If you’re headed for the championship game of your fantasy league, it’s our sincere hope that you don’t have to hit the waiver wire and already have enough firepower on hand to field a powerful, title-worthy starting lineup.
But, hey, we know that isn’t always the case. Maybe you’re dealing with some injuries. Maybe you’re looking at a hellish matchup that’s making you think about benching one of your starters. Or maybe you need to stream a defense or a kicker.
We have some suggestions. Let’s dive in.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Advice: Week 17
Week 17 Waiver Grade: C+
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Rankings: Week 17
Note: Players chosen based upon having early-week consensus roster percent below 50%.
(Rostership percentages are based on Yahoo leagues, Recommended FAAB bids are based on a $100 budget.)
RUNNING BACKS
Trey Benson (ARI): 18% rostered
- Next Opponents: @LAR, SF
- True value: $8
- Desperate Need: $15
- Budget-minded: $4
Analysis: James Conner sustained a knee injury on Sunday that knocked him out of the Cardinals’ game against the Panthers after he had piled up 166 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. The severity of the injury wasn’t immediately known, but the Cardinals have little incentive to push it with Conner now that they’ve been eliminated from playoff contention. Benson missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, but if he’s able to return this week, he’ll be in line for a substantial workload against a Rams run defense that ranks 22nd in DVOA and has allowed the ninth-most rushing yards to RBs. Ideally, we’ll have more information on Benson’s health before you have to put in your FAAB bid.
Kendre Miller (NO): 45% rostered
- Next Opponents: LV, @TB
- True value: $7
- Desperate Need: $13
- Budget-minded: $3
Analysis: With Alvin Kamara dealing with a groin injury, Miller is expected to lead the New Orleans backfield in touches when the Saints visit Green Bay on Monday night. After being inactive in all but two games this season, Miller had 10 carries for 32 yards and a touchdown against the Giants in Week 14, and nine carries for 46 yards against the Commanders in Week 15. Still an unproven commodity at the NFL level, Miller had a wildly productive final college season at TCU. The question is whether subpar quarterback play will keep Miller from strutting his stuff. With Derek Carr recovering from hand and head injuries, the Saints are turning to fifth-round rookie Spencer Rattler, who was largely ineffective in three previous starts.
Gus Edwards (LAC): 48% rostered
- Next Opponents: @NE, @LV
- True value: $5
- Desperate Need: $9
- Budget-minded: $2
Analysis: The Gus Bus scored a pair of touchdowns against the Broncos in Week 16, carrying 14 times for 68 yards. Edwards is a between-the-tackles grinder who doesn’t break off long runs and rarely catches passes, so he typically needs to score a touchdown to pay dividends for fantasy managers. But Edwards gets a friendly Week 17 matchup against the Patriots, who have allowed the fourth-most rushing yards and seventh-most fantasy points to RBs.
Alexander Mattison (LV): 48% rostered
- Next Opponents: @NO, LAC
- True value: $4
- Desperate Need: $7
- Budget-minded: $1
Analysis: With Sincere McCormick out with an ankle injury and expected to miss the rest of the season, Mattison led the Raiders’ backfield in snaps and touches in Week 16. He had 12 carries for 27 yards and a touchdown, adding four catches for 29 yards. Mattison is averaging just 3.2 yards per carry this season, but he gets a soft matchup this Sunday against the Saints, whose defense ranks 30th in DVOA vs. the run and has yielded the 10th-most fantasy points to RBs.
Ameer Abdullah (LV): 23% rostered
- Next Opponents: @NO, LAC
- True value: $3
- Desperate Need: $6
- Budget-minded: $1
Analysis: Abdullah is the Raiders’ passing down back, and with all the injuries Las Vegas has dealt with at the RB position, Abdullah has gotten some early-down work, too. Over the last two weeks, Abdullah has carried 10 times for 46 yards and a touchdown while catching 12 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. More valuable in PPR formats than in half-point PPR or standard formats, Abdullah is at least worth considering for a flex spot this week.
Patrick Taylor (SF): 47% rostered
- Next Opponents: DET, @ARI
- True value: $2
- Desperate Need: $3
- Budget-minded: $1
Analysis: Taylor played 81% of the 49ers’ offensive snaps on Sunday but finished with only eight carries for 24 yards, plus a 1-yard catch. Taylor will once again handle lead-back duties for the Niners if Isaac Guerendo remains sidelined with ankle and hamstring issues in Week 17. But will the San Francisco offense continue to be as pass-heavy as it was in Week 17? And will Taylor be able to do any business against a good (but beaten-up) Lions run defense? Taylor’s role could give him value, but he’s an extremely risky play for Week 17.
Audric Estime (DEN): 7% rostered
- Next Opponents: @CIN, KC
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: Estime had nine carries for 48 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers last week. The complicated Denver backfield has been a two-man operation lately, with Javonte Williams and Estime splitting work while Jaleel McLaughlin recovers from a quad injury. Williams has been doing the heavier lifting, with Estime in more of a complementary role, so Estime is only startable in the deepest of leagues this week.
Kimani Vidal (LAC): 10% rostered
- Next Opponents: @NE, @LV
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: The rookie from Troy University is sharing work with Gus Edwards these days but hasn’t given the Kimani Vidal Fan Club the breakout game it has been waiting for. Maybe it will happen this week against a bad New England run defense. But you’d have to be pretty desperate — or in a deep league with multiple flex spots — to consider starting Vidal in Week 17. He still hasn’t had double-digit carries in any game this season.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Jalen McMillan (TB): 45% rostered
- Next Opponents: CAR, NO
- True value: $7
- Desperate Need: $11
- Budget-minded: $4
Analysis: McMillan has become a key cog in the Buccaneers’ passing attack. He’s scored four touchdowns over the Buccaneers’ last three games, catching 14-of-20 targets for 191 yards over that stretch. The rookie from the University of Washington gets a soft Week 17 matchup against the Buccaneers. McMillan is a plug-and-play waiver option who’ll likely be ranked as a low-end WR3 this week.
Romeo Doubs (GB): 45% rostered
- Next Opponents: @MIN, CHI
- True value: $4
- Desperate Need: $7
- Budget-minded: $2
Analysis: After a two-game absence due to a concussion, Doubs returned to action in Week 15 and had three catches for 40 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahawks. Doubs has intriguing upside this week against a Minnesota defense that has allowed the most receptions and receiving yards to WRs this season. But Doubs is also risky because of how much the Packers like to run the ball. Green Bay is the second run-heaviest team in the league, and Packers QB Jordan Love had averaged just 23 pass attempts over his last six games going into the Packers’ Monday-night game against the Saints.
Rashod Bateman (BAL): 27% rostered
- Next Opponents: @HOU, CLE
- True value: $2
- Desperate Need: $4
- Budget-minded: $1
Analysis: Bateman has become a big-play specialist for the Ravens. He’s averaging 17.1 yards per catch and has scored eight touchdowns this season, with four TDs in his last four games. But with Bateman averaging just 4.2 targets per game, his fantasy floor is rickety. Consider Bateman a boom-or-bust flex option for Week 17 against a Texans defense that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points and sixth-most receiving yards to WRs.
Xavier Hutchinson (HOU): 0% rostered
- Next Opponents: BAL, @TEN
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: Here’s an interesting flyer. With Tank Dell sustaining a gruesome knee injury in Week 16, and with WR John Metchie sidelined by a shoulder injury. Hutchinson played 58% of the Texans’ offensive snaps Saturday against the Chiefs. The second-year man from Iowa State is a rangy 6-3 receiver who’s logged only 17 catches over 30 career games, But if Metchie isn’t able to return this week, Hutchinson could become a key contributor to a Houston passing game that has a favorable Week 17 matchup against Baltimore. The Ravens have allowed the most fantasy points to WRs this season.
Marquise Brown (KC): 33% rostered
- Next Opponents: @PIT, @DEN
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: Out all season with a shoulder injury, Brown made his return in Week 16 and caught 5-of-8 targets for 45 yards against the Texans. The speedy Brown has abundant big-play potential. But Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes spreads the ball around, and the Chiefs haven’t had a pass catcher provided consistent fantasy value all season. Regard Brown as a boom-or-bust flex option this week vs. the Steelers.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (TEN): 26% rostered
- Next Opponents: @JAX, HOU
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: Westbrook-Ikhine had only two catches for 17 yards Sunday against the Colts, but one of those catches resulted in Westbrook-Ikhine’s ninth touchdown of the season. NWI has been a touchdown machine this year, scoring on 36% of his catches and 19% of his targets. It’s not exactly a “safe” production profile, but Westbrook-Ikhine’s parlor tricks become a little more intriguing than usual this week in a favorable matchup against a bad Jacksonville pass defense.
QUARTERBACKS
Michael Penix Jr. (ATL): 15% rostered
- Next Opponents: @WSH, CAR
- True value: $2
- Desperate Need: $4
- Budget-minded: $1
Analysis: Penix didn’t put up big numbers in his first NFL start, but he kept mistakes to a minimum and showed off the arm talent that made him a top-10 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Penix completed 18-of-27 passes for 202 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in the Falcons’ 34-7 thrashing of the Giants. Sack avoidance was a notable trait of Penix during his college career, and he took zero sacks in his NFL debut. Penix doesn’t have an especially easy matchup against the Commanders this week, but this game sets up as an interesting duel between rookie quarterbacks, and it’s possible Commanders standout Jayden Daniels forces Penix into a shootout.
Mason Rudolph (TEN): 2% rostered
- Next Opponents: @JAX, HOU
- True value: $2
- Desperate Need: $4
- Budget-minded: $1
Analysis: There’s no point trying to see you on the talent of Mason Rudolph. He’s been a career backup for a reason. But Rudolph has averaged 236.4 passing yards over his last five games with the Titans, with eight TD passes over that span. The problem is that Rudolph has also thrown eight interceptions over that stretch. Rudolph could play his way onto the bench, but he’s also capable of putting up big numbers against a Jacksonville defense that has the worst opponent passer rating in the league and has given up the most fantasy points to QBs.
Bryce Young (CAR): 7% rostered
- Next Opponents: @TB, @ATL
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: Young has started to look like a decent NFL quarterback more often in recent weeks. He had a good showing in the Panthers’ overtime win vs. the Cardinals on Sunday, completing 17-of-26 passes for 158 yards with two TDs and no INTs, adding 68 rushing yards and a TD run. Young gets a good Week 17 matchup against a Buccaneers defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to QBs. Young had 298 passing yards and a touchdown against the Bucs in Week 13. He also had a TD run in that game and finished QB8 in fantasy scoring for the week.
TIGHT ENDS
Chig Okonkwo (TEN): 6% rostered
- Next Opponents: @JAX, HOU
- True value: $5
- Desperate Need: $8
- Budget-minded: $2
Analysis: Okonkwo has really been clicking with Titans QB Mason Rudolph the last two weeks. The third-year tight end caught 8-of-10 targets for 59 yards against the Bengals in Week 15, then snagged 9-of-11 targets for 81 yards against the Colts in Week 16. The Titans don’t have a lot of pass-catching firepower, so Okonkwo’s role has been growing. He’s now flirting with low-end TE1 value, and Okonkwo has a solid Week 17 matchup against the Jaguars.
Hunter Henry (NE): 49% rostered
- Next Opponents: LAC, BUF
- True value: $4
- Desperate Need: $7
- Budget-minded: $1
Analysis: This veteran tight end has been a favorite target — if not the favorite target — of rookie QB Drake Maye. Since Maye became a full-time starter in Week 6, Henry has averaged 6.9 targets, 5.1 receptions and 50.6 receiving yards per game. His matchup against the Chargers this week isn’t an easy one, but Henry offers a reasonably sturdy floor.
Zach Ertz (WSH): 49% rostered
- Next Opponents: ATL, @DAL
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: Ertz hasn’t produced 50 or ore receiving yards in a game since Oct. 27, but he’s had at least 25 receiving yards in five of his last six games, and he’s scored a touchdown in three of his last five games. He’s a reasonable streaming TE option this week in a neutral matchup against the Falcons.
Noah Gray (KC): 19% rostered
- Next Opponents: @PIT, @DEN
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: By no means is Gray a safe fantasy option for Week 17. He hasn’t drawn more than six targets in any game this season. In fact, Gray has only seen two targets in Kansas City’s last two games, and target competition just got stiffer with WR Marquise Brown‘s return to action. The appeal here is that Gray has scored five touchdowns over his last seven games, and Patrick Mahomes is never shy about throwing to his tight ends in the red zone.
DEFENSES
Indianapolis Colts: 47% rostered
- Next Opponents: @NYG, JAX
- True value: $4
- Desperate Need: $7
- Budget-minded: $2
Analysis: The Colts are unquestionably the best streaming option among the team defenses rostered in under half of Yahoo leagues. This week’s matchup with the Giants is as good as it gets. Giants QB Drew Lock was sacked three times last week against the Falcons and threw two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns. Lock has thrown four interceptions and taken 11 sacks in three starts this season. The Giants could conceivably name a new starting quarterback for Week 17, but whether it’s Lock, Tommy DeVito or Tim Boyle, this is going to be a salivating matchup for the Colts.
Miami Dolphins: 46% rostered
- Next Opponents: @CLE, @NYJ
- True value: $3
- Desperate Need: $6
- Budget-minded: $1
Analysis: The key to streaming a defense: targeting bad quarterbacks. The Browns’ Dorian Thompson-Robinson certainly fits the bill. Last week against the Bengals, Thompson-Robinson completed 20-of-34 passes for 157 yards, with no touchdowns, two interceptions and five sacks. In Thompson-Robinson’s four career starts, the Browns have scored 3, 13, 12 and 6 points. Over his 180 career pass attempts, Thompson-Robinson is averaging just 3.9 yards per attempt. The Dolphins ranked 28th in defensive fantasy scoring going into Week 17, but it doesn’t matter. Thompson-Robinson is capable of making the 2024 Miami Dolphins defense look like the 2000 Baltimore Ravens defense.
Las Vegas Raiders: 9% rostered
- Next Opponents: @NO, LAC
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: Never mind that the Raiders rank 31st in defensive fantasy scoring and will be without star edge rusher Maxx Crosby for the remainder of the season. The Raiders’ defense is nevertheless an intriguing Week 17 fantasy option thanks to a Week 17 matchup with the Saints. New Orleans is starting fifth-round rookie Spencer Rattler at quarterback in place of the injured Derek Carr. Entering the Saints’ Monday-night game against the Packers, Rattler has fumbled three times, thrown two interceptions, and taken 14 sacks in three starts and one relief appearance. The Saints will likely be without RB Alvin Kamara, who missed Week 16 with a groin injury on Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 44% rostered
- Next Opponents: CAR, NO
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: The Buccaneers’ defense has played well of late, and Tampa gets a solid Week 17 matchup against the Panthers, who have allowed the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing defenses. In 10 starts this season, Panthers QB Bryce Young has thrown nine interceptions and absorbed 23 sacks.
Jacksonville Jaguars: 10% rostered
- Next Opponents: TEN, @IND
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: The Jaguars’ defense has produced double-digit fantasy points only twice this season, but Jacksonville next faces Titans, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing defenses this season. The Jaguars held the Titans to 272 yards of offense in a 10-6 victory in Week 14. Titans QB Mason Rudolph threw three interceptions last week in the Titans’ 38-30 loss to the Colts.
KICKERS
Cade York (CIN): 5% rostered
- Next Opponents: DEN, @PIT
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: York has been filling in for the injured Evan McPherson and has converted 4-of-5 field goals and 10-of-11 extra points in three games with the Bengals. You can do worse than give your fantasy team a kicker tied to a high-powered Cincinnati offense that has averaged 32.6 points over its last seven games.
Will Reichard (MIN): 8% rostered
- Next Opponents: GB, @DET
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: It’s odd that Reichard is rostered in so few leagues when he’s been so effective. After going 2-of-2 on field goals and 3-of-3 on extra points Sunday in Seattle, Reichard is averaging 9.7 fantasy points a game. This is the time of year when we appreciate indoor kickers, and Reichard will be kicking in the domed confines of U.S. Bank Stadium when the Vikings host the Packers this weekend.
Will Lutz (DEN): 17% rostered
- Next Opponents: @CIN, KC
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: Lutz was money in Week 16, drilling field goals of 41 and 55 yards, and going 3-of-3 on extra points. Lutz entered Week 16 tied for fifth in fantasy scoring among kickers. He’s scored at least eight fantasy points in each of his last five games.
Matt Gay (IND): 5% rostered
- Next Opponents: @NYG, JAX
- True value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-minded: $0
Analysis: Gay is averaging a respectable 8.1 fantasy points per game and gets an appealing Week 17 matchup against the hapless Giants, who have given up 83 points over their last three games. The reliable Gay has made 25-of-29 field goals and 28-of-28 extra points this season.