Quentin Johnston or Rashid Shaheed: Who should I start in Week 17 Fantasy Football?

Quentin Johnston and Rashid Shaheed have more fantasy football upside in Week 17 than they usually do in most other weeks. Their individual situations suggest a potential increase in overall production this week, making them Flex options for many fantasy lineups.

Johnston is expected to serve as the Los Angeles Chargers' WR1 this week as they continue to deal with many injuries to their wide receivers. Shaheed is likely to continue being the WR2 for the New Orleans Saints, but a favorable Week 17 matchup gives him a brighter outlook than usual.

With the 2023 fantasy football playoffs already underway, and the championship round taking place in many leagues this week, managers must make sure they have their best options in their starting lineups. The following breakdown can help determine whether Johnston or Shaheed is more favorable in Week 17.

Is Quentin Johnston a good fantasy pick in Week 17?

Quentin Johnston

The Los Angeles Chargers' ongoing injury troubles with their wide receivers this year continues to get worse. They already lost Mike Williams to a season-ending injury earlier in the year, but will now be without Keenan Allen and Josh Palmer in Week 17. This means that Quentin Johnston will be elevated to the WR1 position.

The rookie wide receiver has flashed some fantasy football upside this year in his limited role, exceeding three receptions and 50 yards in four of his past nine games and has scored two touchdowns along the way. The Chargers offense is loaded with workload competition, especially in their passing game, which can partially explain why Johnston has been used sparingly during his rookie season.

His first opportunity to be a featured target will come in Week 17 against the Denver Broncos. While he has a good chance of setting career-highs in the volume categories, he may find it difficult to be prdouctive against the Broncos' solid passing defense. They are currently allowing the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game to the position.

Is Rashid Shaheed a good fantasy pick in Week 17?

Rashid Shaheed

The New Orleans Saints seem to have found themselves a legitimate deep threat in Rashid Shaheed. Despite recording just 41 receptions this season, six of them have exceeded 40 yards with four of them resulting in touchdowns. This excellent efficiency makes him a decent fantasy football option in most weeks, but he will see an additional boost in Week 17.

Shaheed will serve as the WR2 again as Michael Thomas has yet to return from another injury. Despite his limited opportunities this season, Shaheed has still managed to finish inside of the top 15 weekly wide receivers in PPR leagues four times. He has an opportunity to do so again this week against a struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers passing defense.

The Buccaneers are currently allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers and have been consistently burned by the deep ball all season long. This plays directly into Shaheed's strengths as most of his value comes from big plays. He is a sneaky-good flex option in Week 17 fantasy football lineups, though he will carry a risky floor as well, as he always does.

Quentin Johnston vs. Rashid Shaheed: Who should I start in Week 17 fantasy football?

Shaheed vs Johnston

According to the Start/Sit Optimizer, Rashid Shaheed makes for a better wide receiver option than Quentin Johnston in Week 17 fantasy football lineups. This valuable tool weighs every possible variable for any player in a given week to generate fantasy projections and lineup suggestions. In this particular scenario, it favors Shaheed for a higher output.

While Johnston's expected volume may give him a safer floor this week, Shaheed's proven efficiency and more favorable matchup are among the reasons why he is the preferred lineup option. This is demonstrated by the Optimizer's projections with Johnston likely catching more passes, but Shaheed turning his into more yards and a higher chance at scoring a touchdown.