Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 17 Lineups Include Bo Nix, Jauan Jennings, Tucker Kraft

Dave's fantasy football start 'em and sit 'em booms and busts for Week 17 of 2024. Sneaky starts that may boom, and typical starters that will disappoint.

Well, it all comes down to this. Championship week is finally here. With your league’s first-place prize and, more importantly, ultimate bragging rights on the line, the stakes have never been higher.

Let's quickly recap our Week 16 results. We nailed all three of our bust picks as Tua Tagovailoa, Najee Harris, and Jerry Jeudy all flopped. Our boom picks weren’t quite as successful. Kyler Murray and Jake Ferguson were our best calls there. Murray finished as the QB13 and Ferguson as the TE12. Not exactly what we were hoping to see. Time to forget about last week and focus on securing a fantasy football title. We’ve done our best to identify some players who could help (or hurt) your chances of winning, so let’s get to all the action.

Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Let’s get into our boom/bust picks for Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season.

Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.

Week 17 Fantasy Football Booms

Bo Nix - QB, Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals

Nix is coming off a nice bounce-back performance against the Los Angeles Chargers. He threw 263 passing yards and two touchdowns and did not turn the ball over for the first time since Week 12.

Bo Nix goes to Vele for his 2nd TD pass of the night!#DENvsLAC on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/ed4PgSeVEN

— NFL (@NFL) December 20, 2024

The Broncos now travel to Cincinnati for a game with major playoff implications for both sides. While the Bengals defense is coming off a strong performance last week, it was against a hapless Cleveland Browns offense led by Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Cincinnati still ranks 29th in defensive DVOA, per FTN Fantasy, and has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year, per Fantasy Football Today. The Bengals have also allowed the most rushing yards to quarterbacks this year, so even if Nix struggles as a passer, he can still salvage his fantasy day with his legs.

This is just a great spot to deploy Nix coming off three straight finishes outside of the top 12. Gamers can fire him up with confidence and should expect to see a top-12 finish this week.

Ameer Abdullah - RB, Las Vegas Raiders at New Orleans Saints

Abdullah is coming off an RB15 finish last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The @Raiders retake the lead on this Ameer Abdullah TD!

📺: #JAXvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/ESvkbuY7ey

— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024

This week, the Raiders get to face a Saints defense that allows nearly 140 rushing yards per game and allows the seventh-most PPR points per game to opposing rushers. It may seem like fellow back Alexander Mattison is the preferred play, but Abdullah outperformed Mattison on the ground and through the air last week in a positive game script.

This bodes well for Abdullah’s prospects this week. Las Vegas should be competitive again in this game, and we’ve seen that Abdullah can safely be deployed in games where Las Vegas is not a huge underdog. Gamers can start him in PPR leagues as a solid flex play or RB2 in a pinch. He offers a safe floor thanks to his pass-catching with an upside for more if he finds success on the ground.

Jauan Jennings - WR, San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions

After a WR6 finish against the Chicago Bears in Week 14, Jennings has posted back-to-back subpar performances. He’s got a great chance to break that streak as San Francisco faces a Detroit Lions defense that allows the sixth-most passing yards per game as well as the second-most PPR points per game to opposing receivers.

Detroit’s defense has been hit hard with injuries over the last few weeks, and it will likely struggle to stop San Francisco’s offense. With the Lions boasting a strong offense of their own, it means this game could be headed toward shootout territory.

Detroit also has one of the best run defenses in the league, so that could force the 49ers to air it out. That would mean plenty of opportunities for Jennings to beat Detroit’s defensive backs.

Gamers should start Jennings as a solid WR2 play. He’s got a great matchup and could deliver in a big way for managers in their championship game.

Chig Okonkwo - TE, Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars

Okonkwo has been on an absolute tear the last two weeks. He’s caught 17 passes for 140 yards on 22 targets with finishes of TE7 and TE2. Okonkwo also played 85% of offensive snaps last week. This was his highest mark of the season and shows the coaching staff wants him on the field more often.

Tennessee now faces a Jacksonville defense that is dead last in DVOA against tight ends and allows the ninth-most receiving yards per game to the position. It’s worth pointing out that Okonkwo’s production spike has come in two games where Tennessee was trailing for the majority of the game. That likely won’t be the case this week, but Okonkwo’s usage over the last two weeks cannot be ignored.

This makes him an ideal option for gamers who have been streaming the position. Fire him up one more time, as he could be a major difference-maker at one of fantasy football’s thinnest positions.

Week 17 Fantasy Football Busts

Tee Higgins - WR, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Denver Broncos

Higgins has been on fire over the last month. Since returning from a quad injury, he has scored a touchdown in four out of his last five games and has four top-17 finishes as well.

Joe Burrow (37) to Tee Higgins (7)
Cincinnati Bengals
2 yards
pic.twitter.com/VrSWMKh3qq

— NFL Touchdown Videos (@NFLTDsVideos) December 22, 2024

This week could be different as Higgins draws a date against a Broncos defense that’s allowed the seventh-fewest PPR points per game to receivers. He also has the worst WR/CB matchup of the week, according to Fantasy Points Data Suite.

More specifically, Higgins could be matched up against All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II. While Denver may have Surtain shadow Ja’Marr Chase, it might make more sense for Surtain to handle Higgins. That would allow its defense to double-team Chase in an attempt to limit his production. That could mean a tough day for Higgins.

All of this doesn’t make him an auto-sit, but it does mean Higgins has more bust potential this week. Gamers should consider sitting him, provided they have a strong alternative.

Rico Dowdle - RB, Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

After a run of four consecutive strong performances, Dowdle crashed back to earth hard last week. He only ran for 23 yards on the ground and finished Week 16 as the PPR RB38. Things don’t get any easier Sunday as Dowdle faces an Eagles defense that’s allowed the seventh-fewest rushing yards in the league as well as the second-fewest PPR points per game to opposing backs.

There is some uncertainty surrounding Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts' availability for this game, and the Philadelphia defense is coming off a poor performance against the Washington Commanders. However, Jayden Daniels presents a different challenge than a Cooper Rush-led offense, and the Philadelphia run defense was still very strong against Washington running backs despite the poor defensive showing.

Dowdle has been a nice story over the last few weeks, but it feels like the hourglass is almost out of sand. He should not be trusted this week, and gamers should consider other options at running back.

Tucker Kraft - TE, Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

Kraft has enjoyed a solid sophomore season and is currently the PPR TE8 of the year. This week, though, he faces a Vikings defense that ranks seventh in defensive DVOA against opposing tight ends. Kraft popped for a big game against Minnesota back in Week 4 and will surely be a point of emphasis for the Vikings defense.

He also played just 62% of offensive snaps last week. This is significant as this was his lowest mark of the entire season. Last week was also the first time fellow tight end Luke Musgrave was active since Week 4. Perhaps Kraft saw fewer snaps because Green Bay had the game in hand early in the second half, but it remains to be seen how snaps will be split between these two tight ends.

While Kraft has been a strong option throughout the season, he’s not an ideal start for this week. It’s a tougher matchup and there are now some concerns over his role. Fewer question marks are usually better when it comes to streaming tight ends, and Kraft has a few too many to trust in such an important week. Gamers should look elsewhere for a streaming option.

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