RADIO
Who Should I Start for Week 17? Fantasy Football outlooks for Taysom Hill, Colby Parkinson, Harold Fannin Jr., Brenton Strange, Juwan Johnson, Mike Gesicki, Darren Waller, Pat Freiermuth, Michael Mayer, Jake Tonges.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 17 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Taysom Hill, Colby Parkinson, Harold Fannin Jr., Brenton Strange, Juwan Johnson, Mike Gesicki, Darren Waller, Pat Freiermuth, Michael Mayer, Jake Tonges. 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.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
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:
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (groin) is questionable going into the team's Week 17 matchup at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers due to a groin injury suffered during Friday's practice. The rookie tight end told reporters Friday afternoon that he expects to play against the Steelers, and head coach Kevin Stefaniski remarked that Fannin Jr. will "do everything he can to be out there" on Sunday.
In Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills, Fannin Jr. brought in four of his six targets for 34 yards, setting a franchise record for most receptions by a rookie in a season, and scored two total touchdowns, one from an inside handoff after lining up as a fullback. The versatile tight end has been targeted on 24.8% of his routes this season, the highest rate among tight ends with at least 200 routes, according to Next Gen Stats. Fannin Jr. has a great matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense in Week 17, which has allowed the second-most fantasy points to tight ends this season.
With tight end David Njoku (knee) out again this week and rookie running back Quinshon Judkins (ankle, leg) on IR, the Browns' offense is likely to rely on the rookie out of Bowling Green against their AFC North rival. Fantasy managers may not know Fannin Jr.'s availability until Sunday, but he is a must-start tight end in Week 17 if he plays.
Jake Tonges, TE, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers tight end Jake Tonges could again be called on to fill the shoes of George Kittle (ankle), who is questionable for Week 17. With the 49ers taking on the Bears on Sunday Night Football, fantasy managers hoping to see Kittle take the field won't have many options should the tight end be declared inactive. Tonges, therefore, is one of the few potential substitutes left in play by kickoff.
Tonges caught a touchdown pass from Brock Purdy in Week 1 and served as the 49ers' primary pass-catching tight end during Kittle's injured reserve stint, posting a 22-209-2 line from Weeks 2 to 6. Managers committed to Kittle would be wise to stash Tonges but should be advised to treat the latter as a touchdown-dependent option at tight end.
Michael Mayer, TE, San Francisco 49ers
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer has an opportunity to lead the team's tight end room against the New York Giants in Week 17 after Brock Bowers (knee) was placed on IR earlier this week, ending his season. Bowers already missed three games earlier this season between Weeks 5 and 7, and Mayer was the TE5 in Week 6, playing 92% of snaps and hauling in five of his seven targets for 50 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. Since Bowers' return in Week 9, Mayer has averaged just two targets for 14 yards on his 54% snap share, and missed Weeks 13 and 14 due to an ankle injury.
The third-year tight end out of Notre Dame is unlikely to give fantasy managers the same, reliable production as Bowers. Still, he is a serviceable TE option for teams looking for a replacement in Week 17. While the Giants' defense has struggled mightily throughout the season, the unit is actually a bottom-10 match-up against opposing tight ends, allowing single-digit fantasy points to the position over the last eight games. Though we have evidence of Mayer shining in Bowers' absence, he is a low-end, touchdown-dependent TE2 and a risky start in Week 17.
Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill turned back the clock in Week 16, which might be his final game in the Superdome. Hill led the team in carries, with 12 for 42 yards, and added 36 receiving yards on four receptions. He wasn't done either, throwing a 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Olave in the fourth quarter. The veteran playmaker scored 15.3 fantasy points in Week 16, and there's a legitimate reason he could improve his fantasy production in the final two weeks.
He dominated the carries with Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle) and Devin Neal (hamstring) inactive, outcarrying Audric Estime and Evan Hull combined, 12-5. The Saints' offense has been solid as well, averaging 24.3 points per game and winning three straight games. With a legitimate RB1 workload if Kamara is unable to return, Hill should be a must-start at the tight end position.
Darren Waller, TE, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller is working with a rookie QB in Quinn Ewers, so he has a wide range of possible outcomes this week at home against the Buccaneers. Waller has shown he still has a nose for the end zone with six touchdowns in eight games, but Ewers is still looking for his first NFL touchdown as he makes his second career start. Last week, Waller was second on the team with five targets and finished with three catches for 40 yards.
While he did miss some practice earlier this week to manage his workload, Waller has no injury designation this week against the Bucs, who have been a top-10 matchup for tight ends this season. Tight ends have six touchdowns in the last five weeks against Tampa and 10 touchdowns on the season. Waller is the No. 16 TE in RotoBaller's rankings this week, but he has the potential to be a starting option if he gets into the end zone again in this game against Tampa Bay.
Colby Parkinson, TE, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson is set to remain in a lead role during their Week 17 contest against the Atlanta Falcons despite his disappointing showing last week. On Thursday, with No. 2 WR Davante Adams (hamstring) out of action, Parkinson was expected to see a larger role in the passing game, but was only able to bring in two of his four targets for a mere 21 yards. Instead, depth wide receiver Konata Mumpfield was able to draw eight targets, and rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson found the back of the end zone.
However, with Adams set to miss another game, managers in 12+ team formats should view Parkinson as a viable low-end TE1 in the fantasy championships. Before his Week 16 dud, Parkinson averaged a strong 13.5 PPR points per game from Weeks 10 through 15 and should be poised to bounce back on Monday night.
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 - Taysom Hill, Colby Parkinson, Harold Fannin Jr., Brenton Strange, Juwan Johnson, Mike Gesicki, Darren Waller, Pat Freiermuth, Michael Mayer, Jake Tonges. 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 Taysom Hill, Colby Parkinson, Harold Fannin Jr., Brenton Strange, Juwan Johnson, Mike Gesicki, Darren Waller, Pat Freiermuth, Michael Mayer, Jake Tonges:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
