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Week 16 saw some pretty good quarterback play as fantasy managers looked to punch a ticket to the fantasy championship. Heading into Sunday Night Football, 15 quarterbacks have already produced 21 or more fantasy points. Unfortunately, Jalen Hurts, Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, and Tua Tagovailoa finished with fewer than 15 fantasy points on the day.
One player to watch is Hurts, who left the contest against the Commanders early with a concussion. Hurts will have the entire week to attempt to clear the NFL's concussion protocol. However, if he can't, managers will need to find a replacement for Week 17 if their fantasy team advanced in his absence.
Which quarterbacks can you trust with the trophy on the line? That's where I come in: to help fantasy managers with those difficult start-and-sit questions at the quarterback position with our Week 17 starts and sits.
All 3 Week 17 Saturday Tripleheader games on @nflnetwork feature playoff-clinching scenarios. 👀
Chargers at Patriots (1 PM ET)
- Chargers clinch playoff berth with a winBroncos at Bengals (4:30 PM ET)
- Broncos clinch playoff berth with a win
- Bengals eliminated with a loss… pic.twitter.com/NGZpjZGFYY— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024
Week 17 Starts - Fantasy Football Booms
Bo Nix - QB, Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals
I will not give the Bengals a pass after Dorian Thompson-Robinson was held to 157 passing yards, forcing him to throw a pair of interceptions. Everyone knew what Thompson-Robinson was.
In his previous three starts, he had 198 pass attempts, translating into 420 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions. Before locking down DTR, the Bengals had allowed 20.05 fantasy points per game to the quarterback position throughout the season.
Bo Nix enters this week's competition as the overall QB9 in fantasy, producing 271.8 fantasy points and averaging 18.1 fantasy points per game.
Nix has finished with 16 or more fantasy points in nine of his previous 11 contests, including a 21-point performance in which he completed 29 of 40 passing attempts for 263 yards and a pair of scores last week. Since Week 5, Nix has accounted for 23 and multiple touchdowns in eight contests.
Nix may not win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Still, considering you likely grabbed him off the waiver wire and are now starting him in the fantasy championship, you should put the rookie into the fantasy MVP conversation.
Anthony Richardson - QB, Indianapolis Colts at New York Giants
Anthony Richardson last week wasn't flashy, but he was effective for fantasy managers as he ran the ball for 70 yards and a touchdown while adding 131 passing yards and a passing touchdown on the day.
He probably should have had a second rushing score, but he was ruled down at the one-yard line and then handed the ball off to Jonathan Taylor to punch it in. That 20-point performance against the Titans marks the third such performance in Richardson's last five contests.
In Week 17, Richardson will look to hit the 20-point milestone for fantasy managers competing in the fantasy championship against a Giants team that has allowed 19.58 fantasy points to the position over the last four weeks, surrendering 998 passing yards along with five passing scores.
On the season, New York has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, allowing 17.13 per contest, 3,270 passing yards, and 401 yards on the ground.
Anthony Richardson to Adonai Mitchellpic.twitter.com/74U6hORVNz
— Pick 6 Pack (@Pick6PackFB) December 22, 2024
We can all discuss Richardson's accuracy concerns, but I'll save that for another day. What I saw last Sunday was a quarterback who was getting the ball out of his hands quickly and using his legs if there wasn't an option available. According to Next Gen Stats, his 2.19 seconds to throw were his quickest in games this season.
Caleb Williams - QB, Chicago Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks
Back-to-back weeks in which Caleb Williams has made the must-start list, it doesn't hurt when you are coming off a two-touchdown, 334-yard performance, either. Once again, he has a favorable matchup, this time as fantasy managers head into those fantasy championships.
Before discussing this week, let's discuss what Williams has accomplished thus far. Williams has become the QB12 in fantasy during the season, scoring 237 points. The rookie has tossed 19 touchdowns along with 3,271 passing yards, adding 442 additional yards with his legs.
In the last five weeks, Williams has produced 1,391 total yards with 10 touchdowns, earning 19.96 fantasy points per game, eighth-most among the quarterback position.
Caleb Williams DART to Keenan Allen for the 45-yard TD
📺: #DETvsCHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/PdKvpgQ5d4— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024
This week, Williams faces a Seahawks secondary that is allowing 16.62 fantasy points per game to the position. The secondary is coming off a game in which they yielded three passing touchdowns to Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings.
Week 17 Sits - Fantasy Football Busts
C.J. Stroud - QB, Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens
They say football is 90% mental, and if that's the case, C.J. Stroud may still be dealing with the loss of Tank Dell last Sunday after the receiver dislocated his knee on a touchdown reception. We expect these players to be professional. However, we can't forget the human element.
CJ Stroud had all the emotions when Tank Dell went down pic.twitter.com/TRbAPdOrpZ
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) December 21, 2024
It's hard to trust inserting Stroud into those fantasy lineups this week. The Texans signal-caller is averaging just 14.6 fantasy points per game this season, a far cry from the 18.7 he averaged last year. Against the Chiefs last week, Stroud threw a pair of touchdown passes, a pair of interceptions, 244 passing yards, and 16 fantasy points.
While the matchup against the Ravens this week looks great on paper, Baltimore allows 19.35 fantasy points per game, the fourth-most, which may be a bit deceiving. Over the Raven's last four contests, they have cleaned things up on the back end. Their 14.93 fantasy points against over that period are the seventh-fewest.
Patrick Mahomes - QB, Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers
This is the third game for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in 10 days. If that's not enough, Mahomes is out there on a bad ankle, and now, on Christmas, T.J. Watt will be the one looking to deliver in the backfield with a sack or two of his own.
Mahomes had a pair of scores and 293 total yards of offense last week, but it's hard for me to envision him hopping away from Watt this week and putting up more than 33 yards on the ground. The combination of Watts on the front end and Joey Porter Jr. on the back end is as good as it gets.
One bonus for Mahomes is that the Steelers have recently allowed fantasy production to the position, allowing 19.03 per game over the last four weeks. However, that number drops to 14.13 per game for the overall season, which is the third-fewest.
At the end of the day, I believe that the Chiefs have played too many games over a short period, and the Pittsburgh Steelers will revert to the form we saw early on this season as long as they can get George Pickens back and become less one-dimensional on offense to keep the ball out of Mahomes' hands.
Cooper Rush - QB, Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Cooper Rush has been on a heater as of late. More often than not, Rush is an afterthought regarding start and sit lists. In the last four weeks, Rush is averaging just under 16 fantasy points per game and threw for a respectable 292 yards last week against the Buccaneers.
Here's the thing: how much longer can CeeDee Lamb keep going? Lamb has been playing with an injured shoulder for some time now, and last week, it seemed as though Lamb would finally succumb to the injury only to return. Fantasy managers who force Rush out there this week are playing with fire.
When Dallas last met the Eagles, Lamb was held to 21 yards receiving on six receptions. Meanwhile, Rush completed 12 of 23 passes for just 45 yards.
WR’s vs Quinyon Mitchell
Drake London: 1 catch, 5 yards
Chris Olave: 2 catches, 23 yards
Mike Evans: 2 catches, 19 yards
Amari Cooper: 1 catch, 10 yards
Malik Nabers; 1 catch, 9 yards
Ja’Marr Chase: 2 catches, 19 yards
CeeDee Lamb: 1 catch, 5 yards
Terry McLaurin: 0 catches pic.twitter.com/PG7wuHP6L5— Kendall Beck (@KBeckEagles) November 15, 2024
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