Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Week 17 Predictions

We're onto Week 17 in the NFL, and if you're still playing in your season-long fantasy football league, there's both good and bad news. The good--you're in the championship. Yay! The bad--Week 17 is by far the most unpredictable week of the regular season. With some teams already locked into their playoff spot, others "playing" for a better draft pick and others still competing for playoff positioning, motivation will be at varying levels throughout the league, and there's a chance some of the players who got you to the championship will be getting a well-deserved rest this week. Four teams--Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans--have nothing to play for in Week 17 and are thus candidates to sit their stars, while other teams could be difficult to predict. Fortunately, the same situation creates opportunity for lesser-owned players to help you out. You can click through the gallery for my favorite sleepers to start and potential busts to bench, or you can read here for more fantasy analysis and DFS strategy. (Getty)

Start: Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars

Opponent: at Indianapolis Colts

Starting things off with a suggestion to start Blake Bortles. That just about sums about what playing fantasy football in Week 17 is all about. Nevertheless, while Bortles has been mostly horrible this season, he had an encouraging performance last week (325 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions) and now gets to face a Colts team against which he tallied 207 yards, two touchdowns and zero picks back in Week 4. If you've been rolling with someone like Dak Prescott or Ben Roethlisberger (both candidates to sit) this season, Bortles isn't a bad backup option. (Getty)

Sit: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

Opponent: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Dalton has actually been a Top-15 fantasy QB (Yahoo standard scoring) this season, and when you consider the injuries to Marcus Mariota and Derek Carr, as well as guys like Ben Roethlisberger and Dak Prescott potentially sitting, you may be tempted to start The Red Rifle. But I would look in another direction for QB help. He'll likely be without his top two weapons (Tyler Eifert is on IR, while AJ Green is expected to sit again), and the Ravens have one of the best pass defenses in the NFL. (Getty)

Start: Tom Savage, Houston Texans

Opponent: at Tennessee Titans

You're entering desperation mode here, but as I've already mentioned, there are a lot of top-tier options at QB who will potentially be missing this week. If you need to dig deep, consider Savage. He hasn't done a whole lot since taking over for Brock Osweiler, but the Titans have allowed at least 300 passing yards in seven of their last 10 games, a stretch that includes getting torched by stars such as Cody Kessler, Blake Bortles (twice), Matt Barkley and Trevor Siemian. Savage may not be great, but this is a great matchup. (Getty)

Sit: Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

Opponent: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Though he has thrown multiple passing touchdowns in each of the last eight games, Rivers has also tossed 15 interceptions and been wildly erratic during that stretch. He always has upside, but he's difficult to trust with a championship on the line. The offense is pretty one dimensional with Melvin Gordon and Kenneth Farrow sidelined, while the Chiefs, who still have motivation to win with the No. 2 seed in the AFC potentially on the line, have given up just one total passing touchdown in the last four weeks despite playing against Matt Ryan, Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota and Trevor Siemian. (Getty)

Start: Alex Collins, Seattle Seahawks

Opponent: at San Francisco 49ers

This is contingent on the status of Thomas Rawls, who sounds highly questionable after injuring his shoulder last week. If Rawls does sit, Collins, who hasn't done much this season but looked good in limited action last week, will be staring at a bell-cow-type role against a 49ers defense that has been punished by opposing running backs all year long. (Getty)

Sit: Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers

Opponent: vs. Cleveland Browns

Any other week, Bell would be a legitimate 300-total-yard candidate at home against this atrocious Browns defense. But with the Steelers locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC, head coach Mike Tomlin has said he probably won't play Bell, Ben Roethlisberger or Antonio Brown. DeAngelo Williams, who has been dealing with a knee injury and may also be kept out, and Fitzgerald Toussaint are the handcuffs you want here. (Getty)

Start: Alfred Blue, Houston Texans

Opponent: at Tennessee Titans

Blue tallied 90 total yards and a touchdown on 25 touches last week against the Bengals, and he's likely in line for another big workload, as the Texans have the No. 4 seed secured and have reason to again sit an ailing Lamar Miller (ankle). (Getty)

Sit: Spencer Ware, Kansas City Chiefs

Opponent: at San Diego Chargers

In his last eight games, Ware is averaging 3.61 yards per carry, hasn't surpassed 70 rushing yards in a game, and has scored just two touchdowns, both of which came in Week 13. His volume has given him a decent floor, but his upside is low and touchdown-dependent, which is especially concerning now that he's dealing with a rib injury. Even if he does suit up against the Chargers, who are 10th in the NFL in yards per carry allowed, it wouldn't be surprising if Charcandrick West is mixed in a little more to help keep Ware healthy. (Getty)

Start: Steve Smith, Baltimore Ravens

Opponent: at Cincinnati Bengals

The Ravens and Bengals are both eliminated, and the lack of motivation on both sides could make this one difficult to predict. But in what is expected to be the last game of Smith's career, you can bet he'll be looking to go out with a bang, and you can bet the Ravens will give him every opportunity to do so. This may not be a repeat of Kobe Bryant's ludicrous 61-point swan song, but it could turn into a similar situation where the team continually feeds the retiring superstar. (Getty)

Sit: Michael Crabtree/Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders

Opponent: at Denver Broncos

Crabtree's last three games against the Broncos: 20 targets, 10 receptions, 100 yards and zero touchdowns. Cooper's last three games against the Broncos: 20 targets, 10 receptions, 103 yards and zero touchdowns. And as if going up against Denver's elite secondary wasn't already difficult enough, they'll now have to do it on the road with Matt McGloin under center. In other words, I want no part of this passing offense against the Broncos. (Getty)

Start: Cam Meredith, Chicago Bears

Opponent: at Minnesota Vikings

Since Matt Barkley took over as starter, Meredith is averaging 9.2 targets, 5.8 receptions and 79.4 yards with two touchdowns in five games. And since Alshon Jeffery returned to the lineup and took some of the pressure off, Meredith has gone bonkers for 25 targets, 18 receptions, 239 yards and a touchdown in two games. The Vikings looked like a secondary to avoid for much of the season, but they have been stumbling down the stretch and appear to have mostly given up, making Meredith a strong start in the last week of the season. (Getty)

Sit: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

Opponent: at Los Angeles Rams

Fitz hasn't found the end zone since Week 5, averaging just 9.6 targets, 7.1 receptions and 61.9 yards in the 10 games since that point. There is still some value in PPR formats, but his upside is significantly capped, and it wouldn't be surprising if the Cardinals took it easy with in the last game of the season. Other elite players to avoid this week include Odell Beckham, Antonio Brown and Dez Bryant, who are all on teams that have nothing to play for. (Getty)