Writing about player trends as we head into the final week of fantasy football feels like a frivolous endeavor. No longer do we care about trends or stashes. We need points, and we need them now. With one week left in the season for most, this week's "Three Up, Three Down" edition will focus exclusively on players to start and sit in your fantasy football championship.
Good luck this week!
Three Up
QB Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Goff's impressive fantasy season is hard to ignore, as he's currently the QB7 in overall scoring. But his play over the last two weeks has pushed him up a bit higher in the court of public opinion. There have always been two narratives that follow Goff, and he has hopefully put both to rest. "He can't keep up with the league's best quarterbacks." Well, in Week 15, he went toe-to-toe with Josh Allen, narrowly losing a tight game in which Goff passed for 494 yards and five touchdowns. "He struggles on the road and in the cold." In Week 16, he amassed 336 passing yards and three touchdowns in Chicago. As the Lions look to close out the 2024 season atop the NFC, it's great that Goff was able to calm some concerns about his career shortcomings. With a road game against the 49ers up in Week 17, many managers assumed they'd have to look elsewhere for their quarterback slot. But Goff's recent play has inspired enough hope that you can plug him in as a QB1 in your fantasy finals.
WR Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears
In the three games Keenan Allen has played since former head coach Matt Eberflus was fired, he's racked up 18 receptions, 253 yards, and two scores on 31 targets. He's pulling a 34.4% target share over that stretch. His targets, receptions, and yardage have all trended up in each of the past three games. Much ado made this offseason about how the pecking order would shake out between Allen, DJ Moore, and Rome Odunze. While it was murky early in the season, Allen appears to have perched atop it under the new staff. And it makes sense. Chris Beatty, the Bears' current interim offensive coordinator, was the Chargers' wide receivers coach last year. The connection he made with Allen is apparent. Just a few weeks ago, Allen was teetering on the start/sit bubble. In your Week 17 finals matchups, though, fire Allen up confidently.
TE Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Over the last two weeks, Chig Okonkwo has quietly pulled 21 targets. Okonkwo has had a tough go so far throughout his NFL career. The hyper-athletic tight end showed some promising signs as a rookie but failed to build off that. Year 2 provided very little to get excited about. But now, in Year 3, it's hard to ignore some trends. We saw the game-breaking speed displayed during a 70-yard catch-and-run touchdown in Week 12. And now, the recent usage with Mason Rudolph is alluring. Many managers made it to the fantasy finals streaming tight ends this season. For anyone who found themselves in that position, Chig Okonkwo makes for an intriguing option in Week 17.
