Kalif Raymond start or sit: Week 17 fantasy football advice

Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season will kick off with a Christmas triple-header today and the second matchup will feature the Detroit Lions visiting the Minnesota Vikings at 4:30 p.m. ET on Netflix.

The Lions fell to the Steelers 29-24 on Sunday and their playoff hopes are now on life support as a loss or a Packers win this week would eliminate them from postseason contention. They’ll need all hands on deck from here on out and that includes wide receiver Kalif Raymond stepping up.

Below, we’ll go over Raymond’s outlook in fantasy football for Week 17.

Fantasy Football analysis: Lions WR Kalif Raymond

Raymond made an impact for the Lions in Sunday’s loss to the Steelers, hauling in four of five targets for 62 receiving yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown that brought them within one score. He was one of seven different players that caught at least three receptions for the Lions in the setback and it came out of necessity as Detroit had to throw itself back into the game late.

It was the most productive game of the season for the veteran wideout as he’s mostly been a bit player behind the team’s established stars. His target share is low at 5.9% but when his number is called, he has taken advantage with an 80% catch rate for the year. We’ll see if he gets more looks his way after Sunday’s performance.

Start or sit in Week 17?

Sit. With their backs against the wall, I’d imagine Dan Campbell will throw everything and the kitchen sink at the Vikings in order to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. While that could mean good things for Raymond on offense, I’m skeptical about him duplicating last week’s performance given his lack of snaps and targets this year. Keep him on the bench.