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Fantasy football advice, Week 17: Who to start/sit for Bengals vs. Steelers on Sunday night

The last game of the regular season will have a big impact on the AFC playoffs.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Both the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers have locked up spots in the AFC playoffs. The winner of the game on Sunday between the two will win the AFC North, while the loser will take the No. 5 seed and travel to Indianapolis next week. On top of that, if the Bengals win and the Denver Broncos lose Sunday, the Bengals would take the AFC's No. 2 seed and earn a first-round bye.

The Bengals' only real injury concern, at least from a fantasy perspective, is wide receiver A.J. Green, who injured his biceps in Week 16. Green, though, is expected to be fine for Sunday. For the Steelers, meanwhile, there aren't any real injury issues, at least as far as fantasy is concerned.

The 2014 regular season will finish up with this game, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh. Let’s take a look at the fantasy options:

BENGALS

Start 'em: At this point, Jeremy Hill has worked his way into the top 10 among running backs. ... A.J. Green's injury problems are concerning, but if you have him, you pretty much have to use him.

Start 'em?: Hill's rise has really hurt Giovani Bernard, who is a dicey flex play. ... The Bengals' defense has gotten better of late. Pittsburgh's offense is intimidating, but there's some potential there.

Sit 'em: For every one good Andy Dalton game, it seems like there are three or four mediocre ones or worse. Stay away. ... Even with Green hurt last week, Mohamed Sanu didn't do anything; he's not an option. ... Jermaine Gresham has improved as the season has gone on, but he's still not a strong fantasy option. ... Mike Nugent has back-to-back 14-point fantasy games, but he struggled a lot before that.

STEELERS

Start 'em: There's nothing left to say about Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Have fun there.

Start 'em?: There are plenty of reasons to like Ben Roethlisberger, but the flip side is that he has 14 or fewer fantasy points in four of his last six games. He's not without risk. ... Heath Miller has at least six fantasy points in five straight games. That's good enough production to make him a high-end TE2 at worst. ... Shaun Suisham hasn't had a lot of huge games, but he hasn't bottomed out either. He's a fine starter.

Sit 'em: Neither Markus Wheaton nor Martavis Bryant has done much of late. Look elsewhere. ... The Steelers' defense isn't any great shakes, and against a going-all-out Bengals team, I'd move on.

SUMMARY

Start in every league: Jeremy Hill, A.J. Green, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown
Start if you’re desperate: Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati defense, Ben Roethlisberger, Heath Miller, Shaun Suisham
Bench: Andy Dalton, Mohamed Sanu, Jermaine Gresham, Mike Nugent, Markus Wheaton, Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh defense

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