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USATSI

The Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers close out the Fantasy Football Championship week on Monday Night Football with a slew of Fantasy-relevant players on the slate. Despite having so many vital players for Fantasy on each roster, this game has an added quirk. After the Minnesota Vikings won in Week 17, the Lions are technically locked into their Week 18 destiny already. If they win or lose tonight, it won't change anything for Week 18. The Lions will play the Vikings in Week 18, and that game will decide who wins the NFC North and earns the No. 1 seed and the bye week, no matter what happens tonight. 

With that in mind, what does this mean for the Lions starters tonight Head coach Dan Campbell has already confirmed his starters will start the game, but what happens in the second half of the game? If the Lions are already down multiple scores, will Campbell opt to rest his starters for next week's showdown with Minnesota? Or if they're up by multiple scores, will that impact who finishes the game? We won't get the answers from Campbell, so let's project instead the best way to approach each start/sit lineup decision heading into the final game on the Championship slate.

Now's not the time to get cute with Gibbs

Some Fantasy managers have asked us on #AskFFT if they should bench Gibbs following the Vikings' win over the Packers. Our advice? Don't get too cute with this. Campbell has confirmed that the Lions starters will at least start the game, and Gibbs' role has been RB1-worthy since David Montgomery got injured. Jacob Gibbs ranked the Lions Gibbs as his RB2 overall heading into this week. In last year's NFC Championship game between the Lions and 49ers, the Lions ran for 156 yards in the first half -- an all-time first-half record against Kyle Shanahan. Trust Gibbs. 

The case for adding Reynolds

Craig Reynolds has operated as the Lions' No. 2 back since Montgomery went down, but that role hasn't blossomed. Reynolds played just 10 snaps in Week 16 despite the Lions defeating the Bears by multiple scores. He was in the game for just three passing down snaps, and on two of them, he was used as a blocker. With Gibbs healthy, the Lions haven't needed to turn away from him in the passing downs role. However, the case for adding Reynolds centers around the idea that the Lions might turn to him in the second half of tonight's game -- in which case he makes for an interesting last-second Flex play. Reynolds will need to either score or play a majority of the passing downs to pay off this Flex play, so it's a gamble that you should only make if you're skeptical of your current Flex play.

Can we trust Sam LaPorta?

This is where things get a bit trickier. LaPorta has dealt with injuries in each of his last two seasons with the Lions, and he could be one of the players most likely to play a reduced role even if he starts the game. However, the Lions offense has been running more targets through LaPorta and the tight end position of late. If you're in a spot where you only need 1-5 points to close the deal tonight, a case can be made that it might be best to start Brock Wright. However, this is not a case I will be making. Wright played zero snaps in Week 16, and while he is most likely to play if LaPorta is in a reduced role, there is no guarantee the game script would lead to targets. Keep LaPorta in your lineups if you need a few points, and hope he gets that done in the first quarter.

Lions or 49ers D/ST?

If you're lucky enough to be in a position where both defenses are available -- or better yet -- both on your roster -- now might be the time to make the switch to the 49ers D/ST. Despite the 49ers being eliminated from playoff contention, they plan to play all of their starters in this game. Their defense has taken a step forward over the last month in almost all efficiency metrics as they've gotten healthier. The Lions have gone in the opposite direction -- as one of the most injured defenses in the NFL. Trust the 49ers' health and motivation -- make the switch.