The fantasy football regular season is officially over, and now, it is do-or-die as the fantasy championships are set to begin for virtually all leagues. Fantasy managers are adjusting and tweaking their rosters based on what we’ve seen through the league’s first 16 weeks to prepare for a championship run.
Working the waiver wire is the best way to improve your team for the stretch run and find a weekly advantage. To aid in that, here are some of the top Week 17 waiver wire claims fantasy football managers should consider.
Top Waiver Wire Pickups in Week 17
Gardner Minshew, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (27.2% rostered)
I mean, come on, was there ever any doubt Gardner Minshew wouldn’t come out and play with his hair on fire? While the Eagles did lose to Dallas, it’s hard to pin it all on Minshew, who went 24 of 40 for 355 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while scoring another touchdown on the ground with five yards on four carries.
But even those picks weren’t truly on him, as both were pretty much on target, and Quez Watkins basically had the ball taken from him.
Jalen Hurts will assuredly try to get back for Week 17, but if he can’t, Minshew would be a high-end QB2 against a Saints defense that is nowhere near as aggressive. Minshew winning fantasy championships just feels right.
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Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions (53.8% rostered)
With the Panthers running roughshod over the Lions’ defense, Jared Goff had his best day by far on the road this season. Goff completed 25 of 42 passes for 355 yards with three touchdowns while rushing three times for 15 yards and fumbling once as the QB2 on the week.
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Coming into Week 16, Goff had finished as the QB18, QB29, QB22, QB26, and QB17 before this significant boom game, and he could be set for another one in Week 17 as the Lions return home to face the Chicago Bears. With a full complement of weapons at his disposal and an easier matchup, Goff is a high-end QB2/low-end QB1 in Week 17 to snag off the waiver wire.
Mike White, New York Jets (12.8% rostered)
Mike White is back, and it could not have come at a better time for fantasy managers who snuck into their fantasy football championships. White (ribs) was cleared by doctors on Monday and will re-take the starting job after missing the last two games against Detroit and Jacksonville.
In Weeks 12 through 15, when White was the starter, he was the QB10 in fantasy at 18.3 PPR/game and averaged 43 attempts (3rd), 317.3 yards (3rd), with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The offense flourished, and guys like Garrett Wilson and Zonovan Knight were must-starts.
They will be back into must-start territory in Week 17 as White and the Jets take on the Seahawks, who are 29th in success rate, 28th in EPA, 26th in DVOA, and 21st in points allowed. White is a high-end QB2 for fantasy football championships in Week 17 that is out there in the vast majority of waiver wires.
James Cook, Buffalo Bills (46.7% rostered)
The Bills running backs could do no wrong on Saturday in the freezing Chicago temperatures, and James Cook had a highly efficient day, which is what many have come to expect when he catches the ball.
Cook rushed 11 times for 99 yards and a touchdown while also catching one pass for nine yards. Cook averaged over nine yards per carry, which keeps his season total at a healthy 5.8 YPC, with 2.99 yards per attempt coming after contact. Cincinnati will be a tougher matchup, but if Cook sees double-digit touches, which was expected last week, he should comfortably hit RB3 territory as a waiver wire target for fantasy football in Week 17.
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons (39.2% rostered)
Tyler Allgeier has fully taken over the Falcons’ backfield. The BYU rookie ran the ball 18 times for 74 yards and added four catches for 43 receiving yards, and continues his quietly efficient string of games.
He’s averaged 5.8 yards per carry since Week 11 and has now topped 100 scrimmage yards in back-to-back games. Believe it or not, Allgeier has a legitimate shot at a 1,000-yard season as a rookie with 817 in 14 games (DNP Week 1). He’ll face a Cardinals defense in Week 17 that is 29th in DVOA, 28th in EPA, 22nd in success rate, and 28th in points allowed.
Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens (30.6% rostered)
I was all in on J.K. Dobbins last week as he came off a two-game stretch where he averaged 14 carries for 122.5 rushing yards. Instead of that happening again, it was Gus Edwards who led the team with 99 yards on 11 carries. The cold weather played Baltimore into an even more run-heavy game script than before, and the recent health of Dobbins likely led to Edwards seeing the bulk of the rushing.
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Even though Edwards is the No. 2., he is averaging double-digit carries and over five yards per carry. The matchup against Pittsburgh will assuredly be a close game as they typically are, and we will need to see the status of Lamar Jackson before finalizing projections and game trends. Still, Edwards would be a waiver wire option for someone looking for a stable floor, even if the ceiling isn’t the highest.
Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears (28.0% rostered)
Khalil Herbert has been a pickup and stash player for me but was back in the action on Saturday as the No. 2 to David Montgomery. Having spent the last three games on the IR, Herbert rushed six times for seven yards and caught two of his four targets for -4 yards.
Yes, this is not a lot to go off of, but I think there is more to come. I mean, there better be, that’s for sure. Go back to Weeks 7 through 10, he averaged 11.6 touches and 66.6 total yards. In half of those games, Herbert was in the top 20 (RB18, RB15) with four red-zone carries. Look at the opponent for Week 17. It’s the Detroit Lions that just made D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard look like Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, allowing 320 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
If the Bears return to the committee approach they did before Herbert went on the IR, there is sneaky flex appeal for him in Week 17.
Jahan Dotson, WR, Washington Commanders (30.2% rostered)
Jahan Dotson is a player whose recent play will have him rising up draft boards next season. Watch him crack the top 100 in ADP when August rolls around in 2023. The Penn State rookie now has 235 yards and three touchdowns on 24 targets over the past three games after catching six-of-nine targets for 76 yards and a score against the 49ers.
Dotson has scored in three-straight games, but more importantly, he is averaging eight targets per game, which is more important than streaky touchdowns. As one of the few bright spots on an otherwise depressing Commanders offense, Dotson is a higher-end flex play against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 to snag off the waiver wire.
Isaiah Hodgins, New York Giants (1.1% rostered)
After being released by the Bills earlier in the year, Isaiah Hodgins was signed by the Giants following their trade of Kadarius Toney. After a rotational role in the offense, Hodgins has his best day yet, catching eight of his team-high ten targets (tied) for 89 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings.
The signs were there this could happen. Between Weeks 12 and 15, Hodgins has a 17.5% target share with two scores with an 82.2% route run rate. Hodgins had two top-24 outings over this span and took advantage of a game script that forced the Giants to throw the ball against a Vikings defense that had allowed the second-most points to opposing WRs.
We certainly cannot expect a similar boom game from Hodgins, but he will certainly be in flex consideration. However, the Colts’ run defense might mean the team can lean on Saquon Barkley, limiting Hodgins’ upside. Still, outside of Darius Slayton, Hodgins is likely the WR2 for New York and could be waiver wire for managers who need a WR in Week 17.
Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers (14.6% rostered)
As the week continues, monitor the health of Packers WR Christian Watson. On Sunday, Watson injured his hip and was ruled out for the game without stepping on the field in the second half. Watson has downplayed the injury, saying he will be fine for Week 17, but we must watch it.
In his absence, fellow rookie Romeo Doubs stepped up as the No. 2. for Aaron Rodgers, playing on 88.2% of the plays in the second half. Doubs caught three of six targets for 36 receiving yards but would see a larger role in an even better matchup against the Vikings in Week 17, who have allowed the second-most receiving yards to wide receivers this season. Keep Doubs on the shortlist of WR waiver wire targets for fantasy football.
T.Y. Hilton, Dallas Cowboys (2.2% rostered)
T.Y. Hilton made his 2022 debut on Saturday and did it with a bang. The Ghost only saw one target in his limited usage (five routes), but Hilton hauled in a 52-yard bomb, keeping the momentum on the Dallas sidelines.
Hilton likely remains the fourth option in Week 17, but all you need is one of these plays to hit or there to be a bit more volume which should be expected with more familiarity in the system. I wouldn’t bet against it happening either against a Titans defense that is bottom of the league across the board in passing defense and has allowed the most yards on deep targets. Hilton is a boom-or-bust WR5/6 to watch in Week 17 for fantasy football as a waiver wire target.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets (36.3% rostered)
Tyler Conklin caught all four of his targets on Thursday night for 34 yards in the pouring rain, and despite Zach Wilson playing so poorly, they benched him for third-string rushing QB Chris Streveler.
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Conklin’s 34 yards led the Jets’ receivers, but you have to go back to Week 8 for the last time Conklin scored double-digit fantasy points (25.9 PPR vs. NE). However, Conklins is eighth in targets (77) on the season and faces Seattle in Week 17, who have allowed the second-most points to TEs. Additionally, he’s getting Mike White back under center, which boosts the floors and ceilings of all Jets’ players.
Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints (45.9% rostered)
Honestly, this is a bad week if you need a tight end off the waiver wire. Taysom Hill isn’t great by any means, but as you know, he can have a blowup week just as easily flame out for a dud. Hill was active on Saturday, given the conditions and his rushing ability. Hill logged nine carries for 56 yards and a touchdown but did not attempt a pass.
Hill has three-straight games of double-digit points, and given the Saints’ new-found success on the ground, there is reason to believe Hill could make it four straight and, as always, brings his passing and receiving upside to the position. It will not be easy against the Eagles, but Hill is as good as any swing-for-the-fences type of player you can snag off the Week 17 waiver wire to fill in your TE spot.