Week 17 Preview | Fantasy Football Podcast 12-24-25

Championship week is here, and setting a clean Week 17 lineup is harder than ever. Matt Schauf and Jared Smola break down the toughest start-sit decisions of the season, navigating injuries, tough matchups, a weird holiday schedule, and playoff-clinching scenarios that could change team plans. We dig into what to do with Lamar Jackson, how to handle the Steelers backfield, whether Michael Carter is a real option, how to approach Justin Herbert after last week’s bounce-back, and the impossible Justin Jefferson conversation, plus more tough calls for Week 17.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Intro

1:19 Playoff-clinching scenarios

6:12 Start or sit Lamar Jackson

9:10 Start or sit Steelers RBs

11:48 Start or sit Michael Carter

15:06 Start or sit Justin Herbert (and other Chargers)

21:54 Start or sit Taysom Hill (and other Saints)

28:22 Start or sit Justin Jefferson (and other Vikings)

35:25 Top 5 Week 17 team defenses

EPISODE LINKS:

• Week 17 Fantasy Rankings
• Week 17 Start-Sit
• Week 17 Matchups That Matter

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