NFL Week 17 Fantasy Football IDP Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

It's finally here: fantasy football championship week. If you’ve made it this far, then you’ve no doubt been sound in your decision-making process — there’s no reason to go away from that now. The following are some important notes about IDPs who could be in play this week in the fantasy championship.

Here are some key start/sit suggestions heading into Week 17.

Click here for more PFF tools:

Rankings & Projections | WR/CB Matchup Chart | NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings
Best Bets Tool

DEFENSIVE LINE

START: EDGE RASHAN GARY, GREEN BAY PACKERS VS. MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Gary has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season, as the former first-round pick out of Michigan has stepped up in the absence of Za’Darius Smith as the best Packers' edge rusher. Gary has posted 68 total pressures on the year, which is sixth among all edge defenders this season. He has earned an 86.0 pass-rush grade and landed 8.5 sacks, showing a massive improvement from his previous two years as a part-time player, topping his career-high 65.9 pass-rush grade in 2020. 

Gary is the type of dominant edge rusher you have trusted all season and can continue to utilize in Week 17. He is coming off a two-sack game, though he had back-to-back zero sack games going into last week. We have to stay the course, as Gary ranks among the top edge rushers in all major pass-rush categories.

Rashan Gary rankings among edge rushers | 2021

SIT: EDGE FRANK CLARK, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS VS. CINCINNATI BENGALS

Clark is one player on the defensive line whose production has never been worth chasing this season. With just 3.5 sacks, Clark is on track to finish with his lowest sack total since his rookie year. He has not registered a sack in back-to-back games all season, and there isn’t a ton of hope that he’ll break that streak this week. Clark’s 69.9 pass-rush grade ranks 46th among qualifying edge rushers, and he offers little as a tackler, tied for 91st among edge defenders with 19 total tackles on the year.

This week’s matchup is against a Bengals offensive line that hasn’t been great. Joe Burrow has the second-highest pressure-to-sack conversion rate (26.0%) among starting quarterbacks this season, but we still shouldn't be trusting Clark this week. He has simply been too inefficient, coming in with a 31.2 tackling grade (113th among EDs) and 37.5% missed tackle rate (123rd) — both among the worst in the league. Clark is not a player who should be trusted in the fantasy playoffs.

START: EDGE MARCUS DAVENPORT, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS VS. CAROLINA PANTHERS

The Saints have a new DE1 on their roster. After almost a decade of Cameron Jordan being the guy, there appears to be a changing of the guard in New Orleans. Davenport has missed some time this season with injury, but when active he’s been the best pass-rusher on the team by a decent amount. Davenport has played just nine games this season, but his 81.2 pass-rush grade is 14th among edge defenders. His 21.2% win rate is tied with Nick Bosa for fifth.