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Matt's running back (RB) fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 17 of 2025. His RB lineups advice for Week 17 fantasy football start/sit decisions.
Congratulations on making it this far. We aren’t done yet. With fantasy championships in the balance this week, fantasy managers have less room for error than ever before.
Last week, Ashton Jeanty rewarded owners for keeping the faith with a 31.8-point performance against the Houston Texans. Meanwhile, Kenneth Gainwell has his fifth 16-plus point performance over six weeks, and James Cook III (26.4) and Bijan Robinson (29.8) proved that running backs still matter.
With last week's standouts and surprises fresh in mind, let’s turn to your key RotoBaller running back start/sit decisions for Week 17. Let’s set those lineups with confidence.
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Week 17 - Potential Fantasy Football Booms
Chase Brown - RB, Cincinnati Bengals vs Arizona Cardinals
Since Week 8, Chase Brown has been as good as any running back in fantasy. Over the Bengals' last eight contests, Brown has averaged 20.5 fantasy points per game, including a 32.9 point performance last week against the Dolphins that saw Brown hit paydirt on three occasions.
Digging inside the numbers, and we see a back that has posted nine consecutive 12-plus fantasy weeks, accounting for 644 rushing yards and 285 receiving yards. Let me do the math for you: 929 total yards or 116.1 total yards per game. If Brown is going to average 5.75 yards per carry and see six to seven targets per game, each week Brown possesses that weekly RB1 upside.
Chase Brown hat trick!
CINvsMIA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/HoRgvF5CDv
— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2025
Coming off a big Week 16, Brown faces a run defense that has been reeling in recent weeks, the Arizona Cardinals. Since Week 11, the Cardinals have allowed 32.2 fantasy points per game; the only team that allows more fantasy production to the position over that period is the New York Jets (32.4).
In this six-game span, Arizona has given up 819 rushing yards (5.22 per carry) and 271 receiving yards on 30 catches. Last week, Robinson gained 168 yards on 23 touches against Arizona.
Rhamondre Stevenson - RB, New England Patriots at New York Jets
Against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football, TreVeyon Henderson was forced out of the game with a concussion. Henderson's status depends on clearing the league's concussion protocol; if he is cleared before this matchup, start him with confidence. If he is not cleared, Rhamondre Stevenson becomes a strong fantasy option for Week 17.
TOUCHDOWN DRE @dreeday32‼️
📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/nx0vwbvPKV
— x - New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 22, 2025
While Stevenson's numbers have been rather pedestrian, that 21-yard touchdown run against the Ravens last week could not have come at a better time. As for the New York Jets, they have been more than accommodating to opposing backs this season. On the season, New York is allowing 133.7 rushing yards per game, the fifth-most, while also contributing those 32.4 fantasy points per game since Week 11.
The Jets have allowed 14 total touchdowns over their last six games—nine rushing and five receiving. Last week, they contained the Saints' run game. Still, over that stretch, they allow 4.26 yards per carry and a league-worst 9.13 yards per target to running backs.
Javonte Williams - RB, Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders
Despite just 34 yards rushing last week against a stout Chargers run defense, Javonte Williams enters this contest sixth in the NFL in rushing with 1,147 yards (.8 yards per carry). Williams faced Washington earlier in the season, and in the October meeting, Williams churned out 6.1 yards per carry on his way to 116 yards and a touchdown.
Since Week 11, Williams is averaging a healthy 12.6 fantasy points per game, finishing with 12 or more fantasy points in each of the previous four contests before facing the Chargers last weekend. No one is going to confuse the Chargers' second-ranked fantasy defense against opposing backs (16.5) for the Commanders' defense.
Since Week 11, Washington has allowed 623 rushing yards (5.07 per carry), 132 receiving yards, and eight total touchdowns over those five contests. When you look at it from a fantasy lens, that works out to 28.5 fantasy points per game, the fourth-most. Last week, after a slow start, Saquon Barkley managed to average 6.3 yards per carry on his way to 132 yards on the ground against the Commanders.
Week 17 - Potential Fantasy Football Busts
Woody Marks - RB, Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers
Woody Marks (ankle) missed last week's contest against the Las Vegas Raiders, and he may want to consider taking an additional week off as the Texans head to Los Angeles to face one of the stingiest defenses in fantasy against opposing running backs, the Los Angeles Chargers.
Marks’ absence was noticed as Jawhar Jordan led the Texans' rushing attack with 53 yards on the ground on 15 attempts. The thing is, the Texans' back, despite 17.2 carries per game since Week 11, Marks has churned out just 3.25 yards per attempt and sits as the RB36, averaging 9.6 fantasy points per game over his last five starts.
With a back who has been mediocre at best, flirting as an RB3 at best, this is not the matchup to get cute. Los Angeles has allowed just four touchdowns to opposing running backs over their last five contests and held them in check, allowing 87.4 rushing yards and 16.5 fantasy points per game over that stretch.
Isiah Pacheco - RB, Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos
When it rains, it pours. In Week 15, the Kansas City Chiefs were not only eliminated from the postseason, but they also lost Patrick Mahomes (ACL) for the remainder of the season. Fast forward to Week 16, and it was Gardner Minshew who took over under center, only for his season to end similarly, giving way to Chris Oladokun.
With no real threat under center and the possibility of Rashee Rice (concussion) being shut down for the season, the idea of the Chiefs' running game is almost laughable at this time. Whether you roster Isiah Pacheco or Kareem Hunt, neither option is an option during the fantasy football championship.
Last week, Denver limited Travis Etienne Jr. to 3.1 yards per carry on his 16 attempts. If you look at the Broncos' track record, that is pretty much on par for the season. On the season, only the Jacksonville Jaguars are surrendering fewer rushing yards per game (86.3) than the Broncos (90.2). Since week 11, Denver has conceded 326 rushing yards and just 62 receiving yards to opposing running backs over the past five contests, which equates to 16.8 fantasy points per game, the third-fewest.
Rico Dowdle - RB, Carolina Panthers vs Seattle Seahawks
It doesn’t matter if it’s Rico Dowdle or Chuba Hubbard you are rostering; you can’t start either back in good faith.
Tampa Bay has a good run defense; they rank inside the top 10 in terms of rushing yards allowed per game, but so do the Seattle Seahawks. The difference between the Buccaneers' defense and the Seahawks' defense in fantasy is how they handle business against opposing running backs in particular. Tampa has allowed the 19th-fewest fantasy points to the position since Week 11, whereas the Seahawks' 19.0 fantasy points per game is the seventh-fewest over that period.
In their last six games, the Seahawks have allowed only two rushing scores. They have given up 535 rushing yards and 184 receiving yards to opposing running backs. If Dowdle and Hubbard managed just 77 ground yards on 20 touches (3.85 per touch) versus the Buccaneers, it’s tough to see them being fantasy relevant against a better run defense.
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