Fantasy Football Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr, Saints (39% Rostered): Chances are if you’ve made it this far, you don’t need a QB. But if you do, close your eyes, pick up Carr, and don’t watch him play. Carr doesn’t look good putting up his numbers, but he’s thrown for eight touchdowns and 656 yards across his last three games, and faces a must-win at Tampa Bay, a defense you’re much better off throwing on vs. running against.
Running Backs
Justice Hill, Ravens (20% Rostered): The pickup options are very pared down this week, as it’s Finals week and there’s no more planning ahead. We are focused on options you can definitely play this week, and Hill fits the mold. Short yardage opportunities are scarce, as the Ravens can turn to Gus Edwards or QB Lamar Jackson in those situations, but Hill was on the field for 62% of snaps vs. the 49ers, is the clearly preferred option on passing downs, and saw 13 combined carries/targets. He’s explosive enough to score from distance, and the matchup vs. Miami this week is far friendlier than San Francisco.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs (36% Rostered): Playing Edwards-Helaire is like running up the stairs with a kitchen knife blade up, but with Jerick McKinnon on IR, and Isaiah Pacheco suffering a concussion, CEH is the only show in town. Andy Reid will certainly figure out a way to involve another RB or two, but CEH will be the primary back, and he’ll be involved because of how horrendous the Chiefs’ pass-catchers have been all season. The floor is low because this offense is stuck in the mud, but opportunity will be there.
Wide Receivers
Noah Brown, Texans (47% Rostered): Brown struggled vs. the Browns this week, but Cleveland has one of the top defenses in football, and he was catching balls from the Texans’ one-time third string passer. If C.J. Stroud can return for this must-win game, Brown is, at worst, the WR2 on this team and he’s one week removed from eight receptions, 82 yards and a touchdown with Keenum. His big-play potential is ever present, and Stroud will make sure he gets his targets should he return to action.
Rashid Shaheed, Saints (44% Rostered): Shaheed defines boom bust, and he boomed last week with a long TD. They get the Buccaneers this week, in a matchup that could very well turn into a shootout. Volume isn’t Shaheed’s calling card, but big plays are. The floor is low, but if you’re looking for help and you’re expecting to need big points, Shaheed could be a very worthwhile risk.
Tight Ends
Gerald Everett, Chargers (42% Rostered): With Denver on the schedule, it’s Everett’s turn to score a touchdown. Denver has become the go-to matchup for TE streamers, so hopefully you have leftover FAAB and/or a championship opponent who isn’t locked in enough to block you. Outside of managers with Travis Kelce and Sam LaPorta, Everett should be in consideration. Bonus: he’s had exactly eight targets in each of the last three games, clearly becoming a key target for Easton Stick with Keenan Allen hurt and no wide receivers filling the reliability void.
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Titans (32% Rostered): Strong is relative to the position in 2023, but Okonkwo has come on strong of late, earning six targets in three of his last four, and putting up 45+ yards in four of his last five games. He’ll close out the fantasy season with the Texans, who currently allow the most yards per game to TEs (67.5) – even more than Denver! Okonkwo is also the No. 2 receiver for this offense, and while admittedly it’s a low-output passing game, it just guarantees him enough opportunity to not completely torpedo your roster.