Fantasy Football Week 17 Waiver Wire Options
For most fantasy football players Week 16 was their finale since most leagues don’t count Week 17 because of the potential uncertainty revolving teams that might rest players, COUGH, COUGH, Green Bay Packers… So, if Week 16 was the last week in your fantasy football league then I hope you came away victorious!
For those of you who play their championship round in Week 17 or partake in a points league then that means you still have one week left to make roster changes to your fake fantasy football team. If you’re still looking for advice on potential players to add to your roster then you’ve come to the right place…
QUARTERBACK
Matt Flynn. Aaron Rodgers threw 5 touchdown passes against the Bears on Christmas Day and most likely helped a lot of fantasy teams win their championship. That’s great but the Packers will probably play it safe and rest studs like Jordy Nelson, Rodgers and Jermichael Finley. So, Flynn should be a top pick-up in any league needing a QB and especially for Rodgers owners. If you’re savvy and like sticking it to players in your league then you should also look into picking up Flynn to spite Rodgers’ owners.
Josh McCown. The Bears must have been on Santa’s naughty list this year as their Christmas present was a 35-21 blowout loss to the Packers. With star players like QB Jay Cutler and RB Matt Forte out that loss wasn’t much of a surprise. Ineffective Caleb Hanie was benched in favor of journeyman McCown and he finished his day completing 19 of 28 passes and throwing for 242 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. He also added 38 rushing yards. McCown probably earned himself another start Week 17 against the Vikings and could provide you with some stats if you’re at a loss as to who to start at QB.
Joe Webb. Playing in relief of Christian Ponder has been a pretty good thing for Webb this season. After once again taking over for Ponder in Week 16, Webb scored a total of 3 touchdowns and could do some damage if given the chance to start. Ponder might have been picked in the first round to be the quarterback of the future for the Vikings but Webb could turn out to be the one under center on a permanent basis for the Vikings. Who knows if that will happen but if Webb does start Week 17 you can start him and expect some nice fantasy results.
Kyle Orton. The Week 17 match-up between the Chiefs and the Broncos could end up being one of the most unlikeliest stories of the NFL season. Original reports had the Broncos trading incumbent starter Kyle Orton and handing Tim Tebow the starting job in pre-season. But Tebow was supposedly so bad that not only was Orton not traded to the Dolphins but was given the starting gig once again, while Tebow was reportedly third or fourth on the QB depth chart. Fast forward to Week 17 and the Kansas Chiefs, led by Kyle Orton, will play the AFC West division leaders, the Broncos, with a chance to spoil the Broncos’ playoff party and Tebowmania. Other than Giants-Cowboys there is no other must see game than Broncos-Chiefs.
Now, with all that backstory out of the way, Orton could come in and put some yards up and score a touchdown or two just to rub it in the faces of the team that discarded him as soon as the flavor of the week came along. There wouldn’t be any sweeter victory this week than Orton beating Tebow and the Broncos and that could also lead to some fantasy football glory.
WIDE RECEIVER
Nate Burleson. The head coach of the Detroit Lions, Jim Schwartz, said that he doesn’t plan on resting ay starters in Week 17 and wants to ride the momentum his team has into the playoffs. That’s a solid plan and one that makes a lot of sense. With the Lions playing a team, the Packers, who will probably be resting a lot of players that means we might get a Lions blowout and look for the passing game to get all the attention. Burleson could be a sneaky start if the Lions go full throttle air attack mode. Titus Young is also worth a look for the same reasons as Burleson is.
Randall Cobb. Touted as a guy to pick up with Greg Jennings going down, Cobb has been just okay the past couple of weeks but could see an increased amount of playing time if the Packers rest anybody. If any player on the Packers offense could shine in Week 17 it’s Cobb.
Dane Sanzenbacher. At this point, why not? He does have 3 touchdowns this year and the Bears don’t really have a big threat receiving option, allowing the Great Dane to come in and get a lot of targets.
Vincent Brown. Vincent Jackson will probably not see the field this week against the Raiders and that sucks for anybody that owns him, as that’s a good matchup. Brown has shown flashes of greatness and could provide someone willing to take a chance on him with a big game. Go for it if you’re feeling lucky.
RUNNING BACK
Stevan Ridley. The running back with the most carries the past two weeks has been Ridley and even though Belichick is never one to stick to just one running back Ridley could continue to lead the charge for the Patriots, who still have something to play for in Week 17 as they chase a first round bye and home field advantage in the playoffs. If their Week 17 clash against the Bills turns into a rout look to for the Patriots to hand Ridley the ball a lot as they run out clock.
Chris Ivory. Pierre Thomas got the rushing touchdown Monday night against the Falcons and Darren Sproles chipped in with a receiving touchdown but Ivory was also a part of the Saints run game and could see increased carries if the Saints want to rest Thomas and Sproles. But watch out for Mark Ingram if he were to be active in Week 17.
Evan Royster. Roy Helu was ruled out for the Redskins’ Week 16 game against the Vikings and Royster replaced him admirably as he went off for 132 yards rushing and 15 yards passing for a total of 147. You never know what goes through the mind of Mike Shanahan but there’s no point in playing Helu if he’s banged up and risking his playing future. If that’s the case and Helu becomes a game-time decision casualty once again then Royster is a suitable fill-in.
TIGHT END
Jared Cook. After going off for 169 yards and 1 touchdown Saturday against the Jaguars, Cook finally showed off that skill everybody has been saying he had. Cook’s potential might have officially been unleashed Saturday and that could lead to him being more involved in the passing game in the regular season finale for the Titans against the Texans. Pick him up as insurance if you own someone like Jimmy Graham on your team, who might not see a whole lot of playing time if the Saints want to save him for the playoffs.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
Atlanta Falcons. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are absolutely brutal and watching them play you see a team that has just given up. They play without any passion or sense of purpose and that could add up to an ugly loss against the Falcons this week. Sure, the Falcons let the Saints put up 45 points against them, although there was a Saints defensive touchdown involved, the Bucs aren’t as offensively gifted as the Saints. If you need a spot start defense in Week 17 then the Falcons might be the best team available in your free agent pool.