Fantasy Football Week 17: Waiver-Wire Pickups, Rankings and Stat Projections

In most fantasy football leagues, Week 17 is the apex, the mountaintop, the destination managers seek all year: the championship game.

If your team has made it to this point, congratulations. If your roster has been decimated by injuries or you don't have the players you need to lock down the win...apologies. But we're here to help.

It's time for one last set of waiver-wire recommendations. If you've reached this point in your fantasy season, it's likely you've been savvy all season at monitoring players with breakout potential and being sure to add them to your roster. Ahead of Week 17, there are three players who really stand out, and we'll take a close look at each of them.

The following pickup recommendations are for those players who are rostered in 50 percent of leagues or less, which makes it more likely that they'll be available in your league.

Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 24: Chuba Hubbard #30 of the Carolina Panthers carries the ball during the first quarter of the game against the Detroit Lions at Bank of America Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Rostered: 38 percent

Week 16 stats: 12 att, 125 yds, 12.5 pts

Week 17 projections: 30.9 rush yds, 0.2 rush TD, 1.7 rec, 11.9 rec yds

The clear "guy" for the Carolina Panthers on the ground is D'Onta Foreman, who had 21 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown in the team's win over the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve.

But to score 12.50 points with 125 rushing yards while averaging 10.4 yards per carry as a No. 2 isn't too shabby, and that's exactly what Chuba Hubbard did Saturday.

Per FantasyPros, Hubbard has played at least 40 percent of the snaps in three of four games since Week 11. If you're in trouble at your flex position or need some bench depth at running back heading into championship week, Hubbard's usage is there and certainly the scoring is too.

In Week 17, the Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are middle of the pack in rushing yards allowed per game, with 120.2. Hubbard could certainly do some damage there.

Isaiah Hodgins, WR, New York Giants

Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 24: Isaiah Hodgins #18 of the New York Giants catches a touchdown pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Rostered: 2 percent

Week 16 stats: 8 rec, 89 rec yds, 1 rec TD, 22.90 pts

Week 17 projections: 3.2 rec, 47.8 rec yds, 0.4 rec TD

The New York Giants, who are fighting for their playoff lives, lost a tough game to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, but one bright spot for the team was the play of wideout Isaiah Hodgins.

Hodgins was targeted a whopping 11 times, bringing in eight of those for 89 yards and a touchdown. His 22.90 points in points-per-reception formats ranked seventh among all fantasy receivers at the conclusion of Sunday Night Football, far and away his highest point total of the season. (He scored 15 points back-to-back in Weeks 13 and 14.)

In the Giants' Week 17 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, Hodgins is an attractive flex option with major upside. Week 16 wasn't just a one-off event; both his usage and his performance have been on the rise since Week 12, with a 17.5 percent target share and a 100 percent end-zone target share (0.5 per game) during that span.

Kendrick Bourne, WR, New England Patriots

Winslow Townson/Getty Images

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 24: Kendrick Bourne #84 of the New England Patriots catches a touchdown over Cam Taylor-Britt #29 of the Cincinnati Bengals during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Rostered: 1 percent

Week 16 stats: 6 rec, 100 rec yds, 1 rec TD, 29 rush yds, 24.9 pts

Week 17 projections: 1 rec, 12.4 rec yds, 0.1 rec TD

With DeVante Parker missing Week 16 with a concussion, wideout Kendrick Bourne stepped up Saturday and delivered for the New England Patriots. The team may have lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 22-18, but to no fault of Bourne's, who was the team's leading receiver in yards and targets (nine) and tied Jakobi Meyers in receptions.

It's not yet clear what Parker's status will be for Week 17, but if he is set to miss time, you'll want to try and beat your opponents to the waiver wire to submit a claim for Bourne.

With his first touchdown of the season and first career 100-yard game, the wideout is building some solid momentum, not to mention earning the trust of Mac Jones, and would be a reasonable flex consideration for Week 17. If Parker returns for Week 17, however, there are better options (more below) for a late-season addition.

More Week 17 Waiver Pickups

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder (4) hands off to running back Tyler Allgeier (25) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons (rostered: 49 percent)

Royce Freeman, RB, Houston Texans (rostered: 0 percent)

Justin Jackson, RB, Detroit Lions (rostered: 1 percent)

Chris Moore, WR, Houston Texans (rostered: 14 percent)

Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers (rostered: 17 percent)

Jahan Dotson, WR, Washington Commanders (rostered: 23 percent)

Gardner Minshew, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (rostered: 27 percent)

Baker Mayfield, QB, Los Angeles Rams (rostered: 9 percent)

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Scoring and rostered percentage via FantasyPros; stat projections via Yahoo