Who Should I Start for Week 17? Fantasy Football outlooks for Hunter Henry, Juwan Johnson, Mark Andrews, Theo Johnson, Brenton Strange, T.J. Hockenson, AJ Barner, Cade Otton, Brock Bowers.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 17 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Hunter Henry, Juwan Johnson, Mark Andrews, Theo Johnson, Brenton Strange, T.J. Hockenson, AJ Barner, Cade Otton, Brock Bowers. 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.
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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:
Juwan Johnson, TE, Saints
New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson has been a steady producer for most of the 2025 season, recording 70 receptions for 733 yards and three touchdowns on 93 targets across 15 games. Johnson posted one of his better performances in Week 16 against the New York Jets, hauling in eight catches for 89 yards on nine targets. The Saints placed wideout Devaughn Vele (shoulder) on Injured Reserve leading into the game, which cements Johnson's status as the number two pass-catcher in New Orleans behind star wideout Chris Olave.
While Johnson may not have major upside, he's recorded just one game with fewer than four receptions since Week 6. Behind rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, the Saints are playing some of their best football of the season in recent weeks and face another favorable matchup in Week 17 against the Tennessee Titans. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable viewing Johnson as a high-floor streamer option off the waiver wire at the tight end position.
Brenton Strange, TE, Jaguars
Across 10 games in 2025, Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange has hauled in 37 catches for 434 yards and two touchdowns on 49 targets. The 24-year-old had his season interrupted by a hip injury that sidelined him from Week 6 through Week 11, but he's stayed healthy since then, and his production appears to be trending in the right direction. Strange tied his season high with seven targets in Week 16 against the Denver Broncos, recording five catches for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Between wide receivers Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Parker Washington, the Jaguars have other capable pass-catchers who could steal opportunities away from Strange. However, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has thrown for 609 yards and eight touchdowns over the last two weeks and appears to be leading the Jacksonville offense to new heights. Strange carries streamer appeal in deeper leagues heading into his Week 17 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Vikings
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (shoulder) was listed as a non-participant on Monday's practice report. The Vikings conducted a walk-through on Monday, so this designation is based on an estimation from the team. Hockenson handled 75% of the snaps in the Vikings' Week 16 win over the New York Giants, but he wasn't a major receiving threat with just one catch for two yards.
The 28-year-old doesn't have much time to get healthy before the Vikings' Week 17 contest on Thursday against his old team, the Detroit Lions. Josh Oliver would earn additional volume if Hockenson doesn't suit up, but he could be catching passes from Max Brosmer after J.J. McCarthy (hand) was also estimated as a non-participant.
Brock Bowers, TE, Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers brought in all five of his targets for 33 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's Week 16 loss against the Houston Texans. The tight end started the afternoon off strong and had a touchdown early in the second quarter, but then mainly fell quiet for the rest of the game.
Still, Bowers was able to bounce back from his disappointing Week 15 performance and post 14.3 PPR fantasy points, which is close to his season-long average. Bowers and the Raiders face the New York Giants at home in Week 17, which is a bottom-10 matchup for tight ends. Nonetheless, Bowers is a TE1, and fantasy managers should continue to have him in their lineups.
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 - Hunter Henry, Juwan Johnson, Mark Andrews, Theo Johnson, Brenton Strange, T.J. Hockenson, AJ Barner, Cade Otton, Brock Bowers. 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 Hunter Henry, Juwan Johnson, Mark Andrews, Theo Johnson, Brenton Strange, T.J. Hockenson, AJ Barner, Cade Otton, Brock Bowers:
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