Everyone's "going home" in fantasy football leagues after this week, but wouldn't it be nice to do so with a win? The only thing standing in your way is making the right lineup calls. Fortunately, the experts at RotoBaller are here to help your lineups by giving Sporting News Fantasy readers free access to their exclusive “Who to Start?” advice tool to help with your Week 17 fantasy start 'em, sit 'em decisions.
How does the “Who to Start?” tool work? Simple: Choose up to four players to compare below, pick your league settings in the upper right corner (PPR, half-PPR, standard), and push “Who to Start?” It’s that easy. From there, you’ll get a lineup recommendation based on RotoBaller’s award-winning rankings and projections.
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Injuries remain the big story heading into Week 17, and with so many key players hurt, there are bound to be some surprise breakout and league-winning players. Whether you ultimately choose to "play it safe" with a high-floor player or go for broke with a boom-or-bust type, you should weigh all factors before locking in your decision.
As always, RotoBaller factored in usage, matchups, and talent into its Week 17 rankings, and it’s reflected in its “Who to Start?” tool. Check out an example from each offensive position.
Advice below is based on full-point PPR leagues
Start or Sit?: Week 17 fantasy QB lineup advice from RotoBaller
Jordan Love (@ MIN) vs. Baker Mayfield (vs. NO) vs. Derek Carr (@ TB) vs. Tua Tagovailoa (@ BAL)
Despite having the toughest matchup, RotoBaller likes Tagovailoa the best among this group. Carr, Mayfield, and Love (in that order) are bunched tightly together a few spots behind Tagovailoa, but RotoBaller clearly trusts Miami's dynamic offense the most despite Carr having the best matchup and both Mayfield and Love putting up big numbers over the past month.
MORE: Click here to upgrade to RotoBaller's NFL Premium Pass. Gain VIP access to expert tools and advice from proven winners including the NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer, the Team Sync Platform with customized tools, Premium fantasy football rankings, and DFS cheat sheets! Get hooked up and use discount code SPORTING!
Start or Sit?: Week 17 fantasy RB lineup advice from RotoBaller
De'Von Achane (@ BAL) vs. James Conner (@ PHI) vs. Gus Edwards (vs. MIA) vs. Jaylen Warren (@ SEA)
Once again, RotoBaller is trusting a big-play Dolphins player over a group of higher-floor contributors. Achane has a sky-high ceiling, but his floor has proven to be relatively mediocre over the past couple of games. Edwards, who's a few spots behind Achane, always seems to score, and Conner always has a solid floor because of his high touch share. Warren has by far the best matchup, but RotoBaller ranks him last among this talented group.
WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Start or Sit?: Week 17 fantasy WR lineup advice from RotoBaller
Terry McLaurin (vs. SF) vs. Noah Brown (vs. TEN) vs. Demarcus Robinson (@ NYG) vs. Tyler Lockett (vs. PIT)
Lockett gets the nod by a few spots over McLaurin, who's several spots ahead of the red-hot Robinson. Brown brings up the rear despite a favorable matchup, perhaps because of the uncertainty surrounding Houston's QB situation. Either way, all of these WRs have high ceilings, but their floors have proven to be fairly low. Lockett and McLaurin are fairly safe bets for targets, but Robinson has the best matchup, so there really is no right answer here.
WEEK 17 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Start or Sit?: Week 17 fantasy TE lineup advice from RotoBaller
Gerald Everett (@ DEN) vs. Dalton Schultz (vs. TEN) vs. Dallas Goedert (vs. ARI) vs. Kyle Pitts (@ CHI)
Goedert hasn't had many big games this year, but he's still getting steady targets, giving him the edge in RotoBaller's rankings. Schultz is only one spot lower in an even tougher matchup, while Everett is a few spots behind him in the best possible matchup for a TE. Pitts brings up the rear despite scoring last week and having a great matchup of his own. This will likely come down to whoever scores a TD, but RotoBaller is clearly just trusting the targets, which is a safe way to approach things.
MORE: Click here to upgrade to RotoBaller's NFL Premium Pass. Gain VIP access to expert tools and advice from proven winners including the NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer, the Team Sync Platform with customized tools, Premium fantasy football rankings, and DFS cheat sheets! Get hooked up and use discount code SPORTING!
Try out any combination of players – including players at different positions for your flex spot – with the RotoBaller "Who to Draft?" tool above. It’s like having your own fantasy football expert on call just to help with your specific Week 17 lineup questions.