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Who Should I Start for Week 17? Fantasy Football outlooks for Rico Dowdle, Kenneth Gainwell, D'Andre Swift, Travis Etienne Jr., Breece Hall, Zach Charbonnet, Kyren Williams, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 17 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Rico Dowdle, Kenneth Gainwell, D'Andre Swift, Travis Etienne Jr., Breece Hall, Zach Charbonnet, Kyren Williams, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs. 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:
Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers
Rico Dowdle had nine carries for 29 yards in the Panthers' 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16. The Carolina RB also added four receptions for 14 receiving yards, totaling 8.3 PPR points. Dowdle has cooled off in the last four starts, averaging 10.5 PPR points per game during that span. For the second consecutive week, Dowdle outperformed Chuba Hubbard, who finished Week 16 with 34 scrimmage yards and 4.4 PPR points. Despite the workload being split between Dowdle and Hubbard,
Dowdle logged the most snaps (57%). In Week 17, the Panthers face the Seattle Seahawks. In the last four weeks leading up to Week 16, the Seahawks ranked seventh in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to RBs. Fantasy players who have their championship in Week 17 can consider reserving Dowdle due to the tough matchup.
Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
As the 2025 season has progressed, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell has emerged as one of his team's most reliable all-purpose weapons. Over his last six games, the 26-year-old has recorded 568 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns on 84 touches. Gainwell has earned 38 targets in that six-game stretch and has now hauled in at least five receptions in five out of his last six outings.
The Steelers continue to deploy a near 50/50 split in the backfield between Gainwell and Jaylen Warren, which limits the upside for both players to some degree. However, as long as Gainwell continues to function as a featured piece in the Pittsburgh passing game, he should provide a safe production floor in PPR fantasy leagues. In any league where he remains available, Gainwell is a must-add player off the waiver wire heading into his Week 17 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs has been inconsistent as a rusher in recent weeks, as he's been held to 3.6 yards per carry or less in five out of his last six games. The 23-year-old was able to save his Week 16 production with his work as a receiver, recording 10 catches for 66 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gibbs has been heavily involved in the Lions' passing game since Detroit placed tight end Sam LaPorta (back) on Injured Reserve. Across six games without LaPorta, Gibbs has hauled in 40 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns on 51 targets.
Gibbs' receiving work may need to continue carrying his production in Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings enter the week ranked 12th in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (4.1). Gibbs had his least productive game of the season in his first matchup of the year against Minnesota, racking up just 28 scrimmage yards on 12 touches in Week 9. However, he may see a few more touches this time around, as Lions back David Montgomery (illness) is officially listed as questionable to play on Thursday. Gibbs remains a must-start fantasy running back, but fantasy managers may want to downgrade expectations in Week 17.
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 - Rico Dowdle, Kenneth Gainwell, D'Andre Swift, Travis Etienne Jr., Breece Hall, Zach Charbonnet, Kyren Williams, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs. 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 Rico Dowdle, Kenneth Gainwell, D'Andre Swift, Travis Etienne Jr., Breece Hall, Zach Charbonnet, Kyren Williams, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs:
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