Here's help on what to do with Week 17 lineup

The most difficult week of the season trying to project player statistics is Week 17. Some coaches are cryptic about their plans for their stars' playing time, and results of earlier games impact later games.

Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Reggie Wayne, Vincent Jackson and possibly Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald are just some of the elite fantasy players who will not be in most lineups this week because of their lack of playing time. It's just another reason not to use Week 17 in fantasy.

Need more proof? The Patriots are underdogs to the Texans, the Panthers are favored over the Saints and the Bills are favored over the Colts.

Some leagues still use Week 17, so here are some good plays:

Matt Ryan (Falcons), QB: A win by Atlanta gives the Falcons their first back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history. Ryan passed for 250 yards and three touchdowns last week and the Buccaneers have allowed 26 passing TDs.

Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers), QB: Pittsburgh has become a passing team. Roethlisberger has thrown for a career-high 4,108 yards and the Dolphins have had trouble defending the pass recently.

Alex Smith (49ers), QB: San Francisco still needs to find out more about Smith, so look for him to throw often against a poor Rams defense.

Jay Cutler (Bears), QB: Cutler could be real good if he gets protection and makes good decisions the way he did against the Vikings last week. The Lions are the worst team defending the pass, having allowed 31 touchdowns.

Fred Jackson (Bills), RB: Look for Fred Jackson to get a lot of touches against the backups of the Indianapolis defense. Jackson needs 150 yards to reach 1,000 rushing yards.

Jonathan Stewart (Panthers), RB: DeAngelo Williams didn't practice Thursday and could sit again for Carolina. That would bolster Stewart even more against a New Orleans defense that has struggled against the run lately.

Matt Forte (Bears), RB: Forte has been a disappointment, but he has done well against poor rushing defenses. Detroit falls into that category. Forte's lone 100-yard game this season was against the Lions.

Knowshon Moreno (Broncos), RB: Moreno has struggled the last few weeks and may have hit the rookie wall, but he should get plenty of chances against a terrible Kansas City run defense.

Jerome Harrison (Browns), RB: Another audition for Harrison to show he should be the top back next season for Cleveland. He has 73 carries for 434 yards with four TDs the last two weeks.

Santonio Holmes (Steelers), WR: Holmes has been very consistent in the second half of the season. He has at least six catches and 86 yards in six of the last eight games.

Calvin Johnson (Lions), WR: A risk if Daunte Culpepper starts, but Johnson should get a lot of targets and has upside.

Hakeem Nicks (Giants), WR: Look for the Giants to pass a lot and try to exploit a struggling Vikings secondary.

Kellen Winslow (Bucs), TE: He has at least 69 yards in four of his last five games and is a frequent target of Josh Freeman.