Fantasy Football Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: Week 17 Wide Receivers
Here are the wide receiver decisions to go with in Week 17
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1 min read
It's championship week in most Fantasy leagues. Pressure to make the right lineup calls intensifies in Week 17, but there are more options for teams that need them.
Jamey Eisenberg has his Start and Sit calls for WR below. His Waiver Wire column also can direct you to the best options who may be available in your leagues. And don't forget to check out Heath Cummings' wide receiver preview for more help with matchup notes, Week 17 numbers to know and more.
START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Wide Receiver
Start 'Em
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St. Brown has proven to be matchup proof and quarterback proof during his hot streak over the past month, and now we'll see if he can continue to thrive with D'Andre Swift (shoulder) expected to play in Week 17 at Seattle. I'm still starting St. Brown with confidence, and hopefully, Jared Goff (knee) returns as well. In Week 16 with Tim Boyle under center at Atlanta, St. Brown had nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. That's now four games in a row with at least 11 targets, eight catches and 73 yards, and he has three touchdowns over that span. I liked St. Brown a lot coming into the season, and he's played well beyond my expectations during this hot streak. I'm hopeful he keeps it up for at least one more time in Week 17.
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Lockett didn't fare well in Week 16 in his return from a one-game absence on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Against the Bears in the snow, Lockett had just three catches for 30 yards on six targets. That snapped a streak of four games in a row with at least 12 PPR points, including two in a row with at least 19 PPR points, but he should get back on track this week against the Lions. Lockett needs only 5 more receiving yards and one touchdown to set new career single-season highs in both categories, and he should accomplish both in this matchup with Detroit.
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Beckham and Van Jefferson are both in play this week at Baltimore as complementary options for Cooper Kupp. You know Kupp will get his production against this Ravens secondary, but Beckham and Jefferson should also contribute in a big way. In their past five games against Cleveland twice, Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Cincinnati, seven receivers have at least 85 receiving yards against the Ravens. Over that span, opposing receivers have 66 catches for 1,003 yards and eight touchdowns, and nine receivers have at least 14 PPR points against Baltimore. Beckham has a touchdown in four of his past five games and has scored at least 13 PPR points three times over that span. And Jefferson has scored at least 14 PPR points three times in his past five outings, with three touchdowns over that span as well.
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In two games since DeAndre Hopkins (knee) went on injured reserve, Kirk has 21 targets for 16 catches, 142 yards and a touchdown, and he scored at least 11 PPR points in each outing against Detroit and Indianapolis. He should continue to be the go-to guy for Kyler Murray in Week 17 at Dallas, and the Cardinals will likely be chasing points in this matchup on the road. There have been 12 times this season where the Cowboys faced a receiver with at least eight targets, and 10 times that receiver has scored at least 12 PPR points, including eight times with at least 19 PPR points. Based on the past two games without Hopkins, Kirk should see at least nine targets in this matchup.
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Sleepers
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Lazard scored 13 PPR points in Week 16 against Cleveland, and he's now scored a touchdown in two of his past three games. It could have been three games in a row, but Aaron Rodgers missed Lazard in the end zone in Week 15 at Baltimore. We'll see if Marquez Valdes-Scantling (COVID) can play in Week 17 against Minnesota, but if he's out again then Lazard should be considered a borderline starter in all leagues. With Valdes-Scantling, Lazard is still worth starting in all three-receiver formats against the Vikings, who are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers.
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Davis and Cole Beasley were activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, and we'll see how Buffalo uses all of their receivers behind Stefon Diggs when considering Davis, Beasley, Isaiah McKenzie and Emmanuel Sanders. I'd be surprised if Davis is not back in a prominent role given his performance prior to missing Week 16 at New England, and hopefully, he can pick up where he left off. He scored a touchdown in three games in a row, and he had 15 targets for 10 catches, 128 yards and two touchdowns in his past two outings against Tampa Bay and Carolina. The matchup with the Falcons is great since Atlanta is No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and Davis should be considered a borderline starting Fantasy option in all leagues.
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Perriman was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday, and he could step into a prominent role for the Buccaneers right away in Week 17. Chris Godwin (ACL) is out, and Mike Evans (hamstring/COVID) is likely going to miss Week 17 as well. With both out in Week 16 at Carolina, the combination of Cyril Grayson, Scott Miller and Tyler Johnson had three catches for 81 yards on four targets opposite Antonio Brown. Perriman could be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues against the Jets, and this is a revenge game for him after spending 2020 in New York. The Jets also have allowed three receivers to score at least 14 PPR points against them in their past two games against Miami and Jacksonville.
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Jones has stepped up recently as a nice complementary weapon for the Raiders behind Hunter Renfrow. He has at least seven targets in four of his past five games, and he scored at least 11 PPR points in each of his past two outings against Cleveland and Denver. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 1, but he should be considered a low-end No. 3 PPR receiver in Week 17 at the Colts.
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Sit 'Em
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I thought Parker would struggle in Week 16 at New Orleans, but I didn't expect him to go without a catch or target. He should obviously do better than that this week at Tennessee, but I'm not trusting Parker in this matchup. Tua Tagovailoa is locked onto Jaylen Waddle right now, and he's the only offensive player I would use for the Dolphins in any Fantasy leagues in Week 17. Tennessee also has allowed just one touchdown to a receiver in the past three games.
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McLaurin is going to be one of my favorite bounce-back candidates in 2022 when Washington hopefully gets an upgrade at quarterback. But I'm not starting him in Week 17 against the Eagles. McLaurin had two catches for 51 yards on four targets in Week 15 at Philadelphia, and he's now gone five games in a row with nine PPR points or less and has just one game with more than 60 receiving yards since Week 7. With a likely matchup with Darius Slay, McLaurin is even a risky starter in three-receiver leagues.
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Claypool posted another disappointing stat line in Week 16 at Kansas City with four catches for 41 yards on six targets, and he's now scored eight PPR points or less in three of his past four games. He only had four catches for 45 yards on five targets in Week 8 at Cleveland, and Claypool has yet to score a touchdown since Week 5. He's only worth using as a low-end starter in three-receiver leagues in Week 17.
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Aiyuk scored for the second time in his past three games in Week 16 at Tennessee, and he now has at least 12 PPR points in four of his past six outings. But I'm concerned about his production this week if Trey Lance starts for Jimmy Garoppolo (thumb). There could be even more running for the 49ers -- from Lance also -- and fewer targets for Aiyuk, who only has seven in his past two games against the Falcons and Titans. At best, Aiyuk is just a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues.
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Bust Alert
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Brown has been disappointing lately, and he's only worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 7, and he's been held to 55 receiving yards or less in six games in a row. Now, he does have two games with at least eight catches in his past five outings, which is good in PPR, but we need Brown to make more explosive plays down the field. We'll see what happens if Lamar Jackson (ankle) returns this week, but I'd still be cautious with trusting Brown as a must-start Fantasy option against the Rams.
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