Fantasy Football Week 17 Start/Sit Advice: 18 Sleepers & Duds (2025)

Hunter Henry (TE – NE)

“I like Hunter Henry as a solid tight end option this week. He faces a softer New York Jets defense this week and has been a really good player all year, outside of Week 15 when he faced the Buffalo Bills, who have locked down virtually every tight end they’ve faced. In five games since Week 10, Henry has finished as TE14 or better four times, showing his solid floor for this week.”
– Trevor Land (FlurrySports)

Darren Waller (TE – LV)

“Championship week is not a time to get cute or try to be brave. It is a time to go with the guys who brought you there….that is, unless you were streaming tight ends. At this point, owners need to look at players who might get targets and get into the endzone. Darren Waller is a player who can do both for the struggling Miami Dolphins. He has five targets with three receptions for 40 yards in week 16. Those are decent numbers in a barren tight end wasteland. Miami isn’t an offensive juggernaut, but a tight end is always a player a young quarterback like Quinn Ewers can depend on.”
– Adam Dove (The Fantasy Couriers)

“The hot-and-cold return season for Dolphins tight end Darren Waller has been impossible to rely on. Fortunately for those with the 33-year-old as an available option, Week 17 presents a unique opportunity. Miami is hosting Tampa Bay, and the Buccaneers have been acting like a sieve for opposing tight ends. Over their last five games, they’ve allowed Colby Parkinson (14.1 PPR pts), Trey McBride (22.2), and Kyle Pitts (45.6) to score double-digits. Even Carolina’s Ja’Tavion Sanders managed 8.9 points last week. I’ll take my chances with Waller here.”
– Matt De Lima (Athlon Sports)

Taysom Hill (TE – NO)

“If you need a Sleeper this week, that is not a good sign. But, if you are that desperate, use your Hail Mary on the Saints’ Taysom Hill. We saw the Saints deploy Hill as a triple threat in a plus matchup last week, and he was heavily involved despite only playing 44% of snaps. Hill ran for 42 yards on 12 attempts, caught 4 of 6 targets for 36 yards, and threw a 38-yard touchdown. This week, he gets the Titans. New Orleans is down to their top three running backs, and Hill saw a season high of 44% of snaps. If you are looking for a Christmas Miracle, look at the guy who has the chances to score as a passer, runner, thrower, or even possibly as a return man.”
– David Heilman (Dynasty Trade Calculator)

“Taysom Hill is not universally beloved among fantasy gamers, but I think he’s a viable TE option this week. The Saints have lost Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, and Devin Neal to injuries. There’s a chance Kamara comes back before the end of the regular season, but there’s little point to rushing him back. Rather than turn the rushing duties over to young journeymen Audric Estime and Evan Hull last week, the Saints just gave Taysom Hill the most work he’s had all season. Hill had 12 carries for 42 yards, four catches for 36 yards, and one completed pass for a 38-yard touchdown Sunday against the Jets. Hill could be busy again this week in a friendly matchup against the Titans.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

“Taysom Hill always finds a way to pop up every single year, it feels like, and here we are again this week with him. Hill is going up against the Tennessee Titans this week, who field one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Plus, believe it or not, Tyler Shough is leading multiple weapons to fantasy success in that New Orleans passing attack right now, surprisingly enough. It sounds weird to say, but if you need a TE streamer this week, I’d take a good, strong look at Taysom Hill, because he can pass, run, and catch. Many outs for a successful fantasy day.”
– Aidan Weingartner (Fantasy In Frames)

“After teasing Taysom Hill throughout the season, HC Kellen Moore finally committed to the QB/TE/RB in a plus matchup versus the Jets in Week 16. It was a career day for Hill, who played 34 offensive snaps (44%). He carried the ball 12 times (11 designed attempts) for 42 yards (long of 8) and lost a fumble. He caught 4 passes for 36 yards (six targets). And he also threw a 38-yard passing TD. He also caught another TD – but it was overturned on a holding penalty. He ended with 113 total yards (including a converted fake punt attempt for a first down). If his usage sticks in Week 17 – hard to imagine as many TEs with this time of weekly upside in their range of outcomes. Great matchup versus a beatable Titans’ defense in Week 17.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

Kyle Williams (WR – NE)

“First things first, if you have made it to championship week, congratulations on making it this far. If you need a sleeper play this week, maybe look no further than Kyle Williams. While the floor is next to zero, Williams and the Pats take on a Jets team that was destroyed through the air last week by the Saints. Williams is coming off a score last week versus Baltimore, and could see more action this week if both DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte are limited in any way or out entirely. A preseason darling could turn into a potential league winner this week.”
– Ed Birdsall (Talking Points Sports)

Woody Marks (RB – HOU)

“When I look at players outside the top 100 in flex rankings, one running back stands out as a potential league-winner for championship week: Woody Marks. He’s dealing with an ankle injury, but he was able to log a limited practice last week before ultimately sitting out against the Raiders. That suggests he was close to playing, and the extra time off heading into Week 17 should have him ready to go. With the Texans still fighting for their playoff lives, this feels like a spot where they lean on their run game in December. While Jawhar Jordan has looked strong recently, those performances came against Arizona and Las Vegas—both top-10 defenses in fantasy points allowed to running backs. The Chargers present a tougher matchup, but Marks has already proven he can deliver in difficult spots, finishing as RB10 against Jacksonville and RB14 versus Kansas City. Don’t overthink this one—if Marks plays, fire him up and let the confetti fall.”
– Kyle Zeigler (Fantasy In Frames)

Colby Parkinson (TE – LAR)

“The player outside of the top 100 in the FantasyPros flex rankings who is a good sleeper start in the fantasy championships is Colby Parkinson. Many a fantasy manager jumped on the Parkinson bandwagon in Week 16, only to be disappointed with his 2.1 fantasy points production. Many will drop him this week, leaving you with an opportunity to pick him up and start in Week 17. If you analyze Parkinson’s five games to where he’s finished as a top 10 tight end, they all have one thing in common. They were all indoors or in warm-weather games. He plays this week indoors in Atlanta, versus last week in cold Seattle. I see a bounce-back week in store for Parkinson.”
– Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Football Empire)

Raheim Sanders (RB – CLE)

“Raheim Sanders is your ultimate “last man standing” and your championship week waiver wire hero! With Quinshon Judkins out for the year and Dylan Sampson still banged up, Sanders is walking into a massive workload with a Browns offense that likes to run the ball. If you need a high-volume sleeper to steal a championship, Sanders is the volume-heavy lottery ticket sitting right on your waiver wire.”
– Luke Renton (The Franchise Tag UK)

Oronde Gadsden (TE – LAC)

“Oronde Gadsden seemingly disappeared from the Chargers’ offense like Homer into the hedge since the Week 12 bye. Some of the cause was from a matchup downside, and other times we mistook him as a filler for Quentin Johnston during his injury weeks. Filling for Johnston? A deep shot playmaker? We overestimated Gadsden’s versatility a bit too much. However, this week is a good matchup versus the Texans, and tight end is about the only hole this tough defense is vulnerable.”
– Richard Savill (Fantasy Six Pack)

Emari Demercado (RB – ARI)

“I hope you’re having a Happy Holiday out here because if you’re looking for a post-100-ranked player to start in your Fantasy finals, you may be one of those guys that gets coal in their stocking. The pickings are slim. Emari Demercado is an intriguing stocking stuffer, however. In three of what I would say are seven actual starts in 2025, Demercado produced like a low-end, RB2 starting running back. He’s run for 79, 81, and 64 yards in those three starts, and for a post-100-ranked Week 17 player, that’s not too bad. Against Demercado, he hasn’t been consistently productive or healthy, and he has competition for snaps, targets, and touches from Michael Carter. In Demercado’s favor, he has shown flashes of Rb2 potential, athleticism, and explosiveness, and he faces the Cincinnati Bengals, who rank dead last in points allowed to running backs. If I’m Zona, I’m seeing what I have in this guy in a meaningless game where the Bengals absolutely could be a no-show, and even when they do show, they’re awful. That sounds like a sleeper with upside to me.”
– Chris Mitchell (FantasyData)