One win is all that separates some fantasy football managers and a championship. However, every fantasy matchup in Week 17 will also have a loser. And all those people will have to show for a season's worth of hard work is a runner-up finish.
Nobody wants that to happen. That's why it's crucial for fantasy managers to make the right lineup decisions one more time in the 2022 season.
The majority of fantasy leagues are holding their championship matchups this week, with a champion getting crowned by the end of Monday night's contest between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals (if not earlier).
Here's some Week 17 start/sit advice to consider heading into the most important week of the fantasy football season for managers who have navigated their way into a championship tilt.
Fantasy managers who drafted D'Andre Swift this year have mostly been disappointed by the Lions running back's lack of production. The 23-year-old was supposed to get a ton of work out of Detroit's backfield, yet he's recorded 10 or more carries in a game only twice as he's been dealing with a lingering ankle injury for much of the season.
Swift hasn't scored a touchdown over the past three weeks, and he's coming off a Week 16 performance against the Carolina Panthers in which he had only 25 yards on five touches. However, his upside will be much higher in Week 17 when the Lions host the Chicago Bears.
Not only is this a game Detroit needs to win to continue its push for a playoff spot in the NFC, but Chicago's defense is not good at stopping the run. The Bears are allowing 151.2 rushing yards per game (third-most in the league) and giving up the seventh-most fantasy points per game to running backs, per NFL.com.
With such a great matchup, Swift and Jamaal Williams should both have strong showings as the Lions' offense is likely to roll. It's been risky to rely on Swift, but he could make a big impact in fantasy lineups this week.
It's taking a bit of time for quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones to develop a connection in the Browns' offense. Of the four games started by Watson, Peoples-Jones has recorded 44 or fewer yards in three of them. The 23-year-old also has only one touchdown over that span.
Last week, Peoples-Jones was targeted five times, yet had only one catch for two yards in a loss to the New Orleans Saints. And it seems unlikely he'll have a bounce-back showing in Week 17, when Cleveland will go on the road to face the Washington Commanders.
Washington's defense has been sharper during the second half of the season, and it will have more motivation this week in a game it needs to win to try to get into the playoffs. The Browns, who are eliminated from postseason contention, may struggle to get much going offensively.
Peoples-Jones is a risky flex start this week, so it's probably better to find a player with a better matchup to fill that spot. He's been much more inconsistent than he was earlier in the season, which makes him more difficult to trust.
Over the past month, Drake London's involvement in the Falcons' offense has gone back up, part of which can likely be attributed to fellow rookie Desmond Ridder taking over at quarterback. London has been targeted at least nine times and recorded at least six catches in each of Atlanta's past three games.
London has finished with 95 or more yards twice during that stretch, including in the Falcons' Week 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, when he had seven catches for 96 yards. Now, the 21-year-old receiver is due to end his touchdown drought, which dates back to Week 11.
This week, Atlanta is hosting the Arizona Cardinals in a matchup between teams already eliminated from playoff contention. The Cardinals have lost five straight games and are allowing 240.5 passing yards per contest, the seventh-most in the NFL.
Expect London to have another solid performance, and he may finally get back into the end zone. If that happens, then he should produce a strong fantasy output.