The Washington Commanders will face the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, in one of three Christmas Day NFL games.
The Commanders will be without backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, leaving Josh Johnson to start with Jeff Driskel as the backup. Without Mariota, the Commanders’ offense becomes one-dimensional and easy to defend.
This is a game for bragging rights at this point, as both teams have been eliminated from the playoffs. It’s a divisional matchup, though, and both teams want the win. Anything can happen in a divisional game, and this one is no exception, which is why there are still players with value in fantasy football leagues.
If you’ve made it this far into the fantasy football season, congratulations. If you roster any of the players on either of these teams, here are some players to start and sit in Week 17.
Start: QB Dak Prescott
The Commanders allow the 2nd-most fantasy points to quarterbacks in the entire league. Prescott is a solid quarterback with decent receivers, and he’ll be facing a Commanders secondary that is missing some key pieces. Prescott is likely to feast against the Commanders on Christmas Day, making him a must-start in this game.
Sit: WR Treylon Burks
Treylon Burks has seen an increased number of targets in recent weeks, but he’s not reliable enough to have fantasy value against the Cowboys this week. If Marcus Mariota plays, he will target Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel. If Josh Johnson starts, he could target Burks, but they didn’t have a lot of success last week. Don’t expect much out of Burks in Week 17.
Start: RB Javonte Williams
Williams is currently questionable with a neck injury, and with the playoffs out of reach for the Cowboys, he might not suit up, so keep an eye on that. He did practice in a limited capacity on Tuesday, and if he suits up on Thursday, he will face a Commanders defense that ranks 28th in the league and allows the 4th-most fantasy points to running backs. He is a must-start if he is healthy enough to play.
Sit: RB Jeremy McNichols
Despite the Commanders’ current reliance on the ground game, McNichols isn’t a viable option at running back this week. Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jacory Croskey-Merritt are the top two running backs for the Commanders, and while McNichols has dual ground and air abilities, he isn’t getting the same touches as the other two backs, and he rarely finds the end zone.
Sleeper: RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt
The Cowboys actually allow more points to wide receivers than running backs, but they still allow the 6th-most points to running backs in the NFL. The only way the Commanders’ wide receivers have any fantasy value is if Marcus Mariota plays. If he doesn’t, the Commanders will rely heavily on the ground game. This means that Wild Bill and Chris Rodriguez Jr. will get plenty of touches. Croskey-Merritt has scored in each of the last two games and could have a big game if the Commanders are forced to keep the ball on the ground.