Notable Injuries from week 16:
- Quinshon Judkins (Fractured fibula)
- Jordan Mason (Ankle)
- Kimnai Vidal (Neck)
- TreVeyon Henderson (Head)George Kittle (Ankle)
- Lamar Jackson (Back)
- Jordan Love (Concussion)
- Gardner Minshew (Knee)
- J.J. McCarthy (Right hand)
Waiver Wire Targets
Blake Corum (Rostered in 29.9% of ESPN leagues)
At this point, if you haven’t picked up Corum, you have to ask yourself “what am I doing?”. Not only has Corum been a top tier handcuff option but he has carried flex appeal the last 4 weeks. Of which, he’s scored double digit points 4 times. He’s getting carries but has also been the go to at the goal line. With most fantasy championships happening this week, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want this guy on your roster against a middle of the pack Falcons run defense.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. (Rostered in 29.9% of ESPN leagues)
Welcome back Chris Rodriguez Jr. to the waiver wire target list. After missing week 15 to injury, Rodriguez performed well against the Eagles rushing for 63 yards and touchdown. While he is not utilized in the passing game, he makes up for it on the ground and at the goal line. Even though Merritt is around, it’s worth noting Rodriguez handled 52% of offensive snaps compared to Merritt’s 20%. I like him this week against the Cowboys who have not been great defensively.
Michael Carter (Rostered in 39% of ESPN leagues)
Michael Carter is not the sexiest pick up this week but is one that could help out big time. Bam Knight is on injured reserve and Emari Demercado is almost a non-factor. Things were rough last week against the Falcons but the matchup against the Bengals is hard to ignore. On the season they are allowing the most fantasy points to running backs. Take a swing on Carter if you are struggling at the RB position.
Alec Pierce (Rostered in 47.3% of ESPN leagues)
Pierce balled out last night against the 49ers going for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rivers looked his way often indicating a budding connection. Even in the loss with 2 picks, I don’t expect the Colts to move away from Rivers. In what could be another high scoring affair requiring some passing from the Colts at home against the Jags, Alec Pierce is a great flex option.
Brenton Strange (Rostered in 27.3% of ESPN leagues)
Brenton Strange had his get back game against the Broncos after having a touchdown called back in week 15. On Sunday he had 5 catches for 39 yards and a touchdown which was good for 14.9 fantasy points. The Jags are surging and I’ll take a swing on their tight end who just saw 7 targets against the Broncos and is averaging 5 targets since returning from IR. I like Strange in week 17 against a Colts team that is allowing the 7th most fantasy points to tight ends in PPR formats (8th in standard scoring).
Trevor Lawrence (Rostered in 51.1% of ESPN leagues) Genius Pick of the Week
Just over my 50% cutoff, Trevor Lawrence is a must add in week 17. He has hands down carried many fantasy owners to their championship round these past 2 weeks. With a 5 touchdown performance against the Jets and 3 touchdown outing against a tough Broncos defense, Lawrence has been unstoppable. Next up is the hapless Colts who are riddled with injuries in the secondary. We just watched Brock Purdy drop 5 touchdowns against them in primetime. Cost me a trip to the championship unfortunately. The Jags are clicking offensively and I don’t see that slowing down against Indy. Lawrence is a vital pickup and a must start if he’s available.
Tyler Shough (Rostered in 10.9% of ESPN leagues)
This one is tough because the Saints have been bad for a majority of the year. However, they are on a tear thanks to likely the easiest schedule in football right now. In the last 4 weeks, they have played the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers and the New York Jets. Next up is another easy matchup in the Tennessee Titans. It helps that he has Chris Olave but Shough has also been pretty accurate as an NFL starter. He’s also hot off a 300 yard performance. If you’re in the championship, you likely have a top 10 or top 5 guy already on your roster, but if you’re in a pinch or want to roll the dice, Shough could be your guy.
*Point totals mentioned assume full point PPR scoring
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