Fantasy Football Week 17: Priority waiver wire pickups for Championship Week

Welcome to Championship Week, everyone. We made it. Let’s go earn a ring.

If you need one final boost from the waiver wire, we are here to help. Each week, we prioritize the top potential pickups remaining available in at least 50% of Yahoo leagues. It’s time to empty the FAB wallet, friends, because those resources won’t carry over to 2025. Spend whatever it takes to acquire whatever you need.

Running backs

Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints (46%)

Miller heads into Monday night’s matchup with Green Bay as the clear featured runner for New Orleans, with Alvin Kamara sidelined by a groin injury. Of course being the clear featured anything for the Saints these days does not guarantee fantasy production, because that team is relying on backups at every offensive skill spot. It’s gonna be messy in the closing weeks for this squad.

Most of Miller’s appeal is in his projected role, but he’s actually looked solid ever since he was released from the remote and hostile island where former head coach Dennis Allen had sent him to live in exile. Miller rushed for 78 yards on 19 carries in Weeks 14-15, with an impressive pile-driving touchdown included. He’s a potential flex in the upcoming home matchup with the Raiders.

Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah, Las Vegas Raiders (48% and 23%)

Mattison ran as the head of the backfield committee for the Raiders on Sunday, with Abdullah not far behind. Mattison finished with 56 total yards on 16 touches, hammering his way into the end-zone (with assistance) early in the game. Abdullah delivered 85 scrimmage yards on 12 touches, scoring a go-ahead walk-in TD in the fourth quarter. Neither player is much of a style-points back, but both are capable receiving threats and serviceable runners.

Las Vegas is headed into a matchup with New Orleans, a game that should be both messy and gloriously chaotic. With Sincere McCormick and Zamir White now on IR, Mattison and Abdullah will continue to roll as the primary backs for an offense that’s flawed but not un-fun.

Various other RB adds:

• Gus Edwards is pretty much the definition of a TD-or-bust player, but he’s been a frequent visitor to the end-zone in recent weeks. He made a pair of house calls on Thursday night while gaining a season-high 71 yards on 15 touches. J.K. Dobbins is eligible to return in Week 17 at New England, however, so let’s not assume Edwards will continue to see double-digit touches.

• Michael Carter was forced into a significant role on Sunday after James Conner’s unfortunate injury-related exit. Arizona’s backfield has basically run out of good ideas, with Conner (knee), Trey Benson (ankle) and Emari Demercado (back-IR) all hurting. We can’t yet say exactly which backs might be available on Saturday against the Rams, but Carter will be among them. One of the remaining teams in your league’s consolation bracket final can probably use him, but he’s obviously not an ideal starter for title-contending squads.

Wide receivers and tight ends

Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (45%)

McMillan took us on a wild ride on Sunday night, catching five passes for 57 yards and one score, yet also leaving a few fantasy points out on the field.

Just imagine starting Baker Mayfield in the semis and losing because this potential deep score became an interception:

Not ideal.

Despite that unfortunate sequence, McMillan still managed to haul in his fifth TD reception of the season and fourth in his last three games. He’s the clear No. 2 target in Tampa Bay’s passing game at the moment, likely headed for another 7-10 opportunities in the must-win matchup ahead with Carolina. Sterling Shepard exited with a hamstring issue on Sunday and Cade Otton missed the game with a knee injury, so McMillan is likely to be a featured receiver in Week 17.

Hollywood Brown, Kansas City Chiefs (32%)

Oh, hey, welcome to the 2024 fantasy season, Hollywood. Better late than never.

Kansas City had a screaming need for a reliable separator and vertical threat, and they managed to add one of the game’s best to the receiving room in late December. Brown caught five passes for 45 yards on eight targets against Houston on Saturday, immediately converting in critical third- and fourth-down situations. Let’s recall that he’s returning from a shoulder injury, not a knee or leg issue, so there are no concerns about any loss of explosiveness.

Brown is a 27-year-old wideout who already has a 90-catch, 1,000-yard season on his NFL resume, and he’s now attached to a Patrick Mahomes-led passing attack. He deserves WR3/flex consideration in the upcoming matchup at Pittsburgh.

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Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans (6%)

Young fantasy managers, please ask your parents about Jared Cook, a gentleman who used to play tight end for the Titans. Early in his career, Cook made a habit of closing each season with a string of sneaky-useful games, which of course would lead to preseason sleeper hype the following year. We were trapped in a surge-sleeper-bust-surge cycle for several seasons with Cook.

Today, Tennessee’s offense features another tight end who's closing the season with a binge. Okonkwo has drawn double-digit targets in back-to-back weeks and he finished with eight catches for 81 yards and a 2-point conversion in Sunday’s wild loss. It’s tough to ignore any player seeing this sort of volume, particularly at tight end. If you’ve been struggling at the position all year, it’s time to perhaps give Okonkwo a test drive in an appealing matchup at Jacksonville.

Additional WRs and TEs to consider:

• Romeo Doubs is a reasonable flier in any given week and his team is headed into a likely shootout with Minnesota on Sunday. Any available Packers receiver deserves consideration.

• Nick Westbrook-Ikhine made a triumphant return to the end-zone on Sunday after a rare two-week absence, so he’s now up to nine TD receptions on the season on just 25 catches. He’s facing the Jaguars in Week 17, so there’s a decent chance he’s about to make his tenth house call of 2024.

• Rashod Bateman is yet another member of the all-he-does-is-catch-touchdowns club, having recently scored for the eighth time this year on 39 receptions. It doesn’t feel terribly fluky with Bateman, of course, because he’s a big-play receiver tied to an aggressive and explosive passing game. He’s facing the Texans this week on Christmas.

• Hunter Henry saw nine targets in Sunday’s narrow loss, hauling in four for 39 yards and one score. He’s drawn 39 pass attempts over his last five games, a beefy workload by the standards of his position. Henry is headed into a Saturday matchup with the Chargers, his former employer.

Quarterbacks

Drake Maye, New England Patriots (13%)

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate this absolutely filthy throw by Maye:

His best plays this season have been outrageous. Dynasty managers, you are certainly allowed to daydream a bit about Maye’s potential in his second season, assuming an upgraded receiving room.

Maye finished with 261 passing yards and 30 on the ground on Sunday at Buffalo, delivering two scores. His dual-threat ability keeps him on the fantasy radar without regard to the opponent. He’s headed into a Championship Week matchup at home against the Chargers, a team that’s allowed a ridiculous 67 points and 861 total yards over their last two games. Maye is fully approved for deep league use.

Additional QB options:

• Russell Wilson is coming off a messy road loss to Baltimore, with a brutal pick-six included. He’s tossed multiple touchdown passes in three of his last four games, however, so he’s remained a playable deep league option. Pittsburgh’s offense obviously needs George Pickens (hamstring) back in the worst way.

• Bryce Young is very clearly playing the best football of his NFL career and he’s topped 25 fantasy points in two of his last four games, including Sunday’s win over Arizona. We don’t typically think of him as a dual-threat QB, but he’s rushed for three scores over his last four games. Young is certainly a playable superflex/deep league option at Tampa Bay in Week 17.

• Michael Penix Jr. isn't someone we need to force into lineups this week against Washington, but it's worth mentioning the fact that he passed the eye test on Sunday, completing 18 of 27 attempts for 202 yards against the Giants. His interception was entirely the fault of intended receiver Kyle Pitts, so please don't hold that against Penix. He's throwing with the sort of velocity we haven't seen from Kirk Cousins in recent games. We can certainly feel better about Atlanta's receiving corps with Penix at the controls.

Defense

Miami Dolphins (47%)

The Dolphins defense has been relatively frisky this season, ranking top-10 against both the run and pass. This group just held the Niners to 17 points, sacking Brock Purdy three times and forcing one pick. In the week ahead, Miami travels to Cleveland to face a doomed Browns offense led by Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a man coming off a 5-sack, 2-INT performance against Cincinnati. DTR has now thrown one touchdown pass and nine interceptions over 13 career regular season appearances, completing only 52.8% of his throws. If the Dolphins D remains available in your league, they might actually be the week’s highest priority pickup.

Kicker

Will Reichard, Minnesota Vikings (8%)

Look, not everyone can have Brandon Aubrey on the squad. Reichard is probably the next-best thing at his position, and he’s available in over 90% of the Yahoo fantasy universe. He’s a near-perfect kicking machine with a weapons-grade leg, attached to an offense averaging 30.4 points per game over the last five weeks. Reichard will be kicking indoors this week, free from weather concerns, in a game with one of the highest totals on the board.

If you’re playing in a sophisticated league that still uses kickers — the only legitimate way to play fantasy football — Reichard should absolutely be rostered.