Championship Week is here. You don’t want to spend time reading this intro, and I don’t want to spend time writing it. In all seriousness, congratulations if you are reading this because it likely means you are still alive in one or more of your IDP leagues. Looking ahead to this weekend, we will take a look at five players fantasy managers should do their best to plug into their lineups and five others who are better left on benches despite promising upside. Let’s dig in.
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IDP Start em, Sit em – Week 17
Start em
Josh Metellus (S – MIN)
Metellus went off in Week 16, racking up eight solos, two assists, and one tackle for loss. He has been excellent in the nickel role for the Vikings this season and is a must-start for championship week. Metellus has DB1 upside thanks to a plus matchup against a Green Bay Packers team surrendering the second most fantasy points per game to the safety position but is better deployed as a DB2. He has recorded four or more solos in each of his last three games, giving him a high enough floor to make him someone to plug into lineups in leagues of all sizes. The DB9 since Week 13, start Metellus everywhere.
Jonathan Owens (S – GB)
Owens was solid in Week 16, posting four solos and three assists. He has been excellent for the Packers since stepping into the starting lineup, recording four or more solos in seven of his nine starts. Owens has a tremendous matchup on tap for championship week against a Minnesota Vikings team allowing the third most fantasy points per game to the safety position. Start him everywhere as a borderline DB1 option.
P.J. Locke (S – DEN)
Locke was excellent in Week 16, racking up five solos and four assists. Locke has been elite since stepping in for Kareem Jackson, ranking as the DB3 overall since Week 12. With Jackson released and now a member of the Houston Texans, Locke should once again see all the snaps he can handle for championship week. Locke is a must-start regardless of matchup but comes with a higher floor this week thanks to a plus matchup against a depleted Los Angeles Chargers offense.
Jonathan Greenard (DE – HOU)
Greenard has been excellent this season for the Houston Texans and currently sits in a tie for ninth in the NFL with 2.5 sacks. For context, this is more sacks than household names like Nick Bosa, Bradley Chubb, Chris Jones, and Chase Young. Greenard has a plus matchup on tap for championship week against a Tennessee Titans team surrendering the third most fantasy points per game to the defensive end position. Start Greenard everywhere as a DL1 option.
Byron Young (DE – LAR)
Rookie edge rusher Byron Young has been one of the many revelations for the Los Angeles Rams team this season. For a team that famously decried ‘F them picks’, they sure have hit on more than a few Day 2 and Day 3 selections, all of whom are starting or playing key roles for the playoff-hopeful Rams. Young has just six sacks on the season but has 43 pressures. For context, the 43 pressures are more than Kayvon Thibodeaux, Harold Landry, Leonard Floyd, and Sam Hubbard have recorded this season.
Sit em
Jabrill Peppers (S – NYG)
Peppers missed the first two practices of the week with a hamstring injury, so fantasy managers should be making contingency plans. Even if Peppers is active, his snap count could be limited, and he has been playing at a DB3/flex level lately anyway. Look elsewhere for Week 17.
DeAndre Houston-Carson (S – HOU)
DHC went off in Week 16, racking up six solos, two assists, one tackle for loss, one interception, and one pass defended. However, he has been inconsistent at best for most of the season despite playing regular snaps since Week 10. DHC was set to see regular snaps for the rest of the season and could have been a consideration for Week 17 with Jimmie Ward being sent to IR, but his inconsistency, coupled with the addition of Kareem Jackson, puts his snap count in question. Avoid this situation altogether and look elsewhere for your flex2.
Rudy Ford (S – GB)
Ford has been dealing with a back injury, and with Darnell Savage Jr. healthy and Anthony Johnson both doing admirable jobs filling in for Ford, the Packers may choose to play it safe with him as far as Week 17 is concerned. Leave Ford on benches for Week 17 in leagues of all sizes, as we cannot trust his snap count.
Devin White (LB – TB)
The Devin White revenge game was a fun one to watch. Made a healthy scratch in Week 15 due to the Buccaneers asking him to come off the bench, White was back in the lineup as a starter in Week 16 and put up two solos, two assists, 0.5 sacks, one interception, and two passes defended on 95 percent of the snaps. It is clear that he will not be back with the Buccaneers next season, but with the team fighting for the top seed in the NFC South, they need to roll with their stud. With that said, it is still hard to trust the Buccaneers’ coaching staff, and outside of Week 16, White hasn’t had a strong fantasy game since back in Week 9. Feel free to tap him as a flex2 option, but if you are looking for an LB3 or even an LB4/flex, the suggestion here is to start someone with a more secure role for championship week. This is not the week for surprises.
Willie Gay (LB – KC)
Willie Gay appears in these columns so much because he is so talented. I refuse to give up on him in dynasty, and in my deeper redraft leagues, he has remained stashed on my bench due to his proven LB2 upside. However, Gay has recorded more than three solos just once in the last six weeks and has fluctuated between 57 and 89 percent of the snaps during that time. His role and production are impossible to trust outside of 32 team leagues, so look elsewhere altogether for championship week.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.