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Who Should I Start for Week 17? Fantasy Football outlooks for Dak Prescott, J.J. McCarthy, C.J. Stroud, Bo Nix, Marcus Mariota, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Chris Oladokun, Sam Darnold.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 17 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Dak Prescott, J.J. McCarthy, C.J. Stroud, Bo Nix, Marcus Mariota, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Chris Oladokun, Sam Darnold. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 17. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 17:
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is on a heater as the Jaguars push to the playoffs, and he makes a good start in almost all formats this week. He's still available in about one-third of leagues despite his recent success, and he has a favorable matchup in Week 17 against the Colts, who were just carved up by Brock Purdy on Monday Night Football. Lawrence led the Jags to a huge win in Denver by throwing for 279 passing yards, three touchdowns, and running for a fourth score.
Lawrence has thrown multiple touchdowns in five straight weeks and added a rushing score in each of the last two weeks as well. He finishes the season with division matchups against the Colts and Titans, and will be an elite play as long as he isn't rested before the playoffs.
Marcus Mariota, QB, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (right hand, quad) is day-to-day ahead of Thursday's Week 17 contest against the Dallas Cowboys, head coach Dan Quinn told the media. Mariota's right hand injury, which forced him out of Saturday's Week 16 loss to the Eagles, required stitches. He is also dealing with a quad ailment. Josh Johnson relieved Mariota on Saturday and finished the game.
Now, it appears that the veteran journeyman has a chance to become the Commanders' third different quarterback to start a game this season. Managers invested in Mariota's availability should closely monitor the Commanders' injury reports from Monday through Wednesday.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (hand) missed practice on Monday after having to leave last week's game at halftime with a hand injury. The Vikings have a favorable matchup this week and a chance to play spoiler against the Lions, but McCarthy will need to overcome his injury to be a viable option. He was excellent in his last two full games before the injury, producing three total touchdowns in wins over the Commanders and the Cowboys.
McCarthy has the potential to be a streamer in two-QB or deep leagues if healthy, so keep a close eye on his practice participation if you're in the market for some help. If he's out, Max Brosmer would likely start, but he has not yet proven he can be a fantasy option.
Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Sam Darnold led his team to a big win last Thursday against the Rams, throwing for 270 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He's had a few down games lately, but has also thrown for at least 249 yards in three straight games. When the touchdowns are there, he's typically a solid, QB2 or low-end option in single-QB deep leagues.
Darnold and the Seahawks have a tough matchup on the road against the Panthers in Week 17, in a battle of teams pushing towards the playoffs. He's not in an elite spot, but he still brings enough upside to be a decent pickup if you need help at the position in two-QB formats or deep leagues.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 17 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Dak Prescott, J.J. McCarthy, C.J. Stroud, Bo Nix, Marcus Mariota, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Chris Oladokun, Sam Darnold. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 17.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 17 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 17 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 17 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 17 for Dak Prescott, J.J. McCarthy, C.J. Stroud, Bo Nix, Marcus Mariota, Trevor Lawrence, Drake Maye, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Chris Oladokun, Sam Darnold:
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