Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Week 17? Michael Wilson, Jakobi Meyers, Terry McLaurin, DeVonta Smith, Adonai Mitchell, Chuba Hubbard, Saquon Barkley, De'Von Achane, Mike Evans

2 months ago

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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 17 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Michael Wilson, Jakobi Meyers, Terry McLaurin, DeVonta Smith, Adonai Mitchell, Chuba Hubbard, Saquon Barkley, De'Von Achane, Mike Evans. 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:

Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has provided a major lift to the passing game since returning in Week 13. McLaurin has compiled 16 catches on 26 targets for 259 receiving yards and two touchdowns, ranking 16th among wide receivers in yards over that span. The 30-year-old wideout has a golden matchup on Christmas Day against a Dallas Cowboys defense that is allowing a league-high 8.8 yards per pass attempt over the last five games.

However, the Ohio State product could be catching passes from journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson, with Marcus Mariota (hand, quadriceps) uncertain to play after missing two straight practices to open the week. McLaurin still profiles as a solid start with upside in Week 17 as Washington's clear top target, ranking as RotoBaller's WR14 in PPR leagues.

Adonai Mitchell, WR, New York Jets

New York Jets wide receiver Adonai Mitchell has been heavily targeted lately, but he's a risky fantasy option heading into a tough matchup against the New England Patriots in Week 17. To his credit, Mitchell has enjoyed a career resurgence since being traded to the Jets, commanding at least six targets in each of his last six games. However, he has caught just 45.6% of his targets since the trade, averaging a modest 8.6 full-PPR points per game during that span.

This week's matchup is far from ideal for Mitchell, especially as he adjusts to the quarterback play of inexperienced rookie Brady Cook, who will earn another start on Sunday. The Patriots have allowed the seventh-fewest catches and ninth-fewest receiving yards to wide receivers in 2025. Mitchell has a high ceiling and low floor, which makes him a risky option as the fantasy playoffs continue. He's only worth adding off the waiver wire in leagues with at least 12 teams.

Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers

Chuba Hubbard had another quiet outing in the Carolina Panthers' 23-20 win against the Buccaneers. The Carolina RB had six carries for 27 yards while also adding one reception for seven yards. Hubbard finished the game with 4.4 PPR points, his lowest fantasy total since Week 11. Rico Dowdle also outperformed Hubbard with 43 scrimmage yards and 8.3 PPR points. Even though the workload was split between the two RBs, Hubbard logged fewer snaps (41%).

In Week 17, the Carolina Panthers will face the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle ranked seventh in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to the RB position in the last four weeks leading up to Week 16. Due to the rough matchup against Seattle and inconsistent volume, Hubbard is off the fantasy radar for Week 17.

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans hauled in five catches for 31 yards and a touchdown on nine targets in his team's Week 16 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Evans has now hauled in 11 receptions for 163 yards across two games since returning from a collarbone injury that sidelined him from Week 8 through Week 14. While injuries have held down the 32-year-old's season-long numbers in 2025, he remains an effective player when he's on the field.

Across six games this season, Evans has recorded 25 catches for 303 yards and two touchdowns on 53 targets. He looks like the clear-cut number one option in the passing game for Tampa Bay down the stretch of the season, as Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has targeted Evans on 35% of his pass attempts for the last two weeks. Tampa Bay will travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins in Week 17.

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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 - Michael Wilson, Jakobi Meyers, Terry McLaurin, DeVonta Smith, Adonai Mitchell, Chuba Hubbard, Saquon Barkley, De'Von Achane, Mike Evans. 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 Michael Wilson, Jakobi Meyers, Terry McLaurin, DeVonta Smith, Adonai Mitchell, Chuba Hubbard, Saquon Barkley, De'Von Achane, Mike Evans: