Start 'em, Sit 'em Week 17: Gerald Everett and Other QB/TE/DST Fantasy Advice

Welcome to Week 17, the new fantasy championship week. At this point, you may be pretty set on your roster. You know who to start and who to sit. However, fantasy managers should still keep an eye on injuries to make sure that their team is healthy (or as healthy as they can be at this point of the season). In addition, make sure you look at which teams still have something to play for. Some teams are eliminated from the playoffs and may want to take a look at younger players on their roster. Other teams have locked up their playoff spot and may rest players who are a bit banged up. Be sure your starters are playing!

Week 17 Positional Rankings: QB I RB I WR I TE I DST I K I Flex

START This QB

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers at Las Vegas Raiders

After the 49ers lost Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, it seemed that their postseason aspirations were in jeopardy. However, since taking over the reins, Purdy has gone 3-0. He’s thrown for almost 1,000 yards in those three games (912), to go with eight touchdowns and three interceptions. He faces the Raiders in Week 17. While the defense may help Purdy’s cause, he certainly is capable of putting points on the board himself. For those looking to replace Tua Tagovailoa or another option at QB, look at Purdy.

SIT This QB

Mac Jones, New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins

Most players in a one-QB league are not starting Jones. However, for those in a two-quarterback league… leave him on the bench. Unless you are in a league where you get points for a quarterback being benched mid-game, do not trust Jones. It seems likely that Bailey Zappe will make an appearance again, especially if Jones struggles against Miami this week. The Patriots somehow are still in the playoff hunt, and it seems likely they will do whatever they can to win, even pull the quarterback.

Related: Week 17 Start/Sit Advice for RB/WR

START This TE

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (SNF)

The Steelers are still fighting for a playoff spot, so their Week 17 matchup against the Ravens certainly has meaning. With that being said, look for Freiermuth to play a role in that game. The last time Freiermuth found the end zone was against Baltimore in Week 14. Ignoring the Week 15 Mitch Trubisky disaster, Freiermuth was reunited with Kenny Pickett in Week 16 and caught seven passes for 66 yards. He should post a similar stat line in Week 17.

SIT This TE

Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Los Angeles Rams

What happened in Week 16? Everett didn’t record a target, leaving fantasy managers with a big zero. If you needed any points from him on Monday night in order to secure a victory, you were certainly out of luck. He has been falling off Justin Herbert’s radar now that he has Josh Palmer and Mike Williams in addition to Keenan Allen to get the ball to, but a goose egg was really tough. Everett hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 4, and fantasy managers can do much better if they survived his Week 16 performance.

START This Defense/Special Teams (DST)

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos

The Chiefs play the Broncos in Week 17, and to say the Broncos are struggling is to put it mildly. When these two teams faced each other in Week 14, the Chiefs had six sacks, two interceptions and a defensive touchdown. While that kind of performance may not occur again, odds are that the Chiefs will be able to put up plenty of fantasy points with their DST and the Broncos will struggle to put up points, period.

SIT This Defense/Special Teams (DST)

Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals (MNF)

This one is tough. The Bills have likely been your DST all season. However, they face the Cincinnati Bengals on "Monday Night Football." Not only could your championship game come down to Monday night, but you are relying on the Bills' defense to get points against a strong Cincinnati team. While the Bills have recorded at least one sack in every game, they only have one interception in the last six games. They haven’t scored a defensive touchdown since Week 2. The Bills DST unit is solid, and they likely won’t lose you the championship, but it is going to be tough getting points from them.

— Written by Sarah Lewis, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network and lives, eats, and breathes fantasy football. Have a fantasy football question? Send it to her on Twitter @Sarah_Lewis32.