Wide Receiver Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em For Fantasy Football Week 17

Michael Fabiano | 1 Hour Ago

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton faces the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups based on a PPR scoring system in fantasy football leagues. This column will not cover elite NFL players like Josh Allen, Bijan Robinson, or Ja’Marr Chase. Instead, it will focus on players who could exceed or fail to meet their statistical expectations at each position. For all of your final lineup decisions, check out my weekly player rankings, which will be updated daily all season.

Fab’s Top 10 Fantasy Wide Receiver Rankings For Week 17

1. Puka Nacua at Falcons (Mon.)
2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba at Panthers
3. Ja’Marr Chase vs. Cardinals
4. Amon-Ra St. Brown at Vikings (Thurs.)
5. CeeDee Lamb at Commanders (Thurs.)
6. George Pickens at Commaders (Thurs.)
7. Chris Olave at Titans
8. Courtland Sutton at Chiefs (Thurs.)
9. Drake London vs. Rams (Mon.)
10. Nico Collins at Chargers

Complete Week 17 wide receiver rankings

Week 17 Start ‘Em Wide Receivers

Start of the Week

Courtland Sutton at Chiefs (Thurs. 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video): Sutton has been red hot in the stat sheets, scoring 17-plus fantasy points in three of his last four games. He’s also seen 32 targets in his last three games, and a matchup against the Chiefs makes Sutton a strong start. Kansas City is just playing out the stretch, and its defense has allowed the 10th-most points to enemy perimeter receivers over the last four weeks. 

Start ‘Em

Terry McLaurin vs. Cowboys (Thurs. 1 p.m. ET, Netflix): Washington’s quarterback situation is a bit of a question mark, but that doesn’t mean you should sit McLaurin against the Cowboys. Their defense is chock-full of injuries, and no team in the league has allowed more points to wideouts over the last eight weeks. Over the course of the season, Dallas has given up 14-plus points to wide receivers 18 times in their 15 games. 

Jauan Jennings vs. Bears (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Jennings has scored 13-plus points in four straight games and six of his last seven overall, so he’s become a solid starter in fantasy land. He had a plus matchup at home against the Bears next on the schedule, as their defense has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers since Week 9. Look for the veteran to fill up the stat sheets again on Sunday night. 

Stefon Diggs at Jets (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Diggs, listed as a start ’em last week, beat the Ravens for 22.8 fantasy points. I’d keep him in starting lineups this week too, as the veteran faces a nice matchup against the Jets. Their defense just allowed 36.8 points to Chris Olave last week, and Brian Thomas Jr. beat them for 17.1 points the previous week. In all, at least one receiver has had 17-plus points against them in three straight weeks.

Wan’Dale Robinson at Raiders (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS): Listed as a sit ’em last week, Robinson had just three catches and 5.2 fantasy points against the Vikings. Luckily, this week’s game in Las Vegas is far less daunting. Their defense has allowed at least one wideout to score 12-plus points in three of their last four games, and the Silver & Black have allowed the position to hit that mark (or surpass it) 14 times over the course of the year.

More Starts

• Chris Olave at Titans (1 p.m. ET, CBS)
• Jaylen Waddle vs. Buccaneers (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
• Jakobi Meyers at Colts (1 p.m. ET, Fox)

Week 17 Sit ‘Em Wide Receivers

Sit of the Week 

Ladd McConkey vs. Texans (Sat. 4:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network): McConkey, listed as a start ’em last week, scored 14.3 points in Dallas. He had been held to single digits in three of his previous four games, however, and a game against the Texans is difficult. Their defense has allowed the fifth-fewest points to wide receivers since Week 9, and slot men have averaged the fifth-fewest points against them in the last four weeks.

Sit ‘Em

Devonta Smith at Bills (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Smith posted 16.2 fantasy points in last week’s win over the Commanders, but he’s still not a must-start. In fact, he had been held to single digits in each of his previous three games and four of his previous five. The veteran also has a tough road matchup against the Bills, who have allowed the eighth-fewest points to receivers since Week 9. If you start Smith, I’d temper expectations.

Marvin Harrison Jr. at Bengals (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Harrison Jr. returned to action last week, but he played just 29 snaps and was targeted three times in a loss to the Falcons. He has big-time Grinch potential this week too, as he faces a Bengals defense that’s allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing perimeter receivers over the last eight weeks. Harrison Jr. simply comes with too much risk to start in championship week.

Emeka Egbuka at Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Egbuka’s stats have fallen off a cliff higher than the Grinch’s home above Whoville, as he’s been held to single digits in five of his last six games. He’s also scored no more than 10.4 points in that span, and the return of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin has pushed him down the pecking order. So, while this week’s matchup in Miami isn't overly daunting, I simply can’t trust Egbuka.

Khalil Shakir vs. Eagles (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Shakir has been mostly unusable in the last month, scoring single digits in three of his last four games and averaging just 7.5 points in that span. He should be riding the fantasy pine this week as well, as Shakir faces a tough matchup against the Eagles. No defense has allowed fewer fantasy points to enemy slot receivers over the last eight weeks, so his struggles will likely continue. 

More Sits

• Jordan Addison vs. Lions (Thurs. 4:30 p.m. ET, Netflix)
• Xavier Worthy vs. Broncos (Thurs. 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
• Chris Godwin at Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, Fox)