Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 17: Target Gardner Minshew, Jahan Dotson, More

With a wild football weekend in the rearview mirror, it's time to assess the state of our fantasy teams and add (or cut) accordingly.

Saturday and Sunday of Week 16 brought a light list of injuries to fantasy relevant players. Wide receiver Christian Watson (hip; day to day) of the Packers was the only player likely on championship-contenting rosters who was injured.

Whether you need a player to replace dead weight on your roster, or just need a streamer, make sure to check out Action Network's top targets at each position — all of which are available in at least 40% of Yahoo! leagues — that you should prioritize come Tuesday night.

Note: Yahoo! roster percentages are reflected in parentheses as of Monday and fantasy rankings are exclusive of the Monday Night Football game. 

Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups

Fantasy Waiver QBs to Target 

Brock Purdy, 49ers (36% rostered)

Purdy was impressive, yet again, in the 49ers' 37-20 victory over the Commanders. He completed 15-of-22 attempts for 234 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and is currently the QB13 heading into Monday Night Football.

Since taking over for Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy has finished as the QB18 (not a complete game), QB8, QB14 and QB13. He gets a dreamy matchup in Week 17 in Las Vegas against the Raiders, who rank 31st in pass DVOA and have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this year.

Purdy is a low-end QB1 just in time for the fantasy finals. He faces the Cardinals and their below-average pass defense after if you happen to play into Week 18.

Remaining schedule: at Raiders, vs. Cardinals

Gardner Minshew, Eagles (27%)

Minshew-mania is officially back.

He shined in his first start this season in the Eagles' 40-34 loss to the Cowboys, completing 24-of-40 attempts for 355 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions with four rush attempts for five yards and a touchdown. He is currently the QB5 with one game left to play, which is impressive given the Cowboys rank third overall in defensive DVOA.

Jalen Hurts' status for Week 17 remains very much up in the air. If Minshew gets another start, he should be considered a low-end QB1 against the Saints, and then against the Giants. He is worth picking up or holding onto if you need a Hurts fill-in.

Remaining schedule: vs. Saints, vs. Giants

Mike White, Jets (17%)

White sat out the last two games due to a rib injury he suffered against the Bills. In his absence, the Jets looked downright awful with Zach Wilson, who was booed by the home crowd on Sunday.

The Jets only managed to put up three points against a hapless Jaguars defense that ranks last in pass DVOA and struggled against a below-average Lions defense in the week prior.

White, who has already been named the team's Week 17 starter after being cleared on Monday, will face the Seahawks and Dolphins — and their below-average pass defenses — to finish out the season. White should be considered a high-end QB2 the rest of the way.

Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, at Dolphins

Baker Mayfield, Rams (9%)

Mayfield wowed in the Rams' 51-14 rout over the Broncos on Christmas. He completed 24-of-28 attempts for 230 yards and two touchdowns and is currently the QB12 heading into Monday night.

Mayfield has been on quite the rollercoaster this year, having been traded from the Browns to the Panthers, then benched and subsequently released by Carolina. His Week 16 performance was more impressive in light of facing the Broncos' defense, which ranks No. 1 in pass DVOA.

He is a high-end QB2 next week against the Chargers, and then against the Seahawks in Week 18.

Remaining schedule: at Chargers, at Seahawks

Other quarterbacks to consider: Sam Darnold, Panthers (7%); Mac Jones, Patriots (18%); Kenny Pickett, Steelers (12%)

Fantasy Waiver RBs to Target 

James Cook, Bills (52%)

Amid frigid temps and high winds, the Bills leaned heavily on the run in their 35-13 win over the Bears.

Cook and Devin Singletary split work fairly evenly in the effort. Cook rushed 11 times for 99 yards and a touchdown while Singletary had 12 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown.

Cook is the RB9 in half-PPR scoring with one game left to play and has finished with double-digit fantasy points in each of the last two weeks and three of the last four games. He was out-snapped by Singletary by a count of 26 to 37, but he remains heavily involved in this committee. He has RB3/flex appeal in Week 17 on the road against the Bengals.

Remaining schedule: at Bengals, vs. Patriots

Chuba Hubbard, Panthers (38%)

The Panthers ran all over the Lions in their 37-23 win. Carolina's rushing attack was led by D'Onta Foreman, who had 21 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown. Hubbard also played a major role with 12 carries for 125 yards — he is currently the RB17 in half PPR with one game remaining.

Both Hubbard and Foreman should be valuable assets in the remaining two games of the season. Hubbard actually out-snapped Foreman by a count of 31 to 30 in this 1A/1B split.

The Panthers face the Buccaneers next — Hubbard was the RB18 when these two teams met last. Tampa Bay was just lit up by James Conner, so Hubbard should at least carry some RB3/flex value in this crucial NFC South showdown.

Remaining schedule: at Buccaneers, at Saints

Tyler Allgeier, Falcons (49%)

Allgeier followed up his massive Week 15 performance with another solid one in the Falcons' 17-9 loss to the Ravens. He rushed 18 times for 74 yards and caught 4-of-5 passes for 43 yards.

It appears that Allgeier, who is the RB11 in half PPR heading into Monday night, has emerged as the favored rusher over Cordarrelle Patterson, who logged eight attempts for 17 yards and caught a pass for 14 yards.

Some of this could be related to rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder taking over for Marcus Mariota and the team leaning on a more traditional run game as a result. Allgeier could flirt with RB2 numbers next week against the Cardinals, who rank 27th in rush DVOA and have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs.

Remaining schedule: vs. Cardinals, vs. Buccaneers

Gus Edwards, Ravens (41%)

Edwards had his best game since his season debut (Week 7) in the Ravens' win over the Falcons. He rushed 11 times for 99 yards and saw a nearly identical snap count as J.K. Dobbins, who was held to just 12 carries for 59 yards — his worst game since returning from injury.

This backfield has been a headache all season. For now, Edwards appears to be the hot hand, though both could end up quelled against the Steelers this week, whose defense ranks top six in rush DVOA.

Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers, at Bengals

Other running backs to consider: Raheem Blackshear, Panthers (0%); Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles (14%); Rex Burkhead, Texans (11%); Chase Edmonds, Broncos (22%)

Fantasy Waiver WRs to Target 

Jahan Dotson, Commanders (23%)

I am once again asking you all to pick up Dotson.

Dotson, Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel each had nice games in the Commanders' Week 16 loss to the 49ers. Dotson saw a team-high nine targets and caught six of them for 76 yards and a touchdown. McLaurin and Samuel also found the end zone, but combined for 10 targets.

I was actually wary of starting Dotson in this tough matchup against San Francisco's No. 1 defense, per DVOA. He outperformed expectations and is the WR12 in half PPR heading into Monday night.

This is Dotson's third game in a row with at least 14 fantasy points and a touchdown. He missed a big chunk of time earlier in the year, but in the 10 games he has played, Dotson has finished as a top-22 receiver or better in six of them. He should be considered a WR3 or better rest of season with the Browns and Cowboys to finish out the year.

Remaining schedule: vs. Browns, vs. Cowboys

D.J. Chark, Lions (51%)

Chark bounced back from a disappointing game against the Jets in Week 15 in which he was held to just one catch for 18 yards. He caught 4-of-5 targets for 108 yards and is currently the WR20 in half-PPR scoring with one game left to play.

Chark has been a late-season surprise and has actually performed better with Jameson Williams on the field. Since Week 12, Chark is the WR20 and has four games with at least nine fantasy points.

He should perform well this week against the Bears, whose defense ranks 29th in pass DVOA.

Remaining schedule: vs. Bears, at Packers

Isaiah Hodgins and Richie James, Giants (2% and 17%)

Both Hodgins and James shined in the Giants' heartbreaking 27-24 loss to the Vikings.

Hodgins caught 8-of-11 targets for 89 yards and a touchdown, while James caught 8-of-12 for 80 yards.

Hodgins is currently the WR7 and James is the WR19 in half-PPR scoring with one game left to play. Hodgins was claimed off waivers by the Giants in November and his role has been on the rise ever since. He has three touchdowns and three top-24 finishes in the last four weeks.

James has also been steadily producing and has finished as a top-24 receiver or better in four of the last six games.

The Giants' passing attack has been put together with spit and glue absent any true alpha receiver. That said, it appears that Hodgins and James could both be emerging as late-season breakout candidates.

Remaining schedule: vs. Colts, at Eagles

Brandin Cooks, Texans (54%)

Cooks looked pretty good in his return from a three-game injury hiatus. He led the team in targets (nine) and caught four of them for 34 yards and a touchdown. He is the WR25 in half-PPR scoring with one game left to play.

Cooks has been a disappointment this year, but he could plausibly finish the season strong. He has minimal competition for targets given the Texans' shallow depth chart at receiver (Phillip Dorsett, Jordan Akins, Chris Moore and Amari Rodgers). The Texans face the Jaguars, who are ranked 32nd in pass defense (per DVOA), just in time for the fantasy finals.

Remaining schedule: vs. Jaguars, at Colts

Greg Dortch, Cardinals (2%)

Dortch exploded in the Cardinals' 19-16 loss to the Buccaneers. He logged season highs in almost every category and caught 10-of-11 targets for 98 yards, with three rushes for 25 yards.

Marquise Brown was held to just three catches on six targets for 57 yards and DeAndre Hopkins was a complete dud and caught 1-of-10 for four yards.

Dortch is the WR11 heading into Monday night in half-PPR scoring. He appears to have the best chemistry with third-string quarterback Trace McSorely, who could be the starter the rest of the way.

The Cardinals next face the Falcons, whose defense has been atrocious against the pass all year. They rank 30th in pass DVOA and have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers. Dortch could be a deep-league dart throw in this spicy matchup.

Remaining schedule: at Falcons, at 49ers

Russell Gage, Buccaneers (15%)

Gage followed up his massive Week 15 performance with another good game in Week 16 against the Cardinals. He caught 5-of-6 targets for 65 yards and is the WR34 in half PPR with one game left to play.

Chris Godwin caught 8-of-10 targets for 63 yards, while Mike Evans caught 3-of-8 for 29 yards. Leonard Fournette led the team in receiving with 90 yards.

Gage remains a third option on a Buccaneers team that is unpredictable at best. He is a deeper league add against the Panthers and Falcons to finish out the year.

Remaining schedule: vs. Panthers, at Falcons

Other wide receivers to consider: Hunter Renfrow, Raiders (22%); Rashid Shaheed, Saints (8%); Trenton Irwin, Bengals (0%)

Fantasy Waiver TEs to Target 

Taysom Hill and Juwan Johnson, Saints (55% and 31%)

Hill saw no targets in the Saints' 17-10 win over the Browns and will still finish as a top-12 tight end for the fourth time in five games. He rushed nine times for 56 yards and a touchdown and is currently the TE8 with one game left to play.

Johnson was held to one catch for nine yards, though the entire Saints passing attack was ineffective in freezing temps. Prior to that, Johnson had scored five touchdowns in five games.

Hill remains one of the high-upside tight end options and a more reliable one given his consistent usage as a running back. He will be a TE1 in Weeks 17 and 18 against the Eagles and Panthers — both of which have below-average defenses against the run.

Johnson should bounce back and will also carry some TE1 upside

Remaining schedule: at Eagles, vs. Panthers

Noah Fant, Seahawks (24%)

Fant reeled in the Seahawks' lone touchdown in their 24-10 loss to the Chiefs. He caught 2-of-3 targets for 12 yards and the TD and is the TE13 in half-PPR scoring heading into Monday night.

Fant has had his moments of fantasy relevance of late. Prior to this week, he had finished as a top-seven tight end in three of the last six games. He has scored a touchdown in three of the last four games and will look to continue this trend in Week 17 against the Jets.

Remaining schedule: vs. Jets, vs. Rams

Other tight ends to consider: Shane Zylstra, Lions (0%); Logan Thomas, Commanders (6%); Tyler Conklin, Jets (27%)