Week 17 of fantasy football the season has a big slate of games, with strong playoff contenders facing off against each other. Hopefully your carefully curated roster is in good shape after the devastating series of injuries that plagued the NFL. You’ve come to the right place if you’re in trouble with your starting/sitting questions.
We’ve dug through the latest percentages on the list to identify which fantasy football players you should start or sit. Our two starting options are currently starting in around 40% or lower leagues, while our two sitting players are around 70% or higher.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Denver Broncos
Although he is marked doubtful to play this week due to a re-aggravated ankle injury which has seen him quit the practice On Wednesday, Jerry Jeudy has been quietly very good over the past month. He’s averaging 82.75 receiving yards on 6.25 receptions per game. It’s good enough to be WR9 on this stretch.
If Jeudy plays, he’ll continue to be a star weapon against a weak Kansas City Chiefs secondary in Week 17. Jeudy torched the Chiefs for 73 yards and three touchdowns in Week 14, and while that scoring is very unlikely to happen again, it’s clear Jeudy has become an alpha receiver on this team.
Following: Christian Watson and Jerry Jeudy are listed in the WR Week 17 injury report
Given that Courtland Sutton and Kendall Hinton are also struggling with injuries this week, I think Jeudy is more likely to play and participate with his usual workload of around 75% of total snaps. Jeudy has shown since Week 7 that when active he is a perfectly solid WR2 in a fantastic championship-level roster.
With the Chiefs allowing 13.1 receptions, 154.7 yards and 1.27 touchdowns per game at receivers, I expect another high-end WR2 or low-end WR1 game from Jeudy if he’s active.
Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Would you believe Cam Akers is RB5 in the PPR Leagues since Week 13? Talk about a rollercoaster season for the Rams fullback, who asked for a trade and failed to generate enough interest for the team to offload him. Now Akers looks more ready to be the clear starter again in 2023.
Part of the improvement came from the Rams offensive line, which now suddenly creates some wiggle room. Akers has two of its highest rushing totals in a row despite strong running defenses in Green Bay and Denver. He also benefited from the play of quarterback Baker Mayfield, who helped put the offense in a position to score more often.
Akers has six rushing touchdowns in the last four games after notching just one in the first 12 weeks. It’s hard to throw more outbursts like his three scores against Denver last week, but it’s a huge upside that we have to consider.
You can consider taking over Akers racing categories on Underdog Fantasy because the Chargers are weak against the run. Our NFP expert Fantastic PPR Rankings for Week 17, Akers is RB30 against the Rams, making it a viable Flex play.
The Chargers are an incredibly favorable opponent in Week 17. It’s possible Akers could go from a waiver wire addition to a starting lineup because things changed so quickly. They’re particularly weak against the run, giving up the second-most rushing yards per game despite being strong against returns.
Akers should be close to a lock for you to start this week. It would be an incredible full-loop moment if he rocks the league games, and I predict he’ll have a low-end RB1 game.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions
I don’t know if there’s been a more disappointing fantasy season from a healthy player than D’Andre Swift this season.
It’s not like Swift was particularly dangerous as a receiver. He only had two games with 31+ yards. I thought he would thrive behind that offensive line, but he’s down to a borderline flex option in any given week.
Swift’s game against Chicago is strong, but it would be shocking if he received enough hits to be viable for fantasy managers. The Bears allow the fifth-most fantasy points running back per game. Most notable are 115.7 yards and 1.07 rushing scores.
Following: Fantasy Football Sleepers Week 17
Swift had just four carries for 12 yards and one reception on five targets for 13 yards last week. He played 56% of the snaps and the Lions trailed almost immediately, making his lack of production shocking.
With only one touchdown in the past five weeks and decreasing usage, I’d rather sit Swift this week. If you play him around a fantastic seven points, that’s the best expectation.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Fantasy managers held out hope that Mike Evans would regain the success he saw until Week 9, but now is not the time to risk breaking it again. Since the 15.3-point performance in Week 8, Evans has only scored more than 7.9 points once. He hasn’t reached the end zone since Week 4.
Carolina’s average pass defense isn’t good enough to stop Evans, but Tom Brady’s waning skills are. Evans has seen at least eight targets in seven of his last nine games, but hasn’t caught more than five passes since Week 8. This inefficiency is the result of Brady’s discomfort in the pocket and struggling to drive down the ball in narrow windows.
Both teams are expected to do their best as they battle it out to win the NFC South. Carolina has allowed more than 241 passing yards just once since Week 7, and that was the explosion in Detroit last week, where the Lions were trying to get back into the game.
Evans had 96 yards on nine catches in their opener, but the Buccaneers have gone south since then. I will seat Evans this week in favor of higher receiving options.
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