We’re in the end game now. Welcome to the 2024 fantasy football finals. If you’re reading this, you’re still setting meaningful lineups. The Week 17 waiver wire is unlike any other. There’s no more stashing players or projecting upside for the weeks ahead. This is it! Picking up players on the Week 17 waiver wire serves two purposes. You’re either considering the players for your championship starting lineup or blocking your opponent from plugging them into theirs. Whatever the case may be, do what you need to do to go 1-0 in Week 17.
Week 17 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire By Position
Running Back
Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers
After scoring two touchdowns in Week 16, it’s tempting to invest and start Gus Edwards in Week 17 with a championship on the line. His 14 carries accounted for 73.6% of the Chargers’ running back rush share, as well. However, despite rushing for 68 yards on his 14 carries, Edwards ran for 43 on one of them and 25 on the other 13. His 43-yard run tied a career-high. Regardless, Edwards and the Chargers have extra rest, having played last Thursday, before traveling to New England against the Patriots this Sunday. Their defense has allowed the third-most rushing yards to opposing running backs this season. That includes a 4.73 yards per carry average. If you need a plug-and-play running back, Edwards is the top pickup where available on the Week 17 waiver wire.
Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders
The top running back for the Raiders with Zamir White on Injured Reserve, and Sincere McCormick likely out for the rest of the season as well, is Alexander Mattison. He rushed a team-high 12 times for Las Vegas in Week 16. Ameer Abdullah rushed seven times, as well, but no other running back logged a carry. Mattison also drew seven targets, the second-most behind only Brock Bowers (12). Mattison gets an advantageous matchup against a New Orleans Saints defense that spends a lot of time on the field. As a result, they rank inside the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Just last night in a shutout against the Saints, the Packers’ backfield of Josh Jacobs, Emmanuel Wilson, and Chris Brooks combined for 30 carries, 144 yards, and three rushing touchdowns. They each scored once on the ground.
Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals
If James Conner (ankle) is unable to play in the fantasy football finals, then Michael Carter should get the first run out of the Cardinals’ backfield. No other running back recorded a single carry in Week 16 besides Conner and Carter. Furthermore, Carter drew five targets, catching all of them for 30 yards. Whoever leads the way in Week 17 will do so in Los Angeles against the Rams. They rank inside the top 10 in rushing yards allowed to running backs while they’re just two yards shy of ranking inside the top 12 in receiving yards allowed to the position. Obviously, if James Conner is active, you’re starting him. If not, and Trey Benson (ankle) returns to action, the rookie should command most of the opportunities. Picking up Carter on the Week 17 waiver wire is purely speculative. You won’t know if you’re starting him until Friday or so.
Wide Receiver
Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
McMillan now has four receiving touchdowns in his last three games. He’s logged at least six targets and eclipsed 50 receiving yards in every game over the last three weeks, as well. McMillan and the Buccaneers are hosting the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. They’ve allowed a league-high 29.9 points per game to opponents this season. That includes 27.3 points per game since Week 14. If tight end Cade Otton (knee) remains out, McMillan is an even better pickup on the Week 17 waiver wire. Otton drew seven targets (20.5%) against the Panthers in their first matchup.
Hollywood Brown, Kansas City Chiefs
In his Chiefs debut in Week 16, Hollywood Brown drew eight targets (19.5%), the second most behind Xavier Worthy (11). The Chiefs play on Christmas Day. It’s their second game in five days and third game over the last 11 days. It’s possible Brown has a larger role yet again with fresher legs than any other Chiefs receiver at this point in the season. He will have a stronger-than-usual matchup against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that’s been missing key players in their secondary as of late.
Tight End
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Hunter Henry is the top target on the Patriots’ offense. More importantly, he is the top target for rookie quarterback Drake Maye. In six of Maye’s 10 starts this season, Henry has logged either eight or nine targets. Since Week 6, when Maye took over as the starter, Henry has averaged 7.1 targets per game. That ranks seventh amongst tight ends in targets per game in that span. Henry doesn’t have the best matchup amongst tight ends on the Week 17 waiver wire. However, he and the Patriots do play at home when the Los Angeles Chargers come to town. They’ve only allowed one touchdown to the position, but rank top-12 in receptions allowed. If nothing else, perhaps Henry cashes in on a “revenge game” narrative of sorts against the team that drafted him.
Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
No tight end has more targets than Chig Okonkwo over the last two weeks. His 21 targets account for 30% of the Titans’ team target share in two starts with Mason Rudolph as the starting quarterback. The Titans are heading to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars in Week 17. They’ve allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. That includes 20.9 points to Brock Bowers this past Sunday when he caught 11 passes for 99 yards. If you’ve gotten this far streaming tight ends, then Okonkwo should be on your short list of potential starters off of the Week 17 waiver wire. He should continue to see a larger-than-most number of targets in a solid matchup.
Quarterback
NOTE: If you’re playing in your league’s championship game, you probably don’t need a quarterback. You probably have Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or another obvious starter ready to roll. If you don’t, unfortunately, the Week 17 waiver wire remains bleak when it comes to finding a player worth picking up to start. Some of the best fantasy matchups for opposing quarterbacks are reserved for players you can’t realistically justify playing with a trip to the finals on the line such as Mason Rudolph @ The Jaguars. The following players are “break glass in case of emergency” additions for quarterback-needy teams on the Week 17 waiver wire.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young has scored eight touchdowns across his last four starts. That includes three rushing touchdowns. Young has turned his season around having thrown for at least one touchdown in each of his last eight starts. Young gets a favorable matchup in a rematch with the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay this weekend. At the beginning of December, in Week 13, Young threw a season-high 46 times for a season-high 298 yards against the Bucs. He scored one touchdown through the air and on the ground. The Buccaneers allow the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. That includes being one of just four teams that’s allowed over 4,000 passing yards this season. Young has the highest upside amongst Week 17 waiver wire quarterback options.
Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
The defense and running game took care of the Giants for Michael Penix in his first start last weekend. In a game in which the Falcons scored 34 points, Penix threw for just 202 yards and no touchdowns. Meanwhile, Atlanta’s defense took two of Drew Lock’s passes to the house on Sunday. Week 17 should require more from Penix as the Falcons travel to take on the Washington Commanders. That game is in prime time on Sunday Night Football. At the very least, Penix has the weapons to succeed any given week. As he and the Falcons continue to pursue the NFC South title, he should be busier trying to do so in a neutral or negative game script this Sunday.
Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders
Don’t let the sub-12.0 fantasy points from Jordan Love against the New Orleans Saints last night fool you. The Packers ran away with their Week 16 matchup. In fact, the Saints are the first team this season to get shut out. Aidan O’Connell and the Raiders don’t have the firepower the Packers have, but should still take advantage of their Week 17 matchup against the Saints. Aidan O’Connell has thrown the ball 35 times or more in three of four games he started and finished this season. A high-volume passer, with weapons such as Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers, and others, against a team that can’t keep their own offense on the field, is a potential recipe for success. All that said, O’Connell is only worth the Week 17 waiver wire pickup for the truly desperate Superflex managers.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 17 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!