Week 17 RB Start/Sit Decisions: Should You Start Zamir White over Jahmyr Gibbs, Alvin Kamara, Joe Mixon, Saquon Barkley and Others?
Discussing Zamir White as a possible week 17 starting option and comparing him to several other running backs.
The FantasySP start/sit tool is always full of intriguing decisions every week. With week 17 - the championship round of most fantasy football leagues - closing in, it’s time to dive into some of the biggest decisions and help you make a choice.
For this article, we’ll tackle the most popular player in the start/sit tool this week, Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White.
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White’s Week 17 Fantasy Outlook
White had served a pretty minor role all season up until a couple weeks ago, when workhorse Josh Jacobs went down with an injury. White has been a fantasy stud in his couple of starts and looks to be in line for another start in week 17.
Jacobs is listed as doubtful on the injury report, and he’s trending toward not playing after not practicing at all this week. If Jacobs were to suit up, White’s fantasy value would tank, and I’d try to stay away from him in standard leagues - he’d still be a decent starting option in deeper leagues.
In week 15, White got 20 touches in the team’s rout of the Los Angeles Chargers. He turned those touches into 85 yards and a touchdown.
White was even better in week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs, turning 22 touches into 145 yards. All of that production came in the running game.
The Raiders will be battling the Indianapolis Colts in week 17. It’s a very favorable matchup for White, as Indy’s defense allows opposing running backs to average 27 fantasy points per week. White barely surrendered any touches to teammates last week, so White could be in for a big fantasy day because of a big workload alone.
The Raiders’ back is ranked 23rd in the week 17 projections.
Other Backs to Consider
White is part of trending decisions with Detroit Lions’ David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry, New Orleans Saints’ Alvin Kamara, Minnesota Vikings’ Ty Chandler, New England Patriots’ Ezekiel Elliott, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Travis Etienne, Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Mixon, New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley and Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Jones.
Every single one of those backs is the preferred starter over White, although some of those numbers could change if Jacobs is ruled out.
In the weekly projections, Gibbs is the highest ranked at No. 4, while Elliott is the lowest at 32nd.
Usually at this point of the season, I’m all about trusting the guys that got me to this point, but it’s hard to ignore White’s favorable matchup and great fantasy outlook.
Etienne has struggled of late, but will get plenty of work this week with quarterback Trevor Lawrence out. He’s also got a favorable matchup against the Carolina Panthers, so I’d take Etienne first of this group.
If Jacobs is eventually ruled out, I’d take White here. He should be heavily involved and has a fantastic matchup. He’s shown enough over the past couple weeks to trust him in your biggest matchup of the season.
After those two, things get a lot tougher for me. There’s guys that are not workhorse backs, while others have matchups I simply don’t like.
I’d take my chances with Kamara next, and hope that he can deliver as a pass catcher if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers slow him in the running game. I like Kamara over the others left because of his workload.
Gibbs and Barkley are close in my book, but I’d take Gibbs because I know he will be pretty involved in the Lions’ clash with the Dallas Cowboys. Barkley’s fantasy outlook gets clouded because the Giants struggle to stay in games, and then the team passes a lot more to try to keep up.
Give me Henry in his matchup against the Houston Texans next. He loses some touches with Tyjae Spears, but still will get plenty of work and possibly a score or two.
I’d take Elliott in his clash with the Buffalo Bills here. He’s the clear workhorse back right now, and I see another strong outing from the veteran back this week.
Next, I’d go with Jones against the Vikings. I’d like to take him higher, but I think AJ Dillon will steal several touches, and possibly a score away. Mixon is in a similar boat - I’d like him a lot more against the Kansas City Chiefs if Chase Brown wasn’t around to potentially steal touches.
I’d then take Chandler against the Packers. He’s another guy that would go a lot higher in this discussion if it wasn’t for Alexander Mattison being around - Mattison has no injury designation, and I think he takes a good portion of work away from Chandler.
That leaves Montgomery in his matchup against the Cowboys. I think he’s going to get plenty of work in the running game, and if he can find the end zone, he’s got the chance to score better than several of the guys I took ahead of him.
On a similar note, there’s not a running back in this discussion that I wouldn’t want in my starting lineup. I’d try to get all of them into a starting role for this week.
Best of luck in week 17!
