This is the Fantasy Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for Week 17 of the 2021 NFL season. Analysis is aggregated from multiple sources including FN. Rankings are based upon PPR (point per reception) scoring. Given the known conditions, these matchups are the ones to watch and/or avoid.
Please Note: This list does not generally include the elite players that you are going to start regardless of matchup. You don't need us to tell you to start Jonathan Taylor, Travis Kelce, or Davante Adams. Instead, we take a look at other players on your team that we believe either have great matchups or should be avoided for multiple reasons. Factors like opposing defense, performance trending, and peer comparisons may influence our decisions.
It's Championship Week!
Start 'em Joe Burrow (CIN, QB)Joe Burrow lit up the Ravens last week to the tune of 525 yards and 4 touchdowns. No that's not a typo. In his last four weeks, Burrow has thrown for at least 300 yards in three of those games. Now he'll get a chance to make it four of five games against a very generous Kansas City secondary.
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6th Most Pts to QB
Start 'em Matthew Stafford (LAR, QB)For three quarters of last week's game against the Vikings, HOF QB Brett Favre had more fantasy points than Matthew Stafford. Stafford looked awful and finished the day with his worst performance of the season (6.7 pts). If he didn't sink your matchup, he's a solid play in the Championship against the Ravens who made Joe Burrow look like Superman last week.
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3rd Most Pts to QB
Start 'em Russell Wilson (SEA, QB)Let's face it. Russ hasn't been very dangerous lately failing to surpass more than 181 yards the last two games. Still, he's a viable play this week against the Lions who look decent on paper but can be taken advantage of. Wilson at home should be a low-end QB1 this week.
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15th Most Pts to QB
Start 'em Darrel Williams (KC, RB)Ranked 21st this week is Darrel Williams largely because we don't anticipate much (if any) work from Clyde Edwards-Helaire who injured his collarbone last week. Williams has been serviceable in CEH's absence before and could be once again. Williams should make for a nice low-end RB2/high-end FLEX option in Week 17.
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13th Most Pts to RB
Start 'em Ronald Jones (TB, RB)RoJo has the volume right now to keep him fantasy relevant. With Leonard Fournette out, Jones carried the ball 20 times and found the endzone against Carolina last week. Combine that volume with both a positive game script and a solid matchup against the Jets and RoJo could lead you to a championship.
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Most pts to RB
Start 'em Devin Singletary (BUF, RB)There has been nothing exciting about the Bills backfield for months...until the past two games where Devin Singletary has started to come on strong with back-to-back touchdowns. He'll get a fantastic matchup this week against the Falcons, and assuming the Bills run up the score, it will be plenty of handoffs to Singletary to finish the week.
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9th Most Pts to RB
Start 'em Antonio Brown (TB, WR)We had AB on our Start list last week and he delivered 20 fantasy points after missing the previous nine games. His 15 targets led the team, and with Godwin out and Evans on the COVID list, he may still have enough volume in a tough matchup to help you win this week.
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7th Fewest Pts to WR
Start 'em Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET, WR)Make no mistake - this is a tough matchup, but Amon-Ra St. Brown is coming through at the right time for fantasy owners. He's averaged 11.5 targets per game over the last month and has made three trips to the endzone over that span. Continue to ride the hot hand here. Goff will find a way to get him the ball, and the volume should help St. Brown produce a solid fantasy day.
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10th Fewest Pts to WR
Start 'em Brandin Cooks (HOU, WR)Cooks missed last week due to COVID, but he should return this week in a plus matchup against the Niners. With Davis Mills under center, Cooks figures to maintain his solid target share percentage. The Niners had no answer to AJ Brown last week, and while Cooks isn't Brown, the Texans will target him just as much.
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9th Most Pts to WR
Start 'em Dallas Goedert (PHI, TE)Ranked 5th this week is Dallas Goedert. Fantasy owners enjoyed 20+ points in back-to-back games before getting let down last week (4.8 pts). We anticipate Goedert to rebound nicely this week, however. Dalton Schultz put up 22 points against Washington last week, and Goedert put up 20 points the week prior. This is a great matchup for fantasy owners.
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14th Fewest Pts to TE
Start 'em Zach Ertz (ARI, TE)Ertz was Kyler Murray's favorite target last week. In fact, he's seen an average of 10 targets over the last three games. That kind of volume from the tight end position is incredible and keeps Ertz in the TE1 range against a Dallas defense that has largely kept tight ends in check.
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15th Most Pts to TE
Start 'em New Orleans Saints (NO, DEF)There's not much to get excited about the Panthers offense...unless you have the Saints defense. This Top 10 unit gets to face Carolina in the fantasy championship, and given that the Panthers surrender the 2nd-most fantasy points to the position, the Saints should go marching in.
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2nd Most Pts to DEF
Start 'em Chicago Bears (CHI, DEF)The Bears may not have been the stellar defensive unit that many thought they would be, but in the right matchup, they can still deliver a solid fantasy day. That could happen in Week 17 as they face the Giants with a depleted receiving corp, lackluster run game, and either Jake Fromm or Mike Glennon under center.
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11th Most Pts to DEF
Start 'em Nick Folk (NE, K)Nick Folk has been solid this year. In fact, he's the #1 fantasy kicker this season. Let the good times roll against the Jaguars who are giving up the 3rd-most fantasy points to kickers on the year.
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3rd Most Pts to K
Sit 'em Tua Tagovailoa (MIA, QB)Hopefully injuries and COVID lists don't force you to consider starting Tua Tagovailoa. Over the past two months, Tua hasn't delivered a single 20 pt game. In fact, he's averaging a paltry 13.7 pts on the season. There's no reason to believe that he'll suddenly turn things around against a Titans defense that has kept QBs under 14 points the last three weeks.
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13th Most Pts to QB
Sit 'em Matt Ryan (ATL, QB)Even in positively choice matchups, Matt Ryan has failed to deliver. He can't be counted on this week even in Superflex formats. Nobody gives up fewer fantasy points to quarterbacks than the Bills, and Matty Ice has been ice cold in the stat sheets.
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Feweset Pts to QB
Sit 'em Ryan Tannehill (TEN, QB)Even with both of his top wide receivers back last week, Tannehill put up pedestrian numbers. Like Tua above, Tannehill hasn't delivered a single 20 pt game in over two months. He's been awful, but at least he's been consistently awful. Tannehill doesn't belong near your lineup for the Championship.
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8th Fewest Pts to QB
Sit 'em Chuba Hubbard (CAR, RB)We had Chuba on our Sit list last week, but even we didn't expect a 0.9 pt fantasy day. That was against a very tough Tampa front, so why would we expect anything productive when he faces the Saints who have surrendered the fewest fantasy points to running backs...all year? There is no run game anymore in Carolina. Hubbard can be safely left on the bench or dropped completely.
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Feweset Pts to RB
Sit 'em Rhamondre Stevenson (NE, RB)Rhamondre Stevenson missed last week's game against the Bills due to COVID, but he's expected back this week. Stevenson's upside is limited with Damien Harris back, healthy, and fresh off a 103-yard, 3-touchdown performance. Stevenson is nothing more than a low-end Flex option for Week 17.
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11th Fewest Pts to RB
Sit 'em Dare Ogunbowale (JAC, RB)When James Robinson went down with an Achilles tear, Dare Ogunbowale stepped up rushing 17 times for 57 yards and a score (his first in two years). That was in a plus matchup with the Jets. This week the competition is a little stronger as the Jaguars head to Foxborough. He was one of the top pickups in our waiver wire rankings this week, but shouldn't be viewed as anything but a Flex option.
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11th Most Pts to RB
Sit 'em Terry McLaurin (WAS, WR)It all starts with the quarterback, and the QB situation in Washington has been ugly. Early reports indicate that both Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen will play this week. Unfortunately, this has impacted Terry McLaurin who hasn't had more than 9 fantasy points in six weeks. In fact, he had just 7 points against the Eagles when he played them two weeks ago. F1 McLaurin always has the potential to go off, but viewing him as anything more than a WR3 in this one is being hopeful.
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2nd Fewest Pts to WR
Sit 'em Kadarius Toney (NYG, WR)After missing four games, Kadarius Toney returned last week and disappointed fantasy owners once again. Targeted a solid nine times, he managed to haul in just four of those targets for a paltry 28 yards. The potential is there, but poor quarterback play isn't helping Toney here. With just one big game to his credit this season, the odds of Toney leading you to a Championship are slim to none, and as my grandfather would say, "Slim" just left.
UPDATE: Kadarius Toney has been ruled OUT for Week 17.
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10th Most Pts to WR
Sit 'em Russell Gage (ATL, WR)Russell Gage's 5.9 fantasy points last week didn't help many fantasy owners advance to the Championship, and while he's likely to outperform his Week 16 numbers, he's a risky play against a Bills defense that has basically shut out every wide receiver in the second half of this season. The only saving grace here is the likely game script which is sure to see the Falcons playing from behind. Hopefully some garbage-time points can come our way.
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Feweset Pts to WR
Sit 'em Jared Cook (LAC, TE)In the past two months, Jared Cook has managed to reach double-digit fantasy points twice (and just barely). One of those games was against the Broncos (Week 12) where one of his two catches was in the endzone. He'll need to find the endzone again in this one to be fantasy relevant. If you're OK with the odds on that happening, play him. We're not confident on a repeat and would look elsewhere.
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6th Fewest Pts to TE
Sit 'em Noah Fant (DEN, TE)We're not expecting Teddy Bridgewater to return this week, and by all accounts, it looks like Drew Lock will be under center once again. Noah Fant and the Denver receivers have not fared well. In fact, Fant hasn't had a stellar performance since Week 6 averaging just 6.6 points each game since. It's a nice matchup, but Fant is difficult to trust in the most important game of the year.
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4th Most Pts to TE
Sit 'em Baltimore Ravens (BAL, DEF)The 2021 Ravens defense has not lived up to expectations, and that's not likely to change this week. The Rams are solid both on the ground and through the air. They've allowed the 7th-fewest fantasy points to opposing defense/special teams.
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7th Fewest Pts to DEF
Sit 'em Minnesota Vikings (MIN, DEF)The Packers have consistently put points on the scoreboard (avg 25.5/game). That makes the Vikings defense a bad play. When they faced each other back in Week 11, both teams put up over 30 points. With Rodgers and company playing well, the Vikings defense belongs on the bench.
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8th Fewest Pts to DEF
Sit 'em Greg Joseph (MIN, K)Greg Joseph has been a fantastic fantasy kicker (4th-best overall on the season), but a trip to Lambeau on Sunday night isn't a great way to end the fantasy season. Green Bay is giving up the 2nd-fewest fantasy points to the position, and unlike their first game in Week 11, this game will be played outside.
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2nd Fewest Pts to K
