Fantasy Football Week 17 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Running Backs: How to set your Championship game lineups right
Running backs you want in Week 17 lineups and those you should avoid
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1 min read
As we head into Week 17, Fantasy managers are unsure about what to do with Bucky Irving. Can you trust him in the Fantasy championship?
We had high hopes for Irving when he returned in Week 13 from a seven-game absence due to foot and shoulder injuries, and he rewarded us with a couple of quality Fantasy outings against Arizona and New Orleans, scoring 16.1 PPR points in each contest. But in the past two games against Atlanta and Carolina, Irving has struggled with 8.1 PPR points or less.
So here we are in Week 17 at Miami. It's a solid matchup since the Dolphins are No. 10 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and three guys in the past two games against Miami have scored at least 12.1 PPR points (Kenneth Gainwell, Chase Brown and Samaje Perine). But will Irving do enough to warrant use as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues?
He has at least 17 total touches in each of his past four games since coming back from injury, but he continues to share playing time with Rachaad White and Sean Tucker. And Tucker has scored a rushing touchdown in three games in a row, while Irving has been held out of the end zone in the past two weeks. I also don't love that Irving had no targets in Week 16 at Carolina.
Given the matchup and what's at stake -- the Buccaneers are fighting for a playoff spot and the Dolphins have been eliminated -- I'm going to trust Irving one more time. I'm going to start him in all leagues. Hopefully, he'll score this week instead of Tucker. And I hope he gets back involved in the passing game.
We were waiting for Irving to come back from injury and lead us to a Fantasy title. That time is now, and I'm expecting Irving to have a big game against Miami in Week 17.
RBs to Start
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Harvey heads into Week 17 having scored at least 21.2 PPR points in three of his past four games. He should stay hot against the Chiefs, who have allowed three running backs in the past four games to score at least 15.6 PPR points. In Week 16 against the Titans, Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears combined for 34 carries for 154 yards and a touchdown and five catches for 53 yards on five targets. Harvey has five rushing touchdowns in his past four games and three games with at least three receptions in his past four outings. He has top-10 upside in all leagues in Week 17.
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I like both Steelers running backs in Week 17 against the Browns, who have allowed the fourth-most Fantasy points to opposing running backs in the past five weeks. And Cleveland has allowed a running back to score at least 17.4 PPR points in each of the past seven games. Gainwell has scored at least 16.2 PPR points in five of his past six games, including three in a row. He also has at least five receptions in five of his past six outings, and he could be used more in the passing game in Week 17 with DK Metcalf (suspended) out. Warren has scored at least 12.4 PPR points in four of his past five games, and he had a surprise performance in Week 16 at Detroit with 14 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns and two catches for 8 yards on two targets. I like Gainwell and Warren as top-20 running backs in all leagues.
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Kimani Vidal (neck) could be out in Week 17, and that would give Hampton a boost in this matchup with the Texans. Hampton has scored at least 14.7 PPR points in two of three games since coming back from a seven-game absence with a foot injury, but he played less snaps than Vidal in the first two outings against Philadelphia and Kansas City. Hampton had an impressive showing against Dallas in Week 16 with 16 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown and one catch for 10 yards on two targets in the game when Vidal was injured. Houston has allowed a running back to score at least 13.4 PPR points in four of the past five games, and I like Hampton as a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
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Tracy ran well in Week 16 against Minnesota with 16 carries for 71 yards, and he added two catches for 7 yards on two targets. But he only scored 9.8 PPR points, which was his worst showing in a healthy game since Mike Kafka became the interim head coach in Week 11. In the previous three healthy games under Kafka, Tracy scored at least 16 PPR points, and I expect him to get back on track against the Raiders. Las Vegas has allowed seven running backs to score at least 11.4 PPR points in the past five weeks, with seven total touchdowns over that span, and I would use Tracy as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues in this matchup.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Carter ran well in Week 16 against Atlanta with 11 carries for 65 yards, but he failed to catch a pass on two targets. This was the first time in three tries where Carter failed to score at least 13.4 PPR points when getting double digits in touches, and I expect him to have a decent workload again in Week 17 against the Bengals. Cincinnati is No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and 21 guys have scored at least 11.1 PPR points against the Bengals this season. I like Carter as a high-end flex option in all leagues in Week 17.
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Corum is hot coming into Week 17 at Atlanta with at least 13.1 PPR points in four games in a row. The strength of his production is touchdowns, and he has five rushing scores over that span. But he also has rushed for at least 71 yards in three of those outings, and he has three games in a row with at least 11 carries. He's doing a great job in tandem with Kyren Williams, and Corum is worth using as a high-end flex option in all leagues in Week 17 against the Falcons.
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Monangai had a solid game in Week 16 against Green Bay with nine carries for 50 yards and three catches for 43 yards on four targets, and he scored 12.3 PPR points. He has now scored at least 10.7 PPR points in four of his past six games, with three touchdowns over that span, and he's worth using as a high-end flex option in all leagues. D'Andre Swift should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all formats, and the 49ers have allowed a running back to score at least 11.4 PPR points in six games in a row.
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Charbonnet found the end zone again in Week 16 against the Rams, and he has now scored a touchdown in three of his past five games. He also added four catches for 22 yards on four targets against the Rams, and it would be great if he remained more involved in the passing game. The Panthers have allowed eight rushing touchdowns in their past five games, and five running backs have scored at least 10.2 PPR points against Carolina over that span. That bodes well for Kenneth Walker III, who is worth using as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues, and Charbonnet, who is a high-end flex.
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RBs to Sit
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Tyrod Taylor (groin) was injured early in Week 14 against Miami, and Breece Hall's production has suffered with Brady Cook at quarterback in the past three games. Over that span against the Dolphins, Jaguars and Saints, Hall has combined for just 18.3 PPR points, and he's only worth using as a flex option in the majority of leagues. He faced the Patriots in Week 11, and Hall had 14 carries for 58 yards and two catches for 6 yards on two targets. Hall has one touchdown in his past six games, and he has scored 8.4 PPR points or less in four of his past six outings. This should be another poor Fantasy performance for Hall in Week 17.
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Marks is expected to play in Week 17 at the Chargers after missing Week 16 against Las Vegas with an ankle injury, but we don't know how the Texans will use their running backs in this game. Marks was injured in Week 15 against Arizona, and Jawhar Jordan emerged as a viable threat for the Texans in the past two weeks against the Cardinals and Raiders. And Nick Chubb will likely be a factor as well. Keep in mind that Marks also has struggled as a Fantasy running back despite getting plenty of work. He had one game with more than 7.9 PPR points in his past four outings prior to getting hurt, and he had at least 17 total touches in all of those contests. The Chargers are No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and Los Angeles should be able to keep Marks in check this week, even with linebacker Denzel Perryman (suspended) out. I would only use Marks as a flex in most leagues.
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It wouldn't shock me if Montgomery scored a touchdown in Week 17 at Minnesota. He scored a touchdown in three of his past four games, and he also scored against the Vikings in Week 9 with 11 carries for 40 yards and two catches for 10 yards on four targets. But Montgomery has six games in a row with 10 total touches or less, including three in a row with seven total touches or fewer. And he has one catch on two targets in his past three games. He's too touchdown dependent, and Jahmyr Gibbs is dominating playing time. I would only consider Montgomery as a flex play in deeper leagues in Week 17.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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The positive for Dowdle is he's 70 total yards away from a $1 million incentive in his contract, which is amazing motivation. But he has two games to get there, and he's struggling of late heading into Week 17 against Seattle. Dowdle has rushed for fewer than 60 yards in six games in a row, and he's combined for 25 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown and five catches for 19 yards on seven targets in his past two games against New Orleans and Tampa Bay while sharing playing time with Chuba Hubbard. Seattle has only allowed five rushing touchdowns to running backs all season and just two in their past six games, including matchups with Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor, who failed to score. I would only use Dowdle as a high-end flex in Week 17.
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