It’s Championship Week! At least for most of us. Hopefully, you are playing for something. This season has seen some ups and downs at the wide receiver position. Injuries have played a huge part in your fantasy lineup and that doesn’t stop this week. Here are the Week 17 wide receiver streamers and sleepers.
Week 17 Wide Receiver Streamers
Hollywood Brown – Kansas City Chiefs
The rich get richer. It’s the story of the Kansas City Chiefs. Just when it was starting to look like DeAndre Hopkins might have lost a step, in comes Marquise Hollywood Brown back from injury. Despite only playing on 28% of the team’s snaps Brown saw eight targets, catching five of them for 45 yards. He should continue to get worked into the offense and get back into game shape as the Chiefs prepare for the playoffs.
The Chiefs are facing off against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day on only five days rest. The Steelers’ secondary is banged up and isn’t clicking currently. PFF.com has their highest-rated cornerback at 90th overall. That’s something Patrick Mahomes will exploit. I expect them to continue to get Brown up to speed and back into football shape after missing so much time. He looks to be a key cog in their playoff plans. This week should be a tune-up for them and for Brown as he gets worked into the game plan.
Jauan Jennings – San Francisco 49ers
The man who once looked like a league winner coming off waivers has been a massive letdown so far in the fantasy football playoffs. If you are still in it and considering playing him you are probably putting him on your bench. I think this could be the week Jauan Jennings gets back on track. While it’s been a rough two weeks Jennings has seen 15 targets over the last two games. His involvement in the offense hasn’t diminished; it is only his ability to capitalize on it.
He should be able to get back on track with some good matchups this week. Facing the Detroit Lions provides plenty of those. The two outside corners for the Lions rank as the 93rd and 106th corners by PFF.com. The Lions are looking to lock up the number one seed in the NFC so they will be looking to put up points. The 49ers will have to pass to keep pace and the running game hasn’t been great with Patrick Taylor anyways. I expect Jennings to continue to see seven or more targets. The hope is that he can catch more than four of them like he did in Week 16. If he can find the end zone that will add to his boost back to fantasy relevancy.
Darnell Mooney – Atlanta Falcons
This might be the riskiest wide receiver streamer I’ve suggested all year. Darnell Mooney has had his best season in the NFL but for fantasy he has been hot or just mild. Then in Week 15 when you probably needed him the most, he put up a goose egg. So why can you trust him in Week 17? Let’s start with the change at quarterback. Michael Penix is now under center, taking over for Kirk Cousin. In his first game, Penix targeted Mooney six times. Penix provides a spark to the Falcons offense and to Mooney’s fantasy value.
The matchup isn’t the greatest which is what makes this a risky play. Going against the Washington Commanders is a tough task. The Commanders have two solid cornerbacks in Marshon Lattimore and Mike Sainristil. I expect Lattimore to shadow Drake London putting Sainristil on Mooney. The PFF.com rating for him is 50th best corner. Sainristil just let DeVonta Smith get four catches for 42 yards. The Falcons are playing for their playoff hopes so they will want to score, especially against another playoff team. I expect Mooney to continue to be part of the passing attack and a favored target for Penix. The matchup might not give you a ton of confidence but he won’t disappoint like Week 15.
Wide Receiver Sleepers
Robert Woods – Houston Texans
Devastated. That’s the only word that describes the situation with Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell. Just devastating. He was taken off the field with a nasty knee injury this past week. He was having a great game before that. With that, someone needs to step up. In that game and what I believe will happen in Week 17 veteran Robert Woods saw an increase in snaps and targets. He went from playing under 50% of the snaps to just over and having six targets. Those six targets account for a quarter of his season total.
In Week 17 the Texans are playing the Baltimore Ravens Christmas night. With it being a short rest I don’t think the Texans will be able to implement many new wrinkles to the passing game meaning Woods should continue to have the role we saw him have once Dell left the game. Nico Collins should see the Ravens’ top corner in Marlon Humphry. Woods when lined up outside will see Brandon Stephens. PFF.com ranks Stephens as the 105th-best corner. It’s a matchup that the veteran should be able to take advantage of. His skills and knowledge give him an advantage. Woods is a sure-handed receiver and has just needed his opportunity with CJ Stroud to show everyone that he still has it. He has that this week. He’s a sleeper that is probably on your waiver wire.
Kayshon Boutte- New England Patriots
We have noted all season that the New England Patriots have been looking to find the right combination of pass catchers all season. It seems like Kayshon Boutte might be finding his spot in that group. Over the past eight games, Boutte has averaged six targets a game. He scored his first touchdown this past week against the Buffalo Bills. He looks like the deep ball threat in this offense.
Week 17 brings a matchup brings a tough matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. They have a solid secondary unit. Boutte will most likely see coverage from Kristian Fulton. PFF.com rates him as the 24th overall cornerback. That’s a tough matchup for a young wide receiver and young quarterback to deal with. Even moving Boutte around in the offense won’t provide any better matchups. You have to hope that Drake Maye can continue to impress and that the coaching staff will continue to evolve the offensive game plan.
David Moore – Carolina Panthers
I sometimes like to roll with the hot hand. Find a guy who scored and see what the future could hold for him. That’s what we have with David Moore. He just scored his second touchdown of the year. There is more to like than just the fact he scored a touchdown last week. His snap share is encouraging. Over the past eight weeks in all but one game, he has played over 80% of the Panthers’ snaps. While his targets have trailed off since the Week 11 bye, when looking for a wide receiver sleeper I want the snap share.
While the matchup this week on paper doesn’t look the greatest I think Moore can still be successful. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a solid trio of cornerbacks but they still allowed players like Ryan Flournoy and Jalen Tolbert to have decent days in the Week 16 Sunday night matchup. The Panthers have been clicking lately, recently knocking off the Arizona Cardinals. I think they can do the same this week against the Bucs. It should be a game where the Panthers have to pass more than run. In the Week 13 matchup between these two teams Moore had nine targets. You have to like him to repeat that this week and hopefully catch more of them and produce a solid fantasy outing.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 17 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!