Welcome to the Fantasy Football Week 17 Waiver Wire where we break down the fantasy football free-agent landscape and give you the best picks for the championship game.
With it being the last week of the year, all the chips are put out on the table now. There’s nobody to stash (unless you’re playing defense and preventing your opponent from adding someone), so now we’re looking for guys to fill in for a week and help you win that coveted fantasy football league championship.
Note: Roster % based on Yahoo and should hover around 50% or less
WEEK 17 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
- Rex Burkhead, RB Houston Texans (14% rostered)
- Boston Scott, RB Philadelphia Eagles (15%)
- Trey Lance, QB San Francisco 49ers (12%)
- Dare Ogunbowale, RB Jacksonville Jaguars (1%)
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling*, WR Green Bay Packers (40%)
- Isaiah McKenzie*, WR Buffalo Bills (2%)
- KJ Osborn, WR Minnesota Vikings (34%)
- Josh Palmer*, WR Los Angeles Chargers (5%)
- Byron Pringle*, WR Kansas City Chiefs (2%)
- Gerald Everett, TE Seattle Seahawks (42%)
- Chicago Bears D/ST (16%)
- Seattle Seahawks D/ST (50%)
*Pending COVID-19 issues
Not sure many people saw this one coming, but Rex Burkhead took over a bell cow role in Houston with 22 carries and finished with 149 yards and two scores on the day. Granted, the Chargers have REALLY struggled against the run but this was impressively bad. He may not replicate this success in Week 17, but volume is volume, and with so many guys ending up on the COVID list, that may be enough for one more week.
Miles Sanders suffered a broken hand and has been ruled out for Week 17. Jordan Howard was also dinged up, and the team is “hopeful” he can return this week. That leaves Boston Scott as the lone man standing at the moment for an Eagles team making a playoff push. Scott’s usage as a receiving back will also help his stock next week.
Niners QB Jimmy Garoppolo apparently tore the UCL in this thumb, meaning it’s Trey Lance SZN (again) this week against the Texans. We were super high on Lance this year awaiting his chance at QB1 thanks to his dual threat ability. With San Francisco still battling for a playoff spot, they need to win this game and Lance will finally be able to show what he can do.
James Robinson was lost to an achilles injury this week, meaning it’s down to Dare Ogunbowale in the Jags backfield. While the matchup with New England is not ideal, the volume will likely be there for the Jacksonville backup.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling was in a prime spot to make some noise during Week 16 but landed on the COVID List on Tuesday. While we are not sure about his vaccination status, MVS should return to the lineup this week to square off against a very leaky Vikings’ secondary. If he is forced to sit out again, Allen Lazard would be a quality streamer again.
With Travis Kelce sidelined, Byron Pringle was “the guy” for Mahomes and the receiving game going for 6-75-2 on seven targets. The Chiefs are in the drivers seat for the No. 1 seed in the AFC so they won’t be slowing down or resting guys like Mahomes. Pringle out-targeted Tyreek Hill seven to two and that is all I needed to know.
Despite the injury and return to the field for Adam Thielen, KJ Osborn was still able to score and play well for the Vikings. Thielen has been dealing with this ankle injury for a handful of weeks now, and I can’t imagine it’s feeling too great or letting him play at full strength. Osborn has done very well in an expanded role and now gets a big matchup with the Packers.
Last week, both Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler were out on the COVID list, meaning Josh Palmer got some extended run and capitalized with 5-43-1 on six targets. Should Williams remain out, Palmer would continue to see solid numbers in a high scoring offense.
Similar to some of the receivers above, Isaiah McKenzie would only be viable if Cole Beasley and/or Gabriel Davis sit out Week 17. The speedster ate up 11 of 12 targets for 125 yards and a score against the Patriots. Not to mention he looked better than Beasley has all season. Stash McKenzie off the waiver wire and wait it out on Beasley’s status. He would get a very favorable matchup against the Falcons this week.
Need a tight end? Gerald Everett could be your guy. While he’s still behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in target share, Everett still sees good volume and solid red zone work. Compared to what else is out there, he looks pretty good overall.
The Bears DST will welcome either Mike Glennon or Jake Fromm to Chicago this week, which is salivating enough. Add in some classic ‘Bear Weather’ to the game and you can’t imagine the Giants offense doing much of anything this week.
Why not target the Lions’ offense for D/ST? Seahawks DST had a bit of a let down against the Bears, but the odds are much more in their favor at home against Detroit this week.
