Fantasy Football Today – Week 17 Recap & 2026 Lookahead

CBS Sports | Released: December 29, 2025
Hosts: Adam Aizer, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings

Episode Overview

In this week’s episode, the FFT crew recaps an eventful Week 17 in fantasy football, discussing the players and stories that defined championship week. The conversation also looks ahead to key dynasty implications and early 2026 rankings, with winners, losers, and some wacky stats. The hosts answer sit/start questions, provide positional top-fives, and debate which fantasy MVP candidates truly delivered. The show is packed with actionable insights and player evaluations relevant for next season and dynasty managers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Winners of Week 17

• Wandale Robinson (NYG, WR)
  • Stat line: 11 catches, 113 yards. Historic season—“First player in your lifetime under the height of 5 foot 9 to top a thousand receiving yards.” (Heath, 05:51)
  • Free agent status could yield further opportunity next year.
• Tyler Shough (TEN, QB)
  • 25.9 fantasy points; likely dynasty starter next season and in rookie of the year contention.
  • “...he might have won Rookie of the Year today too.” (Adam, 07:47)
• Rhamondre Stevenson (NE, RB)
  • 8 carries, 5 catches, 102 total yards, TD.
  • “If you started him, you're thrilled.” (Adam, 08:44)
• Others: Key rookie discussions—Jackson Dart vs. Tyler Shough (QB) and Tyler Warren vs. Harold Fannin (TE); Fannin and Dart are the consensus all-rookie team picks.

2. Championship Deciders and Uncertainty

• Many fantasy championships riding on late-game performances: “A lot of championships gonna ride on the Bears and the 49ers and Puka Nakua. Probably some Bijan.” (Heath, 02:42)
• Sunday night/Monday night games and final championship breakthroughs—audience engagement with live roster advice.

3. Losers of the Week

• Steelers RBs (Najee Harris & Jaylen Warren)
  • “You hoped… at least you get one good performance. He got two shiitake mushrooms. So yeah, they were both, they were both awful.” (Jamie, 12:19)
• Tetairoa McMillan (CAR, WR) & Emeka Egbuka (TB, WR)
  • Both faltered; dynasty value in question after poor playoff stretches.
  • McMillan: "Wide receiver 41 in the fantasy playoffs." (Heath, 14:09)
  • Egbuka: “He was the number four wide receiver in this offense today...” (Heath, 13:33)

4. Impact Injuries

• No major fantasy RB/WR injuries, but notable TE losses:
  • Tavian Sanders (ankle) & Darnell Washington (arm).
• Geno Smith (SEA, QB) also hurt.

5. Live Sit/Start Help (10:33–12:06)

• Series of rapid sit/start responses for key matchups:
  • D.J. Moore vs. Drake London: Consensus on London.
  • Tight end premiums: Preferred TEs and who to sit (Loveland, Burden, Tanjis, etc.)

6. Wacky Stats & Notable Performances

• Sam Darnold joins Mount Rushmore of back-to-back 13-win seasons (Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Sam Darnold).
• Cam Ward: Longest time to throw (4.07s) in Next Gen Stats era. (18:28)
• Tyler Shough: Only three rookies (Shough, Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott) in SB era with consecutive 300+ yards no-INT games.
• Jets: Worst December point differential in NFL history (-107).

7. Top 5 at Each Position (21:25–33:54)

Quarterback

• #1 Drake Maye (CAR): 42.4 pts. “He really believed in him.” (Jamie, 22:11); perfect efficiency.
• Malik Willis, Dak Prescott, Tyler Shough, Jackson Dart round out the top five.

Running Back

• #1 Derrick Henry: 45.6 pts, defying age.
• Chase Brown (league-winner down the stretch), Rhamondre Stevenson, Zach Charbonnet, Jacory Crosby fill out the top five.
• Zach Charbonnet: “The most frustrating backfield in fantasy this year.” (Heath, 26:06)

Wide Receiver

• Top 5: Chris Olave, Jamar Chase, Chris Godwin, Wandale Robinson, Christian Watson.
• Chris Olave: “We thought he was better than his fantasy production… and this year we got good Chris Olave.” (Heath, 27:07)

Tight End

• Trey McBride dominates: “He currently is outscoring every other tight end by more than 100 points for the season...” (Heath, 31:13)
• Michael Mayer, Greg Dulcich, Chigoziem Okonkwo, Hunter Henry.

8. Fantasy MVP Debate

• Top four by hosts: Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, Jackson Smith-Njigba, Trey McBride.
• McBride’s historic run: “Week 6 through 17, 21.8 PPR fantasy points per game. I don’t think Kelsey ever quite did that.” (Heath & Jamie, 33:03)

9. Dynasty and 2026 Lookahead

• Chargers WRs: “Chargers do not have a top 24 wide receiver next year…” (Heath, 34:11)
• Quarterback debates: Who would you rather have for next three years, Herbert or Mahomes? (36:13) – Consensus supports Mahomes, but with healthy tackles, Chargers would be elite.
• Running backs on the move: Is Travis Etienne a top-12 RB? Franchise tag likely.
• Cam Ward’s potential as franchise QB if offense improves.
• Future RB situations: Chuba Hubbard vs. free agent (Panthers), Bucky Irving’s cautionary tale.
• TE Harold Fannin’s value for next season: Would’ve been consensus top-five if not for late injury.

10. In-Depth Game-by-Game ‘Believe It or Not’ Style Breakdowns (33:54+)

• Key takeaways, trends, dynasty implications, player concerns:
  • Malik Willis as a potential starting QB in 2026 (Heath, 36:33)
  • Jacksonville: Trevor Lawrence resurgence, optimism for next year. “The thing is he’s running so much now.” (Jamie, 38:57)
  • New Orleans: Cam Ward's flashes but needs more rushing.
  • Arizona: Michael Wilson/Harrison WR pairing not fast enough; dynasty WR1 debate.
  • Miami-Tampa Bay: Bucky Irving’s disappointing finish and his inclusion in a cautionary group of high-YPC rookies who fizzled.
  • Top 12 RB for 2026: Barkley, Genti, others debated with draft/contract situations in mind.
  • Giants’ offense: Top-12 potential? “They have a lot of the pieces. A lot.” (Jamie 58:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Wandale Robinson’s Historic Output:

  “First player in your lifetime under the height of 5'9" to top a thousand receiving yards. 1980 was the last time a receiver 5'8" or shorter was over a thousand receiving yards in a season.” — Heath, 05:51

• On Steelers' RB Backfield Disaster:

  “At least you get one good performance. He got two shiitake mushrooms.” — Jamie, 12:19

• Trey McBride’s Dominant Run:

  “He currently is outscoring every other tight end by more than 100 points for the season in total fantasy points.” — Heath, 31:13

• QB Debate, Herbert vs. Mahomes:

  “If the tackles were healthy for the Chargers, they’d be the best team in the NFL right now.” — Adam, 36:16

• Chargers Perennial Hype:

  “At the beginning of the year, everybody that gets paid to talk about football is so excited about the Chargers. And every December, everyone's so excited about how good the Chargers are going to be next year.” — Heath, 35:24

• On Cam Ward's Unrealized Rushing Potential:

  “There’s another guy, he needs to run. Give me 200 rushing yards a year.” — Jamie, 40:14

• McBride’s Historic Pace:

  “Week 6 through 17, 21.8 PPR fantasy points per game... Kelsey’s career high is 20.8.” – Jamie & Heath, 33:03

Key Timestamps

• Winners & All-Rookie Debate: 02:20–09:42
• Losers of the Week: 12:10–15:10
• Live Sit/Start Mailbag: 10:33–12:06
• Top 5 QBs: 21:25–23:03
• Top 5 RBs: 24:03–26:03
• Fantasy MVP & Tight End Analysis: 30:52–33:54
• Wacky Stats: 18:28–19:35
• Dynasty & Lookahead Questions: Scattered through 33:54 onwards (notably 34:11 on Chargers WRs, 36:33 Malik Willis, 39:11 Travis Etienne, 40:08 Cam Ward)
• Ending Sentiment & Celebratory Notes: 62:03–63:47

Tone & Style

The episode maintains its signature witty, fast-paced, and data-driven banter—with ribbing, deep knowledge, and continual callbacks to listeners’ championship fortunes. Brandon ironies (“two shiitake mushrooms”), running stat arguments, and fantasy relevance debates are constant.

Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode is a season-defining recap that reflects on championship performances, postmortems busts, and gives actionable forward-looking insights for both redraft and dynasty managers. The crew lauds late-year breakouts like Wandale Robinson and Tyler Shough, laments letdowns (Steelers RBs, Bentley WRs), and debates which players truly won fantasy leagues. There’s a ton of value for managers strategizing for 2026—whether it’s Travis Etienne’s status, the future of Bucky Irving, or sizing up the next great tight end (Trey McBride).

If you missed Week 17 or want an edge on 2026 prep, this episode hits every angle with wit, numbers, and must-know context—minus all the ads and fluff.