Week 17 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Fantasy Football

We're into a notoriously strange fantasy football slate in Week 17, and the potential for teams resting their starters means we have to consider even more players than usual.

Who Do I Start in Fantasy Football?

Having so many options at your disposal in the fantasy football playoffs makes it especially important to stay on the ball with the top fantasy football plays in Week 17.

If you need some help with your Week 17 lineup, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice.

Start 'Em, Sit 'Em, Week 17 Quarterbacks

Start Tom Brady (NE vs MIA): Tom Brady has been far from an elite fantasy QB this year, but a matchup with the Miami Dolphins with home-field advantage on the line gives him a huge boost. The Patriots are expected to dominate Miami, and the lines on FanDuel Sportsbook (16-point favorites, 45-point over/under) give them a massive 30.5-point implied total. Miami has allowed the second-most fantasy points to QBs this year, and Brady dropped 24.7 fantasy points against them in Week 2.

Sit Jared Goff (LAR vs ARI): A matchup with the Arizona Cardinals usually makes a QB a "start" candidate, but the Rams' playoff hopes have been dashed, and there are reports that they may rest their top players entirely. Even if Jared Goff plays it likely wouldn't be for an entire game, and that destroys his fantasy value for the week.

Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 17 Running Backs

Start Gus Edwards (BAL vs PIT): The Baltimore Ravens are another team resting their starters with nothing to play for this week, and the includes Mark Ingram. That leaves Gus Edwards as their lead back for the week, and even playing with mostly backups that makes him a viable fantasy play. Edwards had 13 touches on just 30 snaps in relief of Ingram in last week's win, and 20-plus looks to be a realistic projection as he leads the offense in Week 17.

Sit Todd Gurley (LAR vs ARI): Like Goff, a usually-great matchup isn't enough to make Todd Gurley worth the risk this week. A highly-paid RB with long-term health concerns is likely going to be the last player the Rams want to run out in a meaningless game. If you want exposure to this spot, consider Malcolm Brown instead, especially after Darrell Henderson missed practice on Wednesday.

Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 17 Wide Receivers

Start Michael Gallup (DAL vs WAS): The Dallas Cowboys need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, so there's no risk of resting starters here. Michael Gallup has seen double-digit targets in four of his last seven outings (averaging 8.6 per game in that stretch), and volume like that gives him massive upside against the Washington Redskins, who rank 23rd in Football Outsiders' pass defense DVOA rankings.

Sit T.Y. Hilton (IND at JAX): The Indianapolis Colts are already eliminated from playoff contention, and while they've had T.Y. Hilton back on the field, they've been taking it very easy on their star WR down the stretch. Hilton returned from injury in Week 15, but in two games since getting back on the field he's played just 52 percent and 59 percent of the Colts' offensive snaps. For comparison, he played 94 percent in Week 8 before getting hurt. He's good enough to produce on limited snaps, but that's not something you want to rely on, and the potential for low volume makes him too risky to start in Week 17.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.