Week 17 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Matchups to Exploit and Avoid in Season Finales

For those still alive in fantasy football leagues, Week 17 offers a bigger minefield to navigate than usual. 

Other than dealing with the usual factors, such as matchups, injuries and the like, owners also have to worry about a contender shrugging off a meaningless game and not playing starters for all four frames.

Even worse, teams could outright not play starters at all.

So it goes for those late-ending leagues, with rumblings of starters not playing harder to nail down than official injury reports. As such, let’s take a look at matchup comparisons at each spot, though owners will want to keep hitting refresh on sits right up until kickoff Sunday.

    

Quarterback

Matchup to Exploit: Aaron Rodgers, GB (at DET)

With many big names perhaps taking a seat for periods in Week 17, owners have to find quarterbacks with something to play for.

Hence Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers here. The man has 21 or more points 10 times this year and enters Week 17 seeking a playoff berth, coming off a 36-point outburst.

His next opponents are the Detroit Lions, who are allowing the fifth-most points to quarterbacks this year, with six passing scores allowed over their last three outings.

Rodgers hit up the Lions for 26 points on four touchdown passes back in Week 3, so the rematch figures to be just as lucrative.

      

Matchup to Avoid: Kirk Cousins, WAS (vs. NYG)

Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins also has something to play for to close the season, but he’s in a no-fly zone against the New York Giants. 

Cousins posted 19 points on these Giants back in Week 3. But that is looking more and more like an anomaly, seeing as that is the biggest output New York has allowed all year to quarterbacks and the fact it hasn’t happened again.

As such, the Giants allow the second-fewest points to quarterbacks this year and have allowed multiple passing scores in a game just three times.

With everything at stake after a grueling season, leaning on Cousins to pull off another miracle seems too risky.

     

Running Back

Matchup to Exploit: Thomas Rawls, SEA (at SF)

The Seattle Seahawks could have running back Tomas Rawls use a game against the San Francisco 49ers as a warmup for the postseason.

Rawls has been erratic at best since taking the field in Week 11. He has a …

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