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Should I start Kenneth Gainwell, Tony Pollard, Jaylen Warren for Week 17? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
The running back position is quite interesting in championship week. Any starting RB as well as a handful of RB2s should be considered for starting lineups. Even the "lower-tier" starting RBs can be quite valuable for fantasy teams.
We just saw Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard, who was one of the biggest draft busts of the 2025 fantasy football season, finally seem to get things going. It's a bit late for those who drafted him, but perhaps if you traded for him or picked him up off waivers, he's doing better for you.
RBs Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren (hip) are both heavily rostered due to performing quite well at many points this season, but they're not exactly elite RB1s, so
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Should I Start Kenneth Gainwell for Fantasy Football?
Possibly the biggest surprise of the 2025 fantasy football season has been Gainwell somehow being not only a fantasy relevant player, but one of its best running backs over the past few weeks. Since Week 11, he's been the RB7 overall in PPR fantasy points per game, with 19.0.
That's obviously made him a must-start. While his rushing numbers aren't always impressive, he's been an absolute target magnet, and free PPR points are the best possible thing for fantasy football RBs. In that span, he's caught 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns, averaging over 13.2 points per game from receiving alone.
Kenneth Gainwell had Nate Wiggins tackling ghosts. 😭😭😭
— Portersburgh (@PortersBurgh) December 7, 2025
He's involved enough in the running game to consistently get a few more points there, too. An RB averaging 13.2 points per game would be a solid flex starter, too. Gainwell is a tough player to bench. He gets so many free points from receptions, even if he isn't the starter.
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith runs a split backfield system as much as possible regardless of the talent of his players, unless he has prime Derrick Henry in the lineup. And with Warren managing an injury, Gainwell could see plenty of work to help keep him fresh.
However, there's a situation in which the Steelers might rest their starters. If the Green Bay Packers beat the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, they could end up pulling Gainwell. It's a tricky situation to navigate. If that happens, you might want to consider swapping him out for another player.
Should I Start Tony Pollard for Fantasy Football?
Pollard was able to rush for over 100 yards in three consecutive games, starting in Week 14. He's racked up 28.1, 18.2, and 10.2 PPR fantasy points in those three contests, eclipsing 100 rushing yards in each. He appears to be actually startable now. That's a huge change from most of the season.
He's a "league-loser" in the sense that if you started him for most of the season, your team probably suffered unless it had great players to carry it. That's not been the case for many teams. In some leagues, a ton of running backs were taken in early rounds, forcing many fantasy managers to draft backs like Pollard early.
Tony Pollard 65-yard TOUCHDOWN.
TENvsCLE on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/UZ9c5ifvfN
— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2025
Pollard's been a good player for quite a while. He was an excellent fantasy starter last year before he started to slow down due to multiple injuries. But this year, the Titans offense has been putrid for most of the season. They've improved down the stretch as rookie quarterback Cam Ward has improved his play.
The offensive line has also held up better. Ward is very susceptible to poor play under pressure, so that's key to his growth. Tennessee will play against the New Orleans Saints, who actually have a solid defense. But late in the year, anything can happen in these games between two teams that may or may not be tanking.
Pollard checks in as a somewhat boring flex player as a result. He doesn't seem to have consistent great upside.
Should I Start Jaylen Warren for Fantasy Football?
Warren is dealing with a hip injury and will likely be playing through some pain, but he was removed from the injury report ahead of their Week 17 game. That means he'll play. It's tricky navigating how to manage players that are dealing with aliments.
If the Packers win, that creates another tough situation. We could see Warren minimally used if Pittsburgh decides his injury is worth managing in such a way. The Steelers are on the cusp of clinching their division, which would likely lock them into the No. 4 seed.
Jaylen Warren is HIM
Respect my GOAT https://t.co/EKO23manrJ pic.twitter.com/DgJR5NG5R6
— Chris Ferland 🐝 (@chris_ferland) December 21, 2025
Warren is one of the most elusive backs in the NFL. Keep an eye on potential news of the Steelers resting their starters, though. If the Ravens win, Warren is definitely a good player to start, providing the team doesn't cap his reps too heavily.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 17 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Kenneth Gainwell, Tony Pollard, Jaylen Warren. But not to worry, we are here to help 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.
Week 17 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Kenneth Gainwell, Tony Pollard, Jaylen Warren Jr.. 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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, enhanced search results with data to compare, and 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 circles), 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 Week 17 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Kenneth Gainwell, Tony Pollard, Jaylen Warren compared to others:
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