Waiver Wire Watch: Wacky Week 17

Dec 27, 2016

Editor's Note: We're happy to have Brandon Niles on the Waiver Wire Watch this year. He'll work in conjunction with Senior Editor John Paulsen to compile the weekly list of pickups and generate recommended prices for FAAB leagues.

We’ve reached Week 17, the final week of the regular season, and most season-long fantasy leagues have ended. Not all season-long leagues, mind you. Some of you are playing championship or consolation games this week, and if you’re among those with something still at stake in a season-long league, here is a look at some sub-premium players who have the potential to be assets.

Quarterbacks

With a potential division championship and first round bye on the table, the Chiefs will be playing hard against the Chargers this week, and Alex Smith should benefit from a nice matchup to close out the season. While Smith has been hard to trust at times this season, he’s run in a touchdown in each of the past two weeks and will face a San Diego defense that ranks 20^th in the league in passing yards allowed this year. Smith had a big game the last time he faced the Chargers, with 363 passing yards and three total touchdowns, so he should be one of the most reliable streaming options available to close out the regular season.

Matt Moore is one of the few available quarterbacks with something to play for and a pretty good matchup heading into the final week of the season. Moore hasn’t been fantasy gold by any means, but he’s strung together two reasonably solid fantasy weeks replacing Ryan Tannehill and faces a Patriots defense that has been very average this year against the pass, despite facing sub-par quarterbacks for much of the season. Expect the Dolphins to pass a lot in order to keep up with a potent New England offense, and for Moore to have at least an above average fantasy day as a result. He should be a valuable streaming option to close out the season.