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Playoff Waiver Wire Adds for Week Seventeen
Week 16 of the NFL season is through, and for most folks reading this it means your fantasy football championships are over. For the few of you remaining in week 17 leagues, we're here for you.
Week 16 saw Cam Newton turn in one of his worst performances to date while Kirk Cousins obliterated the Eagles (and won me my championship), Tim Hightower continue a trend of has-beens returning to make significant impact, a fantastic end to week 16 for many budding young WRs like Allen Robinson and Brandin Cooks, and another top TE week from the Pro-Bowl snubbed Jordan Reed.
Below are some waiver wire pickups and sleepers for Week 17 who can have a potential impact for your teams. My piece won't cover all waiver wire adds and targets each week, as there are just too many with all the league types out there, but I'll be highlighting and prioritizing the biggest impact players. Additionally, be sure to check out many more great RotoBaller articles and waiver wire analysis pieces at each position throughout the week, including risers/fallers, deeper league sleepers, rankings and more.
Week 17 Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickups
Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB, NYJ)
48% Owned on Fleaflicker
One of the important things for the week 17 championships is having players that are still playing for something. Well, Ryan Fitzpatrick still has to win in week 17 in order to clinch a playoff spot. Unfortunately, it'll be on the road where Fitzpatrick has been far worse than normal this year but it'll still likely be one of the better floors you'll find.
Kirk Cousins (QB, WAS)
46% Owned on Fleaflicker
The Redskins don't have a lot to play for, making Cousin's a risky fantasy start, but I doubt that they'll bench him or even let him off early. They'll want to make sure their offense is clicking and running on full steam as they'll be heavy underdogs in the playoffs and are still one win away from a winning season. They may rest their starters, so stay tuned for further news throughout the week.
Other Quarterback Options:
- CLE QB Johnny Manziel - 16% owned - One of the guys with a lot to play for in week 17, Manziel will be pushing to prove that he's worth investing into for the Cleveland Browns when he faces the Steelers at home. This is assuming he actually plays, as news was released that he was caught partying again (at the dismay of his coaches). The Steelers will be playing this game incredibly competitively as they attempt to make it into the playoffs themselves but the Manziel-led Browns will be scrapping their way through this game as they attempt to play spoiler. Manziel already had a 16 point game against the Steelers earlier in the season, and might be able to put up his season best this week.
- DEN QB Brock Osweiler - 28% owned - Win or lose in week 16, the Broncos will be trying to get Osweiler as much time as possible in order to build momentum in the playoffs for the youngster.
More Options: Case Keenum
Week 17 Running Back Waiver Wire Pickups
Tim Hightower (RB, NO)
48% owned on Fleaflicker
Hightower will continue to get usage in week 17 since the Saints have no real investment in him after this year. He'll be seeing a cake matchup against the Falcons while continuing to make people question whether Mark Ingram was just another guy.
Bilal Powell (RB, NYJ)
39% owned on Fleaflicker
The Jets still have to win in order to get a playoff berth, and one of their most valuable players during this final stretch has been Bilal Powell who's somehow managed to outplay Chris Ivory handedly in the second half of the season. Powell's shown that even on limited touches he can put up valuable points.
Mike Gillislee (RB, BUF)
6% owned on Fleaflicker
Partner in crime Karlos Williams won't make it onto the list because he's far too highly owned but just like Powell, Gillislee has shown that he can find value off of limited touches with three touchdowns in three straight weeks. The Bills, despite being out of the playoffs, have no investment in Gillislee- who will likely be playing as hard as he can to make a good case for his approaching free agency.
Other Running Back Options:
- MIA RB Jay Ajayi - 29% owned - With nothing left to play for, the Dolphins might turn some attention to Ajayi for the final week of the year.
- DET RB Theo Riddick - 29% owned - Riddick's just an every week feature here at this point, continuing to show PPR value even in weeks where his yardage is weak. He's a low-end RB2 in PPR leagues, and should be owned in all of them.
- NE RB Brandon Bolden - 34% owned - Bolden saw 14 touches against the Jets but struggled to get value against a difficult defense. The Dolphins will be far easier to run against than the Jets and he should be able to show some FLEX appeal.
More Options: Jonathan Grimes, Pierre Thomas
Week 17 Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups
Kamar Aiken (WR, BAL)
44% Owned on Fleaflicker
The Ravens have nothing to play for outside of pride at this point, but both Ryan Mallett and Kamar Aiken are going to want to show that they're worth trusting next year for whatever team looks at them. For Aiken, he already has a home in Baltimore and he's going to try to put together another his final strong game this year to give him more breathing room for next year when Breshad Perriman returns.
DeVante Parker (WR, MIA)
25% Owned on Fleaflicker
The Dolphins will be trying to save their lost season by trying to get the most out of their young players like DeVante Parker. He'll likely continue to see the field for the entire game and might even have many passes forced his way as they try to force development out of him.
Brice Butler (WR, DAL)
1% Owned on Fleaflicker
With the Cowboys season over, they've turned to their younger players to see what they have on their roster. Butler had the most targets out of any Cowboys WRs in week 16 and should be the most talented player they have left to throw to in week 17. He'll be pushing for a strong showing too in order to overtake Terrance Williams on the roster next year.
Other Wide Receiver Options:
- BAL WR Jeremy Butler - 1% owned - A personal favorite, Butler's a guy I compare to a mini-Brandon Marshall. He's nowhere near as valuable - but his role has been growing in this offense every week, and the team does what it can to give him the opportunity to be in space and get YAC. He's a PPR option, mainly.
- SEA WR Tyler Lockett - 47% owned - Lockett might've been in the above section if the Seahawks hadn't already clinched their playoff spot. With no chance to move up from the wildcard, who knows how the usage shakes out in week 17. As a rookie, Lockett has a chance to see extended playing time though.
More Options: Keshawn Martin, Nate Washington
Week 17 Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups
Zach Miller (TE, CHI)
25% owned on Fleaflicker
There's little left to play for in Chicago outside of pride, but it's doubtful in his first year as HC of the Bears that John Fox gives up on the final week of the season. Miller's been reliable for the nearly the entire second half of the season and should continue to be in week 17.
Zach Ertz (TE, PHI)
40% owned on Fleaflicker
Kelly's last stand in 2015 might play some factor in whether or not he's brought back in 2016 and Ertz will likely have a huge role in that. Ertz has been a different player in December as he's put up anywhere from 7 to 13 points every week. He'll be a trustworthy TE1.
Other Tight End Options:
- NYG TE Will Tye - 13% owned - Coughlin has too much pride to sit out the final game of the season. Although the game may end for many of the starters early, I don't imagine Tye will be one of those guys. Other than a bad game against a great Vikings team, Tye's been valuable throughout the year.
More Options: Maxx Williams, Eric Ebron
Week 17 Defense (D/ST) Waiver Wire Pickups
Indianapolis Colts
13% Owned on Fleaflicker
The Colts will still be playing for the final playoff spot in week 17 and will be doing so against an awful Titans team that is starting Zach Mettenberger. Metteneberger hasn't been able to put together a drive with any consistency since taking over for Marcus Mariota and a Titans team with little motivation and playing mostly for development of their young players is not going to put up much of a fight. Expect the Colts defense to put in plenty of work in order to try and take the Texans spot in the AFC playoffs.
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