For all the glory: NFL Week 17 fantasy football adds to win the championship

It all comes down to this. 16 weeks of blood, sweat and tears, to get to the fantasy football title game in Week 17. The championship is so close that fantasy managers can practically taste it. Here are some waiver wire winners to target in the final week to help bring home the title. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

The Saints backfield looks a lot different now than it has most of the NFL season. According to CBS Sports, star running back Alvin Kamara may be shut down for the rest of the year due to a groin injury. Kendre Miller has played well in his place recently, but he has had his own problems staying healthy in his brief NFL career. Enter Williams.

Some might recall Williams’ fantasy brilliance from 2022 when he was a member of the Detroit Lions. He punched in 17 rushing touchdowns on the ground to lead the NFL. While fantasy managers should temper expectations, Williams could have a fantasy friendly day against the downtrodden Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17.

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It hasn’t quite been the season fantasy managers expected from Richardson back in the summer, but the Colts signal caller has quietly been a solid option in the past month or so. He’s scored a rushing touchdown in each of his last three games, which is wonderful for fantasy football and in real life.

Richardson and the Colts have faint playoff hopes heading into Week 17, but they’ll face a New York Giants team that has all but packed it in for the season. Additionally, Jalen Hurts' fantasy managers might want to look at Richardson as a viable fill-in if he’s floating around on the waiver wire. Hurts was knocked out of his Week 16 game with a concussion.

As covered by Bleacher Report, New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson complained about his lack of involvement in the offense after Week 16’s loss. The beat goes on for the Jets, who put up a grand total of nine points at home. Things figure to get more difficult in Week 17 in a date with the Buffalo Bills.

In Week 16, the Los Angeles Rams didn’t get to Aaron Rodgers often, but when they did, they made him feel it. The veteran quarterback had to get looked at after a sack and fumble. Buffalo isn’t amongst the league leaders in team sacks, but they will not have to chase Rodgers very far if they can infringe on his pocket.

It may be too little, too late for the Dolphins when it comes to making the postseason, but one of their rookies is having a strong finish to the year. Washington has played well in an elevated role. He posted eight catches for 80 yards in the last two games, and has the trademark speed to break plays like most of his Miami teammates.

If Jaylen Waddle is forced to miss another game with his knee injury, Washington becomes more intriguing against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The rookie also doubles as Miami’s punt and kickoff returner, so there’s another avenue to fantasy points on special teams as well here.

It’s been one of the most monitored backfield situations in fantasy football this year. Cardinals starting running back James Conner has missed four games in each of the last two seasons, but hasn’t missed any in 2024. That might change, as Conner suffered a knee injury in Week 16. Benson has been unusable as a handcuff all year, but he needs to be added in all formats this week.

Arizona Sports’ website called Conner about the only bright spot in the Cardinals’ loss to the Carolina Panthers. He had a huge day out of the backfield and receiving. All of that is mentioned to underscore just how much upside Benson will have if he can get back on the field for his breakout opportunity. Benson is nursing an ankle injury of his own.

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It felt like the Texans had a surplus of receiving options coming into the season, but those riches have turned to rags down the stretch. Stefon Diggs was already out for the year, and Tank Dell went down with a gruesome looking injury on Saturday. Fox News and others pointed out that his teammates were in tears after the play. They had to press on though, and Schultz was a primary beneficiary.

The veteran tight end reeled in five catches for 45 yards and a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. Perhaps more notably, Schultz also drew eight looks from quarterback C.J. Stroud. Fantasy managers can expect the same level of reliance this coming week, as the Texans sort out their banged up receiver room.

The Titans have had a brutal season, but some of their players have still been relevant to wind down the fantasy football season. Okonkwo is one of those guys, as he caught nine passes for 81 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, with 11 targets. This follows his Week 15 performance, where he snagged eight catches for 59 yards on 10 targets.

Tennessee faces the floundering Jacksonville Jaguars next week, who should not be a threat to slow Okonkwo down. At this juncture of the season, it makes sense to play the hot hand, and few have reached scorching temperatures like Okonkwo in the last couple of weeks.

What’s up is Downs sometimes at the end of a long fantasy football season, and managers should embrace it. The NFL’s official website captioned his 27-yard touchdown as a sideline-tightrope act, which accounted for most of his production on the day. Downs was on the shelf for much of the season due to injury, but has had some big games when he’s been able to get on the field.

Admittedly, Downs might not be the most reliable start during the fantasy title game due to the erratic nature of Indianapolis’ passing game. With that said, he might be someone that fantasy managers make a pickup on anyway, especially if their opponent is deficient at receiver. It’s the time of year where playing defense on the waiver wire can also be effective.

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