Fantasy Football Week 17 Quarterback Start/Sit: Aaron Rodgers, Tyler Shough, Bryce Young, and More

For many fantasy leagues, there are only three days of football left. We have two games on Saturday before the normal Sunday/Monday slate, then fantasy football will be nothing but a memory until next year (unless your leage plays in Week 18).

That will be a welcome sight for those owners who labored through 2025 but a sad reality for those who dominated; there is no guarantee of continued success, so it's natural to want a good season to last as long as possible.

Let's look at three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 17 of the NFL season. There won't be any obvious names below, like Josh Allen. Instead, we have six guys who are good fantasy starters some weeks but better left on the bench other times. Most stats are from NFL.com.

Use FantasySP's weekly projections to find the players expected to perform best each week and help make your toughest lineup decisions!

Start

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals @ Cincinnati Bengals

Brissett has been strong statistically since taking over for the injured Kyler Murray. In 10 starts, he is averaging 291.1 passing yards per game with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. It has been about volume more than efficiency: Brissett is averaging 41.6 pass attempts per game and a middling 7.0 yards per attempt.

In fantasy football, raw stats are all that matters, and Brissett has been a great fantasy QB since taking over. From Weeks 6 through 16, Brissett ranked as QB5. Last week was the only time in that stretch that he scored fewer than 18 fantasy points.

The matchup is also phenomenal this week, as the Bengals have given up the third-most yards per pass attempt and the fourth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. With Washington and Dallas playing on Thursday, Cincinnati stands out as our clear top target in this column.

Brissett is a must-start player in Week 17. It might seem like a risk, but given his numbers and the Bengals' defensive struggles, there isn't a much better outlook for any player.

Quinn Ewers, Miami Dolphins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If Miami is going to move on from Tua Tagovailoa after this season, I wonder if they factored into his benching that the Dolphins were about to play two really bad pass defenses in Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, and Tua would likely put up big numbers? It also coincided with their playoff elimination, but the timing allows for a conspiracy theory.

Ewers threw for 260 yards on 8.7 per attempt last week in his first start, finding volume and efficiency. The Bengals are as bad as any defense in the league, as we talked about above, and they also had a double-digit lead for the final 25 minutes, so the situation called for throwing the ball, and Ewers took advantage, though he had no touchdowns and two interceptions.

The matchup is again pristine here, as the Bucs have allowed the fifth-most yards per pass attempt and the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. QBs are averaging nearly 260 passing yards per game against Tampa with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Ewers is a low-level streaming option, but he has a decent outlook if you're in a deep league or get desperate late in the week. You probably have a better option if you're fighting for the championship, but Ewers could be a guy who fits with a decent outlook if you are in the consolation bracket.

Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints @ Tennessee Titans

New Orleans has a lot of work to do to become a winning football team, but Shough's emergence as a capable player under center means that they can put resources toward building up the rest of the roster around their young quarterback. He might never be an above-average starter, but Shough has shown enough as a rookie to get more time on a losing team.

He has also been a decent fantasy player: From Week 9 (when he took over the starting job) through Week 16, Shough ranked as QB13, topping 17 points in five of seven games. He also helps himself out running the ball, totaling 146 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Tennessee has allowed the fourth-most yards per pass attempt and the eighth-most fantasy points per week to QBs. Teams are averaging more than 240 passing yards per game against the Titans, but the biggest fantasy benefit is that they have given up 25 passing touchdowns with just six interceptions.

Shough has a higher floor than someone like Ewers, but he doesn't have the ceiling of Brissett (and many other guys). The Saints are still a low-level team that can't be expected to put up huge numbers. Shough is a fine low-to-mid-level streamer.

Sit

Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons vs. Los Angeles Rams

Cousins is almost sure to be cut after the season due to his cap hit and the presence of Michael Penix Jr. as the QB of the future (though that will be in question). Cousins is getting a chance to show he can still play and build some value as he heads to the open market, maybe with one more chance to compete for a starting spot.

In five starts since Penix went down for the season in Week 11, Cousins has averaged 233 passing yards per game on 7.1 per attempt with eight touchdowns and four interceptions (and one rushing score). That is very average play and may be enough to earn him that next opportunity.

The matchup is against him here, as the Rams have allowed the ninth-fewest yards per pass attempt and the 12th-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. LA had stingier numbers for much of the season, but the Cardinals, Lions, and Seahawks all reached at least 270 passing yards over the past three weeks, each also with multiple passing touchdowns.

Maybe the Rams aren't as good as they looked earlier in the year, but they still have both depth and top-line talent on the defensive line and can dominate at their best (even if the defensive backfield is a worry). With Cousins looking good but not great, a matchup that tops out as below average points toward a slow fantasy day.

Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns

Rodgers and the Steelers are likely on their way to the playoffs in a surprisingly weak AFC North. He has been fine for what he needs to be while dealing with the obvious limitations of being 42 years old.

Rodgers is averaging 204.3 passing yards per game on 6.9 per attempt with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He doesn't run the ball, so Rodgers' middling passing stats put him at fantasy QB16.

The matchup here is a little tougher, but many of our best defenses (Denver, Houston, the Chargers) play on Thursday and Saturday, and we are focusing on the Sunday/Monday games here, so we had to go a little further down the list of defensive teams to avoid.

The Browns have given up the 12th-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fourth-fewest fantasy points per game to QBs. That better fantasy performance is largely a function of volume, as Cleveland had faced the second-fewest pass attempts entering Week 17. They are a good defense, not a great one.

With Rodgers a lower-level fantasy player at this point, a questionable matchup isn't the right time to put him in your lineup. You can find a better option in the final week of the fantasy season.

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers vs. Seattle Seahawks

And we finally have a top pass defense to finish things off, as the Seahawks have allowed the third-fewest yards per pass attempt and the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Their slightly lower fantasy ranking again comes from volume, as Seattle had faced the fifth-most pass attempts entering the week.

Young has looked better at times while still below average overall. Carolina could be a playoff team, but that shouldn't stop them from bringing in competition in the offseason. Young is averaging 192.2 passing yards per game on just 6.4 per attempt, both below-average numbers, though 21 touchdowns to nine interceptions is nice.

I don't want to trust Young in many fantasy matchups, and that's especially true here against the Seahawks. You can find both a better player and a better matchup, particularly if you are still alive in the championship hunt.