Week 17 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Top Matchup Plays and Sleepers

Week 17 will open with a Christmas tripleheader on Thursday. For many fantasy football managers, that slate will also kick off championship matchups.

While most teams playing on Thursday won't be fighting for anything of note—the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos are the only teams still playoff-eligible—fantasy managers will be playing for all of the proverbial marbles. This means that every lineup decision will be critical, though few will be easy.

Here, we'll dive into some of the best and worst matchups of Week 17, along with a few sleepers to consider targeting off the waiver wire. All picks and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Start: Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown overcame some early-season struggles—mostly due to a lack of opportunities—and has become a virtual must-start during the playoff stretch. This week, he could be a legitimate league-winner.

Brown is coming off a fantastic game against the Miami Dolphins in which he tallied an impressive 32.9 fantasy points. He could potentially have an even better outing this week against the Arizona Cardinals.

Like the Bengals, the Cardinals are playing out a lost season. However, they seemed far less interested in being on the field in Week 16 than the Bengals did. Poor tackling and uninspired defense were apparent during Arizona's 26-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons—and it's not as if the Cardinals boasted a good defense early in the season.

Only the Bengals have surrendered more fantasy points to opposing running backs this year than Arizona.

Sit: Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Matt Patterson

We saw two anomalies in Week 16 that might lead some managers to trust Isiah Pacheco in Week 17. For one, the Kansas City Chiefs running back had his best outing of the season, notching 13.5 fantasy points in a loss.

Secondly, the Denver Broncos' vaunted defense absolutely collapsed against the Jacksonville Jaguars, allowing Travis Etienne Jr. to rack up 16.6 fantasy points.

However, managers should look to avoid Pacheco if at all possible. The Chiefs have nothing to play for, and they made that obvious while sitting several players and losing handily to the lowly Tennessee Titans on Sunday. There's a non-zero chance that Kansas City will use Week 17 to get a better look at rookie running back Brashard Smith.

And while Denver's defense was gashed by the Jaguars, it's still one of the top units in the NFL. No team has surrendered fewer fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Start: Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Would managers really consider sitting fantasy superstar Justin Jefferson in a championship matchup? Well, maybe.

Jefferson has had a disappointing overall fantasy campaign, and quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a hand injury on Sunday. In Max Brosmer's lone start this season, Jefferson tallied just 2.4 fantasy points.

However, Jefferson is coming off a 14.5-point outing, while X-rays on McCarthy's hand were negative. It's also worth noting that Brosmer played roughly half the game Sunday, connected with Jefferson multiple times and had an overall respectable performance (7-of-9 for 52 yards) against a bad New York Giants defense.

Minnesota will face another bad defense this week when it battles the Lions, who have surrendered the second-most fantasy points to opposing receivers. The last time Jefferson faced Detroit, he delivered 16.7 fantasy points.

Sit: Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Like Jefferson, Los Angeles Chargers wideout Ladd McConkey has had an inconsistent season in fantasy. He's had some highlight weeks—he tallied 14.3 fantasy points on Sunday—but he's also disappeared at times.

McConkey has fallen below five fantasy points in three of his last five outings.

This is not the week to bank on McConkey having one of his good games. The Chargers are set to host the Houston Texans, who have surrendered the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

Expect the Chargers to lead with their own defense, their running game, and a fair bit of scrambling by Justin Herbert, while McConkey takes a back seat in the offense once again.

Week 17 Sleepers

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Cardinals RB Michael Carter

Michael Carter, RB, Arizona Cardinals

With James Conner, Trey Benson and Bam Knight all out for the season, the Cardinals turned to Michael Carter as their leading back in Week 16. While he had a modest 6.5 fantasy points against Atlanta, he had 13.4 the previous week and has a great matchup against Cincinnati this week.

Carter is still available in over 50 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

For some reason, Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington is still available in over 75 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues. That's surprising, considering he's topped 17 fantasy points four times since the Week 8 bye.

Washington should still be considered a matchup-based streamer, even if he put 26.5 fantasy points against a good Denver defense on Sunday. He has a better matchup this week against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts have surrendered the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros.