Week 17 injury update, starting/sitting advice, predictions and more

The Miami Dolphins face the Cleveland Browns in Week 17. Here you’ll find the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineup this week and going forward, especially regarding RB De’Von Achane.

Will De’Von Achane play in Week 17?

Achane is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks he is on track to play this weekend.

We will continue to monitor the Dolphins injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.

Should you start or sit De’Von Achane in Week 17?

De’Von Achane joins Alvin Kamara (Weeks 4-9 earlier this season) as just the second running back in the last three seasons to have a four-game streak with at least seven targets and seven rush attempts.

He fits this Tua Tagovailoa-led offense like a glove, and there’s no reason to change course now. Efficiency on the ground wasn’t nearly as high as it was a season ago, but the increase in usage in the air has more than made up for it.

Achane has been a top-15 producer at the position in six straight games, and that feels like he’s all but assured this week too. The hard part will be planning for 2025 – can we weaken his efficiency and retain the receiving role? If you go this route, we’re talking about a running back who is undoubtedly a first-round pick.

Looking for starting/sitting tips for other players in your lineup? Read our cheat sheet of Week 17 fantasy starting sit advice for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.

De’Von Achane’s Week 17 Fantasy Points Prediction

As of Sunday morning, Williams is projected to score 17.2 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 16.9 rushing attempts for 73.1 yards and 0.8 touchdowns. It also includes 2.4 receptions for 15.6 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.

Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer this week for the latest predictions and advice for your lineups.

PFN insight into the Browns defense

The Cleveland Browns have performed better than most defenses over the years against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. That was already true in Week 7, when Cleveland delivered its best defensive grade of the season (82.5) against Cincinnati.

The rematch didn’t go quite as well for the Browns, who limited the Bengals to their fifth-lowest point total of the season but still managed a mediocre 73.1 (C). That was Cleveland’s third-worst Defense+ rating of the season, although it’s more of a reflection of the Browns’ admirable consistency.

Twelve of Cleveland’s 15 games this year have come in the C section, with two Bs and one D.

Cleveland’s defense did an excellent job of generating pressure without converting many of those dropbacks into sacks. Sunday saw a turnaround as the Browns were below their season average in non-blitz pressure rate (39.3%) but posted their third-highest sack rate (11.8%). Two of Cleveland’s five highest sack rates this season came against Burrow and the Bengals.

Overall, Cleveland’s defense didn’t falter as much as some might think, even if the standout plays weren’t as obvious. This unit remains a strength as long as Myles Garrett and the talented secondary are in action.

For more insight into all other team defenses, check out our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.

De’Von Achane’s Fantasy Ranking

Below are our weekly consensus PPR rankings – both position-wise and overall. They were last updated on Sunday, December 29th at 7:25 a.m. ET. If you play in a Superflex league, be sure to check out our weekly consensus Superflex rankings.

Week 17 RB PPR rankings

1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. DAL)
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at SF)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (at HOU)
4) Bijan Robinson | ATL (at WAS)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (at MIN)
6) Jonathan Taylor | IND (at NYG)
7) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. DEN)
8) Kyren Williams | LAR (vs. ARI)
9) De’Von Achane | MIA (at CLE)
10) Bucky Irving | TB (compared to CAR)
11) James Conner | ARI (at LAR)
12) James Cook | BUF (vs NYJ)
13) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at JAX)
14) Breece Hall | NYJ (at BUF)
15) Joe Mixon | HOU (vs. BAL)
16) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at CHI)
17) Aaron Jones | MIN (compared to GB)
18) Jerome Ford | CLE (vs MIA)
19) Brian Robinson Jr. | WHAT (vs. ATL)
20) D’Andre Swift | CHI (vs. SEA)
21) Rico Dowdle | DAL (at PHI)
22) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (vs IND)
23) Isaac Guerendo | SF (vs. DET)
24) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs LAC)
25) Rachaad White | TB (compared to CAR)
26) JK Dobbins | LAC (at NE)
27) Alexander Mattison | LV (at NE)
28) Jaylen Warren | PIT (against KC)
29) Isiah Pacheco | KC (at PIT)
30) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at NE)
31) Tank Bigsby | JAX (vs. TEN)
32) Javonte Williams | DEN (at CIN)
33) Kendre Miller | NO (compared to LV)
34) Najee Harris | PIT (against KC)
35) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
36) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at NE)
37) Kareem Hunt | KC (at PIT)
38) Devin Singletary | NYG (vs IND)
39) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (at WAS)
40) Audric Estimé | DEN (at CIN)
41) Ray Davis | BUF (vs NYJ)
42) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at CLE)
43) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs LAC)
44) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. DAL)
45) Craig Reynolds | DET (at SF)
46) Cam Akers | MIN (compared to GB)
47) Ty Johnson | BUF (vs NYJ)
48) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. ARI)
49) Roshon Johnson | CHI (vs. SEA)
50) Braelon Allen | NYJ (at BUF)
51) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (vs. DET)
52) Jeremy McNichols | WHAT (vs. ATL)
53) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (at BUF)
54) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (at CIN)
55) D’Onta Foreman | CLE (vs MIA)
56) Jamaal Williams | NO (compared to LV)
57) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (against KC)
58) Emanuel Wilson | GB (at MIN)
59) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at LAR)
60) Chris Brooks | GB (at MIN)
61) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (vs MIA)
62) Ke’Shawn Vaughn | SF (vs. DET)
63) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (at HOU)
64) Trey Benson | ARI (at LAR)
65) Raheem Blackshear | CAR (at TB)
66) Sean Tucker | TB (compared to CAR)
67) Israel Abanikanda | SF (vs. DET)
68) Michael Carter | ARI (at LAR)
69) Samaje Perine | KC (at PIT)
70) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (at PHI)
71) Mike Boone | CAR (at TB)
72) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. DEN)
73) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (vs. BAL)
74) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at CLE)
75) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (vs. DET)
76) Trey Sermon | IND (at NYG)
77) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WHAT (vs. ATL)
78) Sione Vaki | DET (at SF)
79) Hunter Lüpke | DAL (at PHI)
80) Dameon Pierce | HOU (vs. BAL)
81) Alec Ingold | MIA (at CLE)
82) Tyler Goodson | IND (at NYG)
83) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at NE)
84) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at CHI)
85) Jordan Mims | NO (compared to LV)
86) Rasheen Ali | BAL (at HOU)
87) Ty Chandler | MIN (compared to GB)
88) CJ Ham | MIN (compared to GB)
89) Michael Burton | DEN (at CIN)
90) Julius Kastanie | TEN (at JAX)
91) Eric Gray | NYG (vs IND)
92) Dylan Laube | LV (at NE)
93) Adam Prentice | NO (compared to LV)
94) Patrick Ricard | BAL (at HOU)
95) Carson Steele | KC (at PIT)
96) Keilan Robinson | JAX (vs. TEN)
97) Darrynton Evans | BUF (vs NYJ)
98) Blake Watson | DEN (at CIN)
99) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC (at PIT)

Dolphins at Browns Trends and Insights

Miami Dolphins

Team: The dream remains – Miami hasn’t had a losing season since 2019 (they hadn’t had five straight winning seasons from 1997 to 2003).

QB: In 2022, Tua Tagovailoa averaged 9.6 yards per throw. That rate fell to 7.6 last season and is at 5.7 over 16 weeks this season.

Attack: In the last three games, 35.5% of Dolphin drives resulted in a made field goal.

Defense: Miami has kept its opponent out of the end zone on most of its red zone trips in the last three games (seven of 13).

Fantasy: Tyreek hasn’t had a catch of more than 30 yards since Week 1 and has caught just five of 14 targets over the past two weeks (Week 14 vs. NYJ: 10 catches on 14 targets).

Betting: Including the playoffs, the Dolphins are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games with a kickoff temperature below 40 degrees.

Cleveland Browns

Team: The Browns finished last in the division for the ninth time in 14 seasons.

QB: Dorian Thompson-Robinson posted a QB+ grade of 63.5 (D), the eighth-worst game by a Browns QB since 2019. Thompson-Robinson only had five career QBs (15+ pass attempts), and yet he has three of his eight-worst Games played by a Browns QB since 2019.

Attack: The Browns haven’t scored in the first, second or fourth quarters in consecutive games.

Defense: Myles Garrett is now on the list of fastest players to 100 career sacks:

• Reggie White: 96 games played
• DeMarcus Ware: 113
• Bruce Smith: 115
• Myles Garrett: 115

Fantasy: Jerome Ford has played seven games with more than 10 touches this season, performing 7.7% above expectations.

Betting: The Browns are 0-4 ATS at home this season when not playing a division opponent (average coverage margin: -13.8 PPG).