a career high of 308 yards last week. He’s at 50% CR on the year, but he’s posted four straight Clutch Games.
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(2025 Statistics: 50% CR, QB33: 13.3 PPG, 19% Rostered on Yahoo!)
Shough hasn’t just been putting up numbers through the air; he’s also been dangerous with his feet. As a matter of fact, in Week 14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Shough had 7 carries, 55 rushing yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns.
Shough is a deep play at this point, but if you’re stuck in a game where you might be without Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels (who already missed his game), or Jordan Love, then he could be your answer this week.
OTHER Options: Bryce Young (19%, he does have a tough matchup against SEA)
RB Blake Corum, LAR,
He’s back again this week, Blake Corum. His roster percentage has increased by 4% since last week, but it’s still not enough. He grabbed another Clutch Game this past week, making it four straight weeks of doing so.
Corum is averaging 16.6 points per game over his last four games and is RB8 during that stretch. He’s had double-digit carries in three straight games, and it looks like that will continue moving forward. With a game this week against Atlanta, who’s middle of the pack at fantasy RB production, Corum should see a healthy touch total.
(2025 Statistics: 36% CR, RB42: 7.5 PPG, 46% Rostered on Yahoo!)
Atlanta is capable of putting up points on their own with Kirk Cousins at QB, Bijan Robinson at RB, Drake London at WR, and Kyle Pitts showing up as a legit TE1. The Rams have had a few injuries and have relied on their ground game recently. With Davante Adams potentially out again this week, I don’t think McVay makes any changes.
If you missed out on Corum last week, I would make the move this week. If nothing else, I would roster him to make sure he’s not an option for my opponent (if I have the roster space).
OTHER Low Rostered Options: Michael Carter (45%), Audric Estime (12%), Raheim Sanders (1%)
WR Luther Burden, CHI,
We’ve already gotten news that the Chicago Bears will be without Rome Odunze this week. That, in itself, isn’t news as Odunze has missed several weeks now. The bigger news is that Luther Burden, the Bears’ impressive rookie WR, is set to play this week.
He missed last week, but before that, Burden had two straight Clutch Games. He averaged 12.7 points in those two games. Furthermore, Burden has been seeing his targets increase. He’s had five or more in five straight games and 6+ in his last three games.
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Don’t forget, you can see how consistent your players are in your league with your scoring method by checking the Consistency Report.
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(2025 Statistics: 23% CR, WR62: 7.1 PPG, 16% Rostered on Yahoo!)
The Bears are on the road this week with a matchup against the leaky 49ers defense. San Francisco just let Philip Rivers come out of retirement and throw for 277 yards and 2 touchdowns last week. Caleb Williams should have his way with this defense, and Burden is going to be a big part of it.
Burden is easily a WR3/FLEX play for this week, and you even get the benefit of him being a late game (Sunday Night). At only 16% rostered, he’s a great pickup in deep leagues and/or if you’re in a pinch to fill out your lineup with injuries.
WR Adam Thielen, PIT, NFL Fantasy Football Week 17.
This one is going deep into the bag. Adam Thielen was picked up by the Steelers a couple of weeks ago upon his request to be released by the Minnesota Vikings. The idea was he would be on a contender in Minnesota, but when that didn’t work out, he moved on to Pittsburgh, where he’s now on a playoff contender.
Thielen hasn’t put up any real numbers this year, although last week was his best week at 8.9 points. For me, this is about opportunity, since D.K. Metcalf is now suspended, Thielen bumps up to de facto WR1 for the Steelers this week.
(2025 Statistics: 0% CR, WR129: 2.1 PPG, 4% Rostered on Yahoo!)
Last week, we saw some rapport with Thielen and Aaron Rodgers as Thielen caught all four of his targets for 49 yards. We all know that Rodgers trusts sure-handed WRs, and Thielen might be one of the best at that. Let’s not forget that this is the same guy who averaged 17.65 points per game in the final six games of 2024. That would make WR8 this year.
It’s a stretch, but in a couple of leagues where I’ve been devastated by injuries, I’m rolling Thielen out one last time. I think he’s one of the best deep options available at WR.
OTHER Low Rostered Options: Jalen Coker (13%), Jack Bech (2%)
TE Mike Gesicki, CIN, NFL Fantasy Football Week 17.
Okay, so Harold Fannin Jr. popped up on the injury report (groin). With him finally being picked up and looking like a must-start, he’s now got a chance to miss the game. With that said, let’s jump on the Bengals circus and grab some Mike Gesicki.
Over the past three weeks, Gesicki has averaged 11.73 points. He’s TE11 during that stretch. This week, the Bengals get a pass-friendly matchup against the 25th-ranked pass defense in Arizona. That game profiles as a shootout, so fantasy points should be aplenty.
(2025 Statistics: 10% CR, TE40: 5.5 PPG, 5% Rostered on Yahoo!)
Over the past three weeks, we’ve seen Gesicki in the 40-50% snap percentage, and he’s definitely the pass-catching TE in Cincinnati. A double-digit point scoring week from a TE is a blessing, especially in a week where we have several high-end options showing up on injury reports (Kyle Pitts, George Kittle, and Fannin).
Obviously, I would take Trey McBride, Fannin, Pitts, or Kittle in a perfect TE world, but most of us don’t have that option. With that in mind, playing a good matchup that profiles as a shootout is your best bet for fantasy points at the TE position. Gesicki fits the bill this week.
Happy Holidays, and thanks for reading! Be sure to keep an eye out for some end-of-season articles coming out soon. Want more? Follow me on X: @JKeasy. Remember, it’s all about consistency, and Big Guy Fantasy Sports is the best in the business!
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