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Who Should I Start for Week 17? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jaylen Warren, RJ Harvey, Deebo Samuel Sr., Omarion Hampton, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Michael Pittman Jr., Aaron Jones Sr., Woody Marks, Jordan Addison, Rashid Shaheed.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 17 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Jaylen Warren, RJ Harvey, Deebo Samuel Sr., Omarion Hampton, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Michael Pittman Jr., Aaron Jones Sr., Woody Marks, Jordan Addison, Rashid Shaheed. However, don't worry, we are here to help you 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.
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Fantasy Football Matchup Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 17:
Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans
Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (ankle) was spotted on the practice field on Tuesday, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. Marks missed his team's Week 16 win against the Las Vegas Raiders due to an ankle injury that forced him to exit early in Week 15. It appears Marks could be trending towards making his return in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Across 14 games this season, the 24-year-old has recorded 788 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns on 188 touches. Marks had emerged as the feature back in Houston before getting hurt, recording at least 16 touches in every game from Week 10 through Week 14. If he were to remain sidelined, the Texans would likely turn to the combination of Jawhar Jordan and Nick Chubb for backfield snaps in Week 17.
Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton told ESPN's Dan Graziano that Week 16 against the Dallas Cowboys was the "best he has felt" since returning from an ankle injury that sidelined him for seven games from Week 6 to Week 13. Across three games since returning, the 22-year-old has recorded 227 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 48 touches. The Chargers held Hampton under 25 offensive snaps in each of his first two outings back from injury, but bumped his playing time up to 35 snaps in Week 16 against Dallas.
Hampton could be in line for an even larger bump in playing time in Week 17 against the Houston Texans, as fellow Chargers back Kimani Vidal (neck) is considered day-to-day due to a neck strain. Hampton has been a dynamic player when healthy this season, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and 5.1 yards per touch across eight games played. He profiles as a solid fantasy RB2 with upside, even in a tough matchup in Week 17 against Houston.
Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. returned from injury in Week 16, taking 15 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown in the 29-18 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Although there was concern that rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt would be more of a factor after his big Week 15 outing, Rodriguez returned to his usual workload. He played a season-high 56% of the snaps, while Croskey-Merritt played 22% and Jeremy McNichols played 24%. He faces the Dallas Cowboys, who may be without star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
The Cowboys ranked as the worst run defense in the NFL before they acquired Williams at the deadline, and with him out last week, Omarion Hampton had 95 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts. While there are concerns about the Commanders' quarterback situation this week, look for them to run it a ton against this Cowboys defense, where Rodriguez could be a league-winner in Week 17.
RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey turned in the most efficient game of his season in the Week 16 34-20 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Harvey had a stellar day with several explosive plays, leading to seven rushes for 50 yards and a touchdown, adding four catches on five targets for 71 receiving yards.
Averaging 11 yards per touch is no easy task, but Harvey continues to impress and did this against a defense that was dominant against the run, with the lowest average rushing yards allowed per game coming into Week 16 at just 86.3. On a short week against the defeated Kansas City Chiefs, Harvey should be able to redeem himself from his Week 11 dud when he last faced them.
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. has been held under 50 yards in three straight games and hasn't found the end zone since Week 11. Samuel has exceeded 50 receiving yards only twice over the past nine games. The former San Francisco 49er draws a potential get-right spot on Christmas Day against the Dallas Cowboys, who have struggled to defend the pass. Dallas has allowed the most passing yards per game and the most PPR points per game to wide receivers this season.
Washington's pass-catchers could take a hit for fantasy with quarterback Marcus Mariota (hand, quadriceps) uncertain to play after missing consecutive practices to begin the week, opening the door for journeyman Josh Johnson to make his first start since 2021. Samuel currently ranks as RotoBaller's WR29 in PPR leagues in Week 17.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 17 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jaylen Warren, RJ Harvey, Deebo Samuel Sr., Omarion Hampton, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Michael Pittman Jr., Aaron Jones Sr., Woody Marks, Jordan Addison, Rashid Shaheed. 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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with 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 circle), 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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 17 for Jaylen Warren, RJ Harvey, Deebo Samuel Sr., Omarion Hampton, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Michael Pittman Jr., Aaron Jones Sr., Woody Marks, Jordan Addison, Rashid Shaheed:
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