You want to win. (Right?)

Doesn't it follow, then, that you want players who share your passion for winning? No one wants a guy who isn't committed to the team on the team, and therein lies the problem in Week 17 -- there are guys out there who aren't committed to your cause.

Oh, I'm not about to accuse, say, T.J. Houshmandzadeh of not caring about winning, not playing with passion, not playing with intensity this week. For one thing, the guy is a free agent after the season, with a potentially big payday coming. But for a player without a playoff spot for which to aim or without a coach making roster and in-game decisions, is there not the threat of that player taking it at least a little easy in the regular-season finale?

As such, when I'm making my Week 17 roster decisions -- be it in a traditional fantasy football league or in this, the Gridiron Challenge -- the last thing I want on my team is a player with absolutely no motivation. Most especially, I don't want a player from a team that has already locked in its specific playoff seed.

Conversely, the best choices are players with everything on the line. Teams fighting for playoff spots, especially those facing teams already decidedly in or out of the playoffs, should comprise most of your lineup. … MORE

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