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Should I start Dylan Sampson, Raheim Sanders, Michael Carter for Week 17? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
Cleveland Browns running backs Dylan Sampson (hand) and Raheim Sanders will have more opportunities to touch the football in Week 17. The Browns starting RB, Quinshon Judkins (leg, ankle) is out for the season after suffering a gruesome leg injury in Week 16.
Arizona Cardinals running back Michael Carter also stands to benefit workload-wise since the Cardinals have now lost RBs James Conner (ankle), Trey Benson (knee), and Bam Knight (knee) to season-ending injuries. Carter is the starter for Week 17.
This means fantasy managers in need of help at the RB position are likely considering whether to start these three players this week. It's championship week, or just-avoid-the-last-place-punishment-for-losing-the-toilet-bowl week for some, so let's make start and sit decisions for each of these RBs!
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Should I Start Dylan Sampson for Fantasy Football?
Sampson is dealing with a hand injury and has been listed as questionable for his Week 17 contest. It's unclear yet whether he'll play, but if he does, he'll likely be the starter. He's also the team's pass-catching back. On that alone, he's worth flex consideration in many leagues.
Judkins was the clear workhorse RB for this team when healthy, but he's not a great pass-catching RB as he's more of a north-south downhill runner that excels when he can pick up speed and fight through contact. Sampson has proven shifter in open space.
Shedeur's first career TD pass! Sampson runs 66 yards for the score.
CLEvsLV on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/fzAH0Ml9ep
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025
Sampson has a size disadvantage compared to Judkins, but that helps him be shiftier. The Browns don't have a ton of talent at pass-catcher -- tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (groin) is just a rookie, but he's already his team's best pass-catcher. Their WR1, Jerry Jeudy, has been mostly bad and highly inconsistent.
In Week 14, Sampson's last healthy game, he caught five of his six targets for 64 yards. His rush numbers aren't impressive, but you aren't starting him for those. It seems that Sanders could handle the early-down work while Sampson mixes in on passing downs.
Still, in PPR leagues, it's more reliable to count on receiving work for RBs that get six or more targets in multiple games. That's the case with Sampson, so he's a fine flex start in deeper leagues.
Should I Start Raheim Sanders for Fantasy Football?
It's hard to know exactly how Sanders will perform in Week 17. He hasn't gotten a stint as the starter yet. Without a touchdown or two, though, he's susceptible to a bad performance. He was an undrafted free agent, so NFL teams didn't have a lot of confidence in his ability coming out of college.
If Sampson doesn't play, he's a decent flex start in deep leagues based on projected volume alone, though Cleveland's offense has been at times extremely incompetent. It's hard to project rushing touchdowns for him with this in mind.
Raheim Sanders evens the score for the Browns
CINvsCLE on FOXhttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/dUvXJJkvvM
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
Before Week 16, Sanders had three rushes for three yards and one touchdown, all in Week 1, a game in which Judkins didn't play. So we haven't gotten much film of him in the NFL. Week 17 games are strange, too. The Pittsburgh Steelers will clinch the division if the Ravens lose on Saturday.
This could cause them to rest their starters on defense, which would allow the Browns offense to perform much better. In that case, Sanders will have more upside and deserve flex consideration in 12-team leagues for desperate teams. This would be in case the Ravens win and Sampson sits.
Should I Start Michael Carter for Fantasy Football?
The following is a true story. Many fantasy managers sat Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty for Carter, due to the very poorly performing Raiders offensive line and offense in general. We hope you didn't do so, and would recommend starting Jeanty every game.
Carter is his team's starting running back though. The problem is that their offense simply isn't very good and hasn't been good on the ground all year. And Cardinals RB Emari Demercado is healthy again. He's the team's best pass-protecting back and does a great job blocking. So he'll likely stay in on the passing downs.
Michael Carter is in for a Cardinals touchdown! 💨#NFL pic.twitter.com/zxulCk7erl
— Sports Only (@SportsOnly____) January 5, 2025
That limits Carter's PPR upside, so you're more dependent on touchdowns and praying that Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett checks it down to Carter more than he did last week. In Week 16, Carter had just 6.5 PPR fantasy points, all from his 11 rushes for 65 yards.
He was targeted twice, but didn't haul in either of his passes. However, a soft matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals horrible run defense is upcoming, so Carter is a solid flex play based on matchup and volume. We've seen plenty of RBs absolutely gash the Bengals this season.
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 Dylan Sampson, Raheim Sanders, Michael Carter. 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 - Dylan Sampson, Raheim Sanders, Michael Carter. 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 Dylan Sampson, Raheim Sanders, Michael Carter compared to others:
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