Fantasy Football Week 17: Start ‘em, Sit ‘em

With two weeks of football left, playoff seeding remains wide open for 24 teams. That means you can continue putting off scouring waivers in lieu of starters resting for another week as there is still a lot left for teams to play for.

However, week 16 threw some obstacles for fantasy managers in their playoff championships to hurdle over, most notably T.J. Hockenson going down with ACL and MCL injuries and is now missing the rest of the year. Other notable injuries included Jaylen Waddle (high ankle sprain, likely done for regular season) and Jordan Addison (ankle, day-to-day but uncertain to play).

As always, there’s matchups to favor and matchups to fade, and I’m here to take you through them.

Ian’s Record: 72-56

Start ’em

C.J. Stroud (QB, Texans) vs. Titans (if he plays, but I think he will)

He’s baaaaaaack.

After spending the last two weeks in concussion protocol, Stroud finally makes his return in this must-win game for Houston. Now that Tennessee is out of playoff contention they could try to play spoiler here, but it’s tough for me to bet against Stroud to make big plays with how he was playing before his injury.

It’s simple: win out, and you’re in. With two favorable matchups remaining (vs. TEN, @IND), I trust Stroud to immediately retain the reins and get it done.

Alvin Kamara (RB, Saints) at Buccaneers

The Rams did a good job at keeping Kamara under wraps last week (hence why I didn’t go with Saquon Barkley here), but this is a good game for him to rebound as New Orleans begins one last push to try and win the NFC South.

Kamara dominated the pass game the first time these teams met, so he should get fed the ball plenty again as the Saints try to make something happen on the road in this tough game script.

Tyreek Hill (WR, Dolphins) at Ravens

Miami needed to win against Dallas to secure a playoff spot. They did it. Miami needs to win against Baltimore to secure the AFC East. Will they do it? I don’t know, but they’re going to do as much as they can to make it so, and it starts with Tyreek Hill.

The fact that this game could also determine the 1 seed in the AFC puts even more weight on Hill’s shoulders as the Dolphins will need big plays to keep up with Lamar Jackson, and I think he can do it. I mean just look at what they did to the Ravens last year.

Kyle Pitts (TE, Falcons) at Bears

As untrustworthy as he continues to be, Pitts had a solid outing in Atlanta’s recent blowout of the Colts. As ugly as it may look, the Falcons are still not out of the NFC South race and another win would put them in a good spot entering week 18.

Chicago is a bottom-5 TE defense entering this week, so this may be an all-or-nothing scenario for Pitts, but he’s their biggest target and they need this win.

Sit ’em

Jared Goff (QB, Lions) at Cowboys

As much as Detroit is buzzing from winning their first NFC North title in team history, starting Goff is a huge risk with a fantasy championship on the line majorly because of his struggles on the road.

Dallas has just dropped their last two (both on the road), so I’m expecting them to shoot back into Super Bowl conversations now that they’re back at home. Miami and Buffalo have two of the most explosive offenses in the league, and that Cowboys defense held both Tua and Josh Allen to under two passing touchdowns. Pass.

De’Von Achane (RB, Dolphins) at Ravens

Ever since his first game back from injury, Achane just hasn’t been given the workload or red zone touches that we saw through the first weeks of the season. It’s tough to advise based on how explosive and exciting he was to watch, but Achane is also a big risk in a brutal matchup against Baltimore.

I could be wrong, as you never really know what Mike McDaniel is going to draw up on the goal line, but err on the side of caution if you’re considering giving him another shot. It’s clear at least for the rest of regular season he’s not being worked into the mix as much as Raheem Mostert and even Jeff Wilson Jr.

Garrett Wilson (WR, Jets) at Browns

It’s tough to say bench Garrett Wilson based on how well we all know he is capable of playing, but with who’s in the Jets’ quarterback room right now and this brutal matchup ahead, count me out.

Cleveland is red hot and still has a chance to win the AFC North. Denzel Ward has allowed one touchdown this season, on top of surrendering an average of 2.5 receptions for 28.9 yards per game. No.

Isaiah Likely (TE, Ravens) vs. Dolphins

This is uncharted territory for me, because Miami has never been great at covering tight ends. But if we take a look at the last eight weeks, no one has surrendered less points to opposing tight ends than Vic Fangio’s defense.

This game has massive playoff implications for both teams, so with a shootout likely (no pun intended), this may be a positive game script for Baltimore’s offense. But with the pressure Miami’s defense brings, I feel like on the Ravens’ side you’re not going to get a big play unless your name is Zay Flowers or Odell Beckham Jr.

BYES: NONE