In most fantasy leagues, the championship is decided with the end of the Week 16 games. Some leagues, for some unfathomable reason, insist on playing out the regular NFL season to determine their champions. If you are in such a league, either get your commissioner to change the format and end the season with the Week 16 games, or find another league. Week 17 is too unpredictable to rely on player performance, with teams resting star players or simply tossing in the towel and looking at their younger players for next season. In this final edition of the IDP Report, focus is on those teams vying for a wild-card or better seed in the playoffs, so the options are limited. Plus, pay particular attention to the injury report at the end of this article.

Elevator Going Up

Linebackers

C.J. Mosley BAL

Manti Te’o NO

Avery Williamson TEN

You will have a tough time rostering Mosley, as he is owned in 86.3% of ESPN leagues and 89% of Yahoo leagues. If for some reason he is available, he has a nice matchup against the Bengals in Week 17. Over the past three weeks, he is the 6th ranked LB for fantasy purposes.

Te’o just finished outside of the top-10 LBs from Week 14-16, and New Orleans is fighting for a home playoff game and a division title in their Week 17 tilt against Tampa Bay. He has had 21 total tackles over the past three games (16 solo) and while the Buccaneers are not a great matchup, look for him to play significant snaps on defense.

Williamson has accumulated 11 combined tackles over the past two weeks (10 solo) and has nabbed two sacks over his past three games. The matchup in Week 17 is extremely favorable, as the Jaguars are I the top-5 teams in terms of allowing fantasy points to opposing linebackers.

IDPs to consider that have been previously profiled: Deion Jones ATL (Week 7), Wesley Woodyard TEN (Week 4), Preston Brown BUF (Week 6), Craig Robertson NO (Week 7)

Defensive Linemen

None to speak of except those previously profiled, as set forth below.

IDPs to consider that have been previously profiled:Jurrell Casey DT TEN (Weeks 5 & 6), Matt Judon DE BAL (Week 7), Julius Peppers DE CAR (Week 3), Kwann Short DT CAR (Week 6), Ryan Davis DE BUF (Week 16), Melvin Ingram DE LAC (Week 6), Dion Jordan DE SEA (Week 11)

Defensive Backs

Earl Thomas S SEA

Marshon Lattimore CB NO

Thomas is coming off an 11 total tackle effort against the Cowboys in Week 16 (five solo). He has been on a tear the past three weeks, racking up 28 combined tackles and a pass defensed (PD) thrown in for good measure. Seattle is fighting for a playoff berth this coming week, so look for Thomas to continue to produce for his owners.

Lattimore has truly picked up his game lately, with an interception in each of his past three games. He collected five total tackles against the Falcons in Week 16 (four solo), and the matchup against the Buccaneers in Week 17 is enticing. He is the CB to target on the wire for both big play potential and good tackle numbers.

IDPs to consider that have been previously profiled: Daryl Worley CB CAR (Week 15), James Bradberry CB CAR (Week 16), Jordan Poyer S BUF (Week 3), Kurt Coleman S CAR (Week 9), Bradley McDougald S SEA (Week 15), Desmond King CB LAC (Week 13), Johnathan Cyprien S TEN (Week 12), Byron Maxwell CB SEA (Week 14), Tre’Davious White CB BUF (Week 4)

Escalator Going Down

There are no players to avoid this week, save for those listed on the injury report below.

Matchups to Exploit

Remember, the second team listed is the one to use your IDPs against. Do not go crazy, and play a LB5 against the Ravens, but certainly you will do well if you own a top LB on the Rams, Titans or Steelers that you can plug in this week, for the most part.

Linebackers

Los Angeles Rams v San Francisco

Cincinnati @ Baltimore

Tennessee v Jacksonville

Pittsburgh v Cleveland

Defensive Ends

Indianapolis v Houston

Seattle v Arizona

Kansas City @ Denver

Defensive Tackles

New York Giant v Washington

Atlanta v Carolina

Indianapolis v Houston

New England v New York Jets

Safeties

Buffalo @ Miami

New York Jets @ New England

Seattle v Arizona

Cornerbacks

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh

Kansas City @ Denver

Pittsburgh v Cleveland

Waiver Wire Targets

All these players are spotlighted above, and you can read my comments about them in the "Elevator Going Up" section of this article. Not all the players commented on are here, however, as there is no need to waste your time searching for players that are heavily owned. This group consists of those that you may have a chance of locating on your league's waiver wire in that they are owned in significantly less than 50% of leagues. Happy claiming for your weekly matchups.

Linebackers

Manti Te’o NO

Avery Williamson TEN

Defensive Linesmen

None listed above, and thus none listed here

Defensive Backs

Earl Thomas S SEA

Marshon Lattimore CB NO

Ouch (My Aching Roster)

All the injury reports below need evaluation prior to kickoff.  Teams are notoriously sketchy about injury reports, and we often do not know a player's status until just before game time. Consider the list below as a "heads up" as to what is going on early in the week, and should not be considered definitive.

Linebackers

Josh Bynes ARI ankle

Gabe Martin ARI hamstring

Haason Reddick ARI foot

Vontaze Burfict CIN shoulder

Jordan Evans CIN concussion

Clay Matthews GB hamstring

Nick Perry GB ankle

LaTroy Lewis HOU shoulder

Blair Brown JAX concussion

Denzel Perryman LAC hamstring

Brandon Watts MIA back

Kyle Van Noy NE calf

J.T Thomas NYG groin

B.J. Goodson NYG ankle

Corey Lemonier NYJ foot

D.J. Alexander SEA concussion

Reuben Foster SF shoulder

Zach Brown WAS Achilles

Ryan Anderson WAS knee

Defensive Linemen

DE

John Hughes NO elbow

Trey Henderson NO ankle

Leonard Williams NYJ back

Mario Edwards OAK ankle

Teyvon Hester OAK ankle

Brandon Graham PHI foot

Robert Ayers TB shoulder

DT

David Irving DAL concussion

Richard Ash DAL shoulder

Zach Kerr DEN ankle

Corey Liuget LAC knee

Vincent Taylor MIA knee

Shamar Stephen MIN ankle

Alan Branch NE knee (meniscus)

Corbin Bryant NYG elbow

Nazair Jones SEA ankle

Evander Hood WAS elbow

Defensive Backs

S

Shawn Williams CIN head

Ed Reynolds CLE knee

Josh Jones GB shoulder

Corey Moore HOU knee (MCL)

Adrian Phillips LAC ankle

Marqui Christian LAR shoulder

Michael Thomas MIA knee

Adrian Colbert SF shoulder

Su’a Cravens WAS personal

CB

Shareece Wright BUF concussion

E.J. Gaines BUF knee

BrieanBoddy-Calhoun CLE knee

Orlando Scandrick DAL back

Nevin Lawson DET concussion

Damarious Randall GB knee

Kevin Johnson HOU knee

Chris Culliver IND undisclosed

Rashaan Melvin IND hand

Alteraun Verner MIA hamstring

Tramaine Brock MIN foot

David Amerson OAK foot

Coty Sensabaugh PIT shoulder

Greg Mabin SF calf

Ryan Smith TB ankle

Logan Ryan TEN ankle

As ever, good luck and Godspeed in your fantasy efforts. Make sure to read all of our great articles to help you win your fantasy match ups every week and ultimately bask in championship glory. If you have any fantasy football questions, especially about IDP leagues, I can be reached at ia@fantasyalarm.com.