Matthew Stafford or Geno Smith Week 17 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy football projections for QBs

Matthew Stafford and Geno Smith enter Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season with high expectations, as their respective teams remain in the race for the NFC West division.

The LA Rams (9-6) have surpassed the Seattle Seahawks (8-7) and this week's matchups could define which team clinches the NFC West title.

The Rams will face the Arizona Cardinals, who still have a shot at making it to the postseason. Meanwhile, the Seahawks will go up against the struggling Chicago Bears to try to keep up with the Los Angeles squad.

Stafford and Smith are expected to step up and try to lead their teams to a win, which could also affect their performances in fantasy football. Plenty of managers should be paying attention to these matchups to know which playmaker gets the win. When it comes to these two, only one should get the start in Week 17.

Is Matthew Stafford a good pick in Week 17?

Matthew Stafford didn't have the most spectacular performance against the New York Jets, completing 14 of 19 pass attempts for 110 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He still led his squad to a fourth consecutive win that allowed them to secure the top spot in the NFC West division.

The Cardinals are not the best team going against opposing quarterbacks and the 30 fantasy points allowed to the Carolina Panthers suggest that Stafford could go off on Saturday.

Is Geno Smith a good pick in Week 17?

Geno Smith and the Seahawks lost the lead of the division after dropping two consecutive games against NFC North squads, the Green Bay Packers (30-13) and Minnesota Vikings (27-24). This left the door open for the Rams to make their move.

Smith has thrown three touchdowns in the last three games, but also three interceptions while being sacked five times.

The Bears present a good opportunity for Smith to bounce back, as they allowed 31 points to the Lions over the weekend. The race for the division is getting hotter and it's time for Smith to stand up and make a statement.

Matthew Stafford or Geno Smith: Who should I start in Week 17?

Matthew Stafford and Geno Smith aren't expected to have impressive games numbers-wise, but there's a solid option to pick here. According to Sportskeeda's Who Should I Start? tool, Stafford is the right pick in this matchup.

Pick Stafford over Smith

Projected fantasy stats

With 15.5 projected fantasy points, the Super Bowl champion clears Smith by 3.0 points. His 249.2 projected passing yards are much more than Smith's 178.0.