Fantasy Football Week 17 starts, sits, and sleepers for your championship showdown
BOSTON -- It's championship weekend in the world of fantasy football, so your margin of error is razor thin. A season of hard work studying up on matchups and scouring the waiver wire could all come down to this one weekend.
There's a lot of pride -- and likely some money -- on the line for fantasy owners in Week 17. So let's just get down to business and pass along this week's "Starts and Sits" (plus some sleepers for good measure) from CBS Sports' fantasy football expert Jamey Eisenberg.
Quarterback
Start: San Francisco's Brock Purdy at Washington
"Purdy probably lost the NFL MVP award in Week 16 against Baltimore when he threw four interceptions in a 33-19 loss, and he scored a season-low 2.4 Fantasy points. He should rebound this week against the Commanders, who are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Five of the past six quarterbacks against Washington have scored at least 22.5 Fantasy points, and Purdy scored 25.4 Fantasy points in three games prior to Week 16, including two on the road at Philadelphia in Week 13 and at Arizona in Week 15. He should have another dominant road outing here."
Sit: Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence vs. Carolina
"Lawrence is expected to play in Week 17 despite dealing with a right shoulder injury, but he might not be at 100 percent against the Panthers. He's scored fewer than 17 Fantasy points in consecutive games against Baltimore and Tampa Bay, and Carolina is No. 3 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. Only one quarterback in the past five games against the Panthers has scored at least 20 Fantasy points, and Lawrence should only be started in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues in Week 17."
UPDATE: Lawrence was ruled out by the Jags on Friday.
Sleeper: Arizona's Kyler Murray at Philadelphia
"Murray had a surprising game in Week 16 at Chicago with 24.4 Fantasy points. He snapped a two-game streak where he scored fewer than 16 Fantasy points, and we'll see how he does in back-to-back road games at the Eagles. Philadelphia has limited the past two opposing quarterbacks to under 15 Fantasy points against Seattle and the Giants, but the Eagles are still No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to the position. I don't mind taking a chance on Murray this week as a low-end starter in all leagues."
Read all of Jamey Eisenberg's start and sit advice at quarterback for Week 17
Running Back
Start: L.A. Chargers Austin Ekeler at Denver
"Ekeler, who went to high school (Eaton) and college (Western Colorado) in Colorado, has scored at least 15.8 PPR points in seven of his past eight games against Denver. And the Broncos are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to running backs this year."
Sit: Tennessee's Derrick Henry at Houston
"Henry already faced this Texans run defense once in Week 15 at home, and Houston shut him down completely with 16 carries for 9 yards and four catches for 1 yard on four targets. The Texans haven't allowed a running back to rush for more than 56 yards in their past five games, including meetings with Travis Etienne, Javonte Williams, Breece Hall, Henry and Jerome Ford. And only Ford and Kareem Hunt scored touchdowns over that span. It's tough to bench Henry, but if he doesn't score this week then his stat line will be minimal. And Henry is averaging just 10.1 PPR points per game in seven road outings this year."
Sleeper: Minnesota's Ty Chandler at Green Bay
"Even with Alexander Mattison back in Week 16 against Detroit following a one-game absence with an ankle injury, Chandler still played 65 percent of the snaps compared to just 9 percent for Mattison. Now, Chandler struggled against the Lions with eight carries for 17 yards and a touchdown and no catches, but he should rebound this week against Green Bay. The Packers have allowed a running back to score at least 12.1 PPR points in five games in a row, with six total touchdowns over that span, and Chandler should be considered a flex option in all leagues."
Read all of Jamey Eisenberg's start and sit advice at running back for Week 17
Wide Receiver
Start: Baltimore's Zay Flowers vs. Miami
"In four games without Mark Andrews (ankle), Flowers has three games with at least eight targets, and he's scored at least 20 PPR points in those three outings. He's coming off a solid game in Week 16 at San Francisco with nine catches for 72 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets, and he should be heavily involved again in Week 17 against Miami. The Dolphins are tough to run on, so look for Lamar Jackson to carry the offense in this matchup, and four No. 1 receivers in the past six games against Miami (Davante Adams in Week 11, Garrett Wilson in Week 12, DeAndre Hopkins in Week 14 and CeeDee Lamb in Week 16) have all scored at least 17.4 PPR points. Flowers should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues."
Sit: Green Bay's Romeo Dobbs at Minnesota
"We'll see who's healthy at receiver for the Packers in Week 17 against Minnesota, but Christian Watson (hamstring), Jayden Reed (toe) and Dontayvion Wicks (chest) all missed or left Week 16 at Carolina. Doubs stepped up with all the injuries and caught four passes for 79 yards and a touchdown on five targets against the Panthers, and he could see a spike in targets if Watson, Reed and Wicks remain out."
Sleeper: Buffalo's Gabe Davis vs. New England
"It's definitely been feast or famine with Davis this season, and he has two games with at least 22.5 PPR points in his past five outings and three games with no catches over that span. He's clearly risky, and you don't know when Davis will get involved or make a few big plays."
Tight End
Start: Dallas' Jake Ferguson vs. Detroit
Ferguson only had 8.5 PPR points in Week 16 at Miami, but he should rebound this week against Detroit at home. In his past two home games, Ferguson had 11 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown, and he scored at least 12.2 PPR points in each outing against Seattle and Philadelphia. The Lions are No. 10 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, and Ferguson remains a top-10 Fantasy tight end in all leagues.
Sit: Buffalo's Dalton Kincaid vs. New England
Kincaid has been awful lately with 8.8 PPR points or less in four games in a row, including a combined 1.7 PPR points in his past two outings against Dallas and the Chargers. In those two games, he's combined for just four targets and one catch for 7 yards, and the return of Dawson Knox in Week 14 from his wrist injury has ruined Kincaid's upside. He had eight catches for 75 yards on eight targets in Week 7 at New England, but there's no way to expect that again from Kincaid in the rematch given his recent level of play.
Sleeper: New Orleans' Juwan Johnson at Tampa Bay
Johnson is getting hot at the right time for the Saints and Fantasy managers with a touchdown in each of his past two games. This week, he's facing the Buccaneers, and Tampa Bay is No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends this season. A tight end has scored at least 14.7 PPR points in three games in a row against the Buccaneers, and hopefully Johnson will follow suit in Week 17. Johnson is worth using as a low-end starting option in all leagues.
Read all of Jamey Eisenberg's start and sit advice for Week 17