Week 17 Quarterback Starts & Sits: Fantasy Championship Decisions On Geno Smith, Russell Wilson & More!
Welcome to Week 17. If you’re reading this, I hope it’s because you’re playing in your fantasy football championship! If not, then I at least hope you’re playing for third place.
In case you’re new to the column, here’s a quick explainer of what we’re trying to do here (skip down if you’ve been here before). We’re here to wrestle with the decisions that are keeping us up at night. Do you bench a struggling player you took in the second round? Do you take a chance on the guy who has seemingly been playing over his head? Do you sit the high-floor/low-ceiling player for the low-floor/high-ceiling player? We won’t know the “correct” answers until the games are over. But we’re going to do our best to talk through it.
With that said, let’s dive into the Week 17 quarterback start/sit decisions that are keeping us up at night.
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Quarterback
Start ‘Em
START OF THE WEEK: Gardner Minshew, Philadelphia Eagles
Minshew was fantastic against the Cowboys last week, and it looks like he’ll get another start against the Saints this week. The mulleted one threw for 355 yards and added three total touchdowns against the Cowboys, and finished as QB5 on the week! And he’ll get to face a worse defense this week. All bets are off if Hurts plays, obviously, but Minshew and his supporting cast of really good offensive weapons are a safe play (with some upside) in Week 17.
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
Wilson has been a mess all year, but bear with me for a second here. With Nathaniel Hackett gone, things will inevitably change in Denver. Will that be good? I don’t know. But it can’t get much worse. Russ finished the week as QB3 when he played the Chiefs two weeks ago, so I’m banking on him channeling some of that success against them in Week 17. While I think it might be a bit much to expect a QB3 performance, the Broncos will be playing catchup against the Chiefs and there will be fantasy points for Wilson to scoop up.
Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I realize Brady hasn’t exactly been a week-winner for his fantasy teams this year, but he also hasn’t been a week-loser either. While he’s been throwing too many interceptions as of late (six in his last three games), Brady has been throwing the ball a lot, and that’s good for us. He’s thrown for five touchdowns over his past three games and has thrown for at least 246 yards in every game since Week 2 this year. While I don’t think he’s going to put anyone over the top this week, Brady can still provide a high floor that will let your other fantasy stars win your championship for you.
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Sit ‘Em
SIT OF THE WEEK: Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
I know it’s probably not good form to sit the guy who got you here, but I’m going to sit Geno this week. He’s finished as QB15 and QB18 over his last two weeks, and while that isn’t horrible, it’s not going to win you your fantasy championship either. With Tyler Lockett out for the season, Smith has fallen off a bit, and things will get tougher this week as he faces one of the best defenses in the league in the New York Jets. I’m not telling you he’s a must-bench. But I’d look for other options (like Gardner Minshew) if you can.
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
I’ve written this a few times, but just in case it didn’t stick… This is WAY too important of a week to rely on Deshaun Watson. I realize you probably waited all season so he could win your playoffs for you, but that just isn’t going to happen. He’s finished no higher than QB14 in any of his four starts, and he’s been QB21 and QB20 over his last two games, respectively. Forget about how long you hung onto him. Forget about what he used to be two years ago. Find a better option.
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
Carr had a nice run where he was a low-end QB1 for a while there, but I think the wheels have fallen off. He only threw for 174 yards last week and, even worse, tossed three interceptions in the process. Things won’t get any easier this week (in fact, they’ll get much harder) as he faces a tough 49ers defense. With two of his last three starts being games in which he’s thrown for less than 200 yards, Derek Carr just can’t be trusted during such an important week.
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