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Through The Wire - Week 17



By Antonio D'Arcangelis | 12/27/22 |

Targeting weekly waiver picks is a completely subjective business, but this column hopes to point out some obvious and not-so-obvious selections to help your team from week to week while you strive for that elusive title that your friends say is out of your grasp.

The waiver wire can be an almost limitless resource when it comes to discovering fantasy value in strange places. Each week, I’ll highlight some of the popular (and not-so-popular) players that might be available in 12-team PPR leagues. I’ll also provide a brief update on the players I covered the previous week.

Feedback is always welcome, appreciated and encouraged. I’ll get to as many e-mails as I can.


Quarterbacks

Mike White, NYJ at Seattle – White was getting it done before the two-week absence so there’s no reason to think he won’t be a huge improvement over Zach Wilson and Chris Streveler in what is a must-win game for the Jets against the Seahawks. He’s available in most formats and could be in line for low-end QB1 numbers.

Jared Goff, DET vs. Chicago – The Bills offense pummeled the Bears in Week 16, and while I could see the Lions leaning on their RBs a bit more in this matchup, there’s no reason not to roll out Goff, who’s less than 55% owned in ESPN leagues heading into what for many will be their fantasy Super Bowls.

Other QBs to consider (Week 17 opponents in parentheses): Brock Purdy, SF (@LV); Gardner Minshew, JAC (vs. NO); Russell Wilson, DEN (@KC)

UPDATE (players recommended last week):

Daniel Jones, NYG – Jones threw for 334-1-1 in Saturday’s 27-24 loss to Minnesota, adding 34 rushing yards on four carries. He’s got an even easier matchup against the Colts, though we could see a lot of Saquon Barkley and Matt Breida in this one.

Sam Darnold, CAR – Darnold completed 15-of-22 passes for 250-1-0 in the Panthers’ 37-23 win over the Lions on Saturday. He also rushed six times for 19 yards and another score, capping off his best fantasy performance of year. He gets the much stingier Bucs-D in Week 17.

Running Backs

Tyler Allgeier, ATL vs. Pittsburgh – Allgeier had a solid game and appears to be the main “traditional” ball carrier in Atlanta these days. He had 18 rushes for 74 yards and caught 4-43-0 on five targets in the 17-9 loss to Baltimore but remains a viable RB3/flex play in Week 17.

Chuba Hubbard, CAR at Tampa Bay – Hubbard rushed 12 times for 125 yards in the 37-23 win over the Lions on Saturday. Like his QB, he’ll have a tougher time in Tampa, but the volume was impressive and the Panthers running game looked excellent.

Gus Edwards, BAL vs. Pittsburgh – I’m not sure what exactly happened to J.K. Dobbins in the second half in Week 16, but Edwards ended up with 11 carries for 99 yards in Saturday's 17-9 win over the Falcons.

Other RBs to consider (Week 17 opponents in parentheses): Royce Freeman, HOU (vs. JAC); Samaje Perine, CIN (vs. BUF); Kenneth Gainwell, PHI (vs. NO)

UPDATE (players recommended last week):

Zack Moss and Deon Jackson, IND vs. Los Angeles Chargers – UPDATE: Moss had 12 carries for 65 rushing yards in Monday’s 20-3 loss to the Chargers, adding one reception for 5 yards. Jackson saw only three targets (3-9-0) and didn’t have any carries in the run game. Moss seems like the only viable Indy RB for Week 17, especially since Jordan Wilkins only had one touch against the Chargers.

James Cook, BUF – Cook had 11 carries for 99 rushing yards and a TD in the win over Chicago, adding one catch for 9 yards. He’s a viable RB3/flex at this point and should be deployed with confidence considering how run-oriented this offense has been and the matchup against Cincinnati in Week 17.

Marlon Mack, DEN – Just four carries for 22 rushing yards against the Rams in a blowout loss.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

D.J. Chark, DET vs. Chicago – Chark got hot despite a generally lackluster offensive performance by the Lions team in Saturday’s loss, ending with 4-108-0 on five targets. He’s got a great matchup against the Bears in Week 17 against an inexperienced Chicago secondary that’s been battling injuries.

Richie James

Richie James, NYG vs. Indianapolis – Isaiah Hodgins actually finished with 8-89-1 on 11 targets in Saturday’s 27-24 loss to the Vikings – the best fantasy day for the Giants WRs. But James caught eight of a team-high 12 targets (Barkley even had 10) for 90 yards. He’s really come on strong the past few weeks and should stay involved vs. Indy in Week 17.

Trenton Irwin, CIN vs. Buffalo – Irwin had three catches for 45 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s win over the Patriots, and while this performance was TD-reliant, he’s clearly a part of the offense and gets in crucial red zone situations when Tyler Boyd is being rested.

Kendrick Bourne, NE vs. Miami – Bourne hauled in 6-100-1 on nine targets and rushed once for 29 yards in the Patriots’ loss to the Bengals on Saturday. It’s always hard to tell if he’ll be part of the game plan week-to-week, but I’ve featured him in this column a lot over the past few years and enjoy his random big games and featured usage in the red zone.

Other WRs/TEs to consider (Week 17 opponents in parentheses): Darius Slayton & Isaiah Hodgins, NYG (vs. IND); TE Noah Fant, SEA (vs. NYJ); Greg Dortch, ARI (@ATL); Russell Gage, TB (vs. CAR); Chris Moore, HOU (vs. JAC); Tutu Atwell, LAR (@LAC)

UPDATE (players recommended last week):

Marquise Goodwin, SEA – Goodwin was targeted four times but didn't catch a pass in Saturday’s 24-10 loss to the Chiefs. Gross. I’m not interested in rolling him out against the Jets.

Jahan Dotson, WAS – Dotson posted 6-76-1 on nine targets in Saturday’s 37-20 loss to San Francisco. The Commanders are still undecided on who will start between Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz for Week 17, but Dotson is a must-play at this point in 12-team leagues.

TE Chigoziem Okonkwo, TEN – Okonkwo recorded just one catch on two targets for 10 yards in Saturday’s 19-14 loss to the Texans. It’s a different offense with Malik Willis at the helm.

K.J. Osborn, MIN – Osborn followed up his huge week with a mediocre 3-17-0 on four targets.

TE Juwan Johnson, NO – Johnson had just 1-9-0 in the win over Cleveland and we knew it was a possibility he’d go quiet.

Noah Brown, DAL – Saturday was the CeeDee Lamb show and Brown caught just one of two targets for 5 yards in the big win over the Eagles.

Defense/ Special Teams

  • Kansas City vs. DEN
  • Jacksonville at HOU
  • New York Giants vs. IND
  • Pittsburgh at BAL
  • Arizona at ATL
  • Cleveland at WAS
  • Atlanta vs. ARI