RADIO
In fantasy football leagues that use FAAB (free agent acquisition budget), it can be hard to know how much money to spend on key players at QB, RB, WR, or TE. Nick Mariano gives fantasy owners his recommendations on how to spend FAAB for Week 17.
Assisting our famous waiver wire pickups list, and our weekly waiver wire columns by position, this column focuses on suggested waiver wire bidding percentages for fantasy football owners in leagues using a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB).
As a caveat, these prices do not by any means indicate how much these free agent players will go for. Each league values players differently and will continue to do so. These values are here to provide a baseline or priority order to understand roughly how much you should be targeting to spend on a particular player. This changes in playoff weeks, where you simply do what you must and the amounts go up.
While many leagues finished in Week 16, we know several of you play through Week 17. Don't worry, we won't leave you alone! As of now, the Ravens are the only team to confirm resting their starters, but do monitor reports throughout the week. You can't take FAAB money with you, so make it rain if you've got it. To end 2019 with a championship, here are our FAAB auction bidding recommendations for Week 17 below.
Editor's Note: Find sleeper picks, undervalued ADPs, and draft targets to help you dominate your fantasy football drafts. Try our free who to draft tool for personalized recommendations.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Quarterbacks
Daniel Jones (QB, NYG) - FAAB Bid: 30-40%
19% owned
While the Eli Manning nostalgia was fun, Daniel Jones reminded us all to be excited for the future in East Rutherford. Danny Dimes shredded Washington for 352 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. That means three of his last six games have yielded at least four passing TDs without an INT. Not bad, rookie. I mean, those games were against the Jets, Lions and Redskins, but you still have to deliver! Week 17 against Philly won’t be as easy as those, but the Eagles will be without Ronald Darby in the secondary and we could have an NFC East shootout.
Andy Dalton (QB, CIN) - FAAB Bid: 10-12%
9% owned
Dalton was discouraging in the early going of Week 16, but stormed back in the fourth quarter to produce 396 yards and four touchdowns by game’s end. Amazing what happens when you play the Dolphins instead of the Patriots, no? It was a decent audition for Dalton, who should latch on with another team as the Bengals start stitching Joe Burrow jerseys. Don’t count on another 56 pass attempts in Week 17 against Cleveland, but the Browns are likely one of the few teams with lower morale than Cincy. Do note Cleveland hasn’t allowed a 300-yard passing game this season, though they’ve enjoyed facing the likes of Marcus Mariota, Luke Falk and Devlin Hodges in 2019, so the stat is a bit soft.
Robert Griffin III (QB, BAL) - FAAB Bid: 5-10%
0% owned
We’ve seen the value of mobile quarterbacks, with RGIII being one of those in the post Michael Vick-era to bring that excitement. No longer in his prime, Griffin does find himself in an offense poised to capitalize on his versatility, though he’s only turned 12 rush attempts into 20 yards thus far. I don’t want to judge based on pure mop-up duty drives, though. The 12 completions on 17 attempts is enough to give me hope. While Baltimore will be resting Marshall Yanda and Mark Ingram as well, they can’t bench everyone, so I’d play RGIII in 16-team leagues and hope Mark Andrews and company lifts him up against a tough Pittsburgh unit.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Running Backs
Deandre Washington (RB, OAK) - FAAB Bid: 100%
48% owned
Washington was Oakland’s workhorse sans Josh Jacobs, tallying 23 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown against the Chargers. Week 17 at Denver is a tougher task, but Oakland is still mathematically alive for now and the Raiders are still pushing. Unfortunately, that does mean Jacobs will try to play, but my optimism for that is low. Speculate with Washington at least available to you on the bench for a late swap in the 4:25pm slate.
Gus Edwards (RB, BAL) - FAAB Bid: 100%
Justice Hill (RB, BAL) - FAAB Bid: 50%
10% owned; 4% owned
Mark Ingram went down with a calf injury and Baltimore has no reason to play him in a meaningless Week 17 tilt, which would allow him to rest through their first-round bye. Edwards stepped up with 12 carries for 66 yards against a broken Browns Defense, though it was Hill who found the end zone (3-19-1 rushing; 4-32-0 receiving.) Week 17 against an eliminated Pittsburgh defense is far from a walk in the park, but Baltimore shouldn’t have trouble tilting the field against PIT’s horrid offense.
Travis Homer (RB, SEA) - FAAB Bid: 60%
Marshawn Lynch (RB, FA) - FAAB Bid: 50%
Robert Turbin (RB, SEA) - FAAB Bid: 40%
All 0% owned
Seattle had already lost Rashaad Penny for the season, and Week 16 saw them lose Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise as well. This left Homer as the next man up, though Seattle was trailing Arizona so much of his work came through the air. He finished up with 16 rush yards and 26 receiving yards on six catches, but rumors have surfaced that the Seahawks will meet with Marshawn Lynch about a potential reunion. Lynch is unlikely to slide into a bellcow role out of the gate, so Homer makes for a safe PPR add regardless heading into a gritty Week 17 battle with San Francisco. But I know, you want to add Lynch. Just do it.
Patrick Laird (RB, MIA) - FAAB Bid: 10-15%
38% owned
Laird was a non-factor throughout Week 16 as Myles Gaskin piled up 55 yards and a score against the Bengals. But Gaskin hurt his ankle late in the fourth quarter, which means Laird is back in the spotlight for Week 17 against New England. Starting RB volume is one thing, but the gamescript and matchup here is terrible for Laird. You’ll need to pray for enough dumpoffs to mine double-digit PPR scoring if you’re desperate.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Wide Receivers
Justin Watson (WR, TB) - FAAB Bid: 100%
6% owned
Even at his worst, Jameis Winston still provided Watson with 10 targets for a 5-43-1 line alongside Breshad Perriman’s 12 targets. Both wideouts logged a 96% snap rate, working as every-down players in a pass-happy offense. While Atlanta’s defense has played better of late, the Bucs can squeeze passing attempts out of stone. There are a few opportunities to score players who may see double-digit look in the late going, which is all we can hope for in the chaos of Week 17.
Allen Lazard (WR, GB) - FAAB Bid: 60-70%
8% owned
Lazard played 78% of the snaps in Week 15, his biggest workload since Week 7, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling posted a season-low 12% and Geronimo Allison saw a decrease for the third-straight week. Lazard followed that up with nine targets in Week 16, second only to Davante Adams’ 16 looks. No one else had more than three. Adams is a monster, but Week 17 against Detroit should mean Darius Slay gives him a run for his money. Meanwhile, Lazard could be this week’s Daesean Hamilton, the No. 2 wideout who feasts on the DBs behind Slay.
Steven Sims Jr (WR, WAS) - FAAB Bid: 60-70%
1% owned
While Terry McLaurin posted 7-86-0 on nine targets, Sims saw 10 targets and two carries with 73 total yards and two touchdowns. That gives him back-to-back games with 10+ targets and while Dwayne Haskins’ momentum is caput, Case Keenum is serviceable and Sims has proven worthy of additional attention down the stretch as Washington continues to evaluate for the future.
Greg Ward (WR, PHI) - FAAB Bid: 50-60%
9% owned
Philadelphia won a low-scoring, must-win affair against Dallas in Week 16. After Ward had seen nine targets in back-to-back games, he maximized his five looks on Sunday for a season-high 71 yards. Dallas Goedert was Philly’s best option, but he got hurt late to join Zach Ertz’s rib injury and JJ Arcega-Whiteside’s foot issue, which made Ward the final option. The Eagles control their destiny thanks to beating Dallas, but they still have to seal the deal against the Giants porous secondary in Week 17.
John Ross III (WR, CIN) - FAAB Bid: 15-20%
13% owned
Ross was fully back in the fold for Week 16’s overtime tilt against Miami, seeing 13 targets on the day. The burner had played sparingly in Weeks 14 and 15, but the six catches for 84 yards are encouraging as he looks to wind down the season on a high note. Week 17 against Cleveland may not be as welcoming as a Miami matchup, but no one should fear it.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Tight Ends
Jonnu Smith (TE, TEN) - FAAB Bid: 35-40%
15% owned
While Tajae Sharpe received the biggest boost with Corey Davis in concussion protocol, Jonnu’s third straight game with at least 10 points in half-PPR demands attention. He’s done so without topping five targets in any of those games, and Week 17 brings a rematch against a Texans team who he torched for 117 total yards in Week 15. With Derrick Henry at less than 100% and Corey Davis potentially unavailable, Smith may be in line for more work as Tennessee fights for their playoff hopes.
Kaden Smith (TE, NYG) - FAAB Bid: 35-40%
2% owned
The return of Daniel Jones saw Smith receive eight targets, which he turned into six catches for 35 yards and two big touchdowns. Even if Rhett Ellison returns from a concussion next week, I’d expect Smith to be the receiving TE at home against Philly as Jones looks to hit the offseason with good momentum. His ceiling is probably the highest of this group, though the floor rivals Gesicki’s.
O.J. Howard (TE, TB) - FAAB Bid: 30-35%
45% owned
One week after seeing eight targets, Howard drew seven looks as Tampa Bay’s third receiving option in Week 16. Still, he only corralled three of them for a scoreless 46 yards. Don’t anticipate much, but the ceiling remains in this vertical offense. The Bucs’ rushing game has shown flashes and Howard remains a solid blocker, but it’d be nice for a Week 17 TD to give us hope heading into 2020.
Mike Gesicki (TE, MIA) - FAAB Bid: 10-12%
28% owned
Gesicki followed up what was a season-high eight targets in Week 15 with a whopping 12 looks in Week 16, which resulted in six catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Now, Miami goes from facing a burnable Cincinnati defense to taking on New England in Week 17, a most unfortunate matchup. You’re buying a 6-8 target range here, but with eyes wide open that the likelihood of scoring is low. May I offer solace with the fact that Dawson Knox nearly scored in Week 16?
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Defense/Special Teams
Green Bay Packers Defense (at DET) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
47% owned
The Packers have recorded three or more sacks in five of their last six games, while also yielding 16 or fewer points in five of those six as well. The divisional game at Minnesota wasn’t a fantasy-viable one on the surface, yet Green Bay was constantly pressuring Kirk Cousins and limited the Vikes to a paltry seven first downs all game. With a hot-hand defensive unit going at full steam, Week 17 at David Blough could yield serious profits.
Atlanta Falcons Defense (at TB) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
23% owned
Atlanta’s defense turned a corner after their Week 9 bye, and have since recorded 20 sacks with 13 turnovers and a touchdown over their last seven games. For context, their first eight games yielded only seven sacks and three turnovers. While one of their worst recent showings came against Jameis Winston and the Bucs back in Week 12, Tampa Bay no longer has Mike Evans or Chris Godwin to put defenses on their heels. Winston may uncork four interceptions in the bat of an eye, making the Falcons a strong stream to finish the season.
Indianapolis Colts Defense (at JAC) - FAAB Bid: 0-1%
45% owned
The Colts just clobbered Will Grier’s Panthers, recording five sacks with three interceptions while allowing just six points. Week 17 against Gardner Minshew isn’t as strong a matchup as facing Grier, but Minshew has looked lost since being benched. To his credit, he hasn’t thrown an interception in three games, but he also hasn’t thrown for over 201 yards since regaining the starting job.
