Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups: 5 Sleepers Who May Still Be Available

If your fantasy league is still going on, you're likely racking your brain trying to figure out which stars will play and how much they will if they do suit up at all.  Such are the problems of determining a championship during Week 17, when playing time is nearly impossible to project for many lineup fixtures.

However, the flip side is that a savvy owner can exploit those uncertainties by claiming one-week heroes off of waivers.  If you can get ahead of the curve and steal an opponent's handcuff or potential replacement, that could very well make the difference on this fickle Sunday.

With that in mind, let's take a look at five unheralded options that could emerge as significant fantasy weapons simply due to circumstances.

Robert Griffin III, Washington (13.9 percent owned)

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

RG3 has experienced a mini-revival since returning to the lineup two weeks ago, likely ensuring another year in D.C. for both him and head coach Jay Gruden.  On Sunday, Griffin gets his 2014 curtain call against a Cowboys defense that has been average overall defending quarterbacks but highly variable on a week-to-week basis.

Dallas shut down a pair of impressive passing attacks the past two weeks in Philly and Indianapolis, but it also conceded at least 20 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in each of the preceding three games.  Against a Colt McCoy-led Washington attack earlier this year, the Cowboys allowed a robust 299 yards on 30 attempts.

Consequently, a more comfortable and disciplined Griffin should find some holes in Dallas' coverage, particularly outside with the DeSean Jackson vs. Brandon Carr matchup.  There's danger in overanalyzing a small sample size, but over the last two games, Griffin's production has substantially improved from his first six appearances (which included five starts):

Stretch	TD-INT	Cmp %	Yds/Att	Adj Yds/Att	QB Rating
Games 1-6	2-3	69.9	7.33	6.56	86.2
Games 7-8	1-1	68.0	9.12	8.62	95.1

Washington has a nice abundance of weapons that should help RG3 stretch the Cowboys' back seven.  Griffin still faces very real questions about his long-term viability as a starter, but for this week, he's a sneaky low-end No. 1 QB play if you're stuck with someone like Tom Brady or Andrew Luck, who might not even suit up for four quarters.

Joseph Randle, Cowboys (22.6 percent owned)

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

In that same game, Randle represents a nice speculative addition in the event that DeMarco Murray receives some rest.  While speaking to the media on Monday, Jason Garrett already suggested that the Cowboys will play their starters, with team owner Jerry Jones opining that Dallas could allow Murray to eclipse Emmitt Smith's franchise single-season rushing record:

However, Smith's record is only 29 yards away, meaning that Murray should pass him in the first half.  Still recovering from hand surgery, many believe it would be prudent for the Cowboys to buy Murray some extra rest, especially considering the likelihood that Dallas ends up playing next week during the Wild Card Round:

If Murray spends most of Week 17 on the bench, Randle is a much better bet to receive the majority of the carries than fellow reserve Lance Dunbar.  Though Randle is not a threat in the receiving game, unlike Dunbar, the former has outcarried the latter 47-28 this season.

Indeed, Dunbar would likely hold an exclusive third-down role, as Randle has received 43 of those 47 carries on first and second down this season.  Washington isn't a soft matchup, but Randle might be a nice flex play in deeper leagues.

Malcom Floyd, Chargers (24.9 percent owned)

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

Those looking for a sleeper No. 2 wide receiver should direct their attention to San Diego, where Malcom Floyd established himself as the clear top perimeter option in Keenan Allen's absence last week.  Floyd received 10 targets, second most on the team behind Eddie Royal, but it's the area where those targets arrived that tell the story.

Four of those 10 targets came in the deep half of the field, the highest total on the team.  Indeed, Floyd's 16.9 yards per catch is right in line with his career average, with only target limitations holding back his fantasy value.

With Allen out, that problem should be rectified this week.  Floyd's opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, are relatively stingy in terms of total yardage conceded but have allowed scores to opposing wide receivers in nine consecutive weeks.  

The only downside is that Floyd figures to draw top Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith, who has re-established himself as a top cover corner after a down 2013 campaign.  Nevertheless, given the likelihood of deep and red-zone targets, Floyd is as reliable a big-play weapon as any this week.

Tim Wright, Patriots (4.0 percent owned)

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The other tight end in New England's system hasn't really been fantasy relevant for most of the season, even with six touchdowns.  However, with the top-seeded Patriots having nothing left to play for, top tight end Rob Gronkowski could very well receive most of the afternoon off, especially given his lengthy injury history.

Thus, Tim Wright would seemingly be in line to receive most of the work.  That might not sound appealing against a Buffalo Bills defense that has allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends, but even if Tom Brady only plays a half, the Pats offense is virtually matchup-proof.  Moreover, Wright himself has been extremely efficient, even as the fifth or sixth option in the passing game:

Despite playing relatively limited snaps this season, Wright still ranks tied for third on the team in red-zone receptions, per Pro-Football-Reference.com.  If Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, who is currently dealing with concussion and thigh issues, both sit out, Wright may become the primary target when the Patriots enter scoring territory on Sunday.

The second-year tight end has shown hints of being a viable fantasy option if given the snaps.  When Gronk left New England's Week 8 game against the Chicago Bears with dehydration, Wright compiled seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.  Given how scarce reliable starting tight end options are in fantasy, Wright's upside makes him a worthy play even in standard leagues.

Colts D/ST (19.5 percent owned)

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Defense streamers will be happy to see Indianapolis on waivers, as the Colts are relatively unspectacular overall.  Indy ranks a mediocre 16th in fantasy points per game, making them the definition of a matchup-based option.  Against their woeful AFC South competition, however, the Colts have thrived, especially in comparison to the rest of their schedule:

Opponent	Fantasy Points per Game
AFC South teams	12.4
Non-AFC South teams	3.0

For reference, that point-per-game rate against division opponents would be the highest among all defenses if extrapolated to a full season, while the non-division rate would rank 30th, ahead of only Oakland and New Orleans.  Quite simply, the opponent does make all the difference against a disciplined but relatively unspectacular Colts defense.

Indy should finish with a bang against a Tennessee Titans team that has allowed opposing defenses to average 9.5 points per game, the fifth-highest rate in the league.  If the Colts are still available on your waivers, snatch them up immediately and don't hesitate to play a unit that ranks as a top-10 option this week.

All points against and ownership percentages based on ESPN standard leagues.