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John's fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 17 of 2025. Are the breakout performances from Tyler Shough, Parker Washington, Kalif Raymond legit or flukes?
New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington, and Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond all had (arguably) surprisingly good performances in Week 16.
With championship week coming up in most fantasy leagues, you might be wondering if you should add any of these players and potentially start them in Week 17. Sometimes, waiver players can help you win a title.
Other times, they can save you from your league's last-place punishment or at least the toilet bowl championship. So, did these players have legit or fluky performances, and should you add or start them in Week 17? Let's dive in.
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Was Tyler Shough's Performance Legit Or A Fluke?
Yes, Shough indeed scored just 17.1 PPR fantasy points in Week 16. But it's absolutely worth considering adding him on waivers due to the stretch of his last four games. Despite the Saints trading away WR Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks, Shough has been very solid.
He's scored 19.0 fantasy points per game between Week 13 and Week 16, which ranks as the QB9 during that span. If you have a team that's in the championship and in need of a quarterback, or are playing in a 2QB or superflex league, he's at least worth a look. He's been quite solid.
Honestly wouldn't be surprised if Tyler Shough becomes startable.
Look at his ROS matchups...
W12: Falcons (collapsing defense)
W13: Miami (8th-worst vs QBs)
W14: Bucs (7th-worst)
W15: Carolina (scored 19 on them in W10)
W16: Jets (11th-worst, no Sauce)
W17: Titans (Titans) pic.twitter.com/7yTfQdMPrU— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) November 21, 2025
Sort of called this one! Trusting in Saints head coach Kellen Moore to call a good offensive game plan and Shough to deliver catchable passes has been working so far. And the Saints play the Tennessee Titans in Week 17, a team that's mostly directionless and hasn't played too well against the pass this year.
The Titans have allowed 7.3 yards per pass attempt to opposing quarterbacks. That ranks fourth-worst in the league, so Shough and Olave should have no problems connecting for quite a few plays. Tight end Juwan Johnson also has a positive outlook.
Tyler Shough is so insanely slept-on. Big arm, great pocket management, and an AWESOME athlete.
There is no reason. To ever give Taysom Hill a rep. pic.twitter.com/QVw3nmZQQH— Joe (@JoeA_NFL) December 7, 2025
Shough is also quite mobile and has rushing upside. A video of him throwing a bad pass at the NFL Combine and the fact that he entered the NFL at 26 years old certainly turned perception against him as a good player, but he's been serviceable for fantasy football.
If you have the space for him on your roster, there's not much reason to leave him on waivers, unless you're in a shallow league. You might want to check your opponent's roster and see if they are struggling, like if they have Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (back), who's injured.
It might be worth adding Shough to block an opponent, to solidify your QB2 spot in 2QB leagues, or as an emergency backup in case something happens to your starter.
Week 17 Outlook: Add in 12+ team leagues, start in 2QB leagues
Was Parker Washington's Performance Legit Or A Fluke?
Washington snapped his two-game streak with just single-digit PPR fantasy points by catching six of his 10 targets for 145 yards and a touchdown in Week 16. This happened against the elite Denver Broncos defense, so it was quite a surprise.
Washington easily outperformed WRs Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr., who managed just 8.6 and 3.8 PPR fantasy points combined. Thomas was targeted just three times, and Meyers got eight looks, which means Washington was the most utilized receiver on the day.
Parker Washington had the defense scrambling on Sunday
(by @FanDuel) pic.twitter.com/k1uGE4fZ2k
— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2025
He's shown flashes this season, but it appears his upside is much higher than previously thought. Part of this is due to the impressive play of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He's absolutely dominating through the air right now.
In the past four games, Lawrence has thrown for 1,082 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and zero interceptions, and rushed for two more scores. That stretch is absolute insanity, and he'd likely be the MVP front-runner if he'd played like that all season.
Trevor Lawrence: Last 4 Weeks
- 1,194 Yards (298.5 YPG)
- 14 TDs
- 0 INTs
pic.twitter.com/ehZsuDGEFM— Daniel Griffis (@DanDGriffis) December 22, 2025
So, Washington is probably a solid flex starter for Week 17 if you're in a deeper league. The problem is the target competition. Tight end Brenton Strange and running back Travis Etienne Jr. all get a decent amount of work, and combined with Thomas and Meyers, it might be hard to predict which will excel in any given game.
In deeper leagues, you might just need someone for upside, though. Washington should at least be added to rosters.
Week 17 Outlook: Add in 12-team leagues, start in deeper leagues
Was Kalif Raymond's Performance Legit Or A Fluke?
On a team with wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Isaac TeSlaa, it was Raymond who scored the most PPR fantasy points in Week 16. He had four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, totaling 16.2 PPR fantasy points. TeSlaa also caught a touchdown, while Williams and St. Brown did not.
Raymond entered the NFL in 2016 and is 31 years old. He's mainly been used on special teams as a kick and punt returner, but occasionally as a receiver, too. The Lions have been tinkering with their lineup as both Raymond and St. Brown have dealt with injuries.
He's a speedster, but most of his points came on a busted-coverage fourth-down touchdown. This was a game in which St. Brown didn't perform particularly well, and that's pretty unusual. It's much more likely that he and Williams have big games than Raymond.
KALIF RAYMOND 4TH DOWN TD
PITvsDET on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/oPJX4CHVTG
— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2025
There isn't a ton of reason to add Raymond unless you're in a league that counts punt and kick return yards. If so, he's likely already rostered, as he's an important player in that regard. But even with tight end Sam LaPorta (back) out for the season, there are too many players to target ahead of Raymond.
St. Brown, Williams, and TeSlaa are likely higher on the priority list to get the ball to, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs caught 10 of his 13 targets for 66 yards and a touchdown, so he was technically the most productive pass-catcher on the day.
So, unless you're in a very deep league or one that counts points from punt or kick returns, Raymond should probably remain on waivers. It's not unusual for players who are irrelevant in fantasy football to have a nice game here and there, but they very rarely are worth starting the next week in the absence of injuries to other receivers on their team.
Week 17 Outlook: Add in leagues with return yards points
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 Tyler Shough, Parker Washington, and Kalif Raymond, 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. Need a replacement? Today's focus is on specific players -- Tyler Shough, Parker Washington, and Kalif Raymond. 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, 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
Need a replacement? Below are some popular Week 17 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Tyler Shough, Parker Washington, and Kalif Raymond compared to others:
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