Welcome to the Week 17 Waiver Wire. In this article, Wolf Trelles-Heard highlights the players you should prioritize on waivers as we head into Week 17.
We’re going to list options a little differently this week. It’s the final week of the season for most leagues, and if you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’re playing for some money, bragging rights, or both. I’ll list a handful of options at each position that I think can legitimately help you bring home a championship.
Best of luck to you this week, and thank you so much for reading all season long. I truly hope these weekly pickups helped you win some matchups along the way.
Now, let’s bring home those trophies! Here are the top waiver wire pickups as we head into Week 17 and the fantasy football championships.
PlayerProfiler is home to award-winning dynasty rankings and tools. Our Dynasty Deluxe package includes complete Dynasty Rankings, Rookie Rankings, Trade Analyzer, Draft Planner, Mock Drafts, and more. Check it out.
Week 17 Waiver Wire Targets
Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (58% rostered)
There’s no one hotter in the league right now than Trevor Lawrence — he looks like he’s wearing Clemson orange again. Fresh off a dominant six-TD performance against the Jets, Lawrence followed it up by dicing up a much better Broncos’ defense last week. He completed 23-of-36 passes for 279 yards and added 20 yards and a score on the ground. That’s now 16 total TDs and 116.6 total fantasy points in his last four games. Since Week 9, his 23.2 fantasy PPG trails only Josh Allen.
Next up is a date with the Colts — the only defense to keep Lawrence outside a QB1 weekly finish since Week 10. He just missed the cut at QB13 that week, but still, it’s worth noting. It’s a tough divisional game on the road, but Lawrence is on a serious heater right now. Avoid him at your own peril.
Tyler Shough, Saints (15% rostered)
Is this kid — and when I say kid, I mean a not-so-young 26-year-old rookie — for real? The Saints have won three in a row, and a big reason why is the play of Tyler Shough. Granted, it was the Jets, but he threw for his first 300-yard game as a pro and finished with 17.1 fantasy points last week. He’s now hit that mark or better in four straight contests.
In Week 17, Shough gets the Titans. They’ve shown some fight as of late, but they still allow the eighth-most fantasy points per game to QBs (18.9). Shough has low-end QB1 upside in a battle against No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. Managers who made the title game probably have a safer option than Shough, but he’s a viable streaming option if you’re feeling frisky and chasing some upside with a title on the line.
Running Back
Emanuel Wilson, Packers (41% rostered)
You have to salute Josh Jacobs. He tried to gut it out through a knee injury, but you could tell he was hobbled out there against the Bears. He also uncharacteristically lost a fumble. The Packers smartly shut him down and turned to Emanuel Wilson, who looked like he had more juice at that point. Wilson averaged 5.9 YPC and finished with 82 yards on 14 carries, clearly running with fresh legs.
If Jacobs is forced to miss this week’s game, Wilson will be staring at a full workload against the Ravens. Pencil him in for 20+ touches if that happens. When he started a game in Jacobs’ place a month ago, Wilson totaled 125 yards and two TDs on 30 touches — good for RB2 overall that week. Wilson could be the literal definition of a league-winner if he gets the start. Go grab him!
Blake Corum, Rams (43% rostered)
The workload continues to expand for Blake Corum. The second year back is coming off a career-high 15-touch outing in a loss to the Seahawks. For the first time in a month, he didn’t average over 6.5 yards per carry, but he did find the end zone and scored at least 12 fantasy points for the fourth straight game. Hard to complain about that.
In Week 17, Corum has a chance to rip through an Atlanta run defense that just allowed 132 rushing yards to Arizona’s ragtag group of backs. He is PlayerProfiler’s No. 1-ranked RB in Explosive Rating (133.6) on the season and is averaging a robust 5.3 YPC. The Falcons allow over 21 fantasy PPG to ball carriers, so Corum once again has flex appeal this week in the fantasy championship.
Chris Rodriguez Jr., Commanders (37% rostered)
Move over Jacory Croskey-Merritt. This is Chris Rodriguez Jr.’s backfield — at least for the last two games of the season. After missing Week 15 with a groin injury, Rodriguez Jr. retook the lead role in the backfield and tied a season-high with 16 touches. He delivered his best performance to date, scoring 12.9 fantasy points thanks to 69 total yards and a score.
This week, the 224-pound bruiser gets a juicy matchup against the Cowboys. They just gave up 152 yards on the ground to the Chargers. Keep an eye on practice reports for DT Quinnen Williams this week. If he can’t go, Rodriguez Jr. should have some room to operate against a soft front that allows the seventh-most fantasy points (21.9) weekly to RBs. There’s little upside, but Rodriguez Jr. will run straight through people, and sometimes that’s all you need.
Wide Receiver
Alec Pierce, Colts (38% rostered)
Kudos to Alec Pierce. He’s earned himself a nice payday in free agency this offseason with his play in 2025. With Old Man Rivers slinging it on Monday night, Pierce turned in his best day of the season, hauling in all four targets for 86 yards and two scores. His 24.6 fantasy points were good for WR5 in the semifinals.
If you need someone who could pop off for a long score or two, Pierce has to be on your radar. He is averaging over 20 yards per catch for the second straight season and is WR1 in deep target share (57.6%). He gets the Jaguars this week and already put up 80 yards on five catches against them a couple of weeks ago. If he repeats that and finds the end zone, it could pay off for anyone rolling the dice on him for the fantasy finals.
Troy Franklin, Broncos (53% rostered)
Sadly, Franklin’s teammate Pat Bryant took a vicious hit late in last week’s loss to the Jaguars that will probably sideline him for Christmas Day’s contest against the Chiefs. If that happens, it should free up Troy Franklin for more snaps and targets. The second-year WR has been extremely up-and-down this season, but he produces when the ball comes his way and has averaged 11.4 fantasy PPG.
Franklin is top-12 in both deep and red zone targets, as well as air yards on the season. Treat him as a boom-or-bust WR3 and plug him in if you need a ceiling play this week. You’ll either get fireworks or crickets. Isn’t that exciting?
Tight End
Taysom Hill, Saints (2% rostered)
How did we not see this coming last week? After last week’s standout performance, Taysom Hill said it was likely his last game in New Orleans and that the coaching staff made a concerted effort to get him involved against the Jets. Sure enough, it worked. Hill did it all: 42 rushing yards on 12 carries, 36 yards on four catches. “And he can pass!” He also completed a deep shot to Chris Olave for a 38-yard TD late in the game.
Will he get that same workload again? If Alvin Kamara misses the game against Tennessee, it’s in the range of outcomes. Hill is the ultimate Swiss Army knife. He could do what he did last week, or he could fade into oblivion in a meaningless game. If you’re an underdog this week, Hill’s volatility could help you and possibly push you over the edge.
Darren Waller, Dolphins (44% rostered)
He had the dream matchup last week against the league’s worst defense against tight ends, but it wasn’t quite what fantasy managers envisioned when they plugged Darren Waller into their lineups. He finished with three catches on five targets for 40 scoreless yards. Those 7.0 PPR fantasy points didn’t sink you, but they probably didn’t help you advance either.
If he’s still available in your leagues, don’t be afraid to use him this week. He gets another favorable matchup against Tampa Bay and their woeful pass defense. They’ve given up some monster performances to guys like Kyle Pitts and AJ Barner this season, and they allow the sixth-most fantasy points per game to the position (12.7). If you’re desperate for a flex play who could help, Waller looks enticing this week.
For more articles from PlayerProfiler, check out the fantasy home page – NFL Fantasy | PlayerProfiler – Fantasy Football News & Media
Wolf Trelles-Heard is a fantasy football contributor for PlayerProfiler. Find him on X at @DynastyFFWolf.
