Alex Smith (QB, KC) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Alex Smith has had an up-and-down season. Week 16 was one of his up weeks-- he finished with 18.26 points against the Broncos’ defense. While you probably weren’t bold enough to start Smith this week, you might want to take the plunge in Week 17 when the Chiefs head to San Diego.

The Chargers have actually picked things up against opposing quarterbacks in recent weeks, but when one of them is Robert Griffin III and a struggling Cam Newton, you need to take that improvement with a grain of salt. After Week 13, San Diego had given up at least 15.30 fantasy points to opposing signal-callers in two of their last three games, with the other totals being 19.20 and 25.92. Given that Smith excelled against the best defense in the NFL in Week 16, he’s worth taking a shot on in Week 17.