Kyler Murray or Jared Goff: Who should I start in Fantasy Football Week 17?

Kyler Murray and Jared Goff are in as differing situations in 2023 as they were in 2021.

Back then, the former had just finished returning the Arizona Cardinals to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, when they won the NFC West and made a run to the NFC Championship Game. Meanwhile, the latter was in a transition with the Detroit Lions, wherein they continued being the NFC North's punching bag.

But since then, their trajectories have changed. Murray and the Cardinals have collapsed into being one of the worst teams in professional football, while Goff and the Lions have steadily ascended to win their first divisional title since the days of Barry Sanders.

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Is Kyler Murray a good fantasy pick in Week 17?

Kyler Murray scrambling v Chicago Bears

As he deals with an illness that ruled him out of Wednesday's practice, Kyler Murray sits at QB #11 with 17.3 points.

It is no secret that, amidst another double-digit loss season and playoff absence, he has been hearing rumors of rookie head coach/general manager tandem Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort ditching him for one of Caleb Williams and Drake Maye come Draft time.

His ACL injury has done him no favors in that regard. During Murray's absence, the Cardinals were the most pitiful team in the NFL, going 1-8 as Joshua Dobbs, then Clayton Tune struggled to keep the team afloat. They won with him back in the lineup, but it ultimately became too little, too late.

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Is Jared Goff a good fantasy pick in Week 17?

Jared Goff looking for a pass v Minnesota Vikings

Meanwhile, Jared Goff, who sits at QB #13 with 16.1 points is peaking at the right time.

When the former Super Bowl finalist first arrived in Detroit via trade from the Los Angeles Rams, it was part of a massive transition. There was a new head in Dan Campbell, and initially, it was rough, with the Lions winning only three games.

The struggles looked to continue seven games into 2022, but then they won eight of 10, a prelude to the turnaround they are currently having. And Goff has been at the forefront of it, throwing for almost 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns.

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Whom should I pick between Kyler Murray and Jared Goff?

Kyler Murray-Jared Goff fantasy stats

Despite the disparity in rankings, the Start/Sit Optimizer makes it clear: the man who is in the playoffs is a better investment, as most of the stats show above.

Jared Goff has become a revelation ever since changing teams, leading his franchise to success that has not been achieved since the previous millennium. Kyler Murray, meanwhile, could be joining Russell Wilson on the unemployment line when March rolls around.