NFL Players Sitting Out of Week 17 Games

With many of the 12 available playoff spots settled heading into this Sunday, a handful of NFL teams are taking the opportunity to rest their star players in Week 17.

In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and New Orleans Saints are fighting for a first-round bye along with other seeding implications. The Seattle Seahawks are also playing for the NFC West title, so none of those teams are expected to rest any players this Sunday.

The New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs are playing for the No. 2 seed and the home-field advantage and first-round bye it comes with in the AFC. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans can even take the No. 3 seed with a win and a Chiefs' loss.

With so many playoff scenarios up in the air, here's a list of offensive players who are sitting out for each NFL team in Week 17.

1. Bills Players Sitting Out in Week 17

Josh Allen runs with the ball against the Patriots. / Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

- Devin Singletary (RB)
- Cole Beasley (WR)
- John Brown (WR)
- Andre Roberts (WR)
- Dawson Knox (TE)

2. Chiefs Players Sitting Out in Week 17

Patrick Mahomes surveys the field against the Bears. / Stacy Revere/Getty Images

- Patrick Mahomes (QB), Tyreek Hill (QB), Travis Kelce (TE), and the rest of the Chiefs' offense will play as Kansas City must win to secure a first-round bye.

3. Packers Players Sitting Out in Week 17

Aaron Jones celebrates in a game against the Vikings. / Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

- The Packers are playing for a first-round bye and will not rest any of their starters.

4. Patriots Players Sitting Out in Week 17

Tom Brady prepares to throw a pass against the Bills. / Billie Weiss/Getty Images

- The Patriots must win to secure a first-round bye. Tom Brady (QB) and the rest of the Patriots' starters will be playing against the Dolphins. If the game turns into a blowout, they may rest players.
- Julian Edelman (WR) is active.

5. Vikings Players Sitting Out in Week 17

Kirk Cousins evades a rusher in a game against the Packers. / Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

- Kirk Cousins (QB)
- Dalvin Cook (RB)
- Kirk Cousins (QB)
- Stefon Diggs (WR)
- Adam Thielen (WR)
- Questionable: Alexander Mattison (RB), Mackensie Alexander (CB), Jayron Kearse (S)
- The Vikings will likely rest most of their starters, Courtney Cronin reported on Friday.

6. Ravens Players Sitting Out in Week 17

Lamar Jackson throws a pass against the Browns. / Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

- Lamar Jackson (QB), Robert Griffin III (QB) will start
- Mark Ingram (RB)
- Mark Andrews (TE)
- Earl Thomas (S)
- Questionable: Marquise Brown (WR) & Marcus Peters (CB)

7. Saints Players Sitting Out in Week 17

Drew Brees and Sean Payton discuss plays. / Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

- The Saints are playing for a first-round bye and will play all of their starters.

8. Seahawks Players Sitting Out in Week 17

Doug Baldwin makes a catch in a game against the Cowboys. / Tom Pennington/Getty Images

- Chris Carson (RB) and C.J. Prosise (RB) are out for the season.
- The Seahawks could still clinch the NFC West with a win and a 49ers loss, so they will be playing their full complement of players, including Marshawn Lynch (RB).

9. Texans Players Sitting Out in Week 17

The Texans celebrate after defeating the Buccaneers. / Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

- Will Fuller (WR)
- Questionable: DeAndre Hopkins (WR), Deshaun Watson (QB) & Kenny Stills (WR)
- If Kansas City defeats the Los Angeles Chargers at home before the Texans' Week 17 game starts (the Texans kick off at 4:25 pm EST, the Chiefs play at 1 pm EST), the Texans' game will be meaningless in determining further playoff seeding and will likely rest players as a result.

10. 49ers Players Sitting Out in Week 17

The 49ers receive instructions from the coaching staff during a game against the Rams. / Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

- The 49ers need to win to secure the NFC West and potentially a first-round bye.

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Tristan Jung is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Tristan Jung also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username tristan1117. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.