It’s time for fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em, Week 17 edition. Of my four unconventional predictions last week, one was a close miss (Russell Wilson was the QB14, and I thought he’d be better than his QB13 ranking). The other three hit on the nose, with Craig Reynolds outperforming expectations and both Myles Gaskin and Terry McLaurin vastly underperforming expectations. I’ve sorted through lineups, practice reports, and game scripts to come up with my favorite under-the-radar Week 17 starts and sits.
NFL Start ‘Em for Week 17
Which undervalued players are most likely to outperform fantasy expectations this Sunday? As always, these are not obvious calls. The goal is to come up with commonly overlooked diamonds in the rough.
Start ‘Em | Mac Jones, QB, New England Patriots
Expert Consensus Week 17 Ranking: QB20
Last week, Joe Burrow was my No. 1-ranked fantasy QB, predicting 350+ yards and 3+ TDs. It seemed ridiculous since he’d thrown only 6 TDs passes in his previous six games. But fantasy predictions are more about likely future performances than about past performances.
The same can be said for Mac Jones. I’m not saying he’ll be No. 1 in Week 17. I am saying his expert-consensus QB20 ranking speaks more to his past performance than his likely Week 17 output against the beleaguered Jacksonville defense. People can point to his weak outputs in two of his last three games. But those came against the Bills, and in one, the weather conditions made it nearly impossible to thrive.
In three of his other four most recent games, Jones has racked up 17+ points. The Patriots should win by 20+ points this weekend. Bill Belichick is the type of head coach who will use this as an opportunity to develop Jones’ quarterbacking skills further, knowing that this maturation process will prove essential for the NFL playoffs.
Do not underestimate Jones this week. He’s a great bet for 17+ points and a good bet for 20+, which would make him a very worthy streamer if you don’t have a top-10 fantasy QB.
Start ‘Em | Jakobi Meyers, WR, New England Patriots
Expert Consensus Week 17 Ranking: WR39
I think you know what I’m going to say. If Jones plays as well as I think he will, then Jakobi Meyers will be a prime beneficiary. Believe it or not, he’s the WR33 in fantasy.
So why is his expert consensus ranking six spots lower? Maybe because he’s enjoyed only two games with over 15 fantasy points. So, he’s usually in that WR3/4 range. But his floor is tremendous. Aside from that Week 13 game against Buffalo when Jones threw only 3 passes, Meyers has scored less than 7.8 fantasy points just once all season.
With a healthy 110 targets on the year, Meyers is a great bet for 12+ fantasy points, putting him squarely in the top-30 WR conversation; 17+ points are entirely realistic if he scores. Keep in mind he has only 1 touchdown on 156 career receptions. At some point, that statistical oddity will balance out.
NFL Sit ‘Em for Week 17
Neither of these players are obvious sits in pretty much any league. But too often, managers feel pressure to start players who are supposed to do well, even if the circumstances are more challenging than they seem. Here are my biggest under-the-radar Week 17 busts.
<span id="…….
Source: https://www.profootballnetwork.com/fantasy-start-em-sit-em-fri-2021-nflwk-17/