The Fantasy Footballers’ Starts of the Week for Week 17

It is championship week! I hope you have found your way into the final game of your season and are prepared and ready with no questions about your lineup choices. However, if you are in a group wrestling with every small decision and trying to create a perfect lineup for your week, you have come to the right place. On Thursday’s episode of The Fantasy Footballers, Andy, Mike, and Jason brought us their championship Starts of the Week. To check out the full episode on YouTube, see the link below.

This week is a perfect time to go over to jointhefoot.com and make sure that you are a member of the #FootClan. By joining our community, you can access all the premium perks and tools The Ballers have available. That also means you can get on your social media platforms when you win your championship and share your #FootClanTitles. Of course, you also will want to head to our Discord and join the party of people ready to celebrate their victories. Let’s get into The Fantasy Footballers’ Starts of the Week for Week 17.

Andy’s Starts of the Week

QB – Patrick Mahomes vs. CIN

Patrick Mahomes has had a rough season this year, but this is a get-right game for him and the Chiefs. If you recently decided to go with a different QB and felt doomed and gloomy toward Mahomes, it is time to change your outlook. The team has an implied 25.8 total, and over the last six weeks, the Bengals rank 25th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points given up to the quarterback. The Bengals’ defense also allows the highest yards per attempt in the NFL, at 7.6. Mahomes has faced Cincinnati five times in his career and averaged 288 passing yards and 2.4 passing touchdowns in those games. He has had more than 20 points in all five games, and this one should be another upside opportunity for Mahomes.

RB – Chuba Hubbard @ JAX

Hubbard has been a top-24 running back in five straight weeks, averaging 22 opportunities per game. The volume has been fantastic, and he has delivered on those opportunities. Over the last month, Jacksonville has lagged on defense, ranking 29th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points given to RBs. In particular, they have allowed a ton of receiving work to opposing running backs; Devin Singletary had six receptions, Joe Mixon had six, Jerome Ford had five, and Rachaad White had six last week. He has become a budget star in the previous few weeks, which should continue here as well.

WR – Brandin Cooks vs. DET

If you are looking for an upside play for your flex spot, Cooks could be your man. A dome game with a 53-point over/under, the highest of the week, is excellent for receivers. Cooks has been quiet lately outside of his touchdown catch last week, but he is still running plenty of routes in each game. You cannot run the ball on Detroit, but their secondary is very vulnerable, ranking 28th in yards per attempt and 29th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs. The Cowboys will need to throw to beat the Lions, and that could mean Cooks has a spike game for you in the championship.

TE – Travis Kelce vs. CIN

To pair with Andy’s QB Start of the Week, he wants to encourage you to trust Travis Kelce. He has seemed so much worse than who he has been the last few years, but he is still leading the TE position on targets per game and receiving yards per game. Now he faces the 31st-ranked Bengals defense in scheduled-adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs. It has been a matchup we have targeted over the season. You might have had to overcome having Kelce on your roster to get to the championship, but this week, you should be glad to have him in your lineup.

Jason’s Starts of the Week

QB – Brock Purdy @ WAS

You need to forget about that four-interception turd of a game from last week. That was when Purdy faced the excellent defense of Baltimore; now, he faces the bad Washington Commanders defense. Washington’s secondary is 31st in expected points per pass attempt, 32nd in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs, and has the most passing touchdowns allowed on the season. That is why San Francisco has the highest team-implied total of the week at 31 points. It would be best if you played all of the 49ers you have, starting with Purdy.

RB – D’Andre Swift vs. ARI

He should be a monster this week. Last week, he had 20 carries, which is the second most he has seen this year, and those carries produced 92 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles have their highest team-implied total of the year at 29 points. That means Philly should be in a positive game script for most of the game, which should mean lots of running opportunities for Swift against Arizona’s defense, which ranks 32nd in rushing yards allowed. The Cardinals are on pace to face the fourth most rush attempts in the last decade, as teams are running the ball 31.5 times against Arizona. With the Eagles’ O-line blocking for him, Swift should torch Arizona.

WR – Chris Olave @ TB

Olave gutted it out last week on Thursday Night Football with an ankle injury. He had 13 targets for nine catches and 123 yards in that game. The good news is the extra rest should have him ready for this must-win matchup for New Orleans. He faces a Tampa Bay defense ranked 29th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs. In the last six weeks, the Buccaneers have allowed big games to Brandon Aiyuk, Michael Pittman, Drake London, Dontayvion Wicks, and Calvin Ridley. Olave could be the key to helping you win your championship this week.

TE – Trey McBride @ PHI

Last week was a bit of a dud, with just six catches for 31 yards. The Eagles have been a good matchup for TEs, as they rank 25th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs. The truth is McBride is the WR1 for the Cardinals. He leads the team in targets per route run at 27%, yards per route run at 2.14, and expected fantasy points per route run. The Eagles are even worse against WRs, ranking 32nd in schedule-adjusted fantasy points to WRs and 26th in expected points per pass attempts. The Eagles are on pace to see the fifth most pass attempts against them of all time because that is how you beat Philly. McBride should see tons of targets, and this defense has made that valuable for fantasy.

Mike’s Starts of the Week

QB – Derek Carr @ TB

Mike has been on Carr all week and isn’t backing away from him now. Carr has had three passing touchdowns in each game the last three weeks and averaged 7.9 yards per attempt. Since Week 6, Tampa Bay is 29th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points given to fantasy QBs. Tampa has also allowed the most passing yards in the NFL. If the Saints want a shot at making the playoffs, this is a must-win game; that is only going to happen if Carr plays well for New Orleans.

RB – James Conner @ PHI

On Wednesday, Conner was even Jason’s Hungry for More candidate. Over the last three weeks, he has finished as the RB5, RB11, and RB5 with 27, 17, and 17 opportunities in those weeks. He has seen 33% of the rushing attempts and targets in that span. Conner is a volume-based play with some upside, as the matchup is better than it might appear. The Eagles started the year shutting down running backs, but since Week 12, they have been 24th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to running backs. The Eagles have given up good weeks to James Cook, Tony Pollard, Kenneth Walker, and Saquon Barkley in that span.

WR – DeAndre Hopkins @ HOU

It is a revenge game, but for real this time hopefully. With Will Levis at quarterback, Hopkins is seeing a 28% target share and averages 68 receiving yards per game. The last game against the Texans was a stinker for the whole team, but they rebounded last week and should be back on track going forward. Hopkins is one of only six WRs with a 28% or more target share and 40% or more of his team’s air yards this season, joining Tyreek Hill, A.J. Brown, Davante Adams, Garrett Wilson, and Chris Olave. Again, the first Texans game was an outlier, as over the last six weeks, Houston ranks 31st in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to WRs. If the narrative plays out this time, Hopkins could put up big numbers.

TE – Juwan Johnson @ TB

Mike is doubling down on his Derek Carr belief again by selecting Juwan Johnson. Johnson has seen a target on 20% of his routes run in the last two weeks and has been the TE9 and TE4. If you lost TJ Hockenson or Cole Kmet, this could be a streaming option for your roster. Since Week 8, the Buccaneers rank dead last in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs. In that time, they gave up big games to Dalton Kincaid, Dalton Schultz, George Kittle, Kyle Pitts, Tucker Kraft, and Evan Engram. Johnson can give you a good week off waivers if needed.