• The IDP Guys’ NFL Week 17 Start/Sit List: Offense

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    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:

    1. A player in a tough matchup or currently holds ambiguous weekly opportunities in the offense.
    2. 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.
    3. Currently lacking a clear offensive opportunity in either a projected good or bad offense
    4. 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
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    Eagles

    TrustJalen 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

    BustTaylor Heinicke QB

    Atlanta Falcons at Buffalo Bills
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    Falcons

    TrustKyle Pitts TE, Cordarrelle Patterson RB

    If You Must - Matt Ryan QB, Russell Gage WR

    Bust - Mike Davis RB

    Bills

    TrustJosh Allen QB, Stefon Diggs WR, Dawson Knox TE

    If You MustDevin Singletary RB, Cole Beasley WR, Gabriel Davis WR Emmanuel Sanders WR

    Bust - Matt Breida RB, Zack Moss RB

     

    New York Giants at Chicago Bears
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    Giants

    If You Must - Saquon Barkley RB, Evan Engram TE

    BustKenny 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
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    Chiefs

    TrustPatrick Mahomes QB, Tyreek Hill WR, Travis Kelce TE (if active)

    If You MustDarrel Williams RB (TRUST if Edwards-Helaire inactive), Mecole Hardman WR

    Bust
    Clyde Edwards-Helaire RB (if active)

    Bengals

    TrustJoe 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
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    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
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    Raiders

    TrustJosh Jacobs RB, Hunter Renfrow WR

    If You Must – Derek Carr QB, Foster Moreau TE

    Bust - Zay Jones WR, Bryan Edwards WR (if active)

    Colts

    TrustJonathan 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
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    Jaguars

    If You MustMarvin Jones WR

    Bust - Trevor Lawrence QB, Dare Ogunbowale RB

    Patriots

    Trust - Hunter Henry TE, Damien Harris RB

    If You MustRhamondre 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
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    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
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    Rams

    Trust –  Matthew Stafford QB, Cooper Kupp WR, Sony Michel RB, Odell Beckham Jr. WR, Van Jefferson WR

    If You MustTyler Higbee TE

    Ravens

    TrustLamar Jackson QB (if active), Mark Andrews TE, Marquise Brown WR, Devonta Freeman RB

    If You MustRashod Bateman WR

    BustLatavius Murray RB, Sammy Watkins WR

     

    Sunday Mid Afternoon Slate
    Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers
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    Broncos

    If You MustJavonte 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

    TrustJustin 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
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    Texans

    TrustBrandin 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

    TrustGeorge Kittle TE, Deebo Samuel WR, Jeff Wilson RB (if Mitchell inactive), Elijah Mitchell RB (if active)

    If You MustTrey Lance QB, Brandon Aiyuk WR

     

    Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys
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    Cardinals

    TrustKyler Murray QB, Chase Edmonds RB (if Conner inactive), Zach Ertz TE, Christian Kirk WR

    If You MustJames Conner RB (if active), Rondale Moore WR, A.J. Green WR

    Cowboys

    TrustDak Prescott QB, Amari Cooper WR, CeeDee Lamb WR, Ezekiel Elliott RB, Dalton Schultz TE

    If You MustTony Pollard RB, Michael Gallup WR

    Bust - Cedrick Wilson WR

     

    Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
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    Panthers

    Trust –  D.J. Moore WR

    If You Must - Robby Anderson WR

    Bust - Chuba Hubbard RB, Sam Darnold QB

    Saints

    TrustAlvin Kamara RB, Taysom Hill QB

    If You MustMark Ingram RB,  Marquez Callaway WR, TreQuan Smith WR

     

    Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks
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    Lions

    TrustD'Andre Swift RB (if active), Amon-Ra St. Brown WR

    If You MustJamaal Williams RB (TRUST if Swift is inactive), Jared Goff QB (if active)

    Seahawks

    TrustRussell 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
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    Vikings

    Trust - Kirk Cousins QB, Dalvin Cook RB (if active), Justin Jefferson WR

    If You MustAlexander Mattison RB (TRUST if Dalvin Cook is inactive) Tyler Conklin TE, K. J. Osborn WR

    Packers

    TrustAaron 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
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    Browns

    TrustNick Chubb RB,  Jarvis Landry WR

    If You MustBaker Mayfield QB, Kareem Hunt RB (if active) Donovan Peoples-Jones WR

    Bust - D'Ernest Johnson RB, Austin Hooper TE, Rashard Higgins WR

    Steelers

    TrustNajee 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!


    Thank you for reading my NFL Week 17 Start/Sit list for offensive players! You can find more of my work on my IDP Guys Author Page. Feel free to reach out anytime on Twitter at @FantasyLadder for any fantasy football-related advice, questions, or discussion so you can climb the ladder of fantasy football success with me
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