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Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

*This is the final week for the vast majority of fantasy leagues. So feel free to spend more than the recommended amounts displayed below.

Quarterback

Drake Maye, New England Patriots

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-10%

Maye made several spectacular throws in Sunday’s close loss at Buffalo. Zooming out, he has now hit 21 fantasy points in four of his past five matchups.

Week 17 turns up a Chargers pass defense that’s been hampered by injuries in recent weeks.

They've allowed 57 fantasy points to QBs over the last two games (Baker Mayfield and Bo Nix) and sit mid-pack in fantasy points allowed this season.

Running Back

Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals

Blind-bid recommendation: 15-35%

James Conner left Sunday's game with a knee injury.

With the Cardinals officially eliminated from the playoffs, there is no reason to rush him back. Especially after Conner recently signed a two-year contract extension.

Benson didn’t practice at all last week with an ankle injury. If he's back to full health for Week 17, though, Benson could get a look as lead back.

The best strategy may be to add both Benson and Michael Carter to ensure you have whichever Cardinals RB starts this week. 

The Week 17 matchup is solid against a Rams defense that enters the week ranked 20th in rush DVOA.

Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals

Blind-bid recommendation: 10-30%

If Benson and Conner are both out, Arizona would be down to Carter and RB DeeJay Dallas. 

Carter tallied 5 carries and 5 targets against the Panthers to Dallas’ 0 carries and 1 target. 

As noted before, the matchup for Week 17 is decent. So Carter can be an add to wait and see how the situation unfolds.

Audric Estime, Denver Broncos

Blind-bid recommendation: 10-25%

The rookie led the Broncos with 9 carries for 48 yards and a score in Thursday night’s loss to the Chargers. 

Estime played only 13 snaps (20%) in a three-way committee with Javonte Williams and Blake Watson. So the floor here remains low. But a Week 17 matchup with the Bengals’ 22nd-ranked RB defense could make Estime a low-level option – especially if RB Jaleel McLaughlin remains out with his quad injury. 

Note that McLaughlin went DNP, limited, DNP ahead of Week 16.

Wide Receiver

Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Blind-bid recommendation: 20-50%

Over the last three games, McMillan has averaged:

• 6.7 targets
• 4.7 receptions
• 63.7 yards
• 1.3 TDs
• WR15 finish

McMillan could easily stay in that range in a neutral Week 17 matchup with the Panthers.

If he's still available in your league, consider spending the rest of your waiver budget on McMillan -- either to start him yourself or block your opponent.

Tight End

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Blind-bid recommendation: 25-50%

Schultz posted a 5-45-1 line in Saturday’s loss to the Chiefs. His 8 targets ranked second on the team behind only WR Nico Collins’ 10. 

Houston lost WR Tank Dell to a serious knee injury in that game, which opens up target potential for Schultz in Week 17.

He'll find a Ravens defense ranked 16th against TEs.

The Ravens also head in as a 5.5-point favorite. That kind of game script could increase Houston passing volume.

Chig Okonwko, Tennessee Titans

Blind-bid recommendation: 20-40%

Okonkwo led the Titans on Sunday with 11 targets, 9 catches, and 81 receiving yards. 

He drew a whopping 32% target share. 

Okonkwo has now racked up 21 targets and 17 catches over his last two games and has a chance to keep rolling in Week 17 against Jacksonville’s 26th-ranked TE defense.

Okonkwo carries top-12 upside for PPR formats this week.

Deep-League Options

Mason Rudolph, QB, Tennessee Titans

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-10%

Don't reach for Rudolph over a stronger option just because of his matchup.

But the Titan has quietly finished among the top 20 fantasy QBs in all five weeks that have seen him throw at least 20 passes this season.

That includes three straight outings with 2 TD passes and three weeks among fantasy's top 15.

This week sends him to Jacksonville to face a defense that has:

• faced the 10th-most pass attempts
• allowed the second-most passing yards
• yielded the most TD passes

Ameer Abdullah, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Blind-bid recommendation: 15-30%

Abdullah played 1B role to Alexander Mattison in Week 16, getting 12 touches to Mattison's 16.

That included more creative receiving use.

Abdullah had 25 air yards on his 6 targets as opposed to Mattisons minus-4 on 7 targets.

That type of deployment makes Abdullah a potential deep PPR option in a positive matchup against the Saints.

Marquise Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Blind-bid recommendation: 15-30%

Brown ran only 15 routes (33%) in his Chiefs debut, but he tallied 5 catches on 8 targets.

Both marks ranked second on the team behind only WR Xavier Worthy. 

Brown’s playing time should grow, but it's doubtful he becomes a full-time player in time for Wednesday’s game against the Steelers. 

Brown is still an emergency-only play in that one, although the matchup could be easier after Pittsburgh lost top CB Joey Porter Jr. to a knee injury on Saturday.

Top Streaming Defense for Week 17

Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Giants

Rostered: 47%

The Colts are fairly well rostered due to being a streaming option last week against the Titans.

But if they are still available in your league, grab them.

We've been targeting the Giants all year -- including last week's call to grab the Falcons.

QB Drew Lock threw two pick-6s and is in line to start again this week.

The Colts have nabbed 3 INTs in two straight games and averaged 2.5 sacks per game over the last five.

If you want other defenses to stream, check out our Streaming Defense Guide for Week 17.

Kevin English, Senior Analyst

Kevin brings 15 years of experience as a fantasy analyst and mid-stakes competitor across various formats (redraft, best ball, dynasty, DFS). His work has been featured on The Mercury News, Rotoworld, and FantasyPros.