Close Calls: Week 17's Toughest Lineup Decisions

No week is more fraught with Close Calls than this one.

Some have already been successfully made. You were able to find your kid a MrBeast Lab Cryo Lab Mystery Collector Figure Playset—whatever the hell that is. You cooked a moist and succulent Christmas turkey. You resisted the urge to strangle Uncle Mel when he started talking about politics after his fifth glass of Chardonnet.

You have made one correct call after another. You are on the proverbial roll.

However, there are still calls to be made. Calls with the highest of stakes. Calls that will mean the difference between championship glory and massive disappointment.

There's just one game left in most fantasy leagues—and that game is for all the marbles. Win it, and you are the champion. Lose, and you're no different than the 10 schmucks who were eliminated before you.

Every lineup call is that much more important. And while starting Saquon Barkley and Ja'Marr Chase doesn't take a whole lot of thought, there are some choices between closely ranked players that are much more difficult decisions. Those decisions will decide who wins championships in 2024.

And it's those close calls that this article aims to aid with.

Every week here at Footballguys, Close Calls will make a case for a pair of closely-ranked fantasy options—and then make the call on which player will be more productive.

For the sake of this exercise, we'll only consider quarterbacks and tight ends outside the top 10, running backs outside the top 20, and wide receivers outside the top 30 in the Footballguys Weekly Rankings.

Time to finish strong.

Close Call: Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis (QB13) vs. Jordan Love, Green Bay (QB16)

The Case for Richardson: Richardson's fantasy value is no secret—he's completing less than 50 percent of his passes, but he has five rushing scores over the past five years. He's also questionable for Week 17 with back and foot injuries, although he told reporters after missing practice Thursday that he intends of play Sunday against the New York Giants.

"From the start of the season, you're going to feel those hits the next day," Richardson said. "It's kind of weird because I was telling my family, like in college I didn't really get sore. But the NFL is a different breed, different game. It's all part of it. You just have to keep adjusting and just keep your body right so you can keep performing."

The Case for Love: The Packers are already in the postseason, but Green Bay cannot catch the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions in the NFC North. There's still plenty for Love and the Packers to play for though—such as staying away from the NFC's No. 7 seed and a trip to Philadelphia to face a dangerous Eagles team.

The Packers can also muck things up for their rival, and while Green Bay lost at home to the Vikings back in Week 4, the Packers game Minnesota all they could handle at Lambeau Field. Love threw three interceptions in that loss, but he also threw for 389 yards and four scores on the way to a third-place finish among quarterbacks for the week.

The Verdict: Love—and the answer would be the same if Richardson was 100 percent healthy. The Minnesota Vikings are 30th in the NFL in pass defense, surrendering 248.7 yards per game. If the Packers are going to win this game, it will be throwing the ball—and that should mean a big afternoon from Love.

Close Call: Tyjae Spears, Tennessee (RB26) vs. Kendre Miller, New Orleans (RB28)

The Case for Spears: Spears wasn't especially effective on the ground last week, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry. But the second-year pro found the end zone twice, and with Tony Pollard still limited by an ankle injury, Michael Fabiano of Sports Illustrated believes that Spears could be a season-saver for fantasy managers in Week 17.

"Spears has been on fire over the last two weeks, scoring 48.8 fantasy points," he said. "He also saw a 29 percent touch share last week, which was more than Tony Pollard. Spears has also been getting red-zone work, seeing eight looks in the last two weeks. Spears is a nice flex option with a matchup against a vulnerable Jaguars run defense next on the schedule."

The Case for Miller: Miller was the ostensible lead back for the Saints last week against the Green Bay Packers, but it didn't amount to much—31 total yards on 10 touches. However, it's worth nothing that the game script for the Saints in that game went sideways from the jump. The team should be more competitive this week against the Las Vegas Raiders.

For the season, the Raiders have actually been decent against the run, allowing just 117.9 yards per game on the ground. Vegas is also a middling matchup for running backs from a fantasy perspective. But with the Saints chewed to pieces in the passing game, New Orleans will lean heavily on the ground game for as long as they can.

The Verdict: Spears. If Pollard doesn't play, this is a landslide, but even sharing touches, Spears is the play. The Saints utilized a three-headed backfield committee against the Packers, so Miller's no lock to see more work than in Week 16. And the Jaguars are a fantastic matchup for opposing running backs—no AFC team has allowed more PPR points to the position this season.