- Sit Jared Goff: The Detroit Lions might not need Goff to attempt enough passes to make him a fantasy starter, although he excelled in recent weeks in losses.
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Estimated Reading Time: 25 minutes
I asked fantasy managers on the PFF Discord and Bluesky which players they are least sure about this week, and I compiled that list and ranked them against one another. If you have multiple players mentioned, you should start with the player ranked highest. At the bottom of each position, you’ll find players to start in place of the featured players and those to sit in favor of them.
If a player isn’t mentioned, that means they are very close to those with blurbs, and factors such as injuries on the opposing defenses or weather could influence the rankings. Situations involving injuries are also generally avoided because things typically don’t become clearer until closer to kickoff. As always, check the weekly PFF fantasy rankings for the most up-to-date information to help you make all start-sit decisions.
RUNNING BACKS
1. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Irving missed the middle part of the season due to injury, but he’s been back for four games. He was somewhat eased into action in the first two weeks, before seeing his role expanded in the past two weeks. He has played more than 75% of early-down snaps in that span, but he hasn’t been used as consistently in two-minute drills or as much on third downs.
The second-year back has run at least 15 times in each of his past seven games, giving him a strong floor. The main reason fantasy managers are concerned is his lack of goal-line opportunities. Sean Tucker has been on the field for 10 of 14 goal-line snaps over the past three weeks, compared to two for Irving. Luckily, those two snaps came last week, and Irving has consistently been on the field for other short-yardage situations. There is at least a chance he will see some goal-line work this week, even if it’s not all of the goal-line opportunities.
The Buccaneers play the Miami Dolphins in Week 17. Miami has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs, including the eighth-most rushing yards. Their run defense is above average on the season, but they had back-to-back weeks with sub-60.0 PFF run-defense grades.
His floor of 15 carries plus the good matchup is enough to make him a high-end RB2. His fantasy production hasn’t been that high in recent weeks, but there is a good chance he will improve this week. His efficiency should be better with the good matchup, and his volume could be higher, as the Buccaneers should have a better game script than in recent weeks
Irving could also be more involved in the passing game, where he has seen extended work in recent weeks, and his touchdown luck could be better. It would take only one or two of those things to be true to make him an RB2 at worst.
2. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
