Week 17 Waiver Wire: Top Pickups and Drops

If you're scouring the waiver wire in Week 17 of the NFL season, well, you're my kind of person.

Maybe your league goes the full 17 weeks because the thought of losing a whole week of fantasy play is a ridiculous thought in your mind. Maybe you're scouting some potential sleepers for next year. Maybe you just don't want to let go.

I'm with you.

Whatever the case may be, below you'll find some of my top waiver candidates to consider this week. It's never too late for fantasy football, after all.

Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants

Eli Manning has been up and down for much of the season, but he's certainly trending upward down the stretch. In his past two games, he's thrown for 641 yards, six touchdown, no interceptions and scored a total of 49 fantasy points.

Not too shabby, right?

Even better, he faces a Philadelphia defense this week that is atrocious against the pass and has a pretty terrible secondary. The Eagles have now lost three games in a row, and a huge factor has been the inability of corners Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher to cover anyone.

Odell Beckham Jr. should shred this secondary. In the process, Manning should post big numbers.

Matt Asiata, RB, Minnesota Vikings

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Matt Asiata isn't a talented player, no, but he's tended to be a pretty solid fantasy option starting for the Minnesota Vikings this season. The problem with Asiata, of course, is that he doesn't have much fantasy value when he isn't getting into the end zone. 

The good news is that he's scored three times in the past two weeks, however. And with over 75 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two weeks, he's managed to accumulate an impressive 34 fantasy points.

At this point in the season, if you've reached the championship game but need to hit waivers to supplement your roster, you can't really afford to be too picky. Betting on touchdown production is always a risky game to play, but Asiata's recent usage—37 touches since Week 15—suggests an Asiata gamble might just pay off.

Reggie Bush, RB, Detroit Lions

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Reggie Bush has had a pretty disappointing year (in large part due to injuries) but was excellent in Week 16, with 98 yards from scrimmage and a score. There are reasons to worry that those numbers might be a mirage, of course, considering Joique Bell didn't play in the first quarter and has clearly established himself as the lead dog now. Bush is probably only a passing-down back at this point.

Bush did notch 15 fantasy points against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3, however, with 99 yards from scrimmage, so he may be a big part of the game plan again this week. I'd rather have Asiata for sure, but Bush is a high-upside play considering his ability to break off a big play at any time.

Toby Gerhart, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

It isn't pretty when Toby Gerhart runs, but on Sunday he was pretty good for fantasy owners who dared to start him, rushing 12 times for 53 yards and a score. Sure, he's only going to get 15 carries at most. Sure, he has little fantasy value unless he scores.

But hey, you're scouring for running backs on waivers in Week 17 of the NFL season. Who were you expecting to find, Fred Taylor?

Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

We know a few things about Latavius Murray.

We know he's clearly the starting running back for the Oakland Raiders this season. We know he has the ability to break off a long touchdown run at any moment (just ask the Kansas City Chiefs). And we know that while a his matchup against the Denver Broncos is a tough one, the Broncos did just allow Cincinnati's Jeremy Hill to have a big game against them. 

If nothing else, Murray seems a safe bet to get 15 to 20 touches and at least 60 yards from scrimmage. You could do worse, in other words, with the added benefit that Murray's explosiveness means he could take it to the house at any moment.

Malcom Floyd, WR, San Diego Chargers

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Malcom Floyd continues to be fairly sparsely owned (24.9 percent in ESPN leagues), yet he's also scored eight or more fantasy points in four of six games. People tend to forget about Floyd because his upside is relatively low (he's scored more than 11 points once this season) and because Antonio Gates and Keenan Allen are bigger names.

Don't ignore Floyd. He's absolutely a flex consideration this week.

Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

Zach Ertz had an amazing 15 catches for 115 yards on 18 targets in Philadelphia's loss to Washington on Saturday. To put that into perspective, he had 15 catches total in his previous seven games. So you probably shouldn't assume Ertz is a TE1 this week just yet.

Still, Mark Sanchez certainly showed he wasn't afraid to rely on him last week, and with a meaningless game in Week 17, the Eagles would be wise to focus on some of their younger players against the Giants. Ertz is a lottery ticket, no doubt, but one with a pretty nice payout if he hits.

All ownership percentages, point totals and points-against statistics via ESPN standard-scoring leagues.