Fantasy Football 2024: One player I’m fading vs. starting in Week 17 for each position

It's Thursday and we've already had two NFL games this week thanks to the Christmas Day slate, where we were treated to a pair of blowouts, including whatever that was in Houston.

I mean, seriously? The Texans scored two points on a safety, which only happened because of a weird series of events where Tommy Townsend hit a really good punt, a penalty on Houston forced him to punt again and then Townsend managed an even better punt that pinned the Ravens at the two. So in a sense, Houston's best offensive play was a punt that only happened because Kris Boyd ran out of bounds on the first punt attempt.

Let's put the past behind us though and move forward. We have a loaded week of games still, with the Seahawks and Bears on Thursday, three games on Saturday, the usual Sunday slate and then Monday's Lions and Niners game to close things out.

There's a lot on the line, especially for fantasy football managers, as the majority of leagues are in their championship week right now.

Here is one player to fade and one player to start at each position in fantasy football for Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season.

Week 17 quarterbacks to fade and start

Fade: Geno Smith - Seattle Seahawks

Last week, Geno Smith had a bounceback week against the Vikings. After finishing QB19 or worse in five consecutive games, Smith threw 43 pass attempts and finished as a top five fantasy quarterback in the Week 16 matchup.

Don't expect a sequel this week against the Bears, though.

Chicago allows the third-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, fueled by the team allowing just 17 touchdown passes. Smith has finished with one or fewer passing touchdowns in all but three games this year.

Start: Bryce Young - Carolina Panthers

Somehow, we've reached a world where Bryce Young, the guy who was benched for Andy Dalton earlier this season, is in a position to lead you to a fantasy football championship this week.

But since taking back over after Dalton was in a car accident, Young has looked like a much different quarterback, arguably playing like the best quarterback from last year's draft. He's coming off a game where he finished as the overall QB2, throwing for 158 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 68 yards and another score.

Young has a rushing touchdown in three of the past four games and this week faces the Buccaneers, who have allowed the third-most rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks, including one to Young back in Week 13.

Week 17 running backs to fade and start

Fade: Rico Dowdle - Dallas Cowboys

Rico Dowdle has been a bright spot lately for the Cowboys, rushing for over 100 yards in three of the past four games. But Dowdle hit a wall last week against the Buccaneers as he was held to just 23 yards.

Now, he faces another tough matchup this week as the team takes on the Philadelphia Eagles, who have allowed just five total touchdowns to running backs this year. Dowdle's 53 yards in the last meeting of these teams is his third-lowest rushing total since the bye week.

Start: Breece Hall - New York Jets

The last time Breece Hall took on the Bills, he carried the ball 18 times for 113 yards and caught five passes for 56 yards, finishing as the overall RB9 for the week.

Consistency has been an issue for Hall this season, with the third-year pro averaging a career-low 4.1 yards per attempt. Still, he's capable of some explosive games and has already proven he can make big things happen against Buffalo.

Week 17 wide receivers to fade and start

Fade: Khalil Shakir - Buffalo Bills

Khalil Shakir has had his moments like when he had five catches for 106 yards and a score against the Rams, but he also has finished with under 40 yards in three of the past four games.

Last week against the Patriots, Shakir caught two passes for 22 yards, his second-lowest amount of the season.

His matchup this week? The Jets, who held him to his lowest total of the year when the teams last met, as he caught two passes for 19 yards in that one.

Start: Jauan Jennings - San Francisco 49ers

Since the bye week, Jauan Jennings has been the No. 1 receiver for the 49ers while Deebo Samuel has (mostly) struggled. He has at least 40 receiving yards in six of the last seven games and in the one game where he missed that mark, he still had nine targets. The opportunities were there.

This week, Jennings takes on the Lions, who allow the seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers and enter this game with a number of injuries weakening the team. Jennings is a strong WR2 option this weekend.

Week 17 tight ends to fade and start

Fade: Brenton Strange - Jacksonville Jaguars

Two weeks ago, Brenton Strange looked like he could be a late-season league winner. With Evan Engram done for the year, the Jags needed someone to step up at tight end and Strange did, catching 11 of his 12 targets for 73 yards.

But he came crashing back to earth against the Raiders last week. Despite a very enticing matchup, Strange caught just two passes for 22 yards and also lost a fumble, finishing the week outside the top 50 at the position.

This week, Strange has a tough matchup against the Titans, who've given up the sixth-fewest receiving yards to opposing tight ends. Don't expect a bounce-back week for Strange.

Start: Chig Okonkwo - Tennessee Titans

The Chig Okonkwo breakout never happened, but the Titans tight end is starting to figure things out, with two top-five fantasy finishes over the past five games.

Last week against the Colts, Okonkwo was targeted 11 times, marking two consecutive games that he's had double-digit targets. He caught nine of those for 81 yards, finishing as the TE4 for the week.

This week, the Titans face the Jaguars, who held Okonkwo in check when the teams met in Week 14. Despite that, the recent uptick in targets and the fact that the Jags allow the eighth-most fantasy points to the tight end position makes Okonkwo a strong play.