Last week I was wondering if the Bills, with nothing at stake but the No. 2 seed versus the No. 3 or 4, would limit any starters against New England Monday night. They didn't, leaving Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs out there to pile up huge numbers. The Steelers are going a different route in Week 17, and it's a meaningful development for the AFC playoff field.
Pittsburgh still has a chance to be the No. 2 seed in the AFC, but with no bye for that spot this year, it's not quite as big a deal. They're going to start Mason Rudolph at quarterback over Ben Roethlisberger at Cleveland, which immediately reminds one of the last time Rudolph and Myles Garrett squared off, and Garrett introduced the quarterback to the side of his own helmet.
More importantly from a fantasy standpoint, those with Week 17 matchups now know they won't have Roethlisberger, and it remains to be seen how the Steelers will use their other starters -- James Conner, Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster. Once you hold out your starting quarterback, it's clear you don't care about winning the game, and other starters are also possibilities to get benched, either early or before the game even starts.
This could have a ripple effect on some other teams. We already knew Kansas City would hold out some (all?) key starters. Now the Bills have that opportunity, assuming they care about the No. 2 seed, and assuming they don't think the Steelers can knock off Cleveland without Roethlisberger and whoever else they decide to hold out. This is exactly why most fantasy leagues end in Week 16.
More importantly from an NFL standpoint, the Steelers' decision to punt this game means the Colts, who need a win and a loss by either the Browns, Ravens or Dolphins to make the playoffs, won't be getting any help from Pittsburgh. I totally understand the argument that it's the Colts' own fault -- they should have taken care of business themselves. I will not shed tears for Indianapolis. But you can bet the NFL is grimacing at the integrity of the playoff field being jeopardized by Pittsburgh sending out Mason Rudolph.
On the other hand, Roethlisberger hasn't exactly been playing at an MVP level, so maybe I'm overrating the drop to Rudolph. He started eight games a year ago, going 4-2 in the six he finished. But he was knocked out of one and benched in another (both losses), and two of the wins were against Cincinnati (who might not have been trying to win). In his last five appearances he threw 4 touchdowns.
Bottom line: Cleveland's path to returning to the postseason now seems to be a lot easier, and Indianapolis' seems to be harder.
--Andy Richardson