The First Read: Buy/sell on 18 playoff contenders; plus, Week 17's most intriguing game, MVP rankings

In The First Read, Jeffri Chadiha provides a snapshot of the hottest stories and trends heading into Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season, including:

But first, a look at the postseason viability of 18 playoff contenders as we head into the final two weeks of the regular season ...

Just when it seemed the NFL was becoming a little more predictable, Week 16 reminded us how dangerous it is to think that way. The Raiders just beat up on the Chiefs in Kansas City, while the Patriots pulled a major upset in Denver. Four playoff contenders (Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Houston) got blown out and a few others (Buffalo, Green Bay and Seattle) escaped defeats by opponents that have some of the league's worst records. And if you really want some craziness, try this: Pittsburgh needed a third-string quarterback to help embattled wide receiver George Pickens improve his recently damaged reputation for lackluster effort.

The point here is that the final two weeks of the regular season are going to be nuts. There are still plenty of teams in the hunt for postseason spots and no easy way to evaluate whom to trust the most. That's where this edition of The First Read will come in handy. This writer is about to tell you exactly who you should be placing your faith in -- and who you should be ready to bury -- when it comes to predicting postseason participants.

Since we already have six teams that have clinched spots (Baltimore and Miami in the AFC; San Francisco, Philadelphia, Detroit and Dallas in the NFC), we'll eliminate them from the discussion. As for the others, we'll treat them like stocks: Here's who you should be buying and selling as the playoff race intensifies.

Jacksonville's continued implosion. The Jaguars were once