NFL Waiver Wire: Week 17 Deep Dive

The NFL's new playoff structure may have worked to your advantage if your league championships run through Week 17, as an increased amount of teams have something to play for. It looks like the Chiefs and Steelers will rest key starters, but that's a substantially lower pool than we usually see this time of year. To make up for that, this week's slate of matchups are particularly unfriendly to many names on the waiver wire. 

This Thursday article is our second waiver wire piece of the week, intended to give a broad overview of players worth fantasy consideration. Every Monday, Kevin Payne's first edition of the Waiver Wire series gives a rundown the top names.

Feel free to ask any questions related to fantasy down below, or you can find me on Twitter (@ivilloth). 

The list below includes players rostered in no more than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and is listed in order of preference based on half-point per reception scoring and a 12-team league. Depending on your league's scoring and roster settings, certain players might warrant higher consideration than what is listed. Each player's listed roster percentage is based on Tuesday's Yahoo statistics, to give a general sense of availability for a given week.

QUARTERBACK 

Philip Rivers vs. Jaguars (40 percent) - Rivers is set for a cushy matchup against a team that's been looking ahead to the offseason for weeks now, and the Colts actually need a win - plus some help - if they want a playoff berth. Michael Pittman (concussion) likely being out isn't a huge factor with Zach Pascal having emerged down the stretch, but there is the danger of Indianapolis leaning hard on the run to protect Rivers in what should be an easy rout. 

Drew Lock vs. Raiders (12 percent) - Lock absolutely needs to end his season on a high note, and a matchup against the Raiders' depleted secondary (allowing the 25th most passing yards in the NFL) sets him up well. We've seen the second-year quarterback go off for 30-plus fantasy points twice this season - in Week 8 and 14 - but his floor is unsafe enough to keep him completely off the radar in shallow leagues. 

Daniel Jones vs. Cowboys (24 percent) - Jones' lingering hamstring injury has severely hampered his scrambling abilities, but a matchup against the Cowboys' defense could make up for that. The winner of this game would earn a playoff berth if Washington loses, so there'll be no questions about motivation. The Cowboys are also averaging two passing touchdowns allowed per game, which ranks 29th in the league. 

Alex Smith at Eagles (5 percent) - With Dwayne Haskins having been waived, it's hard to imagine Smith (calf) sitting Sunday's must-win matchup against the Eagles. If Washington manages to win on the road against a pitiable Philadelphia secondary, the team will clinch the NFC East and a playoff spot. Terry McLaurin's high-ankle sprain will likely sideline him, making Smith and/or Taylor Heinicke (0 percent) really only worth consideration in multi-QB leagues. 

John Wolford vs. Chris Streveler (0 percent) - Speaking of multi-QB formats, Wolford is officially set to start in place of Jared Goff (thumb) versus Arizona, though it looks like Kyler Murray will manage to suit up. I'd far prefer picking up Wolford, as it's easier to trust Sean McVay to scheme up something for a UDFA, and it seems Streveler will only start if Murray suffers a setback.

RUNNING BACK 

Malcolm Brown vs. Cardinals (19 percent) - The cards have fallen perfectly to make Brown a (seemingly) perfect Week 17 play. Both Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers are nursing high-ankle sprains, with only Akers having a chance to suit up. The Rams are in must-win position for the playoffs, and the absence of Jared Goff (thumb) and potentially Cooper Kupp (COVID list) should yield even more reliance on backfield production than usual. If that isn't enough, Arizona's defense has been a fringe bottom-10 unit against the run during the second half of the season.

Alexander Mattison and Mike Boone  at Lions (22 percent) - With Dalvin Cook (personal) unavailable for Minnesota's finale, Mattison is the top candidate to lead this backfield as long as he can clear concussion protocol. Otherwise, Boone - who managed a rushing score last week - would stand to get the start. The Ameer Abdullah (0 percent) revenge game angle isn't one to dwell on.

Rodney Smith vs. Saints (0 percent) - With Christian McCaffrey (ankle) out and Mike Davis (ankle) not expected to play, the UDFA out of Minnesota looks primed for his first career start. Smith had already earned a larger role down the stretch by serving as the No. 2 option behind Davis over the last few weeks, so it's actually fairly intriguing to see what he can do with workhorse volume. Against a Saint's defense that's playing for something, expectations can't be set too high. 

AJ Dillon at Bears (8 percent) - Fresh off dropping 124 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the Titans, Dillon has at least now done something to justify his second-round selection last April. It doesn't appear the Packers' starters will be rested Week 17, but Aaron Jones was bothered by injury last week and Jamaal Williams (quadriceps) couldn't play at all, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Dillon get another shot at the lead role.  

Ty Johnson at Patriots (15 percent) - With Frank Gore (lung) and La'Mical Perine (COVID-19 list) both out, Johnson stands to handle a huge role out of the Jets' backfield after only logging two carries for three yards last week. Josh Adams (0 percent) is also worth consideration.

Dare Ogunbowale at Colts (8 percent) - Ogunbowale looked good in a lead role, with a modest 78 scrimmage yards on 14 touches versus the Bears last weekend. James Robinson (ankle) is set to miss the season finale, priming Ogunbowale for workhorse volume against another stout defense. 

Gus Edwards at Bengals (40 percent) - Edwards should be a solid play if you expect this game to get out of hand quickly, which I do. He's produced four straight games with at least 70 yards or a score, and that's with J.K. Dobbins handling most of the load. 

Darrel Williams vs. Chargers (3 percent) - Williams (10 carries for 46 yards) split the rushing workload with Le'Veon Bell last week, and in some respects looked like the better KC option with CEH out. That makes it somewhat difficult to predict who will be on the field when the Chiefs' starters get rested Week 17, as is the expectation. It could be Darwin Thompson (1 percent) who shoulders the bulk of the work during the regular-season finale. 

Ke'Shawn Vaughn vs. Falcons (4 percent) - It wouldn't appear the Buccaneers intend to sit Ronald Jones (finger) or Leonard Fournette in Week 17, though the they've already locked up a wild-card spot. Vaughn looked solid against the Lions last weekend by turning 15 carries into 62 yards, but it's not guaranteed he'll be involved versus Atlanta.

Samaje Perine vs. Baltimore (2 percent) - Perine's breakout game last week probably won the half-dozen fantasy managers who started him for a championship, as he racked up 95 rushing yards and two TDs. The Ravens' defense remains excellent against the run, but double-digit touches should once again be on the table for Perine.  

Ito Smith at Buccaneers (14 percent) - Smith may officially be the lead rusher in Atlanta, but that's simply not a position to chase for fantasy purpose. He hasn't run for 50 yards or scored in four straight games, and the Buccaneers' defense is second-best against the run with 3.5 YPC allowed.  

Devontae Booker at Broncos (22 percent) - Booker lit up the Broncos for 16-81-2 last time these two teams met in Week 10, but since then he's only surpassed six carries on one occasion - when Josh Jacobs was sidelined. There's a ceiling here, but a floor of about 20 yards from scrimmage is probably more realistic. 

WIDE RECEIVER 

Nelson Agholor at Broncos (50 percent) - Agholor is still significantly under-rostered, considering he's been a viable WR3 for pretty much the whole year. He's coming off his best game of the season with 5-155-1 and now gets to close out against a deeply depleted Broncos' secondary. 

Sterling Shepard vs. Cowboys (45 percent) - Like Agholor, Shepard has been a solid play all year when healthy and just produced his best game of 2020 with 9-77-1 against the Ravens. He should once again serve as Daniel Jones' top target, this time against the Cowboys' 29th-ranked pass defense. 

Michael Gallup at Giants (44 percent) - Gallup has racked up four touchdowns over his last four games and is coming off a season-best 121 receiving yards. This is a must-win matchup for both the Cowboys and Giants, and New York's admittedly solid defense -(16th against the pass) shouldn't be able to completely contain Dallas's WR trio. 

Mecole Hardman vs. Chargers (29 percent) - The expectation seems to be that Tyreek Hill (hamstring), Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins (calf) will all sit Week 17, potentially leaving Hardman as the Chiefs' top WR. Of course, Patrick Mahomes is also set to sit. So even if Hardman leads the teams in targets, those will come from Chad Henne.

Keke Coutee vs. Titans (43 percent) - Coutee didn't score last week, but he still put up a modest 5-54 line. He's hit at least 50 yards or a score in each of his previous four contests, and will get the benefit of starting out of the slot against the Titans' bottom-five secondary. Coutee's foot injury doesn't appear too worrisome, as he's played through it the last few weeks. 

Jakobi Meyers vs. Jets (32 percent) - Meyers continues to lead New England's aerial attack, for what that's worth. His four catches against the Bills were a team-high mark and he's just one week removed from a 111-yard performance, while the Jets' secondary still ranks bottom-five. Though the Jets are on a winning streak, my preferred narrative is that Bill Belichick's decades-long grudge against the team will provide extra motivation to close out the season strong. 

Zach Pascal vs. Jaguars (5 percent) - Pascal produced 143 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games, an evident indication he's earned the role many of us hoped Michael Pittman (concussion) would down the stretch. He only recorded one game above 10 fantasy points (half-PPR) during his first 13 games of the season, so keep in mind there's a low floor here. 

Laviska Shenault at Colts (16 percent) - Shenault has put together a more-than-solid rookie season considering his circumstances, and he's exceeded 40 yards with at least five catches in three straight games. The Colts are in must-win mode and offer one of the league's better defenses, but Shenault's involvement is enough to put him on the radar in deep leagues. 

Tim Patrick vs. Raiders (28 percent) - Patrick has only topped 50 yards four times this season, but eclipsed the century mark in three of those. Though the yardage has disappeared recently, we've seen him blow up before with at least four straight games with four or more targets. 

Dez Bryant at Bengals (5 percent) - This is only a desperation move in extremely deep formats, although Bryant has now gone back-to-back games with a touchdown playing limited snaps. Willie Snead (ankle) may not play Sunday, so Bryant could produce a statline similar to a back-end streaming TE (as in, you're praying for a TD).

TIGHT END

Irv Smith at Lions (15 percent) - Smith enjoyed his second two-TD performance of the year on Christmas Day, also hauling in six of a season-high nine targets for 53 yards. The second-year tight end looks primed for a 2021 breakout, and the placement of Kyle Rudolph (foot) on IR puts him firmly on the streaming radar this week. Fun fact: the other time he scored two TDs in a game this season was against the Lions. 

Jimmy Graham vs. Packers (27 percent) - Graham's resurgence as a red-zone threat continues, as he logged two scores and a season-high 69 yards against Jacksonville last week. Dynasty enthusiasts were perhaps too eager to write Graham off and pencil in Cole Kmet as the top man in Chicago. A win at Green Bay would shuttle the Bears into the playoffs, so expect this offense to call on Graham when it isn't leaning on David Montgomery and Allen Robinson. 

Chris Herndon at Patriots (12 percent) - It's difficult for me to envision a scenario wherein someone is forced to lean on the likes of Herndon at this point in the season, but he's coming off two consecutive productive games - at least compared to his early-season numbers - by totaling seven catches, 82 yards and a score. So with the Jets getting hot, it's possible the once-anticipated Herndon-Darnold connection could finally be bearing fruit. 

David Njoku vs. Steelers (1 percent) - Njoku is only a streaming candidate in deep leagues if the Browns' receiver corps remains decimated. Harrison Bryant hit the COVID-19 list earlier this week, so Njoku and Austin Hooper would stand to see an abundance of targets if all/some of Cleveland's starting wideouts are once again unavailable.