Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Week 17: Terry McLaurin vs. Courtland Sutton
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Two WRs who will be in action and who are ranked fairly close to each other in our week 17 fantasy football WR rankings are WR for the Washington Commanders, Terry McLaurin, and WR for the Denver Broncos, Courtland Sutton. Here is a breakdown of who to play between the two this week in fantasy football.
Courtland Sutton
For the third week in a row, Courtland Sutton had 10 or more targets, and it again resulted in a good fantasy outing. In week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sutton had six receptions on 12 targets for 86 receiving yards and a touchdown. In PPR fantasy football formats, this was enough to lead Sutton to be WR9. Over the past three weeks, he ranks as WR7. He will look to continue this momentum into the fantasy championship game for a lot of fantasy GMs when he and the Broncos take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.
The Chiefs this season are allowing the 12th fewest passing yards per game. In this, opposing WR1s as of late have had a spread of low and high point outputs in fantasy. In two of the Chiefs' last four games, WR1s have had under 60 receiving yards and no TDs. In the other two games, both WR1s had over 100 receiving yards, and one of them had a TD. With this, it feels like things could go either way for Sutton, but it feels like he is leaning more toward having a good game, given his recent production.
Terry McLaurin
WR1 for the Commanders, Terry McLaurin, is coming off an underwhelming game in week 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles. In the contest, he had three receptions on four targets for 53 yards. This is the third straight game where he has had under 70 receiving yards, and the second out of the three where he has not scored a TD. Over this stretch of games in PPR fantasy formats, McLaurin ranks as WR28 in fantasy football. He has a chance to get back to putting up some big fantasy numbers against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, who have a poor passing defense, but an old factor from the past may reappear in 2025 and limit what McLaurin can do in fantasy football in week 17.
With Jayden Daniels being shut down for the year, backup Marcus Mariota has stepped up and done solidly. Unfortunately, in week 16’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had to exit with a hand injury. His status going into week 17 against the Cowboys has still not yet been determined. For right now, the idea of him suiting up on Thursday is trending in the wrong direction. In the Commanders' Tuesday practice, he was a non-participant. If Mariota is out, veteran backup Josh Johnson would be Washington’s starter. In his limited time on the field on Sunday, he went five for nine passing, throwing for 43 yards, and he also threw an interception. Not one os his passes was a completion to McLaurin.
Outside of the Commanders’ QB problems, Dallas is allowing the most passing yards per game in the NFL. In this, opposing WRs have done well against them. In four of the Cowboys’ last games, an opposing WR has had over 90 receiving yards against them.
Final Verdict
When it comes to who should start and who should sit in week 17 between McLaurin and Sutton, Sutton should start, and McLaurin should sit.
Both are good plays in fantasy this week, Sutton just overall with his play as of late feels like the better and safer option, despite having a tougher matchup. If Mariota is out, it makes Sutton the clear better option in this debate. Fantasy managers with McLaurin should stay locked into news on his availability, because if he is out, it would not be surprising if McLaurin puts up a fantasy dud with Johnson at QB despite Dallas being their opponent.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops