The day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. NFL fantasy football championship week is here! Congratulations on making it this far. But, as the late, great Kobe Bryant once said, “job’s not done.” Setting your lineups for championship week can be stressful, but we’re here to make those Start 'Em/Sit 'Em decisions a little easier.

Start 'Em

QB: CJ Stroud RB: Zamir White WR: Chris Olave TE: Gerald Everett

Sit 'Em

QB: Gardner Minshew RB: Derrick Henry WR: Drake London TE: Dalton Kincaid

Here’s our Week 17 NFL Start 'Em/Sit ‘Em advice.

START

CJ Stroud, Houston Texans:

A rookie returning from injury to lead your fantasy team to a championship? And his team to a playoff berth? This is the stuff that legends are made of. CJ Stroud is on the verge of one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history, and he could be the man to bring your fantasy team to championship glory. Over the past five weeks, the Tennessee Titans have surrendered over 18 fantasy points per contest to quarterbacks, allowing nearly 300 passing yards per game in that span.

I think it was at this exact moment we all fully realized the caliber of a QB that we have in CJ Stroud pic.twitter.com/BKuCu2POl1

— Houston Xans (@HoustonXans) December 27, 2023

Start Stroud, and sit back as he wraps up the NFL Rookie of the Year award, possibly an AFC South championship and leads you to fantasy football glory. So much for the curse of Ohio State quarterbacks.

START

Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders:

In case you missed it, Zamir White has averaged 21 touches and 125 total yards as the driving force of the Raiders offense the past two weeks.

ZAMIR WHITE MIGHT HAVE JUST KILLED THE GAME WITH THIS RUNpic.twitter.com/CyMgYCQuh4

— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) December 25, 2023

White’s been phenomenal, producing 3.9 yards after contact per attempt, and forcing a missed tackle on nearly 20% of his touches. He’ll feast against a Colts defense allowing the 4th-most fantasy points to running backs, and seventh-highest missed tackles per attempt this season. With Josh Jacobs out again, start Zamir White in a great matchup for fantasy championship week.

SIT

Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts:

Minshew has been a reliable fantasy starter of late, averaging 17.5 points per game from Weeks’ 12 to 15.

However, he fell off last week, putting up just 201 yards without a touchdown, and throwing a pick against the Atlanta Falcons. Now, he takes on a Raiders defense that has allowed just 15.7 points per game to quarterbacks over the past six weeks. Looking more closely at Minshew's numbers, he ranks 29th in yards per attempt and passer rating. Keep him on the bench against an aggressive Raiders defense in championship week.

START

Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints:

Olave is a certified WR1 entering championship week. He hauled in 9-of-13 targets last week, piling up 123 receiving yards against the Rams. Now, he and the Saints passing attack get a fantastic matchup against the sieve that is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary.

Chris Olave plays football today pic.twitter.com/03SqPa5bl7

— rapha ?? (@teahot326) December 31, 2023

The second-year stud is set to explode against a Bucs secondary allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers on the year. Despite being banged up, Chris Olave is a must-start.

SIT

Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans:

Sitting one of your studs on championship week is always risky. But, Henry had one of the worst games of his career against the Texans two weeks ago, turning 20 touches into just 10 total yards. He’s an extremely volatile fantasy play against a Houston team that knows him well.

With the Texans desperate for a victory, and the Titans simply playing out their season, Henry can’t be trusted in championship week. You can bet DeMeco Ryans will have a few tricks up his sleeve to limit Henry. Moreover, the Texans defense ranks second in stuff rate over the past five weeks, so big number 23 will be entirely touchdown dependent. Sit Derrick Henry.

SIT

Drake London, Atlanta Falcons:

Miraculously, the Chicago Bears defense has been phenomenal down the stretch of the season. In fact, only two wide receivers have surpassed 80 yards against the Bears. Plus, the Bears have allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers over the past six weeks.  

London has only 5 catches for 63 yards over the past two games, and is unlikely to break through in a bad matchup in Week 17. Quarterback Taylor Heinicke is at just 6.8 yards per target on the season, and has yet to throw for more than one touchdown in a game. Drake London can be safely kept on your bench for championship week.

START

Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers:

Chargers pass-catchers are dropping like flies. With Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, and Joshua Palmer now dealing with injuries, Gerald Everett has become an integral part of the passing game. He leads the team with 20 targets from new quarterback Easton Stick on the season, and has seen 24 targets in the past three weeks.

Everett is in line for a big day against a Denver defense that has allowed a league-high 10 touchdowns to tight ends, and the second-most receiving yards to the position on the year. Likewise, the Broncos have allowed 14.63 fantasy points to the position over the past six weeks. Start Gerald Everett!

SIT

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills:

Since a mid-season explosion, Kincaid has steadily been outproduced by veteran Dawson Knox. Kincaid has averaged just 9.3 receiving yards over these past three games, and has just one catch over the past two weeks. He’ll find it hard to produce against a New England Patriots defense that has allowed the fourth-least fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. In fact, Bill Belichick's unit have limited tight ends to just 10.1 fantasy points per game. Look elsewhere for tight end production in fantasy championship week, sit Dalton Kincaid.