Fantasy Waiver Wire: FAAB Report for Week 17 pickups, free agents
There are always unlikely heroes starting for teams in fantasy football championship games, and finding these randos starts with your early-week waiver wire pickups. In Week 17, several RBs (Dare Ogunbowale, Rex Burkhead, Boston Scott), at least one QB (Trey Lance), and a host of streamers WRs, TEs, and D/STs could be difference-makers. And because it’s the last week of the season for pretty much everyone, there’s no need worry about your FAAB budget — go nuts with your bids and get whoever you want/need.
Nonetheless, as we do every week this season with the help of our friends at Fantasy Alarm, we’ll break down the top pickups and project how much of your FAAB budget you should bid on them, at least in normal circumstances. If you feel the need to bid 100 percent of your budget on a specific player, go for it. The projected bids below are just to give you a sense of a player’s general value.Â
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Week 17 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire QB pickups, streamers
Justin Fields (CHI). If Fields (ankle) is available in your league and you’re lacking confidence in players like Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson, or you’re unsure if Lamar Jackson (ankle) will return this week, then Fields should be on your roster. He should return this for the championship round and the Bears face a depleted Giants defense that lacks any semblance of life at the moment. Fields has gradually gotten better this season and was finishing consistently as a top-12 quarterback in the handful of games prior to Week 16. Projected FAAB Bid: 7% of total FAAB budget
Trey Lance (SF). With the news on Monday that Jimmy Garoppolo has a thumb injury and could miss Sunday’s game against the Texans, then we naturally look to his replacement. Earlier this year when given the opportunity to start, Lance flashed some upside but had significant accuracy issues. However, he has the confidence of the coaching staff, and keep in mind he now has the full complement of weapons this time around. Houston has quietly been playing better as the season has progressed, but it still grades out as one of the best matchups on paper for quarterbacks. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-6%
WEEK 17 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 17 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire RB pickups, streamers
Boston Scott (PHI). Scott is one of my preferred waiver wire targets this week. Miles Sanders has a significant hand injury that will keep him out in Week 17. Scott led the way last week with 41 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Jordan Howard (stinger) got a little extra run, as well, but he also sustained an injury. As always, it’s too early to tell his status for Week 17 but take solace in the fact Scott will get a good amount of work this week regardless. Philadelphia draws the Washington Football Team, who was just decimated by Dallas on Sunday night. If Howard is healthy, he makes for a great pickup, too. Projected FAAB Bid: 20-30% of total FAAB budget
Rex Burkhead (HOU). Burkhead has easily become the lead running back in Houston, as evidenced by his 15-plus touches in three straight games. He has just three touchdowns on the season, two of which came last week against the Chargers. But the workload has been there, and Houston’s offense has seemingly hit a groove the past two weeks. He rushed for 149 yards against Los Angeles, but the Texans get a slightly more difficult matchup this week as they visit San Francisco. Proj. FAAB Bid: 20%
Cam Akers (LAR). There are a few things worth noting with Akers (Achilles’), so I’ll try to keep this as succinct as possible. For starters, I don’t think he’ll play a significant role in the regular season, but with Darrell Henderson Jr. (knee) hitting IR, the door is open for Akers to get some work heading into the playoffs. I added him in a few leagues, but those were keeper leagues or very deep leagues. I don’t think he’ll have a drastic impact on championship matchups, especially with how well Sony Michel has played lately. Again, he only appears this high in the running back section if you have a spot to stash him in keeper leagues or deeper formats. Do not expect him to help you win your league this weekend. He’s five months removed from tearing his Achilles’, so be a little realistic with what you should expect. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10-15%
Dare Ogunbowale (JAC). I don’t think I’d start Ogunbowale in anything other than a deep-league format, but with James Robinson’s Achilles’ injury on Sunday, Ogunbowale came in and rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown. This week the Jaguars have to go to New England and rain is in the forecast, so the game could be a little sloppy. However, New England’s run defense has been fairly mediocre in recent weeks, and add in the fact that Matthew Judon hit the reserve/COVID list on Monday, and we find ourselves in a spot where we can possibly flex Ogunbowale for a championship. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10%
WEEK 17 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 17 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire WR pickups, streamers
K.J. Osborn (MIN). Here we are once again with “Adam Thielen Watch.” Thielen returned from a two-game absence but was forced out again before halftime against the Rams this past week. Week 17’s matchups against the Packers isn’t a slam dunk, but Osborn slides into Flex consideration if Thielen misses this week’s game. Osborn didn’t do much with the opportunity during Thielen’s absence, but given the circumstances surrounding players getting hurt or landing on the COVID/Reserve list, then Osborn should at the very least be rostered in about 60-70% of leagues. Proj. FAAB Bid: 12-14% of total budget
Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard (GB). The logic is simple: If MVS (reserve/COVID) sits, then Lazard gets a significant bump. If Valdes-Scantling is back, he’s the preferred option. With MVS out of the lineup Christmas night, Lazard ran a route on 94% of Rodgers’ dropbacks. The Packers wideouts get a plus-matchup this week against the Vikings, who grade out as one of the best matchups for wide receivers. Lazard hasn’t commanded a significant target share, but he has found the end zone in two of his past three games. The week in between, MVS scored. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10%
Kadarius Toney (NYG). Toney is a very frustrating player because we’ve already seen this year he’s had issues staying on the field. However, when he’s been healthy and active, he’s an easy target for whoever is playing quarterback for the Giants. Toney ran less than 30 routes on Sunday and saw nine targets. That’s an unsustainable rate, but if he’s getting open that much then he’s going to warrant some frustrating flex consideration. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7-8%
Isaiah McKenzie (BUF). McKenzie was the beneficiary to Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis being out due to COVID protocols. As it stands right now it looks as if both players will once again miss Week 17 against Atlanta, and the Falcons make for a defense that you can easily move the ball against. How much will Buffalo have to pass? It remains to be seen, but McKenzie should see about four-to-six targets even with Dawson Knox, Stefon Diggs, and Emmanuel Sanders still on the field. McKenzie isn’t an easy lock and load. We’ve seen flashes from him before, but there were also reasons why he was buried in the depth chart behind the other pass-catchers. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-6%
Josh Palmer (LAC). The Chargers were a significant disappointment in their loss to Houston, but Palmer provided some production. Palmer has scored in two of his past three games and the significance of those games comes from the fact that either Mike Williams or Keenan Allen were absent. Williams is expected to miss Week 17’s game against Denver due to COVID protocols, so we could once again be looking at five-to-seven targets for Palmer, and we know there’s the possibility he scores. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5%
MORE WEEK 17: Top waiver pickups
Week 17 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire TE pickups, streamers
Cole Kmet (CHI). I’ve been hyping Kmet for a few weeks, and while the ceiling isn’t great, he’s been involved in the offense enough to warrant rostering and even starting in some leagues. Kmet’s been running more routes, and even without Justin Fields, Kmet still had four catches last week. Fields should return for Week 17 against the Giants, and that bodes well for Kmet. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10%
Mo Alie-Cox (IND). M.A.C. is a favorite of mine in DFS Showdown contests, but this week he garners some attention in season-long leagues. Jack Doyle (ankle, knee) got hurt last week, which was a bump to Alie-Cox’s value, as he was running more routes on Carson Wentz’s dropbacks. It only translated to two catches for 42 yards, but the four targets were the most he had seen since Halloween. The Colts draw the Raiders in Week 17, and they grade out as one of the best matchups on paper for tight ends. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7%
Week 17 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire Defense pickups, streamers
As we always caution, you shouldn’t spend more than one percent of your FAAB budget on a D/ST. Here are this week’s potential streaming pickups:
- Chicago Bears (vs. Giants)
- Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Broncos)
- Seattle Seahawks (vs. Lions)
- Cleveland Browns (@ Steelers)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Browns)