Fantasy Football Week 17 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Quarterbacks: QBs to consider for the championship round
Quarterbacks you want in Week 17 lineups, and those you should avoid
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1 min read
Bo Nix is once again a polarizing Fantasy quarterback heading into Week 17 at Kansas City. I like him as a low-end starter in the majority of leagues.
Nix just had a career-high 352 passing yards in Week 16 against Jacksonville, but he only managed one touchdown. He had an interception and a fumble, but he also lost production on some key drops and a missed touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton.
Nix has now passed for at least 295 yards in four of his past five games, but he has only topped 18.4 Fantasy points once in his past six outings. That said, I expect him to perform well against the Chiefs.
Kansas City is out of playoff contention and just allowed Cam Ward to score 22 Fantasy points in Week 16. He's actually one of three quarterbacks to score at least 20.8 Fantasy points against the Chiefs in their past five games.
Nix only had 12.6 Fantasy points against the Chiefs in Week 11, but he scored 20.1 points at Kansas City in Week 10 last year. And I expect him to be in that range in this matchup.
I wish Nix had better Fantasy production of late, especially given his passing yards. But he should play well enough in this matchup to finish as a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
QBs to Start
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Purdy has scored at least 32.2 Fantasy points in each of his past two starts against Tennessee and Indianapolis, and he should stay hot against Chicago on Sunday night. Hopefully, George Kittle (ankle) will play against the Bears after he was injured against the Colts, but I still like Purdy as a starter even if Kittle is limited or out. Prior to the past two weeks, when Chicago faced Cleveland in Week 15 and Green Bay in Week 16 in the game where Jordan Love (concussion) was injured, the two previous quarterbacks (Jalen Hurts and Love) each scored at least 20.3 Fantasy points. Purdy has top-five upside in all leagues in Week 17.
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Maye had a little bit of a lull as a Fantasy quarterback prior to his past three games, when he only scored 17.4 points against the Jets in Week 11 and 17.9 points at the Bengals in Week 12. He's turned it back on recently with three games in a row with at least 20.5 Fantasy points against the Giants, Bills, and Ravens, and I expect him to stay hot in the rematch with the Jets in Week 17. In the past two weeks against Trevor Lawrence, Tyler Shough, and Taysom Hill, the Jets have allowed 676 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and no interceptions, and Lawrence and Shough combined for seven carries for 59 yards and a touchdown. Maye might not have Kayshon Boutte (head), TreVeyon Henderson (concussion), or Demario Douglas (hamstring) in Week 17, but I still like him as a potential top-five quarterback in this matchup.
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Brissett turned into a pumpkin at the wrong time in Week 16 against Atlanta when he was the Start of the Week. He only scored 12.6 Fantasy points, which ended his nine-game streak of scoring at least 20.7 points, but I expect him to get back on track in Week 17 at Cincinnati. And, hopefully, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride won't drop touchdowns like they did against the Falcons. The Bengals have only allowed one quarterback in the past five games to score at least 20 Fantasy points, but for the season, nine guys have scored at least 20.5 points against this defense. I expect Brissett to make it 10, and he's worth trusting as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
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Williams is exactly 600 yards away from becoming the first quarterback in Bears history to throw for 4,000 yards. Can he get there in the final two weeks of the season? It would be fun if Ben Johnson gave Williams the chance at that milestone, especially in a potential shootout in San Francisco. Now, Williams hasn't thrown for 300 yards in a game this season, but he has scored at least 22.9 Fantasy points in three of his past five games, including two in a row. And the 49ers have allowed seven of the past 11 quarterbacks to score at least 21.1 Fantasy points, including Philip Rivers in Week 16. I like Williams as a top-10 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Mayfield was shaky in Week 16 at Carolina with only 15.7 Fantasy points, and he has now scored fewer than 20 Fantasy points in five of his past six starts. But he should rebound in Week 17 at Miami, and the Dolphins have allowed three of their past four opposing quarterbacks to score at least 20.9 Fantasy points, including two in a row with Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow. Tampa Bay can win the NFC South with victories in the next two games against Miami and Carolina, and I expect Mayfield to step up this week against the Dolphins.
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Shough is playing well, coming into Week 17 at Tennessee with at least 19.1 Fantasy points in four games in a row and in five of his past six outings. He just had his first 300-yard game in Week 16 against the Jets (308), and he has two games in his past three outings with at least 32 rushing yards. This week, Shough is facing a Titans defense that has allowed four of the past five opposing quarterbacks to score at least 21.7 Fantasy points, and the only team below that total was Kansas City in Week 16 without Patrick Mahomes (knee). I like Shough as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
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If Johnson starts in place of Marcus Mariota (hand/quadriceps), then I like Johnson as a low-end Fantasy starter in all leagues. Only two times this season has a team failed to score at least 20 Fantasy points against Dallas, which included Geno Smith in Week 11 and Jared Goff in Week 14. In Week 7, Jayden Daniels and Mariota combined for 23.7 Fantasy points against the Cowboys, and I'm hopeful Johnson will be in that range with his production. The last time he played meaningful snaps was in 2021, and he scored 30.5 Fantasy points with the Jets at Indianapolis in Week 9. In that same season, Johnson also scored 23.2 Fantasy points with the Ravens at Cincinnati in Week 16. It's risky to trust Johnson in his first start in four years, but he could be a nice surprise if you're desperate, given the matchup against Dallas.
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QBs to Sit
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Herbert was awesome in Week 16 at Dallas with 34.2 Fantasy points, and that game snapped a five-game streak where he scored 16.8 Fantasy points or less. I wish Herbert could play the Cowboys every week, but he has a tough task in Week 17 against the Texans. Houston is No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only five guys all season have scored at least 20 Fantasy points against this defense. The Texans are also No. 1 in the NFL in fewest total yards allowed at 272.3 yards per game and tied for sixth in sacks with 41. The Chargers offensive line should struggle to protect Herbert in Week 17, and he was miserable against Houston in the playoffs last year with 242 passing yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions while getting sacked four times. I would only start Herbert in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 17.
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Stroud was a huge letdown in Week 16 against Las Vegas when he only scored 13.5 Fantasy points. He was coming off a solid outing in Week 15 against Arizona with 29.4 Fantasy points, but that's his lone game with more than 14.6 points in his past four contests. You can't trust Stroud in a one-quarterback league in Week 17 at the Chargers, who are No. 3 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Only four quarterbacks all season have scored at least 20 Fantasy points against Los Angeles, and Stroud should only be started in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 17.
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Rodgers is playing well, coming into Week 17 at Cleveland with at least 20.9 Fantasy points in two of his past three games, and Pittsburgh has won three in a row against Baltimore, Miami, and Detroit. I expect the Steelers to keep their win streak alive against the Browns, but Rodgers should only be started in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. He will likely be handing off a lot in this matchup, especially with DK Metcalf (suspended) out. Cleveland's run defense is terrible, which is part of the reason why only four quarterbacks all season have scored at least 20 Fantasy points against the Browns. I don't expect Rodgers to be No. 5 on that list, and he is not worth using in any one-quarterback league.
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Young had a solid outing in Week 16 against Tampa Bay with 21.6 Fantasy points, and he has now reached that total in three of his past five games. But it will be tough to trust him in most one-quarterback leagues in Week 17 against Seattle. Prior to getting torched by Matthew Stafford last week for 36.9 Fantasy points, the Seahawks held the previous three quarterbacks in a row (Max Brosmer, Kirk Cousins, and Philip Rivers) to a combined 8.1 Fantasy points with one touchdown and seven interceptions. Young will be better than that, but I would only start him in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 17.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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I love Goff, and he helped me reach the Fantasy championship in one league this season by scoring at least 31.5 points in each of his past two games against the Rams and Steelers. But this is a tough week to trust him against the Vikings, who are on a historic run defensively. Minnesota comes into Week 17 as the first team since the 1988 Browns to not allow a touchdown pass in at least six consecutive games. And the Vikings have done that against Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, Sam Darnold, Jayden Daniels, Dak Prescott, and Jaxson Dart since Week 11, which isn't exactly easy competition. Add in Week 10 against Lamar Jackson, who had one touchdown pass, and Minnesota has held seven quarterbacks in a row to 18.6 Fantasy points or less. Now, in Week 9, Goff had 23.4 Fantasy points against the Vikings, but he has averaged 14.2 points in five career games at Minnesota. I would only start Goff in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 17.
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