Quick Grades Week 17 (Fantasy Football Start or Sit Advice)

Happy Friday everyone! We didn’t have any Thursday night games this week but Sunday’s full slate of games is right around the corner. It is now time to look ahead to all of the weekend’s start/sit decisions. This article is for those of you who would love to sit down and read a detailed start/sit article for 90 minutes but just can’t carve out the time at this stage in your life. Instead, I’ll give you all the information without any of the words. Here is how it works: it’s quick-hitting advice with an overall grade and start/sit recommendation for every fantasy-relevant player based on four simple criteria: Matchup, expected volume, fantasy ability and surrounding talent.

Matchup
Unsurprisingly, Tyler Boyd put up a huge game last week against the Dolphins

Expected Volume
Latavius Murray piled up fantasy points when he had the bulk of the Saints workload

Fantasy Ability
Tom Brady is a superior real-life quarterback to Josh Allen, but QBs who can run are a fantasy cheat code

Surrounding Talent
It certainly didn’t hurt Jameis Winston to have Chris Godwin and Mike Evans to throw to

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The grades listed below range from 1 to 25 with overall grades made to mimic a school grade (1-100 with letter grades). The four grades will not add up to the overall grade since each position weights the four criteria differently. For instance, volume is king for running backs, but matchups are much more important for quarterbacks. The start/sit recommendations are for 12-team half-PPR, 1-QB leagues. Slight adjustments would be made for moderate rules changes. Additionally, I’ll name a start of the week, stream of the week and fade of the week at each position. Obviously the #1 player from each player is the top start so rather, start of the week refers to a player you wouldn’t always start. Stream of the week is a player you can typically pick up off the waivers if you are desperate for a fill-in so don’t be surprised if they are down at the bottom of a table since most useful players are already rostered. Fade of the week is the opposite of start of the week, as it is a player you would typically start, but shouldn’t this week because of matchup or game script. Because the tables are a screenshot of an excel table, I’ve added a quick search/find list at the bottom of the article in case you are looking for one or two immediate answers. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter @BobbyFantasyPro.

Quick Link to view the entire spreadsheet and search for players quickly at this link.

Running Backs

- Please refer to the FantasyPros homepage for updates on game-time decisions Sunday morning
- Start of the Week: Sony Michel (remember, this is a player you wouldn’t always feel comfortable starting, not the best player)
- Stream of the Week: Kerryon Johnson (remember, this doesn’t mean he is a great start, it means he is the best of what is available on waivers)
- Fade of the Week: Kareem Hunt
Break in the chart is between RB40/RB41
Implied refers to how many points Vegas is projecting their team to score

Wide Receivers

- Please refer to the FantasyPros homepage for updates on game-time decisions Sunday morning
- Start of the Week: Golden Tate
- Stream of the Week: Greg Ward (remember, this doesn’t mean he is a great start, it means he is the best of what is available on waivers)
- Fade of the Week: JuJu Smith-Schuster
Break in the chart is between WR40/WR41

Quarterbacks

- Please refer to the FantasyPros homepage for updates on game-time decisions Sunday morning
- Start of the Week: Carson Wentz
- Stream of the Week: Gardner Minshew
- Fade of the Week: Deshaun Watson

Tight Ends

- Please refer to the FantasyPros homepage for updates on game-time decisions Sunday morning
- Start of the Week: Dallas Goedert
- Stream of the Week: Noah Fant
- Fade of the Week: Jared Cook

Search, Find and Player Cards

Michael Thomas (WR – NO): 120, A+, Must Start
George Kittle (TE – SF): 110, A+, Must Start
Julio Jones (WR – ATL): 108, A+, Must Start
Travis Kelce (TE – KC): 103, A+, Must Start
Davante Adams (WR – GB): 101, A+, Must Start
Dak Prescott (QB – DAL): 100, A+, Must Start
Ezekiel Elliott (QB – DAL): 100, A+, Must Start
Aaron Rodgers (QB – GB): 99, A+, Must Start
Carson Wentz (QB – PHI): 99, A+, Must Start
DeAndre Hopkins (WR – HOU): 98, A+, Must Start
Austin Hooper (TE – ATL): 98, A+, Must Start
Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC): 98, A+, Must Start
Julian Edelman (WR – NE): 96, A+, Must Start
Drew Brees (QB – NO): 93, A, Strong Start
Christian McCaffrey (RB – CAR): 93, A, Must Start
Alvin Kamara (RB – NO): 93, A-, Must Start
Tyreek Hill (WR – KC): 91, A-, Must Start
Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG): 90, A-, Must Start
Matt Ryan (QB – ATL): 90, A-, Should Start
Ryan Tannehill (QB – TEN): 90, A-, Should Start
Jameis Winston (QB – TB): 89, A-, Should Start
Tyler Higbee (TE – LAR): 89, B+, Strong Start
Leonard Fournette (RB – JAC): 88, B+, Strong Start
Allen Robinson (WR – CHI): 87, B+, Strong Start
Amari Cooper (WR – DAL): 87, B+, Strong Start
Jimmy Garoppolo (QB – SF): 87, B+, Could Start
Derrick Henry (RB – TEN): 87, B+, Strong Start
Tom Brady (QB – NE): 87, B+, Could Start
Nick Chubb (RB – CLE): 87, B+, Strong Start
Darren Waller (TE – OAK): 87, B+, Strong Start
Marlon Mack (RB – IND): 87, B+, Strong Start
Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN): 87, B+, Strong Start
Joe Mixon (RB – CIN): 87, B+, Strong Start
Cooper Kupp (WR – LAR): 86, B+, Strong Start
Robert Woods (WR – LAR): 85, B, Should Start
Le’Veon Bell (RB – NYJ): 84, B, Should Start
Aaron Jones (RB – GB): 84, B, Should Start
A.J. Brown (WR – TEN): 84, B, Should Start
Keenan Allen (WR – LAC): 83, B, Should Start
Miles Sanders (RB – PHI): 83, B-, Should Start
Gardner Minshew (QB – JAC): 82, B-, Could Start
Jarvis Landry (WR – CLE): 82, B-, Should Start
Sony Michel (RB – NE): 82, B-, Should Start
Stefon Diggs (WR – MIN): 82, B-, Should Start
Odell Beckham Jr. (WR – CLE): 81, B-, Should Start
Melvin Gordon (RB – LAC): 81, B-, Should Start
Russell Wilson (QB – SEA): 81, B-, Could Start
Baker Mayfield (QB – CLE): 81, B-, Could Start
Kirk Cousins (QB – MIN): 81, B-, Could Start
Dallas Goedert (TE – PHI): 81, B-, Should Start
Tyler Lockett (WR – SEA): 80, B-, Should Start
Tyler Boyd (WR – CIN): 80, B-, Should Start
Michael Gallup (WR – DAL): 80, B-, Should Start
Daniel Jones (QB – NYG): 80, B-, Could Start
Will Grier (QB – CAR): 80, B-, Could Start
Hunter Henry (TE – LAC): 80, B-, Should Start
Emmanuel Sanders (WR – SF): 80, B-, Should Start
Deshaun Watson (QB – HOU): 80, B-, Could Start
Drew Lock (QB – DEN): 79, B-, Could Start
Mitch Trubisky (QB – CHI): 79, B-, Could Start
Kenyan Drake (RB – ARI): 79, B-, Should Start
Adrian Peterson (RB – WAS): 79, C+, Could Start
Jacoby Brissett (QB – IND): 79, B-, Could Start
Sterling Shepard (WR – NYG): 79, C+, Could Start
Adam Thielen (WR – MIN): 78, C+, Could Start
Deebo Samuel (WR – SF): 78, C+, Could Start
Devonta Freeman (RB – ATL): 78, C+, Could Start
Golden Tate (WR – NYG): 77, C+, Could Start
Philip Rivers (QB – LAC): 77, C+, Shouldn’t Start
Phillip Lindsay (RB – DEN): 77, C+, Could Start
O.J. Howard (TE – TB): 77, C+, Could Start
T.Y. Hilton (WR – IND): 76, C+, Could Start
Raheem Mostert (RB – SF): 76, C+, Could Start
D.J. Chark (WR – JAC): 76, C+, Could Start
Mike Boone (RB – MIN): 76, C+, Could Start
John Brown (WR – BUF): 76, C+, Could Start
Ronald Jones II (RB – TB): 75, C, Could Start
Noah Fant (TE – DEN): 75, C, Could Start
Todd Gurley (RB – LAR): 75, C, Could Start
Greg Ward (WR – PHI): 75, C, Could Start
Kenny Golladay (WR – DET): 74, C, Could Start
Devante Parker (WR – MIA): 74, C, Could Start
Anthony Miller (WR – CHI): 74, C, Could Start
Breshad Perriman (WR – TB): 74, C, Could Start
Jack Doyle (TE – IND): 74, C, Could Start
DeAndre Washington (RB – OAK): 74, C, Could Start
Kyle Rudolph (TE – MIN): 74, C, Could Start
Jared Cook (TE – NO): 74, C, Could Start
Devin Singletary (RB – BUF): 73, C, Could Start
Jared Goff (QB – LAR): 73, C, Shouldn’t Start
Carlos Hyde (RB – HOU): 73, C, Could Start
Kerryon Johnson (RB – DET): 73, C, Could Start
Christian Kirk (WR – ARI): 73, C, Could Start
Latavius Murray (RB – NO): 72, C-, Could Start
Dalvin Cook (RB – MIN): 72, C-, Could Start
Jamison Crowder (WR – NYJ): 72, C-, Could Start
Russell Gage (WR – ATL): 72, C-, Could Start
D.K. Metcalf (WR – SEA): 71, C-, Could Start
Cole Beasley (WR – BUF): 71, C-, Could Start
Mohamed Sanu (WR – NE): 71, C-, Could Start
Damien Williams (RB – KC): 71, C-, Could Start
Josh Allen (QB – BUF): 71, C-, Crazy Start
David Montgomery (RB – CHI): 71, C-, Could Start
Sammy Watkins (WR – KC): 71, C-, Could Start
Dede Westbrook (WR – JAC): 71, C-, Could Start
D.J. Moore (WR – CAR): 70, C-, Could Start
Jamaal Williams (RB – GB): 70, C-, Could Start
Austin Ekeler (RB – LAC): 70, C-, Could Start
Larry Fitzgerald (WR – ARI): 70, C-, Could Start
Curtis Samuel (WR – CAR): 69, C-, Could Start
Jacob Hollister (TE – SEA): 69, C-, Could Start
Jason Witten (TE – DAL): 68, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Danny Amendola (WR – DET): 68, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Kaden Smith (TE – SF): 68, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Mike Gesicki (TE – MIA): 68, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Jonnu Smith (TE – TEN): 68, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Chris Conley (WR – JAC): 68, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Kyler Murray (QB – ARI): 68, D+, Crazy Start
Gus Edwards (RB – BAL): 67, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Cameron Brate (TE – TB): 67, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Randall Cobb (WR – DAL): 67, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Jordan Howard (RB – PHI): 67, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Darius Slayton (WR – NYG): 67, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Brandin Cooks (WR – LAR): 67, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Kareem Hunt (RB – CLE): 66, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Justin Watson (WR – TB): 66, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Kenny Stills (WR – HOU): 66, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Corey Davis (WR – TEN): 66, D+, Shouldn’t Start
JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – PIT): 66, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Zach Pascal (WR – IND): 66, D+, Shouldn’t Start
Mike Williams (WR – LAC): 65, D, Crazy Start
John Ross (WR – CIN): 64, D, Crazy Start
Royce Freeman (RB – DEN): 64, D, Shouldn’t Start
Robert Griffin (QB – BAL): 64, D, Crazy Start
Mark Andrews (TE – BAL): 64, D, Crazy Start
Andy Dalton (QB – CIN): 64, D, Crazy Start
James White (RB – NE): 63, D, Shouldn’t Start
Allen Lazard (WR – GB): 63, D, Crazy Start
Steven Sims (WR – WAS): 63, D, Crazy Start
N’Keal Harry (WR – NE): 63, D, Crazy Start
Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT): 62, D-, Crazy Start
Justice Hill (RB – BAL): 62, D-, Crazy Start
Hunter Renfrow (WR – OAK): 62, D-, Crazy Start
Tim Patrick (WR – DEN): 61, D-, Crazy Start
Greg Olsen (TE – CAR): 60, D-, Crazy Start
Nyheim Hines (RB – IND): 60, D-, Crazy Start
Jimmy Graham (TE – GB): 60, D-, Crazy Start
Tyrell Williams (WR – OAK): 60, D-, Crazy Start
Patrick Laird (RB – MIA): 60, D-, Crazy Start
Peyton Barber (RB – TB): 60, D-, Crazy Start
David Blough (QB – DET): 60, D-, Crazy Start
Tevin Coleman (RB – SF): 59, D-, Crazy Start
Jaylen Samuels (RB – PIT): 59, D-, Crazy Start
Josh Jacobs (RB – OAK): 59, F, Crazy Start
Albert Wilson (WR – MIA): 59, F, Crazy Start
Marquise Brown (WR – BAL): 59, F, Crazy Start
Tarik Cohen (RB – CHI): 59, F, Crazy Start
Benny Snell Jr. (RB – PIT): 59, F, Crazy Start
James Washington (WR – PIT): 58, F, Crazy Start
Rex Burkhead (RB – NE): 58, F, Crazy Start
Robby Anderson (WR – NYJ): 58, F, Crazy Start
Boston Scott (RB – PHI): 57, F, Crazy Start
Jordan Wilkins (RB – IND): 57, F, Crazy Start
Kelvin Harmon (WR – WAS): 57, F, Crazy Start
Darren Fells (TE – HOU): 57, F, Crazy Start
Tyler Eifert (TE – CIN): 57, F, Crazy Start
Alex Erickson (WR – CIN): 57, F, Crazy Start
Dion Lewis (RB – TEN): 56, F, Crazy Start
Matt Breida (RB – SF): 56, F, Crazy Start
Travis Homer (RB – SEA): 56, F, Crazy Start
Demaryius Thomas (WR – NYJ): 56, F, Crazy Start
Duke Johnson (RB – HOU): 55, F, Crazy Start
Jalen Richard (RB – OAK): 55, F, Crazy Start
Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB – MIA): 55, F, Crazy Start
Hayden Hurst (TE – BAL): 55, F, Crazy Start
Devlin Hodges (QB – PIT): 54, F, Crazy Start
Case Keenum (QB – WAS): 53, F, Crazy Start
Chris Thompson (RB – WAS): 53, F, Crazy Start
Marshawn Lynch (RB – SEA): 53, F, Crazy Start
Derek Carr (QB – OAK): 52, F, Crazy Start
Sam Darnold (QB – NYJ): 47, F, Crazy Start

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NFL Latavius Murray Tom Brady Josh Allen Jameis Winston Chris Godwin Mike Evans Sony Michel Kerryon Johnson Kareem Hunt Golden Tate Greg Ward Carson Wentz Gardner Minshew Deshaun Watson Dallas Goedert Noah Fant Jared Cook Michael Thomas George Kittle Julio Jones Travis Kelce Davante Adams Dak Prescott Ezekiel Elliott Aaron Rodgers DeAndre Hopkins Austin Hooper Patrick Mahomes Julian Edelman Drew Brees Christian McCaffrey Alvin Kamara Tyreek Hill Saquon Barkley Matt Ryan Ryan Tannehill Tyler Higbee Leonard Fournette Allen Robinson Amari Cooper Jimmy Garoppolo Derrick Henry Nick Chubb Darren Waller Marlon Mack Courtland Sutton Joe Mixon Cooper Kupp Robert Woods Le’Veon Bell Aaron Jones A.J. Brown Keenan Allen Miles Sanders Jarvis Landry Stefon Diggs Odell Beckham Jr. Melvin Gordon Russell Wilson Baker Mayfield Kirk Cousins Tyler Lockett Tyler Boyd Michael Gallup Daniel Jones Will Grier Hunter Henry Emmanuel Sanders Drew Lock Mitch Trubisky Kenyan Drake Adrian Peterson Jacoby Brissett Sterling Shepard Adam Thielen Deebo Samuel Devonta Freeman Philip Rivers Phillip Lindsay O.J. Howard T.Y. Hilton Raheem Mostert D.J. Chark Mike Boone John Brown Ronald Jones II Todd Gurley Kenny Golladay Devante Parker Anthony Miller Breshad Perriman Jack Doyle DeAndre Washington Kyle Rudolph Devin Singletary Jared Goff Carlos Hyde Christian Kirk Dalvin Cook Jamison Crowder Russell Gage D.K. Metcalf Cole Beasley Mohamed Sanu Damien Williams David Montgomery Sammy Watkins Dede Westbrook D.J. Moore Jamaal Williams Austin Ekeler Larry Fitzgerald Curtis Samuel Jacob Hollister Jason Witten Danny Amendola Kaden Smith Mike Gesicki Jonnu Smith Chris Conley Kyler Murray Gus Edwards Cameron Brate Randall Cobb Jordan Howard Darius Slayton Brandin Cooks Justin Watson Kenny Stills Corey Davis JuJu Smith-Schuster Zach Pascal Mike Williams John Ross Royce Freeman Robert Griffin Mark Andrews Andy Dalton James White Allen Lazard Steven Sims N’Keal Harry Diontae Johnson Justice Hill Hunter Renfrow Tim Patrick Greg Olsen Nyheim Hines Jimmy Graham Tyrell Williams Patrick Laird Peyton Barber David Blough Tevin Coleman Jaylen Samuels Josh Jacobs Albert Wilson Marquise Brown Tarik Cohen Benny Snell Jr. James Washington Rex Burkhead Robby Anderson Boston Scott Jordan Wilkins Kelvin Harmon Darren Fells Tyler Eifert Alex Erickson Dion Lewis Matt Breida Travis Homer Demaryius Thomas Duke Johnson Jalen Richard Ryan Fitzpatrick Hayden Hurst Devlin Hodges Case Keenum Chris Thompson Marshawn Lynch Derek Carr Sam Darnold