Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 17: Advice for Fringe Flex Fantasy Football Starters
Week 17 in fantasy football could see some fantasy studs, former must-starts every week, worthy of sitting. It could also feature fringe starters earning the nod for managers still in the hunt for their leagues' playoffs.
Which early-round draft pick should have a seat on your bench this week amid diminishing returns and a poor match-up?
Find out, as well as the players who have been sneaky good and are worth inserting into your starting lineup, with this preview of the penultimate week of NFL action.
All stats from FantasyPros unless otherwise noted.
Start: Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
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Tee Higgins has scored three touchdowns in two games.
If that is not enough reason to start Higgins in Week 17, regardless of the match-up against Kansas City, perhaps his targets are.
Backup Bengals quarterback Jake Browning has targeted Higgins eight times in each of the last two games. The wideout is getting opportunities and the fact that Ja'Marr Chase could miss Sunday's game against the Chiefs suggests that will not change.
The defending Super Bowl champions are one of the better defenses against opposing wide receivers in fantasy, ceding just 22.8 points per game, but that will not stop the Bengals from attempting to air it out as their playoff hopes teeter on the fringe following last week's devastatingly ugly loss to the Steelers.
Higgins is good enough to beat the Chiefs' secondary and catapult Cincinnati over a Kansas City squad that is reeling and in danger of seeing its spot in the postseason wither away.
He caught five balls for 140 yards against a strong Pittsburgh defense.
Sit: Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
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Tony Pollard has not accounted for 100 total yards since a Week 12 match-up against the Washington Commanders and in Week 16, he accounted for just 43 yards.
He has not found the endzone since Week 13 against Seattle.
The Cowboys running back, who expected to seize the starting job and be the latest and greatest at his position in franchise history, has not consistently performed up to his potential and there is no reason to believe that will change in Week 17.
Dallas rides a two-game losing streak into Detroit for a showdown with the NFC North champs and a team still seeking the No. 1 overall seed in the conference.
The Lions give up the fewest fantasy points to the opposing running backs at 14.4.
Considering Detroit also gives up the seventh-most points to opposing quarterbacks, do not be surprised if Dak Prescott and that high-powered offense sling the ball through the air, negating Pollard's overall fantasy impact.
Start: Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
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Russell Wilson has been about as consistent a starting quarterback as there has been in 2023. While his numbers have not been the most dynamic, he has scored single-digit fantasy points just once and is coming off his second-best showing of the season.
Wilson delivered 23.5 fantasy points in Week 16, with 238 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the New England Patriots.
In Week 17, he will lead a Broncos offense that may be without Courtland Sutton, who entered concussion protocol Sunday, but should still thrive against a bad Los Angeles Chargers defense.
The Chargers give up the fourth-most points to opposing quarterbacks with 20 a game.
Wilson should be able to exploit that unit and have another strong day from a fantasy standpoint. He is worth a start this week, especially given the favorable match-up.
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