Sunday's Best: Week 17

For those of you still playing fantasy football this week, it's a most frustrating time of year since many of top players, especially on teams who have clinched playoff berths and seeds, played limited minutes. Meanwhile, other good players on teams fighting for the playoffs are still going all-out. So it was even harder than usual to figure out who would do well this week.

Still, despite the even greater unpredictability, it's not a bad idea to study up on the performances of some of the non-starters who saw considerable action this week. For those playing in fantasy playoff leagues, the backups who logged major time in the NFL's final week of regular-season play could become nice sleeper/insurance picks, depending on how many rounds you draft. For those looking in keeper/dynasty leagues, some of the younger players might be more productive next season.

This week's studs and duds list will proceed as usual with players you probably had on your team, but I'll also highlight some of the fantasy studs who took all or most of the week off, not to mention some performances from rookies and key backups that could be relevant for playoff fantasy leagues and/or for next season.

1. Marc Bulger, QB, Rams (29-39, 450 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs; 1 carry, 6 yards): St. Louis didn't run much because Bulger had his way with the Jets' pass defense. This was the type of performance you expect from the Rams on a regular basis but didn't see all that consistently this season. In a playoff fantasy league, Bulger poses an interesting dilemma: he could run up huge stats in one game, but the Rams could be one-and-done. However, the Rams are playing Seattle first, so he may be around a couple for a few games.

2. Rudi Johnson, RB, Bengals (28 carries, 99 yards, 3 TDs): Cincinnati couldn't improve upon last year's 8-8 record, but finished with a flourish, concluding with a win over the JV Eagles. Johnson had a great season and capped it with three TDs Sunday. Congratulations to Johnson for breaking Corey Dillon's franchise rushing record.

3. Larry Johnson, RB, Chiefs (17 carries, 46 yards, 1 TD; 8 catches, 115 yards, 1 TD): It was a huge final month of the season for Johnson, who proved he could handle the load for Kansas City. Priest Holmes is still the man, but Johnson looks like a better insurance policy/handcuff pick in next year's draft.

4. Julius Jones, RB, Cowboys (29 carries, 149 yards, 1 TD; 5 catches, 46 yards): While Dallas came up just short, it was another big game for Jones, who will be a highly sought after running back in fantasy drafts next season.

5. Jake Plummer, QB, Broncos (17-30, 246 yards, 2 TDs; 7 carries, 15 yards, 1 TD): He did it all in a must-win situation, although he was doing it against plenty of second-stringers. Of course, it doesn't matter how it gets done as long as it does. These are the games many hope from Plummer but don't always get.

6. Daunte Culpepper, QB, Vikings (27-44, 299 yards, 2 TDs; 2 carries, 24 yards; 2-point conversion pass): Despite falling short against the Redskins, Minnesota is still in the playoffs and still has Culpepper, who can put up big numbers against any type of defense in the postseason (although it could be a one-and-done situation for the Vikes). Culpepper finished the season with 39 TD passes, fifth best all-time, but was somewhat overshadowed by Peyton Manning's record 49.

7. Torry Holt, WR, Rams (7 catches, 116 yards, 2 TDs): With Bulger channeling the Greatest Show on Turf, someone had to put up some big stats, so why not Holt, who's still among the best fantasy wide outs today.