Similar to last week, if you’re reading this, then you’re either in your fantasy championship or you’re just a huge fan. Either way, I appreciate you being here! I will say that if your league plays anything meaningful in Week 17, then do what you can to either change that or leave the league. Week 17 championships are a brutal way to determine who’s the best in your league, mainly due to potential MVP-caliber players riding the pine and the higher level of variance in outcomes that come along with that. Regardless, you’re here, so let’s look at some Week 17 waiver wire options for the desperate few that are playing this week.
Week 17 Waiver Wire Finds
Andy Dalton, CIN QB – 5% Owned
Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals did about everything they could to screw up their #1 overall pick when they faced the Miami Dolphins in Week 16, but luckily they found a way to lose anyway. In the last two minutes, Dalton looked like his old self, throwing for two touchdowns with two two-point conversions to send it to overtime. He’s no Aaron Rodgers, but look for him to do something similar this week against the in-state rival Cleveland Browns as he uses this week to audition for a new team in 2020 and beyond. Dalton still has something left in the tank, and if you’re desperate at QB this week, he’s not a horrible option in your season finale.
Travis Homer, SEA RB – 0% Owned
The Seattle Seahawks are looking worn out from a long season, with star running back Chris Carson, and backups C.J. Prosise and Rashaad Penny all out in Week 17. Homer came in as the last-ditch option and didn’t do too badly, but word on the street is that Marshawn Lynch may suit up in Week 17, just days after being signed. To me, Homer gets the add for sure, but keep an eye out for more Lynch news as we get closer to the weekend. Even if he suits up, it’s hard to see him taking a bell-cow role. But, it could be a sign of the lack of trust in Homer, making both potentially worthless for this week.
Gus Edwards, BAL RB – 5% Owned
The Baltimore Ravens are locked into the bye and have very little reason to start their studs. It’s already been reported that Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram will sit in Week 17, among others. Ingram left Sunday’s game with a calf injury, so he was sure to be rested this coming week with nothing on the line.
Rookie Justice Hill looked okay in relief, but the odds are good that the team would lean heavily on the older running back available in Gus Edwards. Edwards can handle a lot of work and isn’t as necessary to the future as Hill, making him a fine Week 17 waiver wire option to add if your RB corps is looking bleak to close out your league.
Kenny Stills, HOU WR – 23% Owned
WR Kenny Stills is an interesting choice, mainly because he’s probably been on and off a lot of teams in your league already this season. Will Fuller’s earlier injury kept him out of multiple games and Stills saw the benefit, but then Fuller came back and Stills was relegated back to the bench, if not dropped entirely.
But guess what?
Fuller is hurt once again. That means Stills could see a high volume workload in Week 17 against in-division rival Tennessee Titans. Houston doesn’t have much to play for other than knocking the Titans out of the playoffs, but they’ll still be a pretty good offense to tie yourself to for fantasy purposes. Give Stills a shot, and start him if you need a WR3 or flex play this week.
Phillip Dorsett, NE WR – 17% Owned
Tom Brady is getting older, but he and the New England Patriots are still looking relatively locked and loaded for the postseason. The young wide receivers are stepping up to the challenge, but lost in the shuffle is veteran Phillip Dorsett. With the Patriots still playing for a bye and facing the Miami Dolphins team that they destroyed in Week 2, look for Brady to be throwing early and often, giving all of the receivers a boost this week. Dorsett is a free agent after the season and could be playing for a new team in 2020, meaning he could start taking every opportunity to show off his skills whenever possible. Fire him up if you lost a guy like Fuller or need a flex option this week.
Kaden Smith, NYG TE – 11% Owned
The New York Giants, led by rookie Daniel Jones, have looked like a team on the rise, even without their stud tight end in Evan Engram. Third-string option Kaden Smith has quickly become start-worthy thanks to the targets he’s getting near the end zone and making him a very viable option to see his ownership percentage take a sharp increase for leagues playing in Week 17. Smith could be a league-winner if he keeps up his current pace, so make sure you grab him before your finals opponent does, even if you already have a star TE on your squad.
Tyler Eifert, CIN – 12% Owned
I mentioned Tyler Eifert last week, who had a great performance against a terrible defense in Week 16. Much like Dalton, who I discussed earlier, Eifert could be a deep sleeper this week as the Bengals try to show up their in-state rival in the Browns. Eifert has been coming on as of late and should be rostered in more leagues, but due to his injury concerns and overall low-volume performances as of late, he’s riding the waivers yet again. Pick him up and see how the week goes, but he is definitely a viable Week 17 waiver wire option if you are looking for help.
Hit us up on Twitter @PFNFantasy with who you’re looking at on waivers this week. Also, continue to visit the Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis like the PFN OSM data while also visiting our Fantasy Football section for more coverage.
Andrew Hall is a writer for PFN covering Fantasy Football. You can follow him @AndrewHallFF on Twitter.