Week 17 Fantasy RB Rankings: Injuries to Derrick Henry, Mark Ingram, James Conner affect start 'em, sit 'em calls

It's no surprise that by Week 17, running back injuries are a major factor in the fantasy RB rankings. Fantasy football leagues that play to the NFL regular season's final week have surely realized that they could be inconvenienced by poorly timed injuries. Chris Carson may have gotten you this far, but he won't be able to win you your league in Week 17. At least other injured rushers, such as Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Mark Ingram, and James Conner, still have a chance to play. With some of them, it feels like start/sit decisions may come down all the way to Sunday.

Let's start with those of you who own Carson (hip). C.J. Prosise broke his arm Sunday, as well, which means that former Miami Hurricanes RB Travis Homer is likely to receive a ton of work in Week 17. PPR owners should be fine with that -- Homer was targeted eight times in Week 16. He'll be less of a sure thing in standard leagues against the 49ers, although that defense isn't as strong as it was at full health early in the season. Homer wouldn't be more than a FLEX play, but if the Seahawks don't make any notable roster moves, expect Homer to get a lot of volume. (Update: With Seattle signing Marshawn Lynch on Monday night, Lynch looks like the RB to own in Seattle, though Homer will certainly still be involved.)

WEEK 17 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

We're handling Jacobs (shoulder) differently than we are Henry (hamstring), Ingram (calf), and Conner (shoulder). Because of the tone of Jon Gruden's comments throughout the past few days, Jacobs is being kept out of the rankings due to an unlikelihood to play in Week 17 (although there is a weird playoff scenario where Oakland can still get in, so you can bet the Raiders will consider it). If Jacobs plays in Week 17, you can slot him in a similar spot to where DeAndre Washington currently is (maybe a few spots higher).

Henry, Ingram and Conner all remain in the rankings for now. (Update: Ingram has been removed from the rankings based on new reporting.) Henry's still in because Mike Vrabel expressed after Sunday's game that he hopes holding out Henry in Week 16 can get him on the field for Week 17. Ingram's and Conner's injuries are both new and worrisome. Ingram has the added factor of potentially being able to sit out due to the Ravens' clinched seeding. If those three players were out, all three of Dion Lewis, Gus Edwards and Benny Snell Jr. would move into RB2 territory.

WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end

For most teams, Week 17 will be about sticking with the norms and trying to get starters up to particular seasonal milestones. That means that if your RB isn't injured, you can probably utilize him as usual. The two spots we'd stay totally away from are Detroit and Kansas City, where those teams seemingly haven't settled on one or even two running backs. 

The worst matchup this week probably goes to Devonta Freeman in Tampa Bay, but he's too heavily involved as both a runner and pass-catcher to seriously consider benching. The biggest riser due to matchup was Aaron Jones, although you would've started him regardless of whether he was taking on the weak Detroit run defense. And if you've made it to your Week 17 final, it could be due to Kenyan Drake putting your team on his back. Feel free to trust him one more time against the Rams.

MORE: Which players are sitting out Week 17?

A few other things to monitor in Week 17: The health of Minnesota's RBs and the health of Myles Gaskin (ankle). For now, we're ranking the Vikings as if Dalvin Cook (shoulder) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) are out, meaning more Mike Boone. (Update: We've removed Gaskin from the rankings.)

Reminder: These rankings will be adjusted throughout week, so check back often for the latest updates!

WEEK 17 DFS:
DK Cash | DK GPP | Y! GPP | FD Cash | Values

Week 17 Fantasy RB Rankings

These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.