Fantasy Football ‘24: Week 17 fantasy preview—Start/sit and more

Rides, fades, and sleepers to help you set your fantasy lineuup

Welcome to Week 17, and Championship Week in fantasy football! The NFL is giving us the gift of Christmas Day games this year, even though the holiday falls on a Wednesday. As a result, you’re getting this column early.

Happy holidays to all, and especially to the players on the Texans, Ravens, Steelers, and Chiefs, who are all playing three games in 11 days. Why? Because the NFL can and will sell whatever games it can to the highest bidder. In case you haven’t caught on, there’s at least one NFL game on just about every day that ends in a “Y” these days. From December 19 through December 30 (12 days), there are just three days without NFL football. Ka-ching-le bells!

Due to the holiday and the very short week, you’re getting an abbreviated fantasy preview column from me. See my Week 17 Waivers column for more on this week’s best streamers (including at PK and D/ST), and pickups.

Stats of the Week:

Packers 34, Saints 0 was the first shutout in the NFL this season. The NFL has never had a season without at least one shutout.

Jared Goff is the third starting QB to have a 13-win (or more) season with two different teams. The other two are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Joe Burrow has seven straight games with at least 250 yards and three TD passes. That breaks Tom Brady’s record of six in a row (2007).

The 2024 NFC North is just the second division in NFL history to have two 13-win teams (1999 AFC Central Division).

Caleb Williams has thrown 326 straight passes without an INT, which is both a franchise record and an NFL rookie record. Strange, but true: Williams hasn’t thrown a pick in nine straight games, and the Bears managed to lose all nine of those games.

Guffaws of the Week:

Fourteen different teams have won games at MetLife Stadium this season. The Giants are not one of them.

In limited duty across two seasons, Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR) has thrown one TD pass and nine INTs.

The Jets didn’t punt on Sunday, and still scored only nine points.

Bye Weeks: NONE

Week 17 Rides, Fades and Sleepers

I’ve scrapped the “Rides, Fades, and Sleepers” format for the playoffs. This week, I’m going to go through each game and touch on one player per team who might be a tough start/sit question for managers in their championship matchups. Sorry, it’s Christmas, and I didn’t make the NFL schedule! All rankings and fantasy points are for Half PPR scoring.

Check the weather as we get closer to the weekend. Several of the Saturday and Sunday games could be rainy.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Week 17 Games

Wednesday:

KC@PIT. Isiah Pacheco has been pretty dreadful since his return from injury, with a high of 7.1 fantasy points across four games. Kareem Hunt is still involved, and it’s a tough matchup. For Pittsburgh, Najee Harris was having a solid season until the last two weeks, where he has produced just 6.8 fantasy points, total. He’s tough to trust in a matchup against the NFL’s #1 run defense. The Chiefs have allowed the fewest fantasy points per game (FPPG) to opposing RBs. I’m sitting both starting RBs.

BAL@HOU. Rashod Bateman has been hit or miss, but the hits have been pretty big and I like his chances in Week 17. The Texans have allowed the fifth most FPPG and are tied for the most TD catches (20) allowed to opposing WRs. Bateman is in the Flex conversation. For the Texans, Dalton Schultz should see increased opportunities with Tank Dell out. He scored last week, and has a favorable matchup against the Ravens’ generous pass defense.

Thursday:

SEA@CHI. Kenneth Walker III is likely to miss games with injury for the third different time this season. Zach Charbonnet has been very solid when he’s gotten the lead role with Walker out. I’d start him over some bigger-name RBs. For the Bears, Rome Odunze is too hit-or-miss for me.

Saturday:

LAC@NE. Gus Edwards has three TDs in his last two games. The risk is that he won’t get you many points if he doesn’t score, since he isn’t involved in the passing game. But the Chargers should be able to move the ball (including with Edwards on the ground) and get him a few red-zone opportunities. The Pats have allowed the fourth most FPPG to opposing RBs. For New England, Drake Maye continues to be a viable QB2 for Superflex leagues, regardless of the matchup.

DEN@CIN. If Jaleel McLoughlin misses another game, Audric Estime is an OK flier if you’re stuck at RB. He scored last week and the Bengals aren’t a tough defense. With Cincinnati there is little to discuss. You start their four studs, and anyone else is extremely risky.

ARI@LAR. Cooper Kupp has vanished the last two weeks. I’ll stick with him for a bounce-back game, in a matchup that the Rams should dominate. For Arizona, Michael Carter is likely to get the start at RB due to a spate of injuries, but I’d proceed with caution. The Rams have allowed just one TD over the past two weeks and the Cardinals are fading fast.

Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images

Sunday, 1 PM window

DAL@PHI. The Eagles’ defense fell apart on the road in the 4^th quarter last week and I think they’ll regroup at home. I’m not starting any Cowboy outside of CeeDee Lamb and maybe Brandon Aubrey. Philadelphia is like Cincinnati—start the four studs and be very careful with anyone else. If Jalen Hurts misses this game, lower expectations but I wouldn’t bench the starters.

CAR@TB. Adam Thielen is the WR15 over the past four weeks, and Tampa is a favorable matchup for WRs. I’m fine with him as a WR2 or Flex. I’m nervous about Rachaad White this week. Yes, it’s the single best RB matchup in fantasy (most FPPG and rushing yards, and second most rushing TDs allowed to the position), but he fumbled again last week and was back to being more of a clear #2 to Bucky Irving (who is an absolute smash play this week).

NYJ@BUF. Davante Adams is the WR1 over the last four weeks and the Jets will be chasing points. Stay with the hot hand, obviously. Garrett Wilson is being underutilized, but I’d stay with him too. For the Bills, where is Amari Cooper? One catch in two games??? Outside of Khalil Shakir I’m not going anywhere near any of their pass catchers and especially in this matchup.

IND@NYG. Fire up Anthony Richardson, against a reeling defense that’s beyond banged up, and a team that is getting blown out most weeks. The Giants can’t score, but this is a favorable matchup for RBs so I think Tyrone Tracy, Jr. is a longshot you can consider if you’re stuck at RB.

LV@NO. This game has “unwatchable” written all over it. If you’re desperate for a body at RB, Alexander Mattison should do OK against one of the league’s worst run defenses. Mattison does get goal-line carries (and he converted one last week), and the Saints have allowed the most rushing TDs (17) to opposing RBs. For New Orleans, I guess Kendre Miller can be considered if you’re in a jam, but this offense has very little to recommend at the moment.

TEN@JAC. Speaking of unwatchable, may I present this game? Chig Okoknwo has 21 targets (plus a 2-point conversion) over his last two contests and given the state of the TE position, is worth a look. For Jacksonville, Tank Bigsby is another lower-end RB who can be slotted in if you’re in need. The Titans had no answer for Jonathan Taylor last week.

Sunday, late afternoon Window:

MIA@CLE. Tua Tagovailoa is the QB6 over the last six weeks, but much of that was before the last two weeks, which have been pedestrian. With game-time temperatures in the 50s, this isn’t one of those scary December road games for Tua and Miami, but I’m nervous about him against what can be a very good defense. For the Browns, all WRs are sits for me. DTR completes around 50% of his passes and can’t be trusted.

GB@MIN. I like Romeo Doubs to lead the Packers’ WRs in this critical NFC North game, but this group is so hard to predict, even if Christian Watson is out. Still, I have Doubs as a Flex this week, in a game where Green Bay should be throwing a lot against a beatable pass defense. Sam Darnold keeps getting it done, and while Green Bay is a tough matchup for QBs, if he got you here there’s no reason to jump off the wagon.

Sunday Night:

ATL@WAS. If you thought the switch at QB would immediately benefit Kyle Pitts, think again. One catch for seven yards, and Pitts only has seven catches, total, across his last five games. For the Commanders, Brian Robinson, Jr. had his worst game of the season against the Eagles, including two fumbles. This is another tough matchup, but I think he’s a good candidate for a bounce-back.

Monday Night:

DET@SF. This isn’t the big NFC Championship rematch that ESPN expected at the start of the season. Oh well. It’s still an important game for Detroit. Jameson Williams is the WR14 over the last six weeks, and he scored twice against this defense in last year’s NFC title game. I think he’s a decent play as a WR2 this week. The 49ers were clearly not comfortable giving “starting” RB Patrick Taylor, Jr. much of a role last week, and he was mostly used as a decoy in the run game. I can’t trust him with my season on the line.

That’s all I’ve got. Happy holidays, and bring home that Championship!

***This column appears each Thursday right here at Big Blue View. Each Monday, my Waiver Wire column appears here, and on Fridays you can find my weekly FanDuel Props of the week for the Giants, also right here. ***