Early Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em Picks for Week 17 ft. Dak Prescott, Drake Maye, Amon-Ra St. Brown, DK Metcalf

It's Week 17 in the world of fantasy football, which means the majority of leagues are in the championship round. As such, the pressure is as great as it has ever been, and the league is also as unpredictable as it has been. Several big pieces were dealt a crushing blow in one way or another.

As such, with rosters changing as much as they have all season with players getting shut down, others coming back, and general instability around the league, picking a team could be as hard as in Week 1. Luckily, Sportskeeda is here to help cut through the noise and list players you can rely on in championship week.

Fantasy Football Week 17 Start 'Em picks

Dak Prescott at Los Angeles Chargers v Dallas Cowboys - NFL 2025 - Source: Getty

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Dak Prescott will once again play football on a sacred American holiday. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback will play on Christmas on Thursday and as such will likely be the most comfortable quarterback all day long. He will face the struggling Washington Commanders defense, so expect plenty of passing yards and touchdowns.

On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay's struggling defense. As such, Darren Waller and De'Von Achane are must-start players.

Michael Wilson and the Arizona Cardinals will also get another defense limping to the finish in the form of the Cincinnati Bengals. Marvin Harrison Jr.'s return from his heel injury (Cardinals media in a Sunday post) has complicated things, with the receiver likely to finish the year after getting back on the field. However, Wilson has made enough of an impression to keep getting targets this time around.

Must Starts

• Dak Prescott
• George Pickens
• Terry McLaurin
• Javonte Williams
• Courtland Sutton
• Bo Nix
• RJ Harvey
• Derrick Henry
• Baker Mayfield
• Mike Evans
• De'Von Achane
• Darren Waller
• Drake Maye
• Stefon Diggs
• Rhamondre Stevenson
• Trevor Lawrence
• Jakobi Meyers
• Brian Thomas Jr.
• Philip Rivers
• Jonathan Taylor
• Tyler Shough
• Chris Olave
• Sam Darnold
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba
• Michael Wilson
• Joe Burrow
• Ja'Marr Chase
• Ashton Jeanty
• Jaxson Dart
• Wan'Dale Robinson
• Saquon Barkley
• Jalen Hurts
• Josh Allen
• James Cook III
• Caleb Williams
• Brock Purdy
• George Kittle
• Chrisitian McCaffrey
• Kyren Williams
• Matthew Stafford
• Blake Corum
• Bijan Robinson
• Drake London

Fantasy Football Week 17 Sit 'Em picks

Lamar Jackson at New England Patriots v Baltimore Ravens - NFL 2025 - Source: Getty

The Detroit Lions offense was surprisingly stymied against the Pittsburgh Steelers and faces a much tougher defense in Week 17. Detroit will face the Minnesota Vikings in an ill-timed bout. As such, if you have a deep bench, it might be a fantasy football game to sit Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

Jordan Love's health is a question, and after he struggled against the Chicago Bears, a battle against the Baltimore Ravens doesn't look promising. Josh Jacobs is also fighting his own health battle, so it might be a good idea to avoid the game altogether in fantasy football.

Lamar Jackson's health is also in question thanks to a back injury that kept him from finishing Week 16. He has struggled in 2025, and with the fantasy football championship on the line, go elsewhere.

Must Sits

• Jared Goff
• Amon-Ra St. Brown
• Jameson Williams
• Justin Jefferson
• J.J. McCarthy
• C.J. Stroud
• Justin Herbert
• Ladd McConkey
• Woody Marks
• Nick Chubb
• Lamar Jackson
• Tyler Huntley
• Jordan Love
• Josh Jacobs
• Aaron Rodgers
• Shedeur Sanders
• DK Metcalf
• Cam Ward
• Bryce Young
• Kirk Cousins

Edited by Ian Van Roy