If you are reading this, congratulations on making it to the Fantasy Super Bowl.
Since every league has entered the playoffs, this article will be shorter and more to the point, focusing on players who are most likely to help you win this week.
I will still cover some players in the watch list section for each position, but we are living in the now in the fantasy playoffs.
As a reminder, recommended adds are available in at least 60% of ESPN leagues, and the watch list consists of players worth monitoring.
I will not list recommended FAAB percentages for every player because that decision comes down to too many factors including league size, team weaknesses, and the aggressiveness of the other managers in your league.
That said, this late in the year spend what you need to get a player.
Finally, I will not be ranking kickers and defenses because frankly I don’t care about them and want them to disappear from the game.
With those caveats out of the way, let’s get to it.
Best Quarterback Waiver Pickups & Streaming Options, Fantasy Football Week 17
- Michael Penix
- Bryce Young
Best Running Back Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 17
- Trey Benson
- Michael Carter
- Patrick Taylor
Best Wide Receiver Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 17
- Jalen McMillan
- Rashod Bateman
- Dontayvion Wicks
- John Metchie
Best Tight End Waiver Pickups & Streaming Options, Fantasy Football Week 17
- Dalton Schultz
- Chig Okonkwo
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Best Quarterback Waiver Pickups & Streaming Options, Fantasy Football Week 17
1. Michael Penix — Available in 87.9% of fantasy leagues
We did not get a big game out of Penix because of defensive scores and the Giants' inability to force the issue, but the rookie looked good on his limited attempts. We would feel better about Penix's outlook if Drake London was fully healthy, but early indications are the receiver should play this week. Washington should push the pace more than the Giants, and the game features a 47.5-point total. In a weak group of streamers, Penix stands out.
2. Bryce Young — Available in 95.1% of fantasy leagues
Young's recent run of good form has not coincided with great fantasy outings, but he did throw for 298 yards and a score against the Bucs back in Week 13. He is also showing more as a runner, going for 68 yards against the Cardinals and averaging just over 20 per game over his last six. I would hope a Super Bowl team does not need to dig this deep, but Young has a good matchup and has been playing better.
Watch List: It is tough to put your fantasy future in the hands of Mac Jones or Mason Rudolph, but that game could feature more points than expected…Aidan O'Connell is in a decent spot, but that was the case last week when he put up 257 scoreless yards.
Best Running Back Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 17
1. Trey Benson — Available in 81.9% of leagues
2. Michael Carter — Available in 99.9% of leagues
With the Cardinals officially eliminated, it would be surprising if James Conner played through his injury on a short week, though his coach did not rule him out while talking to the media on Tuesday. Jonathan Gannon also did not rule out Benson, who missed all of last week due to an ankle injury. If neither guy plays, Carter would be the main option after out-touching DeeJay Dallas 10 to 1 against the Panthers. Carter has had a winding career since his promising rookie season with the Jets back in 2021, but he has averaged a solid 5 yards per touch throughout his career and gets a great matchup against the Rams.
The play is to pick up both and see what happens if possible, but for teams with just one open roster spot, this decision depends on your team. If you definitely need someone to play this week, pick up Carter because the most likely outcome is him getting the start given Benson did not practice at all last week. If you have a good team and this would just be a potential upgrade at a FLEX spot, go with Benson because he is the more talented runner and higher upside play should he practice this week and get the nod.
3. Patrick Taylor — Available in 67% of leagues
Things were UGLY against the Dolphins, but Taylor still got 88.9% of the running back carries and 5 targets. If you just have to throw some touches at the wall in a FLEX spot, he at least got them last week. The 49ers do have other options, so it is worth paying attention to the beat writers this week, but Ke'Shawn Vaughn did not even play a snap against Miami.
Watch List: Devin Singletary is rostered in too many leagues for this article, but wanted to throw out there that we should watch Tyrone Tracy‘s injury status this week after Brian Daboll said the rookie aggravated his ankle injury…I expect Zach Charbonnet to be less limited on Thursday, but with Kenneth Walker almost certain to sit, there could once again be a bigger than expected role for Kenny McIntosh if Charbonnet is not 100%…Audric Estime got 9 carries and a touchdown, but he played just 13 snaps to 32 for Javonte Williams. Estime played just 3 more snaps than Blake Watson. This backfield is too uncertain to trust…DeeJay Dallas was clearly behind Michael Carter, so unless news breaks about him leading the backfield in practice or something like that, he can probably be left on the waiver wire…Raheem Mostert was more involved against the 49ers, and the Dolphins could find themselves in the perfect game script for Mostert to get double-digit touches again this week…Alexander Mattison was the clear lead back in the first half on Sunday with Ameer Abdullah getting more work late. I don't really want to chase either.
Best Wide Receiver Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 17
1. Jalen McMillan — Available in 66.9% of leagues
McMillan is the only receiver on this list I would really trust in a fantasy lineup, especially with the Panthers on deck and Sterling Shepard dealing with an injury. Over the last three games, McMillan has seen 20.6% of Tampa's targets and is averaging 9.6 yards per target. He has 4 touchdowns over that stretch.
2. Rashod Bateman — Available in 77.7% of leagues
Bateman once again hid a low target total with a trip to the end zone on his only reception against the Steelers. Those volume concerns give him volatility, but Zay Flowers‘ worrying shoulder injury could offer Bateman a more stable target floor should Flowers be forced to sit out on Wednesday.
3. Dontayvion Wicks — Available in 90.6% of leagues
Here we are again. Christian Watson left Monday night with a knee injury, and coach Matt LaFleur said, “There's some concern there,” after the game. Wicks is the next guy up when one of the top three sits out, but he has not hit for us on the wire since the Packers have been so run heavy. This week, though, they get a Vikings team that might be able to push them out of their shell.
4. John Metchie — Available in 99.5% of leagues
Diontae Johnson is unlikely to be active on Christmas let alone contribute a fantasy-viable score, so we are looking at other options to fill in for Tank Dell. The most likely target earner is Dalton Schultz (below), and Robert Woods was the primary beneficiary at receiver against the Chiefs, though Metchie was inactive for that game. He is practicing in full now, however, and had been working as the clear No. 3 receiver. From Week 11 to Week 15, Metchie was fourth on the team with 97 routes while Woods ran just 34. Metchie also has a solid 7.3 yards per target this season, so he has produced when given the chance. Good teams probably do not have to dig this deep, but Metchie would be my pick of the Houston receivers.
Watch List: Marquise Brown was targeted on over half of his routes in his season debut, which does make him at least interesting, but he also ran just 15 routes. I would expect the Chiefs to continue to ease him in…It was great to see Olamide Zaccheaus pop when his route rate spiked in Week 16, but we also saw Dyami Brown and Jamison Crowder get their chances behind Terry McLaurin. As has been the case all season, it is tough to trust the non-McLaurin receivers in Washington…I bet someone pops for a good game, but good luck solving the Rubik's Cubes that are the Broncos and Patriots receiver rooms…It looks like CeeDee Lamb will keep playing through his injury, and the matchup this week is not good enough to chase the secondary options in Dallas…Maybe Nick Westbrook–Ikhine is starting another touchdown streak. He certainly has a good matchup this week, though he went 1 for 19 last time against the Jags…David Moore did catch a touchdown, and Jalen Coker got 5 targets, but Adam Thielen is the only Panthers receiver I trust week to week.
Best Tight End Waiver Pickups & Streaming Options, Fantasy Football Week 17
1. Dalton Schultz — Available in 55.8% of leagues
Schultz is a little above my limit for this article, but he is clearly the best streaming option available in more than half of leagues. With Tank Dell done for the season, Schultz will likely be the No. 2 option in the passing game. In the second half against the Chiefs, he led the team with 4 targets, turning those looks into 3 catches for 33 yards. The Ravens are 23rd in yards per target allowed to tight ends this season.
2. Chig Okonkwo — Available in 93.6% of leagues
Okonkwo hit for us last week, so we are going back to the well. He now has 21 targets over his last two games and a 22.5% target share over the last month. He only went for 8 yards on 3 catches in his last game against the Jaguars, but Jacksonville has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to tight ends this season.
Watch List: I still would have interest in Brenton Strange, but he lost a fumble just before halftime and then ran 2 routes the rest of the game. Josiah Deguara ran the most routes among Jaguars tight ends in the second half…Tyler Higbee was a good story in Week 16, but he ran 6 total routes in his first game back…The Texans are really good against tight ends, which puts a damper on any Isaiah Likely hype, but he would likely run more routes and be more involved if Zay Flowers is forced to miss this game.