2017 NFL Fantasy Football Start/Sit – Week 17

It’s officially CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK! I know some leagues ended last week, but those leagues are lame. A team has to really go the extra effort to win if the championship game includes Week 17.

Week 17 can often be extremely difficult to navigate since teams take out their stars if they have nothing to play for and there are sometimes unreal performances from young, hungry players that are playing for big contracts this coming offseason. It’s just a weird week and a team should have to play this week to deserve the title as ‘fantasy football champion.’

Here is our Fantasy Football Sit/Start for Week 17 of the 2017 NFL season…and enjoy our strange MS Paint masterpiece of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles.

I want to explain what I mean by “sit” and “start.” Of course you are going to start some of the guys i say to bench this week, because you probably used high draft picks or a lot of money in an auction for them. My ‘sit’ players are guys I am just not completely sold that they will have good weeks. If you have a guy that you are on the fence about, maybe this will help you pick between the players.

I didn’t want to make this SIT’EM section very long since there’s no need to drop guys, because hey, it’s the last week of the season. Just make sure the guys you are playing aren’t getting rested and you should be okay this week.

START’EM

  • QB Blake Bortles (Jacksonville Jaguars) – It appears that Jacksonville head coach Doug Marrone will play his starters against the Titans. Could they limit rookie running back Leonard Fournette’s workload? I could see RB T.J. Yeldon getting a little extra work in this game. The Titans secondary is bad and the Titans would be eliminated from playoff contention with a win. The Jaguars are basically locked in and will be hosting a playoff game next week. Bortles could be a nice play if your starting quarterback gets rested this weekend.
  • WR Keelan Cole (Jacksonville Jaguars) – I couldn’t mention Bortles without throwing Cole’s name out there again. He is dealing with an ankle injury, but the guy has had 100+ yards in back-to-back games. He even had 13 targets in last week’s loss to the Niners. Cole will most likely be Jacksonville’s #1 target if Marqise Lee doesn’t play again.
  • RB Peyton Barber (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Barber has supplanted Doug Martin has the Bucs best backfield option. His workload keeps increasing every week. The Saints aren’t the best matchup, but there’s upside with him if you’re in need of a running back.fl
  • QB Jacoby Brissett (Indianapolis Colts) – Brissett has pretty much hit a wall over the last couple weeks, but he’s facing the Texans this weekend. He also could be auditioning for a new team. The Colts could love to have Brissett as a back-up for Andrew Luck…but if a team offers Indy a first-round pick for him, they pretty much have to take it, right? The Colts have zero depth, so they could use all the picks they can get. Houston is a great foe for Brissett to have a little display of his talents.
  • RB Wayne Gallman (New York Giants) – The Giants will surely clean house this offseason, so Gallman has one last opportunity to impress. He has good hands and if he can continue to be a solid third-down back, he could have a big role on the team next year. The Redskins have allowed quite a few receptions from running backs this year, so Gallman has an ideal opponent.
  • Baltimore Ravens Defense & Special Teams – The Bengals won last week, but I don’t see them ending the season with a win. The Ravens defense should have a very good game against Bengals QB Andy Dalton.
  • WR Tyrell Williams (Los Angeles Chargers) – The Chargers have been using Williams as a deep threat the last few weeks. It makes sense for them to keep doing that as they hope to land a spot in the playoffs with a win (and held) against the Raiders. WR Keenan Allen is a little banged up, so Williams will be the guy getting the deep work. I’d take a flyer on him this week.
  • TE Antonio Gates (Los Angeles Chargers) – TE Hunter Henry was put on IR and Gates will be crutch for Rivers once again. They have chemistry and even if Gates isn’t the same impact tight end he was years ago, the dude still has magnet hands. The Raiders have allowed 66 yards to tight ends this season, which is the worst in the NFL.
  • TE Benjamin Watson (Baltimore Ravens) – Here’s another veteran stepping up for a team late in the season. QB Joe Flacco is looking for him, especially since only WR Mike Wallace has been worth a damn as a receiver for quite awhile. 
  • Washington Redskins Defense & Special Teams – Any team that faces the Giants this week should be a near-automatic start. They are fighting with themselves and just want this ugly season to end.
  • QB Case Keenum (Minnesota Vikings) – He didn’t have a great numbers game last week against the Packers, but the game was played in crappy conditions. He plays the Bears this week and Minnesota have no reason to punt this week’s game. They can still get a first-round bye with a win, so I expect a full game from Keenum.
  • RB Kapri Bibbs (Washington Redskins) DEEP LEAGUE ALERT – Redskins RB Samaje Perine is dealing with an Achilles injury, so his status is still unknown. Bibbs is the next man up and at the very least, would be a good third-down back due to his pass-catching ability. 

SIT’EM

  • The Los Angeles Rams – Yes, the entire team may not be worth starting…well, at least not the regular starters. QB Jared Goff and RB Todd Gurley will probably sit and QB Sean Mannion and RBs Lance Dunbar and Justin Davis will be starting in their place. Keep an eye on the story, but as of now, plan for them to not play on Sunday.
  • RB Carlos Hyde (San Francisco 49ers) – Hyde hasn’t played well at all and RB Matt Breida is starting to eat into his carries. They play the Jaguars this weekend and I just don’t see him being much of a factor in the game.
  • QB Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) – I don’t expect Brees to have a very intricate game against the Bucs. They are a run-first team now and their backfield is talented enough to get the win. He hasn’t been a very good fantasy quarterback this season and it could be the beginning of the end of his elite fantasy career since Kamara/Ingram are young.
  • WR Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders) – I mentioned Cooper as a drop a couple weeks ago. He did score a touchdown against the Eagles last week, but they have been few and far between. There are better options out there this week and the Chargers are a bad match-up for him.
  • Tevin Coleman (Atlanta Falcons) – He faces the Panthers on Sunday and they have a good run defense. RB Devonta Freeman may not be a very smart play either, but due to his hands, I like him more than Coleman this week. 
Email me at BobbyMcRib@gmail.com if you have a specific fantasy football question.

 

Follow us on Twitter @Sweetbob & ‘LIKE’ us on Facebook!

sweetbob-author-picAbout the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.