2025 Waiver Wire for Week 17
Welcome to the 2025 Waiver Wire for Week 17!
It is time. All of our hard work all year has led up to this moment. Welcome to FANTASY CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK! I am rooting for every one of you this week, as you have been for me all season long. Today’s discussion will be structured in pretty much the same format as last week: one player at each position that you can pick up off the waiver wire and start THIS WEEK to bring you home that oh so sweet title. Think of these guys as UPSIDE PLAYS in week 17.
Disclaimer: Waiver Wire Rostership Percentages from Sleeper, ESPN, & Yahoo, as well as the Combined Rostership Percentages, will not exceed 50%. Also, fantasy point scoring will be represented from a Half-PPR perspective.
Quarterbacks
Tyler Shough
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (21%), ESPN (10.9%), & Yahoo (13%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 15%
Statistics of The Week:
- 65 percent completions, 308 paYDS, one TD, 17.1 fpts
Advanced Statistics
- 14.3% Deep Throw Rate in week 16 (9th amongst QBs)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
Don’t look now, but Tyler Shough is becoming a true league winner at the QB position right before our eyes down the stretch here. There’s always that one random guy every year; this year, it’s Shough. Shough has a true go-to target hog in this offense in Chris Olave, and he has shown before that he has legit rushing upside as well.
The rookie QB goes up against the Tennessee Titans this week, who have given up the 6th most passing yards in the NFL over the last four weeks. For rushing equity, the Titans have given up the 4th most rushing yards to the QB position over that span as well. This is quite the dream matchup if I do say so myself. Start Tyler Shough with supreme confidence this week.
Week 17 Opponent: Tennessee Titans
Running Backs
Emanuel Wilson
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (49%), ESPN (36.4%), & Yahoo (37%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 40.8%
Statistics of The Week:
- 14 ATT, 82 ruYDS, 8.2 fpts
Advanced Statistics
- 3.57 yards after contact/ATT in week 16 (9th amongst RBs)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
Yes, I understand that Josh Jacobs technically suited up and played this past week vs. the Chicago Bears, but you can’t convince me that he’s 100% healthy right now, or even close to it, honestly. No way. Jacobs was on a clear snap count in the first half and barely played at all in the second half. There’s CLEARLY something going on there. If Jacobs made his knee injury worse and can’t play this week, it will be the Emanuel Wilson show in Green Bay, who has demonstrated that he is more than capable of handling a significant workload when given the opportunity.
Looking at this week, Wilson has a matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, who rank 17th in fantasy points per game allowed to the RB position over the last four weeks. So, it’s a middle-of-the-pack matchup on paper. Still, if volume is king in fantasy, Emanuel Wilson will absolutely have it, especially if it’s Malik Willis at QB for the Packers in what is likely to be a very run-heavy game script.
Week 17 Opponent: Baltimore Ravens
Wide Receivers
Parker Washington
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (33%), ESPN (12.8%), & Yahoo (23%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 23%
Statistics of The Week:
- 10 tgts/6 recs, 145 recYDS, one recTD, 23.5 fpts
Advanced Statistics
- 5.18 YPRR in week 16 (1st amongst WRs)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
A lot of people dropped Parker Washington because of the heel injury that he suffered a couple of weeks ago…well…it’s time to pick him right back up, because he has quite the juicy matchup this week vs. the Indianapolis Colts. Over the last four weeks, the Colts have given up the 2nd most receiving yards in the entire NFL, and have allowed the 5th most fantasy points per game to the WR position over that span as well. Pretty terrible all around.
Week 17 Opponent: Indianapolis Colts
Tight Ends
AJ Barner
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (27%), ESPN (15.6%), & Yahoo (12%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 18.2%
Statistics of The Week:
- 6 tgts/4 recs, 49 recYDS, one recTD, 13.0 fpts
Advanced Statistics
- 21.1% 1st Read Rate in week 16 (8th amongst TEs)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it: this is a VERY consolidated target tree in Seattle. It’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and it’s AJ Barner. Nobody else matters. Barner will be going up against the Carolina Panthers this week, who field a very weak defense overall, and the numbers support that. The Panthers have run the 12th most amount of zone coverage in the NFL over the last four weeks, and Barner has been performing very well against zone coverage over that span, posting a YPRR number of 1.47 and a FP/RR number of 0.30.
Week 17 Opponent: Carolina Panthers
D/ST
New Orleans Saints
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (56%), ESPN (56.9%), & Yahoo (63%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 58.6%
Waiver Wire Analysis:
If you played the Saints’ defense this past week against the New York Jets, keep rolling with them, because they play Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans this week. The Titans have looked decent over the last few weeks, but that still doesn’t take away from the fact that they are one of the NFL’s worst offenses because they don’t possess a single weapon that any defensive coordinator is afraid of. Over the last four weeks, the New Orleans Saints D/ST has averaged 8.0 fantasy points per game, so this is not just a matchup-only thing; they are a legitimately good defense.
Week 17 Opponent: Tennessee Titans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (59%), ESPN (61.8%), & Yahoo (52%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 57.6%
Waiver Wire Analysis:
The Jacksonville Jaguars are on absolute FIRE right now, and their defense has been a huge part of that. The unit gets a matchup against Phillip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts this week, who have been on a downturn over the last few weeks. The only good part of the Colts’ offense right now is Jonathan Taylor and their running game, but the Jaguars have an ELITE run defense (9th best in rushing yards allowed over the last four weeks), so that should be neutralized, or at least slowed down.
Week 17 Opponent: Indianapolis Colts