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

The Washington Commanders face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineup this week and going forward, especially when it comes to RB Brian Robinson Jr.

Will Brian Robinson Jr. play in Week 17?

Robinson 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 commanders’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.

Should you start or use Brian Robinson Jr. in Week 17?

Robinson’s lack of involvement in the passing game has been one of those storylines that only worries fantasy managers, but we’ve seen signs of life lately (five catches in the last two games after tallying four in his last six games).

We have a good feeling he’ll get the work near the goal line when Washington finds itself in that situation. So just scoring 3-4 goals per game would move him from bottom RB2 to weekly asset.

With the Commanders’ offense going well (98 points in the last three games), I think they’ll get top-notch performance wherever they can – Robinson qualifies.

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.

Brian Robinson Jr.’s Week 17 Fantasy Points Prediction

As of Sunday morning, Robinson is projected to score 13.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 18.3 rushing attempts for 73.2 yards and 0.4 touchdowns. It also includes 1 reception for 23 yards and 0.1 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 Falcons’ defense

This unit would rank much higher if it could compete against the Raiders and Giants every week. That won’t happen if the Falcons actually sneak into the postseason, but Atlanta is lucky to even have that chance with two weeks to go.

A week after posting a grade of 79.5 against Las Vegas, the Falcons bettered that with a grade of 80.9 against the hapless Giants. Atlanta’s top three defensive stats have come in each of the last four games, with the season high coming in Week 13 against the Chargers.

The two defensive touchdowns grab the headlines, but Atlanta’s improved pass rush (and overall pass defense) was on display once again. The Falcons recorded a season-high 0.51 EPA per dropback while adding three more sacks. Last month, Atlanta notably posted the highest sack rate (11%) in the NFL.

Given the weak enemy attacks, this probably doesn’t reflect the effectiveness of this unit, but it’s encouraging that they were able to take advantage of these encounters. The Falcons will face a much tougher test against the Commanders in Week 17, providing a more accurate picture of how far this defense has come.

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

Brian Robinson Jr. Fantasy Rankings

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)

Falcons at Commanders Trends and Insights

Atlanta Falcons

Team: Atlanta is aiming for its first successful season since 2017. Their win on Sunday prevented them from finishing with exactly seven wins for the sixth time in seven seasons.

QB: Michael Penix Jr. wasn’t perfect last week, but he posted a better QB+ grade than Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Aaron Rodgers.

Attack: In Penix’s debut, the Falcons scored 34 points and converted eight of 14 third downs. In Kirk Cousins’ last two starts, the total was 36 points and 11 of 26 on third downs.

Defense: Atlanta has allowed less than a point per drive three times this season – Weeks 13, 15 and 16.

Fantasy: Drake London’s EPA per target last week was his fourth highest of the season.

Betting: Rookie QBs are 16-8-1 (66.7%) ATS in primetime since the start of 2022.

Washington commanders

Team: The Commanders are on a three-game winning streak this season – entering this season they were on three such winning streaks since Christmas 2020.

QB: There were two green TD passes in the last 10 seconds of regulation time this season:

• Jayden Daniels in Week 8 against the Bears
• Jayden Daniels in Week 16 against the Eagles

Attack: During their current three-game winning streak, the Commanders have moved the chains on 25 of 44 third downs (56.8%).

Defense: Over the last two weeks, the Commanders have held their opponents to six of 27 (22.2%) on third downs, but those teams are four of four in those games.

Fantasy: What a difference a QB makes. Terry McLaurin’s on-field target share this season (20.7%) is essentially identical to last season (20.6%), but his performance relative to these looks’ expectations is down from -4% to +44, up 3%.

Betting: Washington hit a rough patch in Weeks 10-12, failing to cover three straight games – otherwise they are 9-2-1 ATS.