Game Info
Kickoff: Wednesday, December 25th, 2024, 4:30 ET
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Network: Netflix
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson: Start, QB1
Lamar Jackson is likely a huge reason you’re playing in the fantasy championships. He’s a matchup-proof, set-and-forget, locked and loaded top-3 QB any given week. He’s gunning for his third MVP award, even if Josh Allen is still the odds-on favorite. The Texans shouldn’t be too challenging for Lamar–fire him up and let him take you to glory.
Running Back
Derrick Henry: Start, RB1
Justice Hill: FLEX Option, RB4
After a major disappointment against the Giants, Derrick Henry returned to his ways by rushing for 162 yards against the Steelers. Henry was one of the most consistent scoring threats through the first 11 weeks of the season but hasn’t scored since Week 11 despite continuing to display great efficiency with a heavy workload. The Texans are among the league’s toughest in terms of points allowed to RBs, but Henry has proven time and time again that he is matchup-proof. He’s due for a touchdown, and even in this shortened week, you aren’t thinking about benching him in the championship. Fire Tractorcito back up, and hope he breaks that scoring drought. Meanwhile, Justice Hill has shown some FLEX viability in recent weeks, but the upside isn’t there to warrant a start outside of super-deep leagues.
Wide Receiver
Zay Flowers: Start, WR2
Rashod Bateman: FLEX Option, WR4
Lamar Jackson has thrown 8 TD passes over the past two weeks. Zay Flowers has caught none of them. Despite this, Flowers still returned decent value in Week 16 by posting his fifth game of 100 receiving yards or more this season. Houston allows the sixth-most points and the tenth-most yards to opposing WRs, so Zay at least has a solid enough floor to keep him as a mid-range WR2. If there’s anything on our Christmas list this year, it’s that Lamar will look Flowers’ way just a few times in the red zone to help him find his ceiling as a weekly WR1. While Rashod Bateman has been taking a few of those touchdowns, his target volume and volatility make it difficult to rank him as more than a risky low-end FLEX option this week.
Tight End
Mark Andrews: Start, TE1
Is Mark Andrews… back? It certainly seems that way. After being a drop for many teams after the first month of the season, Andrews now leads NFL tight ends with 9 touchdowns on the season and has scored in four straight weeks to propel teams through the fantasy playoffs. He’s Lamar Jackson’s most trusted target in the red zone and should be in your lineups again this week. You certainly feel better starting him as opposed to Travis Kelce right now–who would have thought we’d say that after September?
Houston Texans
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud: Sit, QB2
Just how tough have things been for C.J. Stroud this year? His 18.1 fantasy points in Week 16 was his fourth-highest total all season. He has a decent enough matchup with the pass-funnel Ravens defense, but Baltimore has done a better job at containing quarterbacks over the past several weeks. Stroud remains a low-ceiling QB2 in Superflex leagues and shouldn’t be counted on to bring you a trophy in single-QB formats.
Running Back
Joe Mixon: Start, RB2
Things have been rough for Joe Mixon since coming out of the bye, as he’s only produced 80 yards on 26 carries and failed to find the end zone. Things don’t get easier for Mixon in Week 17, as he faces the Ravens, who allow the fewest yards per carry to opposing RBs in the league. Mixon remains an RB2 based on projected volume alone, giving him a relatively high floor, but don’t expect to see the same player we saw at the beginning of the season–years of heavy usage appear to be weighing on him.
Wide Receiver
Nico Collins: Start, WR1
John Metchie III: Sit
We wish the best to Tank Dell, who dislocated his kneecap in Week 16’s game against the Chiefs and now faces a long road to recovery based on the specific diagnosis. What this means for the Texans now is that Nico Collins will have a chance to prove he is a true alpha receiver in the NFL, and he has a great chance to show off against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens have tightened up their defense as of late but still allow the second-most points to receivers in the league. Stroud should look his way early and often. Collins is a WR1 this week, but John Metchie III and the other members of this group should be avoided.
Tight End
Dalton Schultz: Streaming Option, TE2
Dalton Schultz will likely take over as the secondary pass-catching option in the absence of Tank Dell. Schultz has fluctuated in his target share throughout the season but should command more looks with Dell on the mend, so he provides high-end streaming potential this week. He has a safer floor than other TD-or-bust options but isn’t quite in the top 12 options at the position.
No mention of how yall feel with Hollywood Brown? He looked decent last week with limited reps even