This is the week of your fantasy football season you have looked forward to ever since the NFL Draft in April – championship week. Whether you are fighting for your league championship or if you are just playing out the rest of your season in the toilet bowl, make sure you still pay attention to your Week 17 waiver wire pickups.
Even if you don’t have a need for any of the following players in your starting lineup, adding pieces for depth as backup plans is still important, especially if teams start to consider resting their players for the postseason. You also can pick up a few players to block them from your opponents, forcing them to hunt for players further down the list.
As always, the following list includes players that are rostered on fewer than 50 percent of all ESPN rosters, making the chances you can pick them up pretty high. This will be the final waiver wire pickup article of the year, so thanks for tagging along this season!
Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups
10. Juwan Johnson – TE
23.7% Rostered
New Orleans Saints
Looking for some help at the tight-end position? The pickings are slim, but Juwan Johnson of the Saints may be your best bet.
Throw away their awful passing performance against the Browns due to the weather – plus, with both Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry having missed that game, Andy Dalton didn’t really have a lot working in his favor. With the status of both wideouts up in the air for Week 17, Johnson could command a high target share against the Eagles, even though they are one of the best teams in the league in terms of fantasy points allowed to TEs (sixth-lowest).
9. Isaiah Hodgins – WR
1.1% Rostered
New York Giants
Targeting the wide receiver corp of the New York Giants is not typically a sign of a healthy fantasy football roster, but at this point in the year, you have to find whatever value is out there. Isaiah Hodgins has quietly been earning more and more work from Daniel Jones in the passing attack, and he is one of the few WR options available for your waiver wire pickups to consider.
Hosting the Colts and their tough secondary certainly can lower Hodgins’ ceiling, but the Giants will need to throw the ball against Indy, so Hodgins can be looked to if you need some WR help.
8. Jahan Dotson – WR
30.2% Rostered
Washington Commanders
Another week with six-plus targets for rookie WR Jahan Dotson, holding a solid role even with the QB change from Taylor Heinicke to Carson Wentz. Dotson has been able to earn four-plus targets in seven games this year, and with this offense frequently having to play catch-up, his role is pretty solid.
As Washington continues to fight for a playoff spot, look for Dotson to continue to have a solid floor in the passing attack, starting Week 17 against the Browns.
7. Gus Edwards – RB
30.6% Rostered
Baltimore Ravens
The pecking order in the backfield for the Baltimore Ravens remains a bit puzzling, especially with how efficient J.K. Dobbins has been. Sunday’s game against the Falcons saw Dobbins earn a solid workload, but it was Gus Edwards who saw one less carry (12 vs 11) than Dobbins but earned 40 more yards.
With a playoff spot already locked up, look for both Dobbins and Edwards to earn equal time in the backfield, boosting the type of impact Edwards can have moving forward.
6. Brock Purdy – QB
28.6% Rostered
San Francisco 49ers
Whether you think the success at QB for the San Francisco 49ers is due to their drafting acumen or Kyle Shanahan and the offensive structure, it is remarkable that this team continues to churn out NFL-ready QBs. Brock Purdy was forced into the spotlight with the Jimmy Garoppolo injury, and he has more than looked the part.
While the rumor mill has started to conjure up comments about the Niners looking at sitting some of their guys, they still have plenty to play for in playoff seeding, so expect Purdy to have his full arsenal of weapons available when they face the Raiders in Week 17.
5. Greg Dortch – WR
3.0% Rostered
Arizona Cardinals
As was very evident in their overtime loss on Christmas night, the Arizona Cardinals really look like a team that needs a complete roster overhaul. With that in mind, players like Greg Dortch have been earning some serious playing time, and in turn producing super-helpful performances for your fantasy football teams.
Dortch’s 10 catches for 98 yards showed that Trace McSorely liked him the most of all of his targets, and that kind of PPR ceiling is the type of value you desperately need to capitalize in your waiver wire pickups.
4. Gardner Minshew – QB
27.2% Rostered
Seattle Seahawks
Stepping in for Jalen Hurts amid his recovery, Gardner Minshew was awesome, proving once again that he should be starting for an NFL team and not be holding down a spot as a backup. Teeing off against the Cowboys' secondary to the tune of 355 passing yards and 3 total TDs, Minshew could very well be your starting QB in your fantasy football championship game if need be – unless Hurts is able to make his return.
3. Zach Moss – RB
43.3% Rostered
Indianapolis Colts
Based on workload alone, Zach Moss is a solid addition, even with the comments from head coach Jeff Saturday about rotating with Deon Jackson and Jordan Wilkins. The Indianapolis Colts do not have the type of offense that you typically would search out for your fantasy football roster, but for your waiver wire pickups, it is tough to find that kind of value at this point of the season.
2. James Cook – RB
44.3% Rostered
Buffalo Bills
Sunday’s blowout win over the Chicago Bears showed just how efficient the Buffalo Bills can be with their rushing attack, as Josh Allen, James Cook, and Devin Singletary all scored. Cook has been a big-time beneficiary of the offensive game plan focusing more on running the ball, and his pass-catching abilities have been put on full display as well.
In their marquee matchup with the Bengals in Week 17, look for Cook to have an expanded role, especially in the passing game, acting as a safety valve for Allen to target.
1. Tyler Allgeier – RB
39.2% Rostered
Atlanta Falcons
Their elimination from postseason contention is the perfect storm for the Atlanta Falcons to get their youngsters more playing time to end the year, putting Tyler Allgeier front and center.
For the second consecutive week, Allgeier was responsible for over 100 total yards (74 rushing, 43 receiving), outworking Cordarelle Patterson. With the Falcons likely not seeing a future with Patterson in their backfield, getting an extended look at Allgeier makes sense, and you can safely add him to the top of your waiver wire pickups for Week 17.
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