Week 17 Waiver-Wire Pickups: Advice for Final Sleepers Who May Be Available

With few fantasy football teams still competing in Week 17, the battle for waiver-wire pickups usually isn't as fierce. Still, there are always desperate souls heading into championship week.

No matter what your lineup looks like heading into the final week of the year, it is always important to keep your options open, and that means scouring the free-agent pool for anyone who can help you win. Although there aren't many big names deep down the list, there are still always some sleepers who can make a difference.

When some of the deeper leagues run out of the top pickups, look for these players farther down the list to be available in at least 70 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Pos.	Player	Team	Percent Owned*
QB	AJ McCarron	Cincinnati Bengals	7
QB	Johnny Manziel	Cleveland Browns	5
RB	Bilal Powell	New York Jets	30
RB	Isaiah Crowell	Cleveland Browns	29
RB	Steven Jackson	New England Patriots	3
WR	Dontrelle Inman	San Diego Chargers	8
WR	Jamison Crowder	Washington Redskins	9
WR	Dwayne Harris	New York Giants	19
TE	Will Tye	New York Giants	20
TE	Vance McDonald	San Francisco 49ers	6

AJ McCarron, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

No one really knew what to expect from AJ McCarron making his second-career start Monday night against an elite Denver Broncos defense, but he was actually impressive in prime time. The second-year quarterback especially looked good on the first two possessions, leading long drives and converting third downs with sharp passes.

Former quarterback Rich Gannon liked what he saw from the quarterback as well as the way offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was using him:

McCarron finished with 200 passing yards and two touchdowns against the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL. He certainly has a good chance to put up even better numbers in his Week 17 matchup versus a Baltimore Ravens defense that has allowed many more big plays this season.

The big question is whether McCarron will even be able to play, although ESPN's Ed Werder reports the team is expecting him to be in action:

With plenty of weapons around him making plays, the quarterback has an opportunity for a big week.

Steven Jackson, RB, New England Patriots

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Although Steven Jackson only finished with seven carries for 15 rushing yards in his debut for the New England Patriots, it has been hard for anyone to run against the New York Jets this season.

More importantly, the veteran was brand new to the system, and the coaching staff didn't want to rush him into too much action right away. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels explained why Week 17 should feature a much bigger workload, per ESPN's Mike Reiss:

"

Steven had really two days of practice last week so I think that it’s fair to say that we wanted to put him in a situation that was fair to him based on the preparation and the work that he had done prior to the game. This week will give us another three days of good work and experience and exposure to him, and for him to the offense, that will give us an opportunity to expand his role, hopefully during the course of the game on Sunday.

"

While we obviously don't know exactly how much Jackson still has in the tank, the Patriots signed the 32-year-old running back for a reason. They will likely use this week to truly see what he can do before the start of the playoffs.

This opportunity could lead to big things against the Miami Dolphins' struggling run defense. According to ESPN, they have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, and that isn't likely to change in the final week of the year.

Dontrelle Inman, WR, San Diego Chargers

Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

There aren't many great receiving options this low down the list, but Dontrelle Inman showed he can be a valuable player after a big game in Week 16.

The second-year receiver finished off the loss against the Oakland Raiders with eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted a team-high 13 times, showing that he has become a new favorite target of Philip Rivers with so many injuries elsewhere on the roster.

Eric Williams of ESPN.com joked about the receiver's ability to beat the defensive backs:

Perhaps most interesting from Inman's day was that he even played some safety as the injuries continues to pile up for San Diego. This doesn't help his fantasy day at all, but it does show how much effort he is willing to use in what is a lost season for the Chargers. With Philip Rivers throwing the ball seemingly every play, this could lead to plenty of production for the talented receiver.

While the matchup against the Denver Broncos is a difficult one, the defense has actually allowed five touchdowns to opposing receivers in the last three games. There are some openings in this unit, and Inman has a chance to find them in Week 17.

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