Fantasy Football Week 17 Start 'Em Sit 'Em WRs: Nico Collins, Davante Adams, Drake London and more

Fantasy managers don't (or at least shouldn't) need help with the obvious choices at receiver each week. Barring the first sign of an apocalypse, players such as Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb should be in starting lineups every week.

Decisions get a bit tougher after that, and that is where I hope to help by providing a reason or two why we can trust certain WR3 or WR4 types that usually end up deciding fantasy matchups. Below are a few receivers who could post fantasy week-winning performances and a few other wideouts who are typically considered good starts that could disappoint:

Fantasy Football Week 17 Start'Em WRs

1] Nico Collins, Texans (vs. TEN)

Collins returned from a one-game absence last week to score 13.8 PPR fantasy points despite facing the vaunted Cleveland Browns defense with two backup quarterbacks (Case Keenum and Davis Mills) while playing less than half of the team's offensive snaps. This week, the path to fantasy stardom is much easier. C.J. Stroud (concussion) will return from a two-game absence against a Titans defense that is allowing a league-high 134.9 yards per game to perimeter receivers.

Not only is Stroud a huge upgrade, but Tank Dell's season-ending knee injury and Noah Brown's lingering knee injury also should lock Collins into a high target share against a pass defense that has yielded eight 20-point fantasy efforts and 15 performances of at least 15 fantasy points to receivers. Collins has also been amazing at NRG Stadium this season. He has scored all seven of his touchdowns this season in eight games at home, where he is averaging six catches for 103 yards.

Drake London vs Nico Collins fantasy projection for Week 17

Our Start/Sit Optimizer projects a decent game for Collins with an expected return of 13.1 points.

2] Davante Adams, Raiders (@ IND)

Adams' play has not fallen off much - if at all - during his age-31 season. The fact he is even considered anything other than a must-start speaks largely to the inconsistent quarterback play he is getting in Las Vegas. Along with some wind issues and a tough matchup (primarily against L'Jarius Sneed), it all came to a head on Christmas Day when he managed just one catch for four yards on six targets.

While starting Adams in fantasy again will require some faith that Aidan O'Connell will complete a pass after the first quarter this week - something that did not happen last week - there is reason for optimism against the Colts. Indianapolis employs a Cover-3 zone defense at a league-high rate (50.3 percent) and Adams has posted a ridiculously high 36 percent target share when facing that specific defense in 2023 (23.3 percent target share against all other zone defenses). The Colts also have no corner in Sneed's class to follow Adams.

Other potential strong start(s):

Demarcus Robinson, Rams (Fantasy managers cannot expect Robinson's four-game touchdown streak to continue much longer, but there is little question he has become a trusted third option for Matthew Stafford in what is one of the best passing attacks in the game right now. It also helps matters that the Giants rank as the sixth-friendliest matchup for receivers on the season. New York has not faced a passing attack this potent since CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup combined for 86.8 PPR fantasy points in Week 10.)

Fantasy Football Week 17 Sit'Em WRs

Several factors are working against London this week, as has been the case for most of the season. In the two games he has played with Taylornicke as the starter, London has drawn just four targets both times. The second-year receiver has not scored a touchdown since Week 4. Atlanta has also struggled mightily on offense in general in its last two road games, scoring a measly 20 points while going 1-1 against the Jets and Panthers.

It gets worse. Bears CB Jaylon Johnson is playing as well as any cornerback in the league this season and has only allowed more than 23 receiving yards in his coverage once in 2023 - back in Week 2. There is a strong chance he will follow London more often than not this weekend. Chicago has permitted only one receiver to top 13.4 PPR fantasy points over the last four contests (Amari Cooper). Even most of Atlanta's offensive line starters are on the injury report, which could be disastrous against a Bears defense that has rushed the passer at a high level for the better part of the last two months.

Nico Collins vs Drake London fantasy projection - Detailed breakdown

2] Diontae Johnson, Steelers (@ SEA)

Touchdowns saved relatively meager performances by Johnson - a statement that would have been unthinkable to say during last year's scoreless campaign - in three straight games before the bottom fell out in Week 16. Not only did he not score during his two-catch, 15-yard effort against the Bengals, but he also saw his fewest snaps in a game (37) since returning from injury in Week 7. The low snap count appears to be by design, as he has consistently played fewer snaps under new OC Eddie Faulkner than he did for ex-OC Matt Canada.

The Seahawks are not the matchup to get him back on track either. Not only does Seattle's recent struggles against the run (163.6 yards allowed over the last five games) suit what Pittsburgh wants to do offensively right now, but Seattle's heavy use of zone coverage is also bad news for the former Pro Bowler. Johnson has been considerably more productive against man coverage than zone this season.

Other potential weak start(s):

Gabe Davis, Bills (Last week's matchup versus the Chargers was an easy plug-and-play spot for him. This week's AFC East tilt against the Patriots is unlikely to be as kind. Davis struggles against man coverage, which is what New England uses more than all but five teams. The Central Florida product managed one catch for six yards in the teams' first meeting in Week 7.)