Week 17 is here, meaning it's time to lock in lineups for the fantasy football championship slate. In this article, we'll cover two players drawing their first starts of the year and discuss a superstar who has been dealing with injury.
Jarrett Stidham and Josh Oliver are on the start-sit bubble, while Ja'Marr Chase simply needs to be active in order to be a "must-start" fantasy option.
Should you start Stidham, Chase, or Oliver in Week 17? Let's dive in.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
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Should I Start Jarrett Stidham for Fantasy Football?
The Denver Broncos made headlines earlier this week when they announced they'd be benching quarterback Russell Wilson in favor of Jarrett Stidham for the final two regular season games due to financial reasons heading into the offseason. Stidham has a very favorable matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, but fantasy managers would have to be downright desperate to consider using the 27-year-old as their QB2 in superflex leagues in Week 17.
He has taken all of four offensive snaps this year. Stidham started two games for the Las Vegas Raiders at the end of last season, going 45-for-70 for 584 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions while running with the ball 14 times for 84 yards. Stidham looked half decent in that two-game audition in 2022, but he's going to be without No. 1 wideout Courtland Sutton (concussion) and could also be missing Jerry Jeudy (illness) and rookie receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (hamstring).
Should I Start Ja'Marr Chase For Fantasy Football?
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (shoulder) has been listed as questionable but is "likely" to play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. If confirmed as active pregame, the star pass-catcher will have missed just one game due to the injury he suffered in Week 15 versus Minnesota.
Chase has survived the Bengals' quarterback change from Joe Burrow (wrist) to Jake Browning, ultimately catching 93 passes for 1,156 yards and seven touchdowns over the course of 14 games. He remains a strong WR1 option in fantasy football
Should I Start Josh Oliver for Fantasy Football?
With T.J. Hockenson (knee) out of the season, Josh Oliver will start his first game of the 2023 campaign. However, rookie quarterback Jaren Hall will make his second career start this week, which makes all Vikings' pass-catchers riskier.
If the Green Bay Packers presented a great matchup for tight ends, Oliver would have plenty of streaming appeal. Since the Packers have been a neutral matchup for the position through 16 weeks, there's not a ton of reason for optimism here. Keep Oliver on the bench or waiver wire in Week 17.
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