Week 17: Identifying Predictive Waiver Wire Adds Ahead Of Fantasy Football Super Bowl
Week 16 is in the books and we now have just one week left in the fantasy football postseason. The Miami Dolphins crushed Ian Book and the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football to the tune of 20-3. The Dolphins now control their destiny while the Saints are all but eliminated from the NFL postseason picture. Hopefully, you are still alive in your fantasy football league and are gearing up for championship week.
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In the fantasy football postseason, it is more critical than ever to optimize your roster with the most valuable players on the waiver wire as we gear up for a winner-take-all matchup in Week 17. Although COVID-19 and injuries have ravaged the league over the past few weeks, that has actually created some opportunities to find some real diamonds in the rough on the waiver wire.
Although the NFL postseason picture is still pretty blurry, the fantasy football finals are crystal clear. If your league allows waiver wire pickups in the postseason, you should absolutely take advantage of the opportunity. Claiming the right players off the waiver wire can sometimes be the difference between a fantasy football title and an early exit from the playoffs. Some of last week’s hottest pickups had great performances in Week 16 such as Ronald Jones, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Sony Michel.
Week 17 will be the first week of the season that no Thursday Night Football game will be played. And after two weeks in a row with games on Saturday, all games will be played on Sunday before the week ends with a Monday Night Football matchup between the 7-8 Cleveland Browns and the 7-7-1 Pittsburgh Steelers. This game has massive playoff implications in the AFC North as none of the four teams in the division have been eliminated yet.
It seems that every single season, this is the time when a few players emerge as league-winning contributors. As we gear up for the final week of the fantasy football postseason, it is time to make those pivotal waiver wire claims and FAAB bids. Now that Week 16 is in the books, it’s time to prepare for Week 17 with FantasySP’s unique Predictive Analytics. Keep reading here to access our Predictive Analytics or log into your account, and utilize the Fantasy Assistant. From there, you can see the predictive adds, drops, trades, and FAAB.
Predictive Analytics in a nutshell is a game-changer for fantasy players. No one else in the industry offers these types of insights. You will now be able to analyze the most important fantasy metrics of the current week BEFORE waivers are processed.
Find out the Expected Waiver Interest (EWI) of each player, as well as how much of your FAAB budget it would take to get “your guy” in the average league. You will now have unique insights into which players fantasy owners are giving up on and which players fantasy owners are fighting for in the current week.
With our eyes on the fantasy football championship, who are the players fantasy owners are adding the most heading into Week 17?
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Looking At Week 17 Fantasy Football Predictive Adds:
[predict="add-2021-17"]
WR Isaiah McKenzie, Buffalo Bills
McKenzie had his best game of the season in a critical victory over the New England Patriots in Week 16. Although Gabriel Davis was the hot pickup in Buffalo after his two-touchdown performance in Week 15, Davis was unable to suit up in Week 16, giving more playing time to McKenzie. The fifth-year wide receiver out of Georgia led all of Buffalo’s receivers with 11 receptions on 12 targets for 115 yards and a touchdown. With Cole Beasley and Davis inactive, McKenzie was utilized all over the field. Although Beasley and Davis could return to the lineup next week, McKenzie may have earned more playing time after his breakout performance. The Bills host an Atlanta Falcons defense in Week 17 that allows the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. McKenzie could prove to be a solid flex play in the fantasy football championship.
https://twitter.com/ezlazar/status/1475556994262216712
RB Rex Burkhead, Houston Texans
Burkhead had a breakout game against the Chargers on Sunday, accumulating 149 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Los Angeles isn’t great against the run and the Texans have a much tougher test in Week 17 against a strong San Francisco 49ers defense line. However, finding a running back on the waiver wire who gets 20 touches per game isn’t easy this late in the game. If you lost James Robinson, Burkhead is absolutely someone you should consider targeting on the waiver wire. He has led the backfield in touches two weeks in a row and after his strong performance, there’s no reason to expect that to change.
[lastten="Rex Burkhead"]
RB Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs
Williams could be this week’s most sought-after pickup after Clyde Edwards-Helaire suffered a collarbone injury in the Chiefs’ Week 16 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Williams had 11 rushes for 55 yards on Sunday, adding three receptions for an additional 30 receiving yards. It wasn’t a noteworthy performance from a fantasy perspective, however, Williams has already proven how valuable he can be with CEH out of the lineup. Williams should be owned in most leagues, but because it’s late in the season and Edwards-Helaire returned from his previous injury, Williams’ owner may have dropped him a week or two ago. Now is the time to spend your remaining FAAB budget on Williams. Back in Week 6 against Washington, Williams produced his only 20-carry game and finished with 62 rushing yards, two touchdowns, three receptions, and an additional 27 receiving yards. He also had a massive game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10 when he only accumulated 43 rushing yards on 11 carries but also hauled in all nine of his targets for 101 receiving yards and a touchdown. Since Williams is the type of player who can both run and catch the ball, he should be this week’s most added player. He very easily could be a league-winning pickup considering he faces a Cincinnati Bengals defense that allows the second-most receptions per game to opposing running backs. If you are in a PPR league, you need to submit your claim for Williams immediately. He’s in for a fantastic day in Week 17 if Edwards-Helaire is unable to suit up.
[lastten="Darrel Williams"]
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
I’m not sure how St. Brown isn’t owned in every single league considering he’s been a staple of this column over the last month. However, he’s still available in a few leagues and is likely the most capable wideout on the waiver wire. The rookie has been targeted a ridiculous 46 times over his last four games and it didn’t matter if Jared Goff or Tim Boyle was under center. Over that span, St. Brown has amassed 35 receptions for 340 yards and three touchdowns. In PPR formats, he has tallied 24.6, 15.3, 23.5, and 24.1 fantasy points in his last four outings. St. Brown has proven to be Detroit’s WR1 and is seeing tons of opportunities, especially with T.J. Hockenson on Injured Reserve. If the rookie is still available, scoop him up immediately. He will continue to dominate down the stretch.
[lastten="Amon-Ra St. Brown"]
RB Jordan Howard, Philadelphia Eagles
Howard returned from a multi-game absence due to a knee injury in Week 15. Although he didn’t find the end zone or see any targets, he did see a sizable workload, turning 15 carries into 69 rushing yards. Against the G-Men in Week 16, Howard totaled 56 yards on 11 touches (two receptions) while playing a bit banged up. The last two games have been nothing to write home about, however, Miles Sanders exited Week 16’s victory over the Giants early with a hand fracture. The Eagles will opt to keep Sanders sidelined in Week 17 against the Washington Football Team, one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Although Boston Scott will surely be mixed in, Howard should see the bulk of the opportunities near the goal line. And don’t forget that the former Chicago Bear scored three touchdowns over a two-week span from Week 8 to Week 9. Howard isn’t going to get you points through the air, but he’s a solid bet to score a touchdown in championship week!
New Orleans Saints DEF/ST
The Saints were manhandled on Monday night, as the offense just couldn’t get into a groove with Ian Brook under center. New Orleans’ defense showed up against Miami though, as they produced three sacks and an interception against Tua Tagovailoa. And although the Saints lost 20-3, one of those touchdowns came on a pick-six. So, New Orleans’ defense was actually pretty stout against the Dolphins. In Week 17, the Saints face a Carolina Panthers offense that has struggled to protect the football. Carolina is currently allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses.
RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With Leonard Fournette out of the lineup in Week 16 (along with other playmakers such as Chris Godwin and Mike Evans), Tom Brady and the Bucs had to lean on the running game more than usual. Although Ronald Jones served as the lead back, Vaughn was very productive in his limited action. The young running back broke free for a 55-yard touchdown and finished with 70 rushing yards on seven carries. Bruce Arians even said after the game that Vaughn is capable of being a lead dog. If Fournette is out of the lineup yet again in Week 17, Vaughn could prove to be a pivotal pickup. Although Jones will still get plenty of touches, it’s quite possible Vaughn leapfrogged Jones on the depth chart. Fortunately, the Bucs get a Week 17 matchup with a New York Jets defense that has been dreadful against opposing running backs, allowing a league-high 33 fantasy points per game to the position. As long as Fournette remains out of the lineup, Vaughn is safe to plug into your flex spot.
https://twitter.com/PewterReport/status/1475516925350453251
QB Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a thumb injury in Week 16, which likely means that Lance will make his second career start when the Niners host the Houston Texans on Sunday night.
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1475611292467712006
In his only start of the season, Lance wasn’t exactly surgical with his accuracy against a tough Arizona Cardinals secondary. He only completed 15-of-29 pass attempts for 192 yards and an interception. However, he did turn 16 rushes into 89 yards. Houston’s defense ranks second-to-last against the run this season, as they allow 141.3 yards per game on the ground. Lance likely won’t need to throw the ball a ton in what should be an easy win for the 49ers. With playmakers like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle at his disposal, Lance has QB1 potential in Week 17. If you need a quarterback to stream in the fantasy football finals, Lance is most likely your guy due to his dual-threat ability.
RB Boston Scott, Philadelphia Eagles
We already discussed the fact that Miles Sanders is highly questionable to suit up for the Eagles Week 16 matchup against the Washington Football Team. Although he will be splitting touches with Jordan Howard, Scott was the one who found the end zone against the Giants on Sunday. He finished with 12 carries for 41 yards and a trip to the end zone. With Sanders already ruled out, Scott should benefit from a positive game script against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Not to mention, Washington was just blown out on Sunday night by the Dallas Cowboys to the tune of 52-14. Washington allowed Dallas to accumulate 497 yards of offense on Sunday, and that was with Dak Prescott on the bench for most of the second half. Considering Scott is available in about 80% of fantasy leagues, he is likely the top running back to add in deeper formats. Scott played 20 snaps compared to Howard’s 22 on Sunday. He should see even more opportunities with Sanders on the sideline in Week 17. It’s also helpful to know that Scott has accumulated double-digit fantasy points in three of his last four outings.
[projection="Boston Scott"]
RB Sony Michel, Los Angeles Rams
Michel shouldn’t be available in most leagues, but if he is, it’s time to add him before it’s too late. Even though Darrell Henderson has been active for the last two contests, Michel has been the running back that the Rams have leaned on over the past month. Michel rushed for a season-high 131 yards on a whopping 27 carries in the Rams’ victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. He also scored a touchdown and caught one of his four targets for an additional four receiving yards.
Now, Henderson will miss the next month of action, however, it looks like Cam Akers may be able to return for Week 17. Even so, Akers will be eased back into the lineup and Michel will continue to serve as the workhorse. Michel is averaging 22.5 carries and 105.75 rushing yards per game over his last four contests, including two touchdowns over that span. He’s even caught six passes during that time. The Rams have a tough matchup against a stout Baltimore Ravens defense in Week 17, but given the volume, Michel is a safe RB2 in the fantasy football finals.
[lastten="Sony Michel"]
Other Top Week 17 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
- RB Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
- RB Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks
- Indianapolis Colts DEF/ST
- Chicago Bears DEF/ST
- WR Elijah Moore, New York Jets
And that’s a wrap. Thanks for checking out our Week 17 Predictive Adds! Head back next season to see who fantasy owners are flocking towards ahead of each week!
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