Hannah Wilkes helps you navigate your way through the 2021 season in her weekly column; watch NFL Overtime with Hannah, and guest Phoebe Schecter, Thursday from 9pm on Sky Sports NFL
Thursday 30 December 2021 10:28, UK
Sky Sports' NFL Fantasy Football guru Hannah Wilkes helps you navigate your way through the season in her weekly column where, this week, she goes early on her Team of the Year...
Well, here we are. The end of 2021 and the end of the Fantasy Football season. Whether you've made it to your Super Bowl or are purely playing for pride, congratulations on making it this far. It's been without doubt the most unpredictable of NFL seasons in memory, and with Covid still tearing through the league there's likely to be a few more surprises before Week 17 concludes.
I'm away next week (I hope, travel is a lot of paperwork these days so I've probably neglected something key) so as well as the usual Fantasy ponderings I've gone early on my Fantasy Team of the Year. Let's hope they don't all bust out this week.
In the meantime, keep checking those injury reports and Covid lists, buckle up, and go win that Championship!
At Sky Sports NFL we are lucky enough to be sent a huge research pack by the clever folks over at NFL Research every week. As you can imagine, come the final few weeks of the season there is a 'Playoff Picture' page included in the pack. Never before have I seen it get longer and more complicated as we get closer to the end of the season.
As we head into the penultimate week of the regular season there are still 24 teams in playoff contention and four divisions remain unclinched: the AFC North, East, and South and the NFC West.
The destiny of the AFC North lies in the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals, who will lock up their first division title since 2015 with a win. They just need to beat the Kansas City Chiefs who come in hot on an eight-game winning streak and are looking to lock up the No 1 seed in the AFC for that all important bye week.
Patrick Mahomes vs Joe Burrow (after a 525-yard, four-TD day last Sunday), with this much on the line for both teams? Throw in Tyreek Hill, the return of Travis Kelce, Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins and we could be in some sort of Fantasy fever dream come Sunday evening.
Don't be too nervous of Burrow vs that surging Chiefs defense: he's averaging a little under 25 points per game, and over 330 pass yards in the last month. So there's room for drop off and him still to be successful.
Ah, the heady days of September when CMC and Derrick Henry were a guaranteed recipe for success. To be perfectly honest, I put down my lack of success in a couple of leagues to the running back chaos we've witnessed this year.
Some unexpected names had big weeks last time out, but a lot of stars are off Covid lists and back in the fold this weekend (Austin Ekeleker, Dalvin Cook is slated to return) so Justin Jackson's RB1 week is unlikely to repeat, and I really wouldn't rely on Rex Burkhead with a Super Bowl on the line.
Instead, I'm liking Boston Scott if Jordan Howard doesn't play for the Eagles and using him at flex if he does. The Eagles love to run the football and the Washington Football Team has a leaky defense to put it delicately.
The Detroit Lions RB room has also been fairly reliable this season and comes up against Seattle who allow the most receiving yards to running backs. Valuable PPR points in addition to yardage, happy days.
QB Tom Brady. Not who I'd have expected back in September but fantasy QB3 he has steered one of my teams into the Championship game through reliable production and leading the league in pass yards (at 44 years old, what is time!?). He also plays the Jets in week 17 so I'm not changing now.
RB1 Jonathan Taylor. 1,626 yards, 17 rushing touchdowns, 342.20 fantasy points at the time of writing. Enough said.
RB2 Cordarrelle Patterson. My surprise of the season may be RB8 overall, but he's been consistent, fun to watch, and he's clearly an awesome human off the field too.
WR1 Cooper Kupp. Disagree? Then you're wrong and probably drunk.
WR2 Ja'Marr Chase. He's not been as potent the second half of the season, but I started the fan club on Overtime early on and I'm still here for the joy that comes from watching him and Joe Burrow together.
TE Mark Andrews. No position has caused me more stress in Fantasy this year. I don't actually have Andrews in any league and I'm jealous of those who do. Some of the catches he's made have been unreal and he's outshone Travis Kelce and Georgie Kittle. No mean feat.
Flex Deebo Samuel. I mean really he should be WRRB. Seven rushing touchdowns in addition to five receiving through 16 weeks. He's carried the Niners at times, and probably your Fantasy team too.
K Justin Tucker. Very little separates kickers in Fantasy, but that entire leg is going in the hall of fame after he hoofed a field goal 66 yards, setting an NFL record in the process, all the way back in September.
DEF If you're not streaming your defense I have FAILED and taught you nothing in this space.
Join Hannah Wilkes and guest Phoebe Schecter on NFL Overtime, Thursday at 9pm on Sky Sports NFL.
