NFL Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups: Championship Week Finishing Touches

If you’re reading this, then congrats on making it this far during a wild 2024 fantasy football season. For the vast majority of leagues, it’s championship week, and from the Cardinals backfield to the Raiders backfield, there are several upside options to consider as you go for glory. 

Two exciting wideouts are also discussed, along with streaming options at quarterback, tight end and defense/special teams. If you find yourself in need, either due to injury or a shaky Week 17 matchup, look no further.

As we’ve been adhering to all season, players listed here are generally available in at least 50% of Sleeper leagues.

Top Waiver Wire Additions After Week 16

There are no prizes awarded for saving your FAAB, so prepare to spend it all on your favorite waiver adds this week.

RB Ameer Abdullah, Las Vegas Raiders

Backfield mate Alexander Mattison is more heavily rostered at 56%, but Abdullah (30% rostered) is the one who has shined in fantasy, topping 19 PPR points in two straight. While Mattison out-touched him 16-12 overall in Week 16, Abdullah actually led the team in rushing yards (38) and finished second behind Brock Bowers with five catches for 47 yards in the passing game. 

The two backs split the two goal-to-go carries, and each scored on his attempt. In PPR leagues, Abdullah is on the fringe of the top-24 discussion against a porous Saints defense, while Mattison might crack the top-36 ranks.

WR Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

McMillan caught five of seven targets for 57 yards against the Cowboys while also extending his touchdown streak to three games. He’s now averaging 4.7 receptions, 64 yards and 19 fantasy points per game during this recent stretch. 

Emerging as the clear No. 2 behind Mike Evans in the league’s third-best passing offense, McMillan will be on the fantasy WR2 radar against a Panthers team that’s allowed the most passing TDs (28) this year.

RB Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals

RB Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals

James Conner suffered a knee injury in Week 16, and with the Cardinals officially eliminated from playoff contention, it’s tough to see them rushing the recently-extended veteran back into game action.

Benson is the exciting, third-round rookie with elite speed. He’s also nursing an ankle injury suffered two games ago, so it’s still unclear what his status for Sunday will be. If we knew that Benson would return and Conner would miss Week 17, Benson would be the slam-dunk top waiver add of the week; however, there’s significant risk that either Conner returns or Benson simply cannot suit up in time. 

Benson is available in 24% of Sleeper leagues and would be in the fantasy RB2 conversation against the Rams if thrust into lead-back duty.

Carter is universally available on waiver wires, and while he only carried the ball five times for 18 yards after Conner went down, he did catch all five of his targets for 30 yards. If both Conner and Benson are out, Carter would likely fall into the low-end fantasy RB2 range, mainly due to his pass-catching ability. It’s hard to see Carter receiving more than 12-14 touches in Week 17, but opportunity is opportunity.

WR Hollywood Brown, Kansas City Chiefs

In Brown’s Week 16 season debut, he only ran 14 routes, compared to Xavier Worthy who led the team with 34. And yet, Brown impressively finished second on the team with eight targets, catching five for 45 yards. 

For context, Travis Kelce has led the Chiefs with eight targets per game this season. Brown’s route participation likely increases in Week 17, against a tough Steelers defense on Christmas Day (Wednesday). Brown (35% rostered on Sleeper) is a great upside play for desperate fantasy managers, and he has 20-point potential given he’s attached to Patrick Mahomes. 

RB Audric Estime, Denver Broncos

Estime (12% rostered) is the least interesting of the RB options listed, as he out-carried Javonte Williams 9-4 on Thursday against the Chargers. Estime scored a touchdown, but because he was completely uninvolved in the passing game, he totaled just 10.8 fantasy points. 

The Bengals matchup in Week 17 is appealing, but Jaleel McLaughlin also has a decent chance to return from injury. In deep leagues, should McLaughlin miss another contest, Estime would sneak into the fantasy RB3 conversation.

Streamer SZN: QBs, TEs and D/STs for Week 17

If you’re in the streaming market, there are a few sneaky useful QB, TE and D/ST options to choose from in order to help you win your league’s championship:

Quarterbacks

Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

Full transparency: Richardson is rostered in 58% of Sleeper leagues (above our typical 50% threshold), so there’s a higher likelihood he’s not available in your league. But if he’s on your waiver wire, Richardson is a bona fide fantasy QB1 against a hopeless New York Giants team. After a slow start, Richardson has quietly averaged over 20 fantasy points per game since returning from his benching five games ago.

Drake Maye, New England Patriots

Maye ranks fifth among all QBs with 35 rushing yards per game, and he’s reached 18 fantasy points in four of his past five. He faces the Chargers in Week 17, a roughly average matchup.

Mason Rudolph, Tennessee Titans

Surprisingly, Rudolph has at least 16 fantasy points in each of his past four games. He’s thrown for at least 240 yards in three of them, and Rudolph now faces a Jaguars defense that has allowed the most passing yards per game (277) in the NFL.

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

The floor is always low for Young and the Panthers offense, but the Buccaneers are a top-two matchup for fantasy QBs. To his credit, Young has reached 23 fantasy points in two of his past four, though he was under 14 in the other two contests. 

Tight Ends

The first two options are available in just under 50% of Sleeper leagues, but they’re worth mentioning as fringe top-12 fantasy options for Week 17. The following two names are much more widely available.

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Schultz has topped 15 fantasy points in two of his past three weeks, and he looks like the team’s clear No. 2 option in the passing game after Tank Dell’s season-ending injury. The matchup against Baltimore is also favorable for tight ends.

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

In 10 games since Maye took over, Henry has averaged five receptions, 49 yards and 11 fantasy points per game. This week, he faces a Chargers defense that’s generally shut down fantasy tight ends, though Henry’s usage has been extremely consistent.

Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans

The Jaguars are an above-average matchup, and Okonkwo has come alive with Rudolph under center, catching at least eight passes in each of his past two games.

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

There’s a chance Johnson gets Derek Carr back for Week 17, and he faces a Raiders defense that’s been lit up by several tight ends this season.

Defense/Special Teams

Dolphins D/ST

The Dolphins travel to Cleveland in what may be a gross, bad weather game. Miami is an above-average defense, and the Browns have struggled with turnovers and ineffectiveness, no matter who is under center for them. Fantasy defenses have scored 20, 10, 21 and 18 fantasy points against the Browns over the past month.

Colts D/ST

They face a Giants team that just allowed the Falcons defense to score 25 fantasy points (thanks to two pick-sixes) against them. The Colts are not a great unit, but the matchup is too tasty to ignore.

Chargers D/ST

The Chargers face the Patriots in Foxborough, and while Los Angeles hasn’t delivered for fantasy much this year, the Patriots are a top-five opponent for fantasy defenses.

Raiders D/ST

The Raiders have given fantasy managers at least six fantasy points in four straight, and they face a Saints team that may need to roll with Spencer Rattler for another week – if Carr cannot return.

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