Find success this weekend with the NFL Week 17 Start/Sit offense list!
We made it, championship week is finally here! I sincerely hope this weekly article series has helped you earn a spot in your leagues' Championship matchup! I encourage you to be mindful of the new Covid-19 protocols as that may change some players' eligibility for playing this weekend. Without games on Thursday or Saturday, we will have an optimal amount of time to make the best lineup decisions possible.
We are, generally speaking, looking at another week of starting your studs as long as they are healthy. There are two running back situations worth monitoring throughout the rest of the week and weekend. The James Conner/Chase Edmonds and Elijah Mitchell/Jeff Wilson conundrums will make for hairy situations if both sets of RBs are active. Beyond that, there are pretty clear cut situations to consider as far as start and sits decisions go.
I have the entire NFL week 17 slate covered using the lineup optimization confidence system which is explained below.
The "Trust, If You Must, and Bust" System:
“Trust” = Strong start, a player who should be started in all formats!
“If You Must” = Weak start, a player who is good enough to be a starter, but faces a tough matchup or holds an unclear opportunity in a good offense. Some caution should be used while the risk is recognized, as this is often league format dependent.
If you play in a shallow league, I would lean towards benching this player if you have a decent replacement option. In a deep league, I would lean towards starting, since the options may be more scarce. Either way, expectations should be managed.
“Bust” = Keep on your bench, at least for now. These players should be avoided since stronger options at the relative position should be considered first. These are players who fit into one of the following categories:
- A player in a tough matchup or currently holds ambiguous weekly opportunities in the offense.
- A strong bench stash for season-long purposes but currently in a “wait and see” period. Wait and see if their role expands for starter caliber consideration. For example, this type of player may be a strong backup RB behind a stud in an elite offense or could be in line for a big workload if the starter misses time.
- Currently lacking a clear offensive opportunity in either a projected good or bad offense
- Is too volatile on a week-to-week basis. There is no need to play boom or bust type players if you can help it.
Weekly Start/Sit Decision Reminders
Be sure to always be mindful of weekly injury/Covid-19 reports and gameday inactive announcements as this could pivot a weak starter into a strong starter!
Sunday Early Afternoon Slate
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Football Team
Eagles
Trust – Jalen Hurts QB, DeVonta Smith WR, Dallas Goedert TE
If You Must – Boston Scott RB, Jordan Howard RB (if active)
Bust - Kenneth Gainwell RB
Football Team
If You Must – Antonio Gibson RB, Terry McLaurin WR
Bust – Taylor Heinicke QB
Atlanta Falcons at Buffalo Bills
Falcons
Trust – Kyle Pitts TE, Cordarrelle Patterson RB
If You Must - Matt Ryan QB, Russell Gage WR
Bust - Mike Davis RB
Bills
Trust – Josh Allen QB, Stefon Diggs WR, Dawson Knox TE
If You Must – Devin Singletary RB, Cole Beasley WR, Gabriel Davis WR Emmanuel Sanders WR
Bust - Matt Breida RB, Zack Moss RB
New York Giants at Chicago Bears
Giants
If You Must - Saquon Barkley RB, Evan Engram TE
Bust- Kenny Golladay WR, Kadarius Toney WR, Darius Slayton WR
Bears
Trust - David Montgomery RB, Darnell Mooney WR
If You Must – Justin Fields QB, Cole Kmet TE
Bust - Allen Robinson WR (if active)
Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals
Chiefs
Trust – Patrick Mahomes QB, Tyreek Hill WR, Travis Kelce TE (if active)
If You Must – Darrel Williams RB (TRUST if Edwards-Helaire inactive), Mecole Hardman WR
Bust – Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB (if active)
Bengals
Trust – Joe Burrow QB, Ja'Marr Chase WR, Tee Higgins WR, Joe Mixon RB
If You Must - Tyler Boyd WR, C.J. Uzomah TE
Miami Dolphins at Tennessee Titans
Dolphins
Trust - Mike Gesicki TE, Jaylen Waddle WR
If You Must - Tua Tagovailoa QB, DeVante Parker WR, Duke Johnson RB, Myles Gaskin RB
Titans
Trust – A.J. Brown WR, Ryan Tannehill QB
If You Must - Dontrell Hilliard RB, D'Onta Foreman RB, Julio Jones WR (if active), Nick Westbrook-Ikhine WR (if active)
Bust - Jeremy McNichols RB
Las Vegas Raiders at Indianapolis Colts
Raiders
Trust – Josh Jacobs RB, Hunter Renfrow WR
If You Must – Derek Carr QB, Foster Moreau TE
Bust - Zay Jones WR, Bryan Edwards WR (if active)
Colts
Trust – Jonathan Taylor RB, Michael Pittman WR
If You Must - Carson Wentz QB (if active), Nyheim Hines RB, T.Y. Hilton WR
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots
Jaguars
If You Must – Marvin Jones WR
Bust - Trevor Lawrence QB, Dare Ogunbowale RB
Patriots
Trust - Hunter Henry TE, Damien Harris RB
If You Must – Rhamondre Stevenson RB (if active), Jakobi Meyers WR, Mac Jones QB
Bust - Jonnu Smith TE, Nelson Agholor WR, Kendrick Bourne WR
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets
Buccaneers
Trust – Tom Brady QB, Mike Evans WR (if active), Ronald Jones RB, Antonio Brown WR, Rob Gronkowski TE
Jets
If You Must - Michael Carter RB
Bust - Zach Wilson QB
Los Angeles Rams at Baltimore Ravens
Rams
Trust – Matthew Stafford QB, Cooper Kupp WR, Sony Michel RB, Odell Beckham Jr. WR, Van Jefferson WR
If You Must – Tyler Higbee TE
Ravens
Trust – Lamar Jackson QB (if active), Mark Andrews TE, Marquise Brown WR, Devonta Freeman RB
If You Must – Rashod Bateman WR
Bust - Latavius Murray RB, Sammy Watkins WR
Sunday Mid Afternoon Slate
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers
Broncos
If You Must – Javonte Williams RB, Jerry Jeudy WR, Noah Fant TE, Melvin Gordon RB (if active), Courtland Sutton WR, Tim Patrick WR (if active)
Bust - Drew Lock QB
Chargers
Trust – Justin Herbert QB, Austin Ekeler RB (if active), Keenan Allen WR, Mike Williams WR (if active)
If You Must - Jared Cook TE, Jalen Guyton WR/Josh Palmer WR (if Williams is inactive), Justin Jackson RB (TRUST if Ekeler inactive)
Houston Texans at San Francisco 49ers
Texans
Trust – Brandin Cooks WR
If You Must - Rex Burkhead RB (if Johnson is inactive)
Bust - David Johnson RB (if active), Davis Mills QB, Nico Collins WR
49ers
Trust – George Kittle TE, Deebo Samuel WR, Jeff Wilson RB (if Mitchell inactive), Elijah Mitchell RB (if active)
If You Must – Trey Lance QB, Brandon Aiyuk WR
Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys
Cardinals
Trust – Kyler Murray QB, Chase Edmonds RB (if Conner inactive), Zach Ertz TE, Christian Kirk WR
If You Must – James Conner RB (if active), Rondale Moore WR, A.J. Green WR
Cowboys
Trust – Dak Prescott QB, Amari Cooper WR, CeeDee Lamb WR, Ezekiel Elliott RB, Dalton Schultz TE
If You Must – Tony Pollard RB, Michael Gallup WR
Bust - Cedrick Wilson WR
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
Panthers
Trust – D.J. Moore WR
If You Must - Robby Anderson WR
Bust - Chuba Hubbard RB, Sam Darnold QB
Saints
Trust – Alvin Kamara RB, Taysom Hill QB
If You Must – Mark Ingram RB, Marquez Callaway WR, TreQuan Smith WR
Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks
Lions
Trust – D'Andre Swift RB (if active), Amon-Ra St. Brown WR
If You Must – Jamaal Williams RB (TRUST if Swift is inactive), Jared Goff QB (if active)
Seahawks
Trust – Russell Wilson QB, D.K. Metcalf WR, Tyler Lockett WR, Rashaad Penny RB
If You Must - Gerald Everett TE
Sunday Night Football
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Vikings
Trust - Kirk Cousins QB, Dalvin Cook RB (if active), Justin Jefferson WR
If You Must – Alexander Mattison RB (TRUST if Dalvin Cook is inactive) Tyler Conklin TE, K. J. Osborn WR
Packers
Trust – Aaron Rodgers QB, Davante Adams WR, Aaron Jones RB
If You Must - AJ Dillon RB, Allen Lazard WR, Marquez Valdes-Scantling WR (if active)
Monday Night Football
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Browns
Trust – Nick Chubb RB, Jarvis Landry WR
If You Must – Baker Mayfield QB, Kareem Hunt RB (if active) Donovan Peoples-Jones WR
Bust - D'Ernest Johnson RB, Austin Hooper TE, Rashard Higgins WR
Steelers
Trust – Najee Harris RB, Diontae Johnson WR, Chase Claypool WR, Pat Freiermuth TE (if active)
If You Must - Ben Roethlisberger QB
Good luck with your Week 17 start/sit offense selections, enjoy the games, have fun, and get that trophy!