Week 17: The Other Championship Week

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The vast majority of fantasy leagues avoid holding a championship game in Week 17, and this year more than ever, it’s plain to see why. Injuries have mounted for many teams, and quite a few playoff-bound teams (New England, Kansas City, New York Jets, Philadelphia) are locked into their particular scenario, while others could also pull players early based on the flow of the game.

With that being the case, it makes navigating Start and Sit decisions very difficult at this time of the year. We’ve done our best to capture these playing-time and injury questions into one Start/Sit number, listed below for each player. As always, err on the side of caution — you should always choose to play a healthy player that is expected to play a full 60 minutes over anyone. As such, you’ll find some very peculiar rankings below. For instance, we suggest starting Kevin Kolb over Tom Brady, Danaio Alexander over Wes Welker, and virtually anyone over LaDainian Tomlinson.

As this is our last Start/Sit of the season, we’d be remiss if we didn’t send big thanks out to Drew Szczerba for his hard work throughout the season, as well as 2centworth, tclangham, Dan Lambskin and all of the great rankers that took time to help us out. Now to the rankings …

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opp	Average
1	Philip Rivers	SD	at DEN	90.67
2	Peyton Manning	IND	TEN	88.67
3	Aaron Rodgers	GB	CHI	87.33
4	Drew Brees	NO	TB	87.00
5	Matt Schaub	HOU	JAC	82.33
6	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	at CLE	80.33
7	Eli Manning	NYG	at WAS	79.33
8	Matt Ryan	ATL	CAR	78.33
9	Kevin Kolb	PHI	DAL	73.67
10	Joe Flacco	BAL	CIN	73.00
11	Shaun Hill	DET	MIN	70.00
12	Sam Bradford	STL	at SEA	69.67
13	Josh Freeman	TB	at NO	69.00
14	Tom Brady	NE	MIA	68.80
15	Rex Grossman	WAS	NYG	66.67
16	Jason Campbell	OAK	at KC	66.33
17	Carson Palmer	CIN	at BAL	65.33
18	Kerry Collins	TEN	at IND	63.00
19	Trent Edwards	JAC	at HOU	62.33
20	Chad Henne	MIA	at NE	61.67
21	Matt Cassel	KC	OAK	61.07
22	Alex Smith	SF	ARI	60.00
23	Tim Tebow	DEN	SD	59.67
24	Jay Cutler	CHI	at GB	58.80
25	Colt McCoy	CLE	PIT	54.33
26	John Skelton	ARI	at SF	54.00
27	Stephen McGee	DAL	at PHI	53.33
28	Brett Favre	MIN	at DET	51.73
29	Charlie Whitehurst	SEA	STL	51.33
30	Joe Webb	MIN	at DET	51.00
31	Jimmy Clausen	CAR	at ATL	50.00
32	Ryan Fitzpatrick	BUF	at NYJ	48.53
33	Matt Hasselbeck	SEA	STL	37.00
34	Mark Sanchez	NYJ	BUF	32.17
35	Brian Brohm	BUF	at NYJ	29.00
36	Brodie Croyle	KC	OAK	27.20
37	Brian Hoyer	NE	MIA	26.10
38	Mark Brunell	NYJ	BUF	14.40

 
Start: Kevin Kolb, Eagles. There’s no chance Michael Vick plays in this game, and that means Kolb is back on the scene with the opportunity to impress future employers. He’s in a great position to succeed, as the Cowboys are awful at stopping the pass, and Philadelphia has more passing-game depth than they do in the running game.
 
Sit: Jay Cutler, Bears. Sure, Chicago still has the opportunity to take the No. 1 seed, but that would require losses by both the Falcons against the Panthers and the Saints against the Buccaneers. That first scenario in particular is out there. The Bears will know by game time whether they have a reason to try for a win, and it’s quite possible key players will rest if they don’t.
 

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opp	Average
1	Adrian Peterson	MIN	at DET	96.00
2	Arian Foster	HOU	JAC	90.67
3	Chris Johnson	TEN	at IND	88.33
4	Steven Jackson	STL	at SEA	87.33
5	Ray Rice	BAL	CIN	87.00
6	Rashard Mendenhall	PIT	at CLE	80.33
7	Ryan Mathews	SD	at DEN	77.67
8	LeGarrette Blount	TB	at NO	76.00
9	Ahmad Bradshaw	NYG	at WAS	75.00
10	Ryan Torain	WAS	NYG	74.00
11	Michael Turner	ATL	CAR	73.87
12	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	at ATL	72.67
13	Felix Jones	DAL	at PHI	72.33
T-13	Pierre Thomas	NO	TB	72.33
15	Brandon Jacobs	NYG	at WAS	71.00
16	Cedric Benson	CIN	at BAL	69.67
17	Fred Jackson	BUF	at NYJ	69.00
18	Brian Westbrook	SF	ARI	67.67
19	Michael Bush	OAK	at KC	67.00
20	Rashad Jennings	JAC	at HOU	66.67
21	Jamaal Charles	KC	OAK	66.40
22	Jason Snelling	ATL	CAR	66.33
T-22	Marshawn Lynch	SEA	STL	66.33
24	Ronnie Brown	MIA	at NE	66.00
25	Joseph Addai	IND	TEN	65.67
26	Darren Sproles	SD	at DEN	65.00
27	Reggie Bush	NO	TB	64.67
28	LeSean McCoy	PHI	DAL	64.53
29	Toby Gerhart	MIN	at DET	63.67
30	Matt Forte	CHI	at GB	63.60
31	Knowshon Moreno	DEN	SD	63.20
32	Beanie Wells	ARI	at SF	62.00
33	Tashard Choice	DAL	at PHI	61.67
34	Maurice Morris	DET	MIN	61.33
35	Marion Barber	DAL	at PHI	61.00
36	Mike Goodson	CAR	at ATL	60.67
T-36	Ricky Williams	MIA	at NE	60.67
38	Anthony Dixon	SF	ARI	60.33
39	Justin Forsett	SEA	STL	59.67
40	Tim Hightower	ARI	at SF	59.33
T-40	Jahvid Best	DET	MIN	59.33
42	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	NE	MIA	59.20
43	Peyton Hills	CLE	PIT	58.67
T-43	Cadillac Williams	TB	at NO	58.67
45	Donald Brown	IND	TEN	58.33
46	Correll Buckhalter	DEN	SD	57.67
47	Willis McGahee	BAL	CIN	57.33
48	Darren McFadden	OAK	at KC	56.70
49	Dominic Rhodes	IND	TEN	56.33
50	Brandon Jackson	GB	CHI	55.33
51	Thomas Jones	KC	OAK	55.20
52	John Kuhn	GB	CHI	54.67
53	Danny Woodhead	NE	MIA	53.07
54	C.J. Spiller	BUF	at NYJ	51.67
T-54	Chester Taylor	CHI	at GB	51.67
56	Lance Ball	DEN	SD	51.00
57	Joe McKnight	NYJ	BUF	50.67
58	Bernard Scott	CIN	at BAL	50.33
59	Shonn Greene	NYJ	BUF	45.20
60	Dimitri Nance	GB	CHI	44.67
61	Mike Bell	CLE	PIT	40.67
62	Derrick Ward	HOU	JAC	39.67
63	LaDainian Tomlinson	NYJ	BUF	36.17

 
Start: Fred Jackson, Bills. On paper, his matchup looks extremely difficult. He’s also struggled to put up big fantasy numbers since C.J. Spiller’s return. However, the Jets are going to treat Week 17 like a pre-season game, and Jackson is going to have a much easier time finding running lanes against the second team. Also, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s not at 100 percent, and his absence or limitations could cause Buffalo to be very run-centric on Sunday.
 
Sit: Peyton Hillis, Browns. After quite an amazing season, Hillis has appeared to wear down in recent weeks. It’s not surprising, considering the guy isn’t used to being the featured ball-carrier in an offense. Sunday’s matchup against Pittsburgh spells trouble, especially with the Steelers needing a win to secure a first-round bye. I benched Hillis last week, and I’d suggest you do the same this week.
 

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opp	Average
1	Roddy White	ATL	CAR	89.67
2	Reggie Wayne	IND	TEN	83.67
3	Greg Jennings	GB	CHI	83.33
4	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	at SF	83.00
5	Brandon Marshall	MIA	at NE	81.67
6	Mike Wallace	PIT	at CLE	80.27
7	Miles Austin	DAL	at PHI	79.67
8	Percy Harvin	MIN	at DET	79.00
9	Mario Manningham	NYG	at WAS	78.07
10	Vincent Jackson	SD	at DEN	77.30
11	Santana Moss	WAS	NYG	75.97
12	Pierre Garcon	IND	TEN	75.00
13	Kenny Britt	TEN	at IND	74.73
14	Mike Thomas	JAC	at HOU	74.67
15	Mike Williams	TB	at NO	74.33
16	Brandon Lloyd	DEN	SD	73.33
T-16	Jacoby Jones	HOU	JAC	73.33
18	Derrick Mason	BAL	CIN	72.33
19	Mike Williams	SEA	STL	72.00
20	Jerome Simpson	CIN	at BAL	71.67
21	Steve Johnson	BUF	at NYJ	71.33
22	Hines Ward	PIT	at CLE	70.93
23	Anquan Boldin	BAL	CIN	69.67
24	Dwayne Bowe	KC	OAK	68.32
25	Santonio Holmes	NYJ	BUF	68.10
26	Kevin Walter	HOU	JAC	67.93
27	Lance Moore	NO	TB	67.80
28	Johnny Knox	CHI	at GB	67.67
29	Danario Alexander	STL	at SEA	67.00
30	Jacoby Ford	OAK	at KC	66.00
31	Robert Meachem	NO	TB	65.80
32	Josh Morgan	SF	ARI	65.67
33	Danny Amendola	STL	at SEA	65.33
34	Jason Avant	PHI	DAL	64.67
35	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	DAL	64.53
36	Michael Crabtree	SF	ARI	64.33
37	Derek Hagan	NYG	at WAS	63.40
38	Louis Murphy	OAK	at KC	63.33
39	Wes Welker	NE	MIA	62.99
40	Davone Bess	MIA	at NE	62.70
41	Anthony Armstrong	WAS	NYG	62.40
42	Brandon Gibson	STL	at SEA	62.33
T-42	Laurent Robinson	STL	at SEA	62.33
44	Calvin Johnson	DET	MIN	61.83
45	Andre Roberts	ARI	at SF	61.67
46	Nate Washington	TEN	at IND	61.40
47	James Jones	GB	CHI	61.33
48	Steve Breaston	ARI	at SF	61.00
T-48	Nate Burleson	DET	MIN	61.00
50	Jabar Gaffney	DEN	SD	60.67
51	Jordan Shipley	CIN	at BAL	60.33
52	Donald Driver	GB	CHI	60.00
53	Michael Jenkins	ATL	CAR	59.67
T-53	Steve Smith	CAR	at ATL	59.67
55	Deion Branch	NE	MIA	59.25
56	Mike Sims-Walker	JAC	at HOU	59.20
57	Braylon Edwards	NYJ	BUF	59.10
58	Blair White	IND	TEN	58.73
59	Devin Hester	CHI	at GB	58.67
60	Legedu Naanee	SD	at DEN	58.63
61	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	BAL	CIN	58.33
62	Devery Henderson	NO	TB	57.67
63	Dexter McCluster	KC	OAK	57.10
64	Malcom Floyd	SD	at DEN	57.04
65	Sam Hurd	DAL	at PHI	56.33
66	Eddie Royal	DEN	SD	55.33
67	Mohamed Massaquoi	CLE	PIT	55.00
68	Andre Caldwell	CIN	at BAL	54.33
69	Brandon LaFell	CAR	at ATL	53.33
70	Roy Williams	DAL	at PHI	52.53
71	Brian Robiskie	CLE	PIT	51.33
72	Michael Spurlock	TB	at NO	50.40
73	Jordy Nelson	GB	CHI	48.67
74	Andre Johnson	HOU	JAC	47.63
75	Sidney Rice	MIN	at DET	40.20
76	Riley Cooper	PHI	DAL	38.00
77	Jason Hill	JAC	at HOU	36.00
78	Marques Colston	NO	TB	31.65
79	Earl Bennett	CHI	at GB	21.00

 
Start: Jacoby Jones, Texas. With Andre Johnson out last week, Jones was able to pile up 115 receiving yards. Johnson isn’t expected to be available again this week, and with Houston facing a bad Jaguars secondary, Jones should have his second consecutive 100-yard game.
 
Sit: Deion Branch, Patriots. He’s tailed off a bit as of late, and now he’s faced with the possibility of not playing a full game in the Patriots’ meaningless Week 17 contest. I’d find a way around starting any Patriot players this week, if at all possible.
 

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opp	Average
1	Vernon Davis	SF	ARI	91.00
2	Jason Witten	DAL	at PHI	86.33
3	Jacob Tamme	IND	TEN	82.03
4	Marcedes Lewis	JAC	at HOU	81.30
5	Tony Gonzalez	ATL	CAR	80.33
6	Kellen Winslow	TB	at NO	77.00
7	Owen Daniels	HOU	JAC	76.67
8	Zach Miller	OAK	at KC	74.67
9	Chris Cooley	WAS	NYG	72.97
10	Todd Heap	BAL	CIN	71.33
11	Kevin Boss	NYG	at WAS	71.30
12	Ben Watson	CLE	PIT	67.33
13	Brandon Pettigrew	DET	MIN	66.00
14	Tony Moeaki	KC	OAK	65.13
15	Visanthe Shiancoe	MIN	at DET	63.73
16	Greg Olsen	CHI	at GB	61.00
17	Jimmy Graham	NO	TB	60.33
18	John Carlson	SEA	STL	59.33
19	Dustin Keller	NYJ	BUF	58.40
20	Fred Davis	WAS	NYG	58.30
21	Brent Celek	PHI	DAL	57.07
22	Randy McMichael	SD	at DEN	56.67
23	Rob Gronkowski	NE	MIA	54.67
24	Aaron Hernandez	NE	MIA	54.19
25	Daniel Fells	STL	at SEA	53.77
26	Andrew Quarless	GB	CHI	53.00
27	Daniel Graham	DEN	SD	50.67
28	Dante Rosario	CAR	at ATL	47.33
T-28	Jeremy Shockey	NO	TB	47.33
30	Ben Patrick	ARI	at SF	46.67
T-30	Jared Cook	TEN	at IND	46.67

 
Start: Todd Heap, Ravens. He’s practicing, which means he belongs back in your lineup this week.
 
Sit: Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, Patriots. Hernandez is practicing and may be able to play this week. The Patriots are faced with the opportunity to rest some of their key players. Can you honestly say definitively which of these guys will have a better fantasy day on Sunday? I’d just avoid the situation altogether.
 

Rank	Team Defense	Team	Opp	Average
1	Steelers	PIT	at CLE	88.00
2	Chargers	SD	at DEN	84.70
3	Jets	NYJ	BUF	83.20
4	Giants	NYG	at WAS	81.33
5	Falcons	ATL	CAR	80.97
6	Eagles	PHI	DAL	78.00
7	Packers	GB	CHI	77.10
8	Ravens	BAL	CIN	77.07
9	Saints	NO	TB	75.60
10	49ers	SF	ARI	74.67
11	Bears	CHI	at GB	74.00
12	Patriots	NE	MIA	73.13
13	Rams	STL	at SEA	73.00
14	Colts	IND	TEN	72.30
15	Chiefs	KC	OAK	70.63
16	Lions	DET	MIN	68.33
T-16	Vikings	MIN	at DET	68.33
18	Cowboys	DAL	at PHI	67.67
19	Bills	BUF	at NYJ	66.97
20	Texans	HOU	JAC	66.33
21	Raiders	OAK	at KC	66.00
22	Seahawks	SEA	STL	65.63
23	Browns	CLE	PIT	65.33
T-23	Dolphins	MIA	at NE	65.33
25	Cardinals	ARI	at SF	64.00
T-25	Panthers	CAR	at ATL	64.00
27	Jaguars	JAC	at HOU	63.07
28	Titans	TEN	at IND	62.33
T-28	Redskins	WAS	NYG	62.33
30	Bengals	CIN	at BAL	61.20
31	Buccaneers	TB	at NO	59.33
32	Broncos	DEN	SD	58.33

 
Start: Atlanta Falcons. Another matchup against Jimmy Clausen. What more can you ask for?
 
Sit: Dallas Cowboys. No, Michael Vick isn’t playing, but I’m unconvinced the Cowboys can stop anyone at this point.
 

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opp	Average
1	David Akers	PHI	DAL	83.67
2	Nate Kaeding	SD	at DEN	83.33
T-2	Rob Bironas	TEN	at IND	83.33
4	Matt Bryant	ATL	CAR	82.33
5	Adam Vinatieri	IND	TEN	78.67
T-5	Shayne Graham	NE	MIA	78.67
7	Mason Crosby	GB	CHI	77.67
T-7	Garrett Hartley	NO	TB	77.67
9	Jay Feely	ARI	at SF	77.33
10	Robbie Gould	CHI	at GB	76.33
T-10	Neil Rackers	HOU	JAC	76.33
12	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	at KC	75.67
13	Steve Hauschka	DEN	SD	75.00
14	Lawrence Tynes	NYG	at WAS	74.33
15	Ryan Longwell	MIN	at DET	73.67
16	Billy Cundiff	BAL	CIN	72.67
T-16	Josh Scobee	JAC	at HOU	72.67
18	Connor Barth	TB	at NO	72.33
19	Dave Rayner	DET	MIN	72.00
20	Shaun Suisham	PIT	at CLE	71.67
21	Josh Brown	STL	at SEA	71.33
22	Phil Dawson	CLE	PIT	70.67
T-22	Dan Carpenter	MIA	at NE	70.67
24	Nick Folk	NYJ	BUF	70.33
T-24	Jeff Reed	SF	ARI	70.33
26	Clint Stitser	CIN	at BAL	69.67
27	John Kasay	CAR	at ATL	69.00
28	Ryan Succop	KC	OAK	68.67
29	Rian Lindell	BUF	at NYJ	65.67
30	Olindo Mare	SEA	STL	65.33
T-30	Graham Gano	WAS	NYG	65.33
32	David Buehler	DAL	at PHI	55.20

 
Start: Matt Bryant, Falcons. Atlanta should run away with this game, and Bryant could be kicking field goals throughout the entire second half.
 
Sit: David Buehler, Cowboys. Dallas has signed Kris Brown to a two-year contract, and while it sounds like Buehler will still handle kicking duties in Week 17, you can’t run any risk of having a non-playing kicker in your championship.
 

 
R.J. White is a fantasy blogger at the sports site FanHouse. Check out his work both here and there, and feel free to talk to him in the forums, where he posts under the name daullaz.
 

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