Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice: What to do with Bucky Irving, Breece Hall, more players in Week 17
- - Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice: What to do with Bucky Irving, Breece Hall, more players in Week 17
Scott PianowskiDecember 26, 2025 at 10:37 PM
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If you need help setting your fantasy football lineups for Week 17, Scott Pianowski offers some assistance.
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Start-sit decisions can be vexing for even the best of fantasy managers. Here’s our Week 17 traffic report to help you set those lineups.
Green Light ✅
QB Jacoby Brissett at Bengals: Your confidence might be shaken after the flop against Atlanta, but the Bengals are here to save the day. Cincinnati’s tight end coverage has been awful all year, which puts Trey McBride in a smash spot. Brissett can come along for the ride, especially if Joe Burrow is cooking on the other side.
WR DJ Moore at 49ers: It’s been a bumpy ride at times, but Moore charted as the WR5 and WR7 the last two weeks, moving forward while other Chicago receivers are hurt. He should lead the Bears in targets Sunday night.
RB Tony Pollard vs. Saints: It took a while for Pollard to get rolling, but he’s posted three straight 100-yard games. New Orleans is a neutral matchup, and the game script should keep Pollard relevant for three hours.
RB Kenneth Gainwell at Browns: He’s probably the most underrated pass-catching back in the league; the Steelers rave about Gainwell’s hands, and he has 33 receptions the last six weeks (only Jahmyr Gibbs has more among RBs). With DK Metcalf (suspension) unavailable, Gainwell can help pick up the slack.
WR Chris Olave at Titans: Only Puka Nacua has outscored him on the WR board the last two weeks. Olave is clicking with competent rookie QB Tyler Shough, and the narrow usage tree is also a boost.
TE Kyle Pitts Sr. vs. Rams: The contract surge appears real, as Pitts has started to smash as he enters his free-agency season. It hasn’t just been the touchdowns; Pitts also has six catches over 20 yards in the last four games. No matter Drake London’s status, Pitts is approved for Monday night.
Yellow Light 😕
RB Blake Corum at Falcons: He’s become the richer version of Tyler Allgeier, a secondary running back who sees about 10 carries a week and holds goal-line equity. If you need to let your hair down with a flex play, Corum carries a surprising floor.
RB Bucky Irving at Dolphins: He has 17-20 touches in his back pocket before the game starts, and volume is most of the case when we analyze fantasy backfields. But Irving’s floor is muted somewhat by Sean Tucker (goal-line back) and Rachaad White (pass-game contributor). If Irving is going to beat his projection, he probably needs a distance touchdown.
WR Zay Flowers at Packers: He’s finally started to positively regress with touchdowns and he’s also on a nifty WR8-WR17-WR10 run the last three weeks. But Flowers gets a tricky Green Bay matchup in Week 17, and he’ll probably be working with backup QB Tyler Huntley. Flowers is playable if you need three receivers this week, but pass in a shallow format.
TE Colby Parkinson at Falcons: He had to share tight end work and did little in last week’s high-scoring loss at Seattle, much to the chagrin of expectant fantasy managers. But the Rams use 13-personnel at historically a high rate, which means Parkinson still holds all the goal-line equity that we liked in previous games. He remains above the cut line in this spot.
Red Light 🚨
QB C.J. Stroud at Chargers: He only has one multi-touchdown game in his last five starts. This matchup is also a problem, as the Chargers are sixth in pass defense DVOA. It won’t be surprising if this game turns into a low-scoring rock fight.
RB Breece Hall vs. Patriots: He’s been outside the top 40 among running backs the last three weeks as the Jets struggle to move the ball. New York is a 13.5-point underdog to New England, so Hall’s volume is far from guaranteed.
WR Marvin Harrison Jr. at Bengals: The matchup is divine but can Harrison take advantage? He’s missed so much time and Jacoby Brissett obviously seems to click with Michael Wilson over Harrison. Remember in fantasy football, we just want the numbers — the names don’t matter.
WR Emeka Egbuka at Dolphins: His production and his opportunity have cratered in recent weeks — he played a season-low 56% of the snaps last week. With other key personnel now healthy in the Tampa Bay offense — but Baker Mayfield still in a funk — Egbuka doesn’t have Circle of Trust privileges in Week 17.
Source: “AOL Sports”
