As we enter Week 17 of the regular season, it is important – for those who have a championship in the final week or even those looking to play Week 17 DFS contests – to know which teams have something to play for and which ones don’t. There are a number of scenarios that can occur which will affect seeding, as well as first-round byes and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, so what we need to do is figure out who has what at stake as that will help determine which players have strong value this week and which ones have no value.

Teams who are eliminated from playoff contention are playing for pride. Chances are, we’ll see their starters for the entire game. Some coaches may pull marquee players at some point, but you should expect to see most of the regular player pool active.

Teams who are in the playoffs, or at least in contention, often have something at stake and need to continue playing their starters. Below is a list of everything – teams in contention with something to play for and teams who do not. This should be a decent guide to help you figure out which guys will be on the field this Sunday and who might be taking the day off.

A look at the current NFL Playoff standings:

AFC

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-4)

2. New England Patriots (10-5)

3. Houston Texans (10-5)

4. Baltimore Ravens (9-6)

5. Los Angeles Chargers (11-4)

6. Indianapolis Colts (9-6)

Still Alive

Tennessee Titans (9-6)

Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6-1)

NFC

1. New Orleans Saints (13-2)

2. Los Angeles Rams (12-3)

3. Chicago Bears (11-4)

4. Dallas Cowboys (9-6)

5. Seattle Seahawks (9-6)

6. Minnesota Vikings (8-6-1)

Still Alive

Philadelphia Eagles

Who’s Still Playing for What:

AFC

Chiefs – Clinched a playoff spot.

They clinch the AFC West and the No. 1 seed with a win against the Raiders. If they lose and the Chargers win, they drop to the No. 4 seed. If they lose, the Chargers lose and the Patriots win, they move down to the No. 2 seed.

Patriots – Clinched playoff spot and AFC East.

If the Patriots win and the Chiefs win, the Patriots will remain the No. 2 seed and receive a bye. If the Patriots win and the Chiefs lose, then the Patriots can move to the No. 1 seed with home-field throughout the playoffs if the Chargers lose.

If the Patriots lose and the Ravens lose, the Patriots will be the No. 3 seed if the Texans win. If the Patriots lose and both the Ravens and Texans lose, the Patriots will earn the No. 2 seed and a bye with a Colts win or the No. 3 seed if the Titans win.  

If the Patriots lose and both the Ravens and Texans win, the Patriots will own the No. 4 seed. If the Patriots lose, the Ravens win and the Texans lose, then the Patriots will earn the either the No. 3 seed with a Colts win or the No. 4 seed with a Titans win.

Texans – Clinched a playoff spot

If the Texans win and the Patriots lose, they will be the No. 2 seed if the Chiefs win. If the Texans win and both the Patriots and Chiefs lose, they will be the No. 2 seed with a Chargers win and a No. 1 seed with a Chargers loss.

If the Texans win and the Patriots win, they will be the No. 3 seed if the Chiefs win. If the Patriots win and the Chiefs lose, they will be the No. 3 seed if the Chargers win. If the Chargers lose, then there’s a whole mess of things that could happen to push the Texans to the No. 2 seed. It’s like five different things that involve NFC teams as well (conference records, etc.), so the likelihood is pretty slim.

If the Texans lose, they will be the No. 6 seed

Ravens – Win and they’re in but nothing clinched yet

If the Ravens win and the Texans win, the Ravens will be the No. 3 seed with a Patriots loss or the No. 4 seed with a Patriots win. If the Ravens win and the Texans lose, they will be the No. 2 seed with a Patriots loss or the No. 3 seed with a Patriots win.

If the Ravens lose, the only way they can be in the playoffs is if the Steelers lose as well.

Chargers – Clinched playoff spot

If the Chargers win and the Chiefs lose, they will earn the No. 1 seed, a first-round by and home field throughout the playoffs. If they win and the Chiefs win as well, they will be the No. 5 seed.

If the Chargers lose, they will remain the No. 5 seed.

Colts – Win and they’re in

If the Colts win and the Texans win, the Colts will be the No. 6 seed. If they win and the Texans lose, then they will be the No. 3 seed with a Ravens loss or the No. 4 seed with a Ravens win.

If the Colts lose, they’re out.

Titans – Win and they’re in

If the Titans win and the Texans win, the Titans will be the No. 6 seed. If the Titans win and the Texans lose, they’ll earn the No. 2 seed if both the Ravens and Patriots lose or the No. 3 seed if the Ravens lose and the Patriots win. If the Titans win, the Texans lose and the ravens win, the Titans will be the No. 3 seed with a Patriots loss or the No. 4 seed with a Patriots win.

If the Titans lose, they’re out.

Steelers – the only way they get in is if they win and the Ravens lose.

If the Steelers win and the Ravens lose, the Steelers will earn the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.

NFC

Rams – Clinched a playoff berth and the NFC West

If the Rams win, they will be the No. 2 seed and earn a first-round bye.

If the Rams lose and the Vikings beat the Bears, they will remain the No. 2 seed, but if the Vikings lose, the Rams move down to the No 3 seed.

Bears – Clinched a playoff berth and the NFC North

If the Bears win and the Rams win, the Bears remain the No. 3 seed. If the bears win and the Rams lose, the Bears move up to the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and earn a first-round bye.

If the Bears lose, they remain the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.

Seahawks – Win and they’re in

If the Seahawks win, they will earn the No. 5 seed in the playoffs.

If the Seahawks lose and the Bears beat the Vikings, they will be the No. 5 seed. If they lose and the Vikings beat the Bears, the Seahawks will be the No. 6 seed.

Vikings – Win and they’re in.

If the Vikings win and the Seahawks win, the Vikings will be the No. 6 seed in the playoffs. If the Vikings win and the Seahawks lose, the Vikings will move up to the No. 5 seed.

If the Vikings lose, they can still get into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed if the Eagles lose

Eagles – The only way they get in is a win and a Vikings loss

If the Eagles win and the Vikings lose, the Eagles will earn the No. 6 seed in the playoffs.

Nothing to Play for in Week 17:

Cowboys – locked into the No. 4 seed no matter what

Saints – locked into the No. 1 seed no matter what