Kerwynn Williams (RB, ARI) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep 14 Team Leagues for Week 17

OWNED IN: 16% owned on Fleaflicker

ANALYSIS: Arizona is absolutely decimated at the quarterback and running back position, losing top starters and backups Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, Andre Ellington and Jonathan Dwyer.  Enter Kerwynn Williams, a rookie that couldn’t stick on the Colts or Chargers practice squads the past two years.

After 13 mostly ineffective games from Andre Ellington, both Williams and Stepfan Taylor have lit a slight spark into the Cardinals run game, with Williams running for 175 yards on 34 carries the past 2 game (good for over 5 yards per carry).  Those numbers have also impressively come in large chunks, while one game was against the brutal Rams front seven that has been on an absolute tear. While he does have a smaller build with below average speed, he still showed some nice acceleration and was able to escape the line of scrimmage more than once on his runs for a few yards.

While I’d temper expectations in week 17 against the Seahawks, he looks to be at least a decent FLEX play. He's also someone to keep an eye on for next year (if the Cardinals avoid running backs in the draft and free agency), as Andre Ellington clearly couldn’t handle his workload this season. Taylor should handle a majority of the passing work, as Williams looked a bit slow on his routes, but is way too big a stretch to recommend here.