It's Week 17, and I sure hope you aren't playing meaningful fantasy football. My best case for playing in Week 17 is to have the head-to-head championship decided in Week 16, with total points accumulation still possible in Week 17. Anyway, in the event you're still vying for a title (or whatever), here are 10 players to target on waivers this week. It's been a fun ride and I'm thankful for all of you for following along.
Samaje Perine came into this game questionable with a groin injury, handled 20 touches, and left with an Achilles injury. His status for Week 17 will certainly be in question, which makes journeyman
Kapri Bibbs a great target off waivers. Bibbs surprised two weeks ago with a nice catch-and-run for a touchdown on a screen pass, but wasn't very involved against his old team on Sunday (nine touches, 54 yards). Washington may add or activate another running back, but as of right now it's looking like Bibbs could be in line for a featured workload against the suspect
Giants run defense in Week 17. (0.6 percent owned)
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Peyton Barber is distancing himself on the field from
Doug Martin with each passing week, and could have earned even more opportunities in Week 17. Over the last four weeks Barber has 264 rushing yards on 61 carries (4.3 ypc) versus Martin's 104 yards on 42 carries (2.5 ypc). Barber isn't a super exciting start, but his upside is big if he gets more of a featured workload. (11.1 percent owned)
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It looked like Giovani Bernard's run as a fantasy asset was coming to an end with Joe Mixon returning from a concussion … until Mixon left the game with an ankle injury. That allowed Bernard to handle a whopping 30 touches which he turned into 168 yards and a touchdown. He has a tough matchup against the Ravens in Week 17, but that kind of volume cannot be overlooked. (26.7 percent owned)
Marqise Lee could be out for Week 17 to be preserved for the playoffs, which would mean even more targets for
Keelan Cole, who caught a touchdown in three straight weeks heading into Week 16. The
Jaguars will be looking for revenge against a
Titans team that embarrassed them early in the season and could knock their division rival out of the playoffs. Cole will have decent upside in the Jags' surprisingly potent offense in Week 17. (12.5 percent owned)
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In the three games where Jimmy Garoppolo has started for the 49ers, Marquise Goodwin has averaged 11 targets, eight catches, and 106 receiving yards per game. He played well against the Jaguars' elite secondary, too, despite not racking up massive numbers (three catches, 37 yards). He'll be a strong play in Week 17 against a Rams secondary that can be beaten at times. (28.1 percent owned)
Will Fuller hasn't played yet as of the writing of this column, but he did catch all five of his targets last week against Jacksonville for 44 yards. He remains a dynamic deep threat with an outrageous week-winning scoring ceiling. There's a good chance he's still available in your league given the state of the
Texans right now, but he could provide a huge spark in Week 17. (23.5 percent owned)
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With target totals of 10 and nine in the last two weeks, Charles Clay has an elite amount of volume at the tight end position. He hasn't turned it into a ton of production just yet, but he's been this close to scoring a few touchdowns, and luck could finally break his way this week against the Dolphins. They allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to the position prior to Week 15. (16.1 percent owned)
A lot of things are lining up for Jesse James as a streamer in Week 17. He's playing the Browns, one of the worst teams at defending tight ends (second-most points allowed per game to the position). Antonio Brown will be out and he was averaging 12 targets per game prior to his injury. And James himself has 17 targets, 12 catches, 104 yards and one overturned touchdown (sorry, had to) over the last two weeks. James will offer decent upside for those still playing in Week 17. (8.6 percent owned)
If you've been ignoring Blake Bortles for this long, why not end 2017 on a high note, open your arms, and accept him as your fantasy quarterback? He scored 16-plus fantasy points in seven of his last eight games prior to Week 16, and gets a pretty cushy season-ending matchup against the Titans, who just gave up 300-plus yards and four touchdowns to Jared Goff. (36.5 percent owned)
If you play in a deep league, are desperate, or just want to go out with a total YOLO lineup in Week 17, why not give T.J. Yates a shot? He'll be facing off against a Colts defense that has just been ravaged with injuries and has a healthy Will Fuller back in the fold to complement DeAndre Hopkins. At least your fantasy week will be an interesting watch! (0.1 percent owned)
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