The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Carolina Panthers in Week 17. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding QB Baker Mayfield.
Is Baker Mayfield Playing in Week 17?
Mayfield is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Buccaneers’ 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 Baker Mayfield in Week 17?
It’s easy to look back and see an underwhelming Baker Mayfield game against these Panthers in a narrow Week 13 victory in overtime (235 passing yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions), but I’m just fine with writing that off.
In the three games since, Mayfield has a 71.2% completion rate and a 9.1% touchdown rate. He continues to add just enough with his legs to make an impact (79 rushing yards in those games).
When you consider that he’s been better at home than on the road this year (17 touchdown passes in front of his home fans with at least 19 fantasy points in four of his past five such games), I think we are looking at a top-10 quarterback this week that I’d be more comfortable in playing than Jared Goff or Jordan Love.
The Panthers are the second most vulnerable defense in terms of deep completion percentage this season (55.2%), and with a pair of vertical threats, I expect Tampa Bay to pick at that scab consistently.
Mayfield’s final line last week was strong (303 passing yards with another 42 on the ground and two scores through the air), and he could have given you another 7.8 points if Jalen McMillan didn’t have a 46-yard touchdown wrestled away from him at the last minute.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Baker Mayfield’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 17
As of Thursday, Mayfield is projected to score 20.1 fantasy points in Week 17. This includes 277.2 passing yards, 1.9 passing touchdowns, and 1 interceptions. It also includes 3.9 rushing attempts for 14.7 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Baker Mayfield’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 12:45 AM ET on Friday, December 27. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 17 QB PPR Rankings
1) Josh Allen | BUF (vs. NYJ)
2) Lamar Jackson | BAL (at HOU)
3) Jalen Hurts | PHI (vs. DAL)
4) Joe Burrow | CIN (vs. DEN)
5) Jayden Daniels | WAS (vs. ATL)
6) Baker Mayfield | TB (vs. CAR)
7) Sam Darnold | MIN (vs. GB)
8) Kyler Murray | ARI (at LAR)
9) Bo Nix | DEN (at CIN)
10) Jordan Love | GB (at MIN)
11) Jared Goff | DET (at SF)
12) Anthony Richardson | IND (at NYG)
13) Brock Purdy | SF (vs. DET)
14) Tua Tagovailoa | MIA (at CLE)
15) Matthew Stafford | LAR (vs. ARI)
16) C.J. Stroud | HOU (vs. BAL)
17) Patrick Mahomes | KC (at PIT)
18) Justin Herbert | LAC (at NE)
19) Caleb Williams | CHI (vs. SEA)
20) Aaron Rodgers | NYJ (at BUF)
21) Geno Smith | SEA (at CHI)
22) Russell Wilson | PIT (vs. KC)
23) Cooper Rush | DAL (at PHI)
24) Bryce Young | CAR (at TB)
25) Drake Maye | NE (vs. LAC)
26) Michael Penix Jr. | ATL (at WAS)
27) Aidan O'Connell | LV (at NO)
28) Mac Jones | JAX (vs. TEN)
29) Mason Rudolph | TEN (at JAX)
30) Tommy DeVito | NYG (vs. IND)
31) Dorian Thompson-Robinson | CLE (vs. MIA)
32) Spencer Rattler | NO (vs. LV)