Welcome to Fantasy Football Championship Week! First off, congratulations on making it this far. Some of you might be regulars when it comes to playing for the top prize. For others, perhaps this is your first attempt at capturing the ultimate glory. No matter what side of the fence you find yourself on, our fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em articles are here to help put you in the best position possible to win it all!
Of course, some players are must-start every single week, such as Christian McCaffrey, Kyren Williams and Travis Etienne. However, the RB2 and FLEX positions are a bit more fluid, causing some tough decisions to be made. To help you through these tough decisions, check out our weekly fantasy football rankings and read on for our Week 17 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em analysis at RB.
Wide Receivers — Week 17 Fantasy Football Start/Sit
Tight Ends — Week 17 Fantasy Football Start/Sit
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Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em: Week 17 RBs
Start: Ty Chandler Fantasy Outlook vs Packers
There is no denying the fact that Ty Chandler has been the more explosive Minnesota Vikings running back this season. Having usurped Alexander Mattison in the pecking order, many were excited about his prospects for the fantasy playoffs. Chandler delivered a massive showing in Week 15 against Cincinnati but produced very little this past week against Detroit.
Chandler’s horrendous day against the Lions’ league-leading no doubt contributed towards costing some fantasy managers their matchups. The carnage might have been even worse had he not found the end zone. The measly 17-yard performance was disappointing, but his prospects are much better in Week 17.
Chandler and the Vikings face a Green Bay Packers defense that is giving up the third-most rushing yards per game (135.9) of any team. They have also allowed over 23 fantasy points per game to the position. Chandler has a firm grip on the lead role and should provide a boost to your championship roster.
Start: Clyde Edwards-Helaire Fantasy Outlook vs Bengals
None of the three running backs who have been mainstays on the Kansas City Chiefs’ depth chart throughout the season were practicing on Thursday. Isiah Pacheco sustained a concussion in the team’s Christmas Day defeat. With one less day in between games, his prospects of being available in Week 17 are slim. Meanwhile, Jerick McKinnon has already been placed on IR and is done for the year. As for Clyde Edwards-Helaire? He was absent on Thursday merely due to an illness.
Now, it’s clear that Kansas City’s offense is in a major rut and there is no end to this season’s misery in sight. Edwards-Helaire may not be the player that the Chiefs hoped he would be when they drafted him in the first round, but he is still a serviceable back. What’s more, he is poised to see plenty of touches on Sunday barring a miracle return by Pacheco.
Unless you think La’Mical Perine is going to eat into CEH’s workload, how can you not place him on the positive side of the fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em spectrum for champ week? Oh, and the matchup is against a Cincinnati Bengals defense that ranks 29th in DVOA against the run.
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Sit: Devin Singletary Fantasy Outlook vs Titans
Devin Singletary made the most of a mid-season injury to Dameon Pierce to the point of holding onto the lead RB role in the offense even after the latter returned. That said, the Houston Texans’ entire offense has been in disarray the last two weeks without the presence of C.J. Stroud under center. Case Keenum has looked lost, and the entire offense has been very unproductive as a result.
While the latest updates suggest that Stroud will be back in time for Week 17, he alone doesn’t change the fact that this is still a tough matchup for Singletary. The Texans will be up against the rival Tennessee Titans for the second time in three weeks. Singletary went off for 170 total yards in the first meeting. Do we really think Mike Vrabel and the Titans’ coaching staff are going to let that happen again?
It’s worth noting that this rematch will be taking place in Nashville. The Titans have been much better defensively against the run at home than on the road this season. The discrepancy in terms of average yards allowed per game is well over 30. With Tennessee’s defensive weakness being its secondary, the Texans may look to pass more in general.
Sit: De’Von Achane Fantasy Outlook vs Ravens
Year after year, it seems that the storyline surrounding the Miami Dolphins backfield winds up being the same. You can never trust any of these guys on a weekly basis when they are all healthy. Further complicating matters for Week 17 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em is the fact that both De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert are banged up and practicing in a limited capacity.
While it is true that Achance played the majority of snaps for the Dolphins last week, he was hardly productive in doing so. He only managed 24 yards rushing and seven receiving. The toe injury that he has been battling for weeks has once again impacted his Week 17 prep. A matchup against a Baltimore Ravens defense that comes in allowing the seventh-fewest PPR points per game to opposing RBs provides all the more reason not to trust him with fantasy championships at stake.
The Dolphins’ backfield is simply too crowded and too muddied for managers to feel good about relying on Achane in their quest to bring home the gold this week. Check out our fantasy football rankings to see if you have a better option available.
