Ask the Experts

December 24, 2015

What waiver-wire player can help teams in Week 17?

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: What waiver-wire player could help fantasy teams with meaningful games in Week 17?

DAVID DOREY

Oddly enough, Johnny Manziel will be playing the Steelers in Week 17 and it is certain that the Steelers are going to post points and force Manziel to throw against the No. 23 defense versus quarterbacks and the No. 30 against wide receivers. That will be the final chance for Manziel to make his case for being the starter in 2016.

Dorey is the co-founder and lead NFL analyst for The Huddle and author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. He has projected and predicted every NFL game and player performance since 1997 and has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, radio and television.

JAY HARDING

Steven Jackson the newest Patriot? No thanks, he looked really old and slow last year and why if he is able had he not been picked up before now with all of the RB injuries? Donald Brown, tempting for sure but remember he was cut by San Diego earlier in the year, and besides the Chargers have two inter-division road games at Oakland and Denver to end the year, tempting yes, but again no thanks. I'm going with Dorial Green-Beckham, he looks to be coming into his own with over 100 yards in two of the last three weeks including a touchdown. They do host the very inspired Houston Texans in Week 16 but then travel to Indy in Week 17. Anyway, his above average skill and talent makes him the clear choice in my mind, the only scary thing in selecting him is that he is still very young and not that far removed from his off field issues in college, lets hope he doesn't do something stupid off the field before Sunday.

Harding, owner of The Fantasy Football Firm has been playing and winning fantasy football since 1987. The Firm specializes in helping fantasy owners win in three key post-draft areas. Senior Partners at The Firm get all three publications: “Effective Team Management”, “Waiver Wire Wisdom” and “The Trade Maker” a combined 57 pages packed with sound, proven and effective strategies focused solely on helping partners win their league championships and to do so more consistently than ever before. On Twitter: @UDONTWINONDDAY.

IAN ALLAN

As poorly as Matt Ryan has played, I’ll bet he’s on a lot of waiver wires. But the Falcons in Week 17 are hosting New Orleans. Ryan very easily could be one of the top half-dozen quarterbacks of the week against that defense.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He's been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at www.fantasyindex.com.

JOSHUA SIMMONS

Zach Miller, Chicago Bears tight end is available in the majority of fantasy leagues. Given that some fantasy relevant tight ends figure to sit out all or part of Week 17, Zach would seem a prudent add. Martellus Bennett is out of the way and Jay Cutler has already had success throwing Miller the ball, plus you can't the upcoming matchup. Detroit has yielded 11 touchdowns to opposing tight ends, tied with Oakland for most in the NFL.

Simmons has been a contributor for FantasySharks.com since 2007. His responsibilities include dynasty rankings, weekly projections-driven content and staff representation in various leagues.

SAM HENDRICKS

Christine Michael is probably available and has a good chance to be the starting RB in week 17. I suspect the Seahawks will stash Marshawn Lynch for a playoff push. Michael knows the playbook and appears to be more serious and focused this time around with Seattle. He carried the ball 16 times for 84 yards Sunday and looks to be the man for now. How else can you get a starting RB off of waivers in week 16. My only worry is their opponent in week 17...Arizona. Stranger things have happened. Happy Holidays!

Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 20-plus year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013. Follow him at his web site, www.ffguidebook.com.

ALAN SATTERLEE

Crazy things will likely happen in Week 17 as teams rest starters on both sides of the ball and in some cases give young talent a shot. I have two backs that could excel in Week 17. I see Jonathan Stewart resting until the playoffs. That will leave Cameron Artis-Payne in position to have big weeks here in the final two weeks. I also like Jay Ajayi for week 17. If New England wins this week they will have secured the number one seed in the AFC with nothing to play for in Week 17. For Miami, Lamar Miller is in the final year of his contract and they may want to see what they have in Ajayi, who played a lot last week. Ajayi and the Dolphins could be going against back-ups in Week 17.

Satterlee is a co-owner and senior writer for Dynasty Football Warehouse. DFW is comprehensive site covering dynasty, redraft, IDP and Daily formats. DFW has a large writing crew with many people from the DFW community contributing to the insights and discussion. Alan is also the Fantasy Football Insider for the Charlotte Observer and is syndicated in a few other newspapers in the southeast.

ANDY RICHARDSON

I'll go with Mike Davis, the 49ers rookie running back who went on IR-designated to return in midseason but is eligible to return in... Week 17. San Francisco obviously has nothing else at the position, so why not stick the rookie in the lineup and see what happens. San Francisco is at home against the Rams and that defense has been poor against the run for the second half of the season.

Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.

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