Justin Boone provides a weekly look at undervalued fantasy football players to consider starting this week and potential busts you might want to leave on your bench.
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For the rest of your lineup decisions, consult his Week 17 rankings.
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Starts
Brock Purdy, QB, 49ers
vs. Bears
We started the fantasy playoffs with me recommending the 49ers’ passing attack and there’s no reason to shy away from them at this point.
Purdy has now thrown for 590 yards and eight touchdowns over the last two weeks, while rushing for 55 yards during that span.
Even with George Kittle’s status up in the air, the Niners have more than enough skill position talent for this offense to keep humming versus a Bears defense that allows the 12th-most fantasy points to QBs.
The Purdy party continues all the way to a fantasy championship.
Other QBs to start:
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Jacoby Brissett at Bengals – After nine straight QB1 fantasy finishes, Brissett finally had a down game in Week 16. Fortunately, he gets a very nice bounce-back spot against a Bengals defense that’s the sixth-easiest matchup for passers.
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Caleb Williams at 49ers – If 44-year-old Philip Rivers can throw for 277 yards and two touchdowns on this Niners’ defense, what can a dynamic young passer like Williams do?
Jaylen Warren/Kenneth Gainwell, RBs, Steelers
at Browns
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Both Steelers are in play as quality starts in the fantasy championships, as they have been more often than not for several weeks now.
Warren has found the end zone five times in his last five outings, including a monster 151-yard, two-score effort last week.
Meanwhile, Gainwell has become a key piece in the passing attack with at least five receptions in five of his last six appearances. He has also topped 125 scrimmage yards in back-to-back games.
Their opponent isn’t a concern this week, since Cleveland’s once-vaunted defense has crumbled in the second half of the season. The Browns have let seven straight starting running backs post at least 70 yards and a touchdown against them — with five of those backs clearing the 100-yard mark.
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With DK Metcalf suspended, the Steelers will need to rely on their backfield duo even more, so feel free to start them both as fantasy RB2s with upside.
Other RBs to start:
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Omarion Hampton vs. Texans (advice prior to Saturday’s game) – Hampton is coming off a 95-yard, one-touchdown performance and will have the backfield to himself with Kimani Vidal dealing with a neck injury. While the Texans defense has been great this year, they’ve also given up at least 90 scrimmage yards or a TD to five consecutive starting running backs.
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Rhamondre Stevenson at Jets – The Jets are an excellent matchup, allowing the second-most fantasy points to RBs, including 14 TDs to the position over their last six games. If TreVeyon Henderson didn’t clear concussion protocol, Stevenson would have been a high-end RB2. Even with the rookie expected to return, Stevenson can still be started as a borderline low-end RB2.
Jauan Jennings, WR, 49ers
vs. Bears
Jennings is the WR34 in fantasy points per game on the season, but he’s been on fire lately with seven touchdowns in his last seven games.
Kittle reportedly being “highly unlikely” to play due to an ankle injury will only make Jennings more valuable for fantasy, thanks to increased volume.
To top it off, Jennings gets a matchup with a Bears defense that is giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to wideouts. Chicago has allowed some big stat lines to the position lately, like 5-84-1 to Romeo Doubs, 4-89-2 to Christian Watson and 10-132-2 to A.J. Brown just in the last month.
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You can start Jennings with confidence as a fantasy WR2 with upside this week.
Other WRs to start:
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DJ Moore at 49ers – Moore has been on a heater lately, benefiting from the injury absences of Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. Burden is back for this game, but I’m sticking with Moore as a fantasy WR2 this week after he posted two straight top-seven fantasy WR results. The path to attacking the 49ers is through the air and Moore will be a big part of Chicago’s success in Week 17.
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Jakobi Meyers at Colts – Don’t let one quieter game against a tough Broncos defense fool you, Meyers is still the most valuable fantasy receiver in Jacksonville. He had at least 71 yards or a TD in four straight games before last week.
Juwan Johnson, TE, Saints
at Titans
With injuries in the receiving corps, Johnson saw his targets ramp up again, catching eight of the nine passes thrown his way for 89 yards last week.
Now, he gets a Titans defense that’s been more generous to tight ends recently, giving up 8-88-1 to Kittle in Week 15, 8-114-1 to Harold Fannin Jr. in Week 14 and 3-45-1 to Brenton Strange in Week 13.
Expect Johnson to be busy in this contest en route to a strong TE1 fantasy performance.
Other TEs to start:
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Colston Loveland at 49ers – Loveland hasn’t had the easiest schedule to work with, but he’s remained productive while flashing an elite skill set. Now, he gets his best matchup in a while against a 49ers defense that’s permitting the 11th-most fantasy points to TEs.
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Taysom Hill at Titans – Hill has always been the ultimate boom-or-bust tight end. Last week, we finally saw the team give him enough volume to deliver, resulting in 42 rushing yards, 36 receiving yards and a 38-yard TD pass. We don’t know for sure that Hill will be the focal point of the Saints’ game plan again, but with the injuries in their backfield, it would make sense. Fantasy managers who need a home-run swing at tight end should strongly consider Hill as a borderline TE1 for championship week.
Sits
Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers (advice prior to Saturday’s game)
vs. Texans
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Herbert is coming off an excellent game with 200 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 42 rushing yards and another score on the ground.
However, he did that against the Cowboys, who are the easiest opponent for fantasy quarterbacks. Now, Herbert has to try and replicate the feat against the Texans, who are the worst possible matchup for his position.
Houston allows the fewest fantasy points to QBs and has been terrorizing passers all season long with the pass rush. That doesn’t bode well for a Chargers offensive line that’s been decimated by injuries this season.
Herbert is talented enough to deliver even when the odds are stacked against him, but he’ll be under severe pressure from the defense in this contest, which lowers his fantasy ceiling.
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Even after the great performance in Week 16, Herbert is just a QB2 streamer this time around and not someone you should be relying on to help you win a fantasy title.
Other QBs to sit:
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C.J. Stroud at Chargers (advice prior to Saturday’s game) – On the other side of that game is Stroud, who will have to contend with a Chargers defense that’s the second-most difficult opponent for fantasy quarterbacks. There’s a reason why this game has one of the lower projected point totals on the week at 39.5.
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Bryce Young vs. Seahawks – You’re likely not considering starting Young in anything other than Superflex or two-QB leagues, but with three Christmas Day games in the books and two more games played on Saturday, there aren’t that many options to choose from for this final “sit” recommendation. Just know that the Seahawks are the ninth-hardest matchup for quarterbacks. Young hasn’t done enough to give fantasy managers hope that he can overcome a tough opponent like this.
Rico Dowdle, RB, Panthers
vs. Seahawks
Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard have settled into a split backfield that’s lowered the fantasy ceiling for both ball carriers.
Neither back has topped 55 scrimmage yards in any contest over the last two weeks and it’s going to be challenging to accomplish that feat versus Seattle.
This is Dowdle’s most difficult matchup in a while — the Seahawks defense is allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs.
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A split backfield and a tough opponent is not where you want to place your chips when vying for a fantasy title. Consider Dowdle a TD-or-bust RB3 this week.
Other RBs to sit:
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Breece Hall vs. Patriots – Hall is averaging under 50 scrimmage yards per contest over his last three games and is likely lacking motivation to push for more on a non-playoff team with free agency looming. The Patriots are 13.5-point favorites in this contest.
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Woody Marks at Chargers (advice prior to Saturday’s game) – Marks returns from a week off just in time for a challenging matchup with the Chargers defense that’s giving up the eighth-fewest fantasy points to running backs. It would also be wise for the Texans not to overload Marks in his first game back after an ankle injury.
Khalil Shakir, WR, Bills
vs. Eagles
Shakir has only posted double-digit fantasy points twice in his last 11 outings and hasn’t reached that mark in over a month.
The Eagles defense, which allows the third-fewest points to opposing receivers, is not the spot to go chasing a big game from Shakir.
Weather could also limit passing attacks in this contest with rain and wind in the forecast.
Shakir is more of a bye-week replacement option rather than someone you want to put your faith in for the fantasy championships.
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Other WRs to sit:
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Quentin Johnston vs. Texans (advice prior to Saturday’s game) – The argument against Johnston this week is similar to what I wrote about Justin Herbert. Johnston had 104 yards and a score versus a soft Dallas defense last week but now has to deal with a Texans unit that’s the second-toughest against WRs. Houston also excels at shutting down outside receivers.
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Emeka Egbuka at Dolphins – Egbuka has been held under nine fantasy points in nine of his last 10 games. If you have the guts to play him this week, I wish you all the luck in the world, but I can’t justify it.
Mark Andrews, TE, Ravens (advice prior to Saturday’s game)
at Packers
Andrews has been held to 21 yards or less in four of his last five outings. The veteran has also only eclipsed 50 receiving yards once this season.
Meanwhile, the Packers defense has only let one tight end top 50 yards since Week 2.
With Lamar Jackson out, the probability of Andrews coming through with a touchdown also diminishes.
There’s simply no explanation for having Andrews anywhere near your lineup this week. He’s well off the fantasy radar as a borderline low-end TE2.
Other TEs to sit:
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Dalton Kincaid vs. Eagles – Kincaid hasn’t been as efficient lately while trying to play through his injuries. A matchup with the Eagles defense that’s the least generous to fantasy tight ends makes him a risky TD-or-bust low-end TE2 streamer.
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Oronde Gadsden II vs. Texans (advice prior to Saturday’s game) – Gadsden hasn’t posted double-digit fantasy points in over two months and has a grueling matchup with the Texans this week.
