The fantasy football championship is in full swing with three games already completed and multiple impressive performances to start the week. Before Saturday’s and Sunday’s matchups, we will provide an in-depth breakdown of the best start and sit options to help you win the championship this weekend. Let’s look at all the players who made this special edition of the start and sit list.
Quarterbacks
Lineup Lock: Joe Burrow (CIN)
Start
Bo Nix (DEN)
Bo Nix had another strong performance last week, tallying 263 yards and two touchdowns along with a few scampers totaling 25 rushing yards. He heads into a favorable matchup against a subpar Cincinnati Bengals defense for the final week of the playoffs, who are allowing 20.5 points per game to the quarterback position. The rookie QB has succeeded against weak pass defenses this season and will look to do so again on Championship weekend.
Drake Maye (NE)
Drake Maye delivered another solid fantasy outing in Week 16, throwing for 261 yards, rushing for 30 more, and scoring twice. His dual-threat ability makes him a consistent high-floor option regardless of opponent. Heading into Championship Week, Maye faces a favorable home matchup against the Chargers, who have given up 67 points and 861 total yards over their last two games. With his rushing upside and steady production, Maye is a strong consideration for deep leagues. His Week 16 performance reinforced his reliability as a fantasy starter.
Sit
Kyler Murray (ARI)
For what has been a relatively boom or bust season for Kyler Murray, he now heads into a matchup against a division rival in the Los Angeles Rams. The only caveat that comes with this is that the Arizona Cardinals have been eliminated from playoff contention, making it harder to place my trust in the dual-threat quarterback. Murray has had an uptick in turnovers in the past 4 weeks, which has hindered his fantasy reliability significantly. In a game where he can only play spoiler, I would consider possibly going in another direction in Week 17.
Running Backs
Lineup Locks: Kyren Williams and Chase Brown
Start
J.K. Dobbins or Kimani Vidal (LAC)
J.K. Dobbins is nearing a potential return from injured reserve and has been practicing in a limited capacity early in the week, though he missed Thursday’s session. With Gus Edwards ruled out, Dobbins could return for a favorable Week 17 matchup against the Patriots, who allow 24.3 points per game to running backs. Before his injury, Dobbins established himself as a consistent starter averaging 15.1 points per game while scoring over 16 in three of his last four full games. If Dobbins cannot go, Kimani Vidal will slot into the lead-back role for the Chargers and be in line for a significant workload.
James Conner (ARI)
James Conner is dealing with a knee injury and started the week as a limited practice participant. With the Cardinals eliminated from playoff contention, the team has little incentive to risk Conner’s health, especially if he factors into their future plans. Despite the injury, Conner has been on a hot streak, scoring 20+ PPR points in three straight games. The Cardinals face the Rams in Week 17, a relatively average matchup as the Rams allow 22 points per game to running backs. Conner scored 19.4 fantasy points in their first meeting in Week 2, showcasing his ability to produce in this matchup if he plays.
*Note if Trey Benson or Michael Carter Start, I would recommend avoiding both options in your lineup*
Sit
Rhamondre Stevenson (NE)
There is some clear uncertainty associated with the New England Patriots backfield, following a few miscues by starter Rhamondre Stevenson. Jerod Mayo mentioned to reporters that there was the possibility of Antonio Gibson taking over starting reps in Week 17 against the Chargers, which would have major implications on Stevenson’s output. Antonio Gibson saw 59% of snaps in Sunday’s loss to the Bills, and that number could be higher this Saturday. Although Stevenson will still be involved in the passing game and potentially on the goal line, Jerod Mayo prioritizes ball security for his bell cow over all else.
Denver Broncos RBs
Although we saw an increase in volume and a score for rookie running back Audric Estime on TNF last week for the Broncos, this is simply a case of too many mouths to feed, leaving managers with no sure-fire start in Denver’s triple-threat style backfield. With the Bengals being relatively middle of the pack against the run, there is no real reason to place trust in any of the Broncos’ running backs in Week 17. Nonetheless, if there was one player that we had to choose from, we’d lean toward the rookie upside that comes along with Audric Estime.
Wide Receivers
Lineup Locks: Puka Nacua and Ja’Marr Chase
Start
Ladd McConkey (LAC)
Rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey continues to deliver, scoring at least 14 fantasy points in five consecutive games and averaging 17.0 during that stretch. McConkey operates in the slot and will likely avoid Christian Gonzalez one of the league’s best cornerbacks. This season he has one of the highest route win rates vs man coverage while having the 4th most total yards vs man this season. The Patriots run man coverage at the 2nd highest rate in the NFL providing the perfect storm for McConkey to continue his hot streak on championship weekend.
Courtland Sutton (DEN)
Courtland Sutton was on pace to have a career-high in fantasy points per game before seeing his point totals decline in three straight weeks. Despite his points per game dropping, Sutton still leads the team in target and first read share while seeing an average of 8 targets per game in the last three weeks. Sutton is going to cash in on another 20-point outing against the Bengals who have allowed 10 wide receivers to score over 18 points. The matchup between the Broncos and Bengals will likely be a high-scoring affair providing Sutton with more volume than in recent weeks. Sutton should be in your lineups heading into Saturday’s showdown.
Cooper Kupp (LAR)
Cooper Kupp decided to fall off the face of the earth at the worst possible time for fantasy managers, putting up a mere 24 yards in two weeks, with a goose egg in Week 15. Kupp’s counterpart Puka Nacua has been able to put up decent numbers in that same span, sending the veteran receiver into the background. With that being said, Kupp still has the third-highest targets per route run this year, and the Rams are taking on a middling Cardinals secondary in a game where they should be firing on all cylinders to seal their postseason hopes. I think you can trust the history of Cooper Kupp’s fantasy performances on Championship weekend.
Sit
Marvin Harrison Jr. (ARI)
Marvin Harrison Jr. has been underwhelming in his rookie campaign, averaging just 9.1 fantasy points per game since Week 5 and failing to reach double digits in three straight contests. Despite a strong Week 2 showing against the Rams, their secondary has improved significantly, and Harrison struggles against zone coverage, which the Rams employ frequently. With only 6.5 targets per game and a subpar 70% catchable target rate, Harrison’s volume and efficiency are not on par with elite receivers. Additionally, he ranks poorly in contested catch metrics, further limiting his upside. Managers should avoid Harrison in Championship Week.
Tight Ends
Lineup Lock: Trey McBride
Start
Hunter Henry (NE)
Hunter Henry has become a trusted target for rookie QB Drake Maye, especially in the red zone. Since Maye took over as the starter in Week 6, Henry has averaged 11.1 fantasy points per game, with only two games under nine points during that span. Henry’s connection with Maye was evident last week with a crucial garbage-time touchdown. Averaging 6.9 targets, 5.1 receptions, and 50.6 yards per game under Maye, Henry provides a safe floor at a thin tight-end position. Despite a challenging matchup against the Chargers, Henry remains a solid start.
Sit
Will Dissly (LAC)
Will Dissly is expected to return to the starting lineup after missing a few games and showed some flashes of becoming a viable starter in fantasy football. Before the injury, Dissly failed to top ten points in three straight games and saw Stone Smartt step into that TE role well in his absence. Dissly has hovered around 50% snap shares all season due to him not being able to run block and I expect him to play a limited role in his return this week. The Patriots also are a tough matchup for tight ends allowing the 12th fewest pass yards per game. I am avoiding Dissly in his return to the starting lineup.
DEF
I’m not in love with any of these defenses in your starting lineup this week. Out of the bunch, the Rams are the highest-ranked defense of the bunch. The Broncos should be avoided against the Bengals’ high-scoring offense this week. The Patriots, Bengals, and Cardinals are no-brainers to not be in your starting lineup this week. That leaves the Chargers who have a favorable matchup but have struggled as of late. The theme of this article is consistency and with the Chargers’ struggles as of late, it is hard to trust them on championship weekend.
These are some elite streamers on the waiver wire this week
- Indianapolis Colts 37% owned
- Miami Dolphins 47% owned
- Las Vegas Raiders 8% owned
Kickers
Start
Joshua Karty (LAR)
Rookie kicker Joshua Karty has a favorable Week 17 matchup against the Cardinals, who allow the 8th most points to kickers at 9.5 per game. He’s been solid this season, converting 23 of 28 field goals and 30 of 34 extra points. There was a stretch of four games where Karty failed to score 10 points but has played better since the Rams offense has failed to finish drives. Karty is worth starting as a streamer kicker this week.
Sit
Joey Slye (NE)
Slye comes into the week only averaging 6.7 fantasy points per game but has three 10-point performances in his last six games making him an intriguing waiver option this week. I would pump the brakes against the Chargers who have been one of the best at limiting opposing kickers holding them to 7.2 points per game this season. I would advise against starting the veteran kicker this week.
Check out this video for all of your start and sit advice ahead of the Christmas matchups!
