Fantasy Football Today: Last-Minute Week 17 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em, Actives/Inactives & Q/A!

Date: December 28, 2025
Hosts: Adam Aizer, Heath Cummings

Episode Overview

This episode is a rapid-fire, last-minute primer for Week 17 of the fantasy football season, focusing on critical injury updates, start/sit decisions, weather concerns, and live Q&A on specific player dilemmas. Hosts Adam Aizer and Heath Cummings work through the chaos of championship week, arming listeners with actionable advice to set their lineups and make those crucial, title-winning calls.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Weather Concerns & Impact on Lineups

• Buffalo & Cleveland Games: Rain and mild wind in both, but nothing to warrant staying away from fantasy options. Buffalo’s rain is the main concern, but lines haven’t moved drastically.
  • Heath: “The Buffalo one would be the one I would be most concerned about... I don't see huge movements in the lines based on weather.” (02:49)
• Other cities (New York, Cincinnati, Tennessee): Subpar conditions but shouldn't affect lineup decisions unless significant changes in the betting lines occur.

Quarterback Decisions in Bad Weather

• Jalen Hurts & Josh Allen: Despite potential weather issues, both are considered must-starts except in specific scenarios.
  • Heath: “I would not really consider sitting Josh Allen for anybody.” (03:56)
  • Exception: Could start Matthew Stafford or Joe Burrow over Allen, Hurts is QB9; Trevor Lawrence or Jacoby Brissette could be considered over Hurts. (04:03–04:15)

Injury Updates & Last-Minute Starts/Sits

Running Backs

• Travion Henderson: Cleared concussion protocol. Leaning toward starting him, even over options like Jalen Warren.
  • Heath: “I would start Travion.” (04:29)
• Dillon Sampson: Status unknown, will rank as RB25–RB30 if active. (09:45)
• Breece Hall vs. Tyrone Tracy: Tracy for more upside. (11:44)

Wide Receivers

• Michael Wilson: High confidence, top 15 WR for the week due to Arizona injuries.
  • Heath: “Right now I’m starting Michael Wilson. He’s a top 15 wide receiver for me...” (09:12)
• Marvin Harrison Jr.: Playing, but with limited snaps; seen as a boom/bust WR3.
  • Heath: “I have him right between Christian Watson and Quentin Johnston...” (09:12)
• Luther Burden vs. DJ Moore: Leaning DJ Moore, but both are viable borderline WR2/3 options.
  • Heath: “DJ Moore as a borderline wide receiver two… Burden at wide receiver 30.” (08:19)
• Devonte Adams: Doubtful.
• Drake London: Questionable but expected to play.
• Chris Olave: Questionable but should play.

Tight Ends

• George Kittle: Game-time decision. Advice is to have a contingency plan (e.g., Juwan Johnson, Jake Tonjas, Colston Loveland).
  • Heath: “There’s a little bit of risk ... Kittle says, yeah, I’m gonna go. And then he’s out there and he’s just not George Kittle.” (05:33)
  • Prefer Juwan Johnson or Loveland if available. (06:05–06:47)

Other Notable Player Notes

• Foster Morrow out: Good for Juwan Johnson’s fantasy prospects.
• Sauce Gardner (Colts): Not enough of a downgrade to move Trevor Lawrence in rankings. (10:55)
• Maxx Crosby out (Raiders): Defensive impact mentioned but minimal fantasy fallout.

Offensive Lines

• Seattle and Rams missing multiple linemen, which could hinder their running games and pass protection.
• Giants missing two offensive linemen against the Raiders.

Team Motivation & Playoff Scenarios

• Steelers: Must-win scenario due to Ravens’ win; sets up potential Week 18 showdown.
• Rams: Remote risk of resting players if Seattle and San Francisco both win, but hosts don’t anticipate players sitting.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On lineup pilfering in championships:
  Heath (06:47): “My experience has been when people start doing this on championship week, they end up losing.”
• On unpredictable inactive reports:
  Heath (10:10): “I expect more surprise inactives. Somebody’s going to get a hangnail this morning. Somebody is going to wake up and have a little itch in the back of their throat.”
• On Derrick Henry’s impact:
  Adam (12:20): “Well, what a game from Derrick Henry. Unbelievable… Derek Henry was in zero of the eight FFT Open finals lineups.” (12:58)

Q&A Highlights (Timestamps, Direct Advice)

• Breece Hall or Tyrone Tracy:
  Heath: “Tracy.” (11:44)

• Allen or Drake May:
  Heath: “Allen.” (11:50)

• Kyle Williams or Dillon Sampson:
  Heath: “If Sampson is active, I would go Sampson...” (11:50)

• Start One — Tonjas, Michael Mayer, Juwan Johnson, Colston Loveland:
  Heath: “I would just start Juwan Johnson.” (12:05)

• Tetairoa McMillan or Alec Pierce:
  Heath: “Be Ted Roll McMillan for me.” (12:11)

• Derrick Henry or Travion Henderson:
  Heath: “I think you should probably go with Derek Henry.” (12:17)

• Brissette or Trevor Lawrence:
  Heath: “This is one of the toughest questions of the week... I would go Brissette.” (13:12)

• Burrow (wind) or Stafford:
  Heath: “Stafford.” (13:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Weather Update/Quarterback Concerns: 02:41–04:15
• Running Back Injuries & Start/Sit: 04:15–04:30
• Wide Receiver Updates (Adams, London, Olave, Harrison Jr., Wilson): 08:19–09:38
• Tight End Strategy (Kittle, Johnson, Tonjas, Loveland): 05:33–06:47, 12:30
• Team Motivation & Rest Scenarios: 10:55–11:30
• Rapid-Fire Listener Start/Sit Q&A: 11:40–13:34

Final Takeaway

In true finals week fashion, Adam and Heath deliver sharp, quick-hitting analysis to help listeners juggle late-breaking news, make difficult lineup calls, and prepare for the unpredictable nature of active/inactive lists. Their tone is pragmatic, occasionally irreverent, and always focused on maximizing your chances at fantasy glory—because, as they remind us, championships are won in the details.

Remember: For more live Q&A and updates, join them on YouTube Sundays from 11am–1pm Eastern. Good luck in your matchups!