"If you play in a standard ESPN.com fantasy football league, Week 17 will test your guile.

All year long, you've resisted the temptation to overreact and have played your studs. Hopefully after Week 16, you've got a healthy lead in your two-week fantasy championship game. But now all bets are off. Some NFL teams will rest their stars on Sunday while others will go all out to make the playoffs or improve seeding. As a result, some of the most reliable NFL players won't see more than a series or two, and you need to be ready.

I don't have definitive word on which teams will rest which players. These are closely guarded state secrets. But below I'll list 10 situations about which there are sneaking suspicions that Week 17 may not look like its 16 predecessors.

1. Green Bay Packers. The Packers are locked in as the NFC's No. 1 seed and have absolutely nothing to play for. It's possible Aaron Rodgers gets a ceremonial series or two at the game's outset, but it's also possible Matt Flynn starts outright. Certainly, I expect Flynn to play most of the game. Unfortunately, when he's out there, Flynn isn't likely to have many of the elite receiving weapons fantasy owners have grown to know and love. You already know Greg Jennings won't play. Jermichael Finley has a sore left knee, which probably wouldn't limit him under normal circumstances, so he might not suit up at all, either. Randall Cobb, who looked like a good candidate to get some end-of-rookie-season work, hadn't practiced as of this writing because of a groin injury and might get some precautionary rest. (That's by no means certain, however; if you were thinking of using Cobb as a sneaky play; stay tuned for late-week news.) That leaves WRs Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver and James Jones on the game-day roster, and I have a hard time imagining the Packers risking Nelson's health. Maybe Green Bay activates a kid from its practice squad (Tori Gurley?). Or maybe the Packers just run it a whole bunch.

That brings us to the backfield, where James Starks reinjured his ankle in Week 16 and almost certainly will sit. Ryan Grant will probably start and get a bit of work, but he's been such a nice surprise in December that I'm guessing the Pack view him as their best RB option in the playoffs and therefore won't risk him for long. That probably means Brandon Saine will be the top rusher Sunday, though John Kuhn will probably see significant halfback work, too. (Saine suffered a concussion in Week 14, but returned against the Bears last week.)

Bottom line: Jones is probably the best WR option on this team because there are really no other young and able bodies the Packers will want to risk. (Check back in on Cobb this weekend.) Saine makes a sneaky flex in a game where Green Bay will want to keep the clock running. And Flynn is a deeper-league option at QB.

2. New Orleans Saints. Sean Payton told reporters Wednesday that he won't be scoreboard-watching this week and that he plans to play his starters the entire game. I remain somewhat skeptical. The Saints will be the NFC's No. 3 seed unless the San Francisco 49ers lose at the St. Louis Rams, which isn't likely. If Payton looks up at halftime and sees a 28-0 San Francisco lead, how can he not pull his starters? The last thing the high-octane Saints need is a Wes Welker situation. That said, there's little reason to doubt Payton's intention to begin the game with Drew Brees rolling at full speed, and there's also a not-insignificant possibility that the Niners don't have a massive lead, so Brees could keep playing. If Breezy has gotten you this far, you should probably just roll with him. Even if Chase Daniel winds up getting action in the second half, it's unlikely he'd throw it enough to rack up significant fantasy points."