The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Pittsburgh Steelers 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 Patrick Mahomes.
Is Patrick Mahomes Playing in Week 17?
Mahomes says his ankle feels much better now than it did a week ago. Mahomes practiced in full ahead of last week’s game and played with no issue. He was listed as a full participant all week and will play on Wednesday.
We’ll continue to monitor the Chiefs’ 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 Patrick Mahomes in Week 17?
I’m old enough to remember when we were sweating Patrick Mahomes’ health. Surely the ankle injury from Week 15 was going to limit his mobility if the Chiefs elected to play him in Week 16, right?
- Career-long touchdown run (15 yards)
- Extends his longest regular-season streak of games with a 10+ yard run since Weeks 1-4, 2023
OK, so that didn’t pan out, but when the pressure ramped up, surely he’d hesitate and not deliver. Right?
- He’s converted seven of 10 passes on third downs (previous two games: eight of 21)
Man, this dude is good. But there’s no way, when we shrink the field, that Mahomes could find room to maneuver. Fully healthy quarterbacks struggle in this regard at times, so a compromised version of Mahomes would see his efficiency in scoring situations decline, right?
- Recent red-zone run, since Week 8: 70.5% completion percentage with 16 TDs and zero INTs
The Steelers’ defense is stout and will come to play, but they have taken on some water of late (10.4% more yards per pass attempt allowed since Week 12 than the first 11 weeks).
The Chiefs are looking to lock in the AFC’s top seed and can worry about resting their star QB next week. I’m not going out of my way to start Mahomes on a weird short week, but I’m not getting creative in replacing him the way we have at times this season.
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.
Patrick Mahomes’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 17
As of Thursday, Mahomes is projected to score 14.4 fantasy points in Week 17. This includes 190.5 passing yards, 1.3 passing touchdowns, and 0.6 interceptions. It also includes 2.9 rushing attempts for 15 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.
PFN Insight on the Steelers' Defense
The Pittsburgh Steelers posted their third-lowest Defense+ grade of the season in the Week 16 loss to the Ravens (72.1, C-). Baltimore averaged 6.7 yards per play, the highest by any offense against Pittsburgh's defense all season.
The Steelers' pass defense had one of its worst games of the season, perhaps not surprising given the injuries to the secondary. They also had their second-lowest pass defense success rate (44%) and third-lowest EPA per dropback average (-0.25) this year. That’s despite the Ravens completing just one pass gaining 20+ yards in Week 16.
On the bright side, the pass rush looked like its vintage self, generating a season-best 50% non-blitz pressure rate. Pittsburgh ranks 11th in that category, right around the same spot they were last season (12th). The difference is that they still rank 17th in sack rate, which would be their lowest rank since 2014.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Patrick Mahomes’ Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 3:45 AM ET on Wednesday, December 25. 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)
Chiefs at Steelers Trends and Insights
Kansas City Chiefs
Team: The Chiefs are one of 32 teams in the NFL (3.1%) – they have accounted for 13.3% of the 5+ game win streaks since the start of 2022.
QB: Patrick Mahomes recorded the longest touchdown run of his career on Saturday (15 yards) and now has a 10+ yard carry in three straight games for the first time in the regular season since Weeks 1-4 last year.
Offense: Saturday was the third time this season in which they averaged 3+ points per drive (they had three such games last regular season as well).
Defense: Kansas City has allowed under 20 points in four straight games, their third-longest streak since 2016.
Fantasy: It’s been a struggle for Isiah Pacheco of late, but it hasn’t been all his fault – 0.44 yards per carry before contact over his past three games.
Betting: Since 2022, unders are 8-1 when the Chiefs play on short rest.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Team: From Week 9 of 2022 through Week 2 of this season, the Steelers had one losing streak – they’ve had two since.
QB: George Pickens missed three straight games, and in those contests, Russell Wilson was 10-of-26 with one touchdown and one interception when pressured (two games prior: 14-of-24 with three scores and zero picks).
Offense: Pittsburgh has turned the ball over on 7.2% of their drives at home this season (road: 9.1%).
Defense: The Steelers have allowed 7.7 yards per pass since Week 12 (Weeks 1-11: 6.9). They are 8-0 this season, when allowing under 29 yards per drive (2-5 otherwise).
Fantasy: Najee Harris has yet to reach 45 rushing yards in a loss this season and has just seven receiving yards over his past three games (two targets earned).
Betting: Since 2005, the Steelers are 8-1 ATS on a short week in Week 15 or later (9-0 outright with a +130 point differential).