NFL Week 17 injuries and fantasy tips: Drake London, Terry McLaurin active for SNF

Welcome to the Week 17 NFL fantasy and betting cheat sheet, a one-stop shop for The Athletic’s game previews, injury and weather updates, and expert analysis. Bookmark this page and check back often, as we offer regular updates to assist with fantasy lineups and betting decisions.

Player rankings referenced in this article are current as of Dec. 29. For updated rankings, see the “Fantasy football player rankings” section.

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Last updated: 6:50 p.m. ET, Dec. 29

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Injury news

Updated through 6:50 p.m., Dec. 29

Sunday Night Football

Drake London, WR, ATL (hamstring) — Expected to play
Head coach Raheem Morris said London could have returned against the Giants in Week 16, according to the Falcons’ official site. On Friday he was removed from the injury report. With rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. under center in Week 16, London was targeted eight times and caught five passes for 59 yards. Darnell Mooney saw six targets and had five receptions for 82 yards. TE Kyle Pitts had one reception for seven yards and continues to disappoint.

Terry McLaurin, WR, WAS (ankle) — Expected to play
McLaurin was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice and came off the injury report Friday. Since Week 12, McLaurin is averaging 22.95 PPR points per game, but last week Olamide Zaccheaus saw more targets and had two touchdowns. Still, McLaurin is the only reliable receiver in the Commanders’ offense.

Monday Night Football

Isaac Guerendo, RB, SF (foot/hamstring) — Expected to play
In Guerendo’s Week 16 absence, Patrick Taylor had eight carries for 24 yards, while WR Deebo Samuel had five carries for 25 yards. But Guerendo is off the injury report and should be good to go for “Monday Night Football.”

According to Rotowire’s aggregated NFL-related forecasts, the Falcons-Commanders matchup will likely be impacted by rain. Rainy weather doesn’t have much impact on the running game, as game scripts typically favor the run in the rain, so I’ll focus on the passing game below.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Commanders (60 degrees, 85 percent chance of rain): Two rookie quarterbacks in the rain. One of whom, Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr., will start for only the second time. In Penix’s first start, WRs Drake London and Darnell Mooney were his top targets with eight and six looks, respectively. But Penix had zero passing TDs and finished with a 73.4 passer rating … against the Giants. Penix has tons of potential, but with such a high chance of rain and a QB in his second start ever, Bijan Robinson may be the Falcon to start this week. Rookie of the Year candidate Jayden Daniels is only slightly more seasoned and hasn’t played an NFL game in the rain, according to TruMedia. Though he had a tough time running last week, Brian Robinson Jr. is primed for a bounce-back game with the prospect of high usage. Terry McLaurin has been averaging 22.95 PPR points per game since Week 12 and is a fringe WR1/WR2 this week. But this is a tough spot for both young quarterbacks.

For more information on how weather affects gameplay, read Jake Ciely’s fantasy football strategy guide to weather.

Game-specific previews and live updates are available on the day of the game.

Sunday night

Atlanta Falcons (8-7) vs. Washington Commanders (10-5)

• Venue: Northwest Stadium — Landover, Md.
• Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC, Peacock

Michael Penix Jr. gets his second start for the Falcons but will face a much stiffer test from the Commanders’ defense than he received from the woebegone New York Giants. Penix was … fine against the Giants, completing 66% of his 27 passes, but getting picked off once in the process. As noted above, it could be a slop fest in the rain at Northwest Stadium Sunday night, a field not known for its high-quality turf.

A rain game raises some questions for the Commanders’ backfield, which saw Brian Robinson Jr. carry the ball 10 times for just 24 yards and fumble twice against the Eagles. Robinson still saw the majority of the work in the running game (Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols combined for eight yards on five total carries) and figures to again be the workhorse out of the backfield in Week 17. Ciely has him slotted at RB20 this week.

Read the full preview.

Monday night

Detroit Lions (13-2) vs. San Francisco 49ers (6-9)

• Venue: Levi’s Stadium — Santa Clara, Calif.
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN, ABC

Sportsbooks are expecting a shootout, with the highest total for the remaining games this week. That’s likely due to the many, many (many) injuries depleting the Lions defense and Detroit’s high-powered offense that has put up 110 points over the past three games. Meanwhile, the Niners’ offense (similarly injury-plagued) has mustered just 29 over its past two games. What’s left of the Lions secondary (27th in the league on passing yards allowed per game) could help Brock Purdy and Co. put a few more points on the scoreboard, though.

As expected, following the loss of RB David Montgomery, it’s been the Jahmyr Gibbs show in the Lions’ backfield. He posted 109 yards rushing and a touchdown on 23 carries, with another 45 yards on 4 receptions against the Bears in Week 16. He is Ciely’s top running back this week.

Read the full preview (coming Monday).

See all of Mock’s best bets for Week 17.

1. Tennessee Titans (at JAX), APA: 25.5, +5.5
2. Buffalo Bills (vs. NYJ), APA: 24.8, +4.9
3. Philadelphia Eagles (vs. DAL), APA: 23.6, +3.6

Running back matchups

1. Tampa Bay Buccanneers (vs. CAR), APA: 26.3, +6.9
2. Tennessee Titans (at JAX), APA: 23.7, +4.3
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. TEN), APA: 23.4, +4.0

Wide receiver matchups

1. New York Jets (at BUF), APA: 39.3, +7.4
2. Tennessee Titans (at JAX), APA: 36.4, +4.6
3. Buffalo Bills (vs. NYJ), APA: 36.2, +4.4

Tight end matchups

1. Denver Broncos (at CIN), APA: 17.2, +4.8
2. New Orleans Saints (vs. LV), APA: 16.1, +3.7
3. Carolina Panthers (at TB), APA: 15.8, +3.4

— Ciely

See all Week 17 matchup rankings.

Get Ciely’s full Week 17 analysis. Plus sleepers and projections.

(Photo of Bijan Robinson and Drake London: Ella Hall / Getty Images)