The Houston Texans face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17. Here you’ll find the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineup this week and going forward, especially regarding WR Robert Woods.

Will Robert Woods play in Week 17?

Woods is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any unexpected setbacks, he is on track to play on Christmas.

We will continue to monitor the Texans 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 out Robert Woods in Week 17?

Whether it’s the fact that Woods has been on three different rosters in four years, had a 20-yard catch last calendar year, or is 32 years old, it’s easy to dismiss him as a fantasy asset these days. To add fuel to that fire, he has produced at least 25% below PPR expectations in each of his last three seasons.

It’s possible we’ll never get another impressive performance from Bobby Trees again. Still, I like the strategic move of adding it. The Tank Dell injury (dislocated kneecap) opens up opportunities at a spot against a Ravens defense that is much more vulnerable in the air than on the ground.

I don’t rate Woods as a starter, and you’d really have to be in a tough spot to use him. Hopefully that’s not the case for you, but could it be the case for your opponent too? Do you still have a handcuff on the roster that is behind a healthy starter and therefore has no real value?

Then why not? Why not add a player to an offense that is on the rise in the top 10 this week, if for no other reason than to ensure there is one less option for your opponent?

Realistically, I would let receivers like Michael Wilson (on the Rams), Alec Pierce (on the Giants) or Christian Watson (on the Vikings) play instead of Woods this week. At best it’s a rescue PPR plugin that you hope will get you 10 points. But I find him to be the most valuable of the widely available waiver wire options, and under the guise of taking away your opponent’s path to production, I’d make that claim.

Looking for starting/sitting tips for other players in your lineup? Read our cheat sheet of Week 17 fantasy starting sit advice for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.

Robert Woods’ Week 17 Fantasy Points Prediction

As of Thursday, Woods is projected to average 9.1 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 3.6 receptions for 40.3 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.

Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer this week for the latest predictions and advice for your lineups.

PFN insight into the Ravens defense

For most of the season, the Ravens were stuck in a rut. After years of relying on the elite performance of the defense and Justin Tucker, both had turned into pumpkins and threatened to undo an MVP-caliber performance from Lamar Jackson and the offense.

Don’t look now, but Baltimore’s defense is once again an above-average unit after another positive performance against Pittsburgh (77.0, Grade C+). Baltimore has taken advantage of some weak opponents of late, including a Pittsburgh offense without George Pickens. Still, the Ravens deserve credit for posting a season-high pressure rate of 48.4% without blitzing.

Baltimore is still a relatively weak pressure team, ranking 20th in non-blitz pressure rate this season. However, the Ravens did an excellent job converting those sacks, posting the eighth-highest sack rate.

Baltimore has the 11th best pressure-to-sack conversion rate this year, bringing down the QB 23.3% of the time he generates pressure.

Despite leading the league in scoring defense in 2023, the Ravens ranked just 10th in defense+. This year’s unit is approaching that level, but combining it with a far more versatile offense, which bodes well for the postseason.

For more insight into all other team defenses, check out our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.

Robert Woods’ fantasy rankings

Below are our weekly consensus PPR rankings – both position-wise and overall. They were last updated on Wednesday, December 25th at 3:45 a.m. ET. If you play in a Superflex league, be sure to check out our weekly consensus Superflex rankings.

Week 17 WR PPR Rankings

1) Ja’Marr Chase | CIN (vs. DEN)
2) Puka Nacua | LAR (vs. ARI)
3) Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at SF)
4) Justin Jefferson | MIN (compared to GB)
5) Mike Evans | TB (compared to CAR)
6) Nico Collins | HOU (vs BAL)
7) AJ Brown | PHI (vs. DAL)
8) CeeDee Lamb | DAL (at PHI)
9) Terry McLaurin | WHAT (vs. ATL)
10) Davante Adams | NYJ (at BUF)
11) Tyreek Hill | MIA (at CLE)
12) Tea Higgins | CIN (vs. DEN)
13) Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (vs. TEN)
14) Courtland Sutton | DEN (at CIN)
15) Ladd McConkey | LAC (at NE)
16) Drake London | ATL (at WAS)
17) Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (at CHI)
18) Malik Nabers | NYG (vs IND)
19) Cooper Kupp | LAR (vs. ARI)
20) Garrett Wilson | NYJ (at BUF)
21) Jauan Jennings | SF (vs. DET)
22) Zay Flowers | BAL (at HOU)
23) DJ Moore | CHI (vs. SEA)
24) Jakobi Meyers | LV (at NE)
25) Keenan Allen | CHI (vs. SEA)
26) Jordan Addison | MIN (compared to GB)
27) DK Metcalf | SEA (at CHI)
28) George Pickens | PIT (against KC)
29) Calvin Ridley | TEN (at JAX)
30) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. DAL)
31) Khalil Shakir | BUF (vs NYJ)
32) Adam Thielen | CAR (at TB)
33) Jameson Williams | DET (at SF)
34) Deebo Samuel Sr. | SF (vs. DET)
35) Jayden Reed | GB (at MIN)
36) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (at PIT)
37) Xavier Worthy | KC (at PIT)
38) Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at LAR)
39) Jaylen Waddle | MIA (at CLE)
40) Darnell Mooney | ATL (at WAS)
41) Jerry Jeudy | CLE (vs MIA)
42) Josh Downs | IND (at NYG)
43) Jalen McMillan | TB (compared to CAR)
44) Hollywood Brown | KC (at PIT)
45) Rome Odunze | CHI (vs. SEA)
46) Romeo Doubs | GB (at MIN)
47) Amari Cooper | BUF (vs NYJ)
48) Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (at NYG)
49) Rashod Bateman | BAL (at HOU)
50) Quentin Johnston | LAC (at NE)
51) Jalen Coker | CAR (at TB)
52) DeMario Douglas | NE (vs LAC)
53) Wan’Dale Robinson | NYG (vs IND)
54) Christian Watson | GB (at MIN)
55) Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | TEN (at JAX)
56) Elijah Moore | CLE (vs MIA)
57) Marquez Valdes-Scantling | BUF (vs NYJ)
58) Calvin Austin III | PIT (against KC)
59) Joshua Palmer | LAC (at NE)
60) Robert Woods | HOU (vs BAL)
61) Parker Washington | JAX (vs. TEN)
62) Tim Patrick | DET (at SF)
63) Ray Ray McCloud III | ATL (at WAS)
64) John Metchie III | HOU (vs BAL)
65) Keon Coleman | BUF (vs NYJ)
66) David Moore | CAR (at TB)
67) Devaughn Vele | DEN (at CIN)
68) Michael Wilson | ARI (at LAR)
69) Tre Tucker | LV (at NE)
70) Kendrick Bourne | NE (vs LAC)
71) Mike Williams | PIT (against KC)
72) Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (at CIN)
73) Andrei Iosivas | CIN (vs. DEN)
74) Kayshon Boutte | NE (vs LAC)
75) Malik Washington | MIA (at CLE)
76) Olamide Zacchaeus | WHAT (vs. ATL)
77) Brandin Cooks | DAL (at PHI)
78) Sterling Shepard | TB (compared to CAR)
79) Tyler Lockett | SEA (at CHI)
80) Demarcus Robinson | LAR (vs. ARI)
81) Adonai Mitchell | IND (at NYG)
82) Dyami Brown | WHAT (vs. ATL)
83) Dontayvion Wicks | GB (at MIN)
84) Alec Pierce | IND (at NYG)
85) Allen Lazard | NYJ (at BUF)
86) Van Jefferson | PIT (against KC)
87) Darius Slayton | NYG (vs IND)
88) Ricky Pearsall | SF (vs. DET)
89) Jalen Tolbert | DAL (at PHI)
90) Jamison Crowder | WHAT (vs. ATL)
91) Tyler Boyd | TEN (at JAX)
92) Troy Franklin | DEN (at CIN)
93) Kevin Austin Jr. | NO (compared to LV)
94) Mack Hollins | BUF (vs NYJ)
95) Tutu Atwell | LAR (vs. ARI)
96) Jalen Nailor | MIN (compared to GB)
97) KaVontae Turpin | DAL (at PHI)
98) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (at PIT)
99) Michael Woods II | CLE (vs MIA)
100) Justin Watson | KC (at PIT)

Ravens at Texans Trends and Insight

Baltimore Ravens

Team: Since the start of the last regular season, no team has scored more double-digit points than the Ravens.

QB: Lamar Jackson has set a career-high for touchdown passes in a season and has now thrown for multiples in eight of his last nine games (three TD passes in his first three games this season).

Attack: Baltimore was 0 of 2 in converting score-to-go drives into touchdowns in Week 1 – they’ve been 28 of 30 since then

Defense: In Weeks 1-10, Baltimore allowed 7.9 yards per pass – since then, that rate has been 5.9.

Fantasy: Derrick Henry has failed to score a touchdown in four straight games, the first time since the start of the 2018 season with six straight. Marcus Mariota led the Titans team in passing and Corey Davis in receiving – yes, it’s been a minute.

Betting: The Ravens defeated the Dolphins in Week 17 last season. Since then, they are 0-4 ATS during the short break and have failed to cover an average of 7.4 points in those games.

Houston Texans

Team: The Texans have not won a game in consecutive weeks since Weeks 5–6 (their wins in Weeks 13 and 15 were separated by their bye).

QB: CJ Stroud has weapons around him, but the loss of Tank Dell has implications in more ways than one.

• Yards per attempt with Dell: 8.0

  • Yards per attempt without Dell: 7.0 (down 12.5%)

• Air yards per unpressurized pass with Dell: 8.8

  • Air yards per pass without pressure without Dell: 6.6 (down 25%)

• Deep Passer Rating at Dell: 107.4

  • Deep Passer Rating without Dell: 90 (minus 16.2%)

Attack: The vertical game just didn’t work this season. In his first 19 games, Stroud threw no interceptions on 147 deep pass attempts – he has since had six INTs on 97 such attempts.

Defense: Houston is 8-1 when holding opponents to a sub-40% conversion rate on third down (1-5 otherwise).

Fantasy: Dalton Schultz has scored at least 15 PPR points in two of his last three games and posted a 21.6% target share against the Chiefs on Saturday – his role could be as favorable as any this week given Dell’s matchup and injury now .

Betting: The Unders are 9-3-1 in Houston’s last 13 home games, most recently going 20-12 against the Dolphins in Week 15 (final score: 46.5 points).