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Hayden's unexpected fantasy football performances, waiver wire sleepers, and trade targets for Week 17 (2024). Can these NFL players sustain Week 16's success?
With fantasy football leagues now into their postseasons, Week 16 gave us a lot of stunning performances. One such outing came from rookie sensation Jayden Daniels. The Washington quarterback passed for 258 yards and five touchdowns, and he added 81 more yards on the ground to spur the Commanders to victory.
Vikings superstar wideout Justin Jefferson also showed out with 144 receiving yards and two scores. A quintet of running backs exceeded 25 half-PPR points as well; Jonathan Taylor, Chuba Hubbard, De'Von Achane, Saquon Barkley, and James Cook all dominated their opponents' defenses.
Many less heralded players also played well, though. Let's check out five of Week 16's unexpected booms, starting with a running back out west in Los Angeles.
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Gus Edwards, RB - Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers running back Gus Edwards began the season in a timeshare with teammate J.K. Dobbins. Dobbins outperformed Edwards over the first two weeks, however, and Edwards has been fighting to maintain his volume ever since. With Dobbins on IR with a knee injury, Edwards has had to contend with Kimani Vidal and Hassan Haskins as of late.
Vidal outsnapped Edwards in both Week 14 and Week 15, but that changed on Thursday night this past week. On his 28 snaps, Edwards carried the ball 14 times for 68 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a three-yard reception on two targets. This marked Edwards' best fantasy performance of the season.
Gus 🚌 again!#DENvsLAC on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/qnViqp95hL— NFL (@NFL) December 20, 2024
Edwards racked up 19.6 half-PPR points this week. This total earned him the RB12 ranking for Week 16 entering Monday. His 68 yards were a season-high, and on his 43-yard run late in the fourth quarter, he showed the juice that had been lacking from his running at the beginning of the season.
Edwards should be among the top RB targets on fantasy waiver wires this week. While Vidal has gotten a fair number of snaps in recent weeks, Edwards has been more productive. Operating as Los Angeles' top backfield option will give Edwards enough value to be worth a roster spot as the fantasy season concludes.
Olamide Zaccheaus, WR - Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders receiver Olamide Zaccheaus entered Week 16 without a ton of production to his name in his first year with the squad. Zaccheaus had 30 catches on 42 targets for 300 yards through 14 games, and just 11 of those receptions had come in his last seven appearances.
On Sunday, though, Zaccheaus abruptly entered the spotlight. He caught five of his eight targets for 70 yards. Most importantly, Zaccheaus found the end zone twice; both scoring trips came in the fourth quarter as the Commanders erased a deficit. His 49-yard catch and run gave Washington its first lead of the game.
COMMANDERS. 49-yard TD to Zaccheaus for the lead!
📺: #PHIvsWAS on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/7F2CXf7QvT— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024
Zaccheaus's eight targets marked a season-high, and his five catches were topped only by his six grabs in Week 4. The outing was also Zaccheaus's first multi-score game since Week 9 of 2021. Ultimately, he finished with 21.5 half-PPR points, making him Week 16's WR6 through Sunday's slate.
Fantasy managers looking for a new wideout may wish to give Zaccheaus a look on waivers. Teammate Dyami Brown injured his hamstring on Sunday; his absence would boost Zaccheaus's target share once again. In an offense with the dynamic Daniels at the helm, that could prove fruitful for fantasy managers.
Tyjae Spears, RB - Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears has been playing some excellent football lately. After starting the year slowly, Spears gained 92 scrimmage yards and scored two total TDs in Week 15. Some skepticism remained, though, and Tony Pollard's availability in Week 16 despite an ankle issue seemingly dashed the hopes of Spears being Tennessee's RB1.
In reality, Spears went on to lead all Titans RBs in snaps and opportunities. He carried the ball 10 times for 27 yards and two touchdowns, and he also added to his numbers with three catches for 39 yards on four targets. His efforts helped the Titans make their game interesting despite having fallen behind by 31 points to the Colts.
Make that 4 touchdowns in two games for @tyjae22
📺: Watch #TENvsIND on @NFLonCBS stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/m64UnYPwP5
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 22, 2024
Spears ended the day as Week 16's RB10 with 20.1 half-PPR points. Four of his five touchdowns in 2024 have come in the last two weeks. Moreover, Spears' 14 opportunities were his second most this season, though Pollard having missed a full week of practice likely contributed to this workload.
At this point, it is not clear what the balance between Spears and Pollard will be over Tennessee's remaining two games. It will be important to monitor reports about the situation over the coming week. However, one thing is certain: Spears should be among the top running back options on waiver wires ahead of Week 17.
Chig Okonkwo, TE - Tennessee Titans
The second Titan to have an unexpected boom performance this week. Third-year tight end Chig Okonkwo caught nine passes for 81 yards on Sunday, leading Tennessee in both categories. He also tacked on a two-point conversion. With 14.6 half-PPR points, Okonkwo stands tied with George Kittle as Week 16's TE2 after Sunday's games.
Such production was not the norm for Okonkwo for the vast majority of the season, however. Through Week 14, Okonkwo had just one game with four or more receptions and only two with five or more targets. Moreover, his one outing with double-digit half-PPR points was solely due to a 70-yard TD; he had no other targets that week.
Week 15 marked a departure from that status quo, though, as he caught eight of his 10 targets for 59 yards versus the Bengals. He then followed that up with his strong showing this week on 11 targets. Okonkwo has shown a better rapport with quarterback Mason Rudolph than previous starter Will Levis.
Chig Okonkwo now has 27% and 33% target shares the last two weeks
That has led to 16.5 PPR fantasy points per game https://t.co/mDH7AeszWI
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) December 22, 2024
Moving forward, Okonkwo stands among the best TE targets on waiver wires this week. His sudden increase in volume should, to some extent, be sustained if Rudolph remains at the helm. Okonkwo will look to carry his momentum into Jacksonville in Week 17 and turn in another solid game.
Kayshon Boutte, WR - New England Patriots
New England Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte did little in the first five weeks of the season. An increase in Boutte's usage coincided with rookie Drake Maye's promotion to the starting quarterback role. Boutte has posted a snap share above 80 percent for 10 straight games now, including Week 16.
However, Boutte had not done a ton with those snaps. He caught a touchdown in Maye's first start in Week 6, but he then went eight straight games without one. That same eight-game drought also saw Boutte fail to reach 50 receiving yards once. That all changed on Sunday when the second-year wideout caught five passes for 95 yards and a score.
Drake Maye DIME to Boutte for the TD!
📺: #NEvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/lyOsqDG3zs— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024
Boutte's receptions and yards led the team against Buffalo, and they also set new career highs. His seven targets also set a new career high, though Boutte had already reached six looks on five occasions. By the end of the game, Boutte had scored 18.0 half-PPR points, slotting him in as Week 16's tentative WR11.
Boutte's rest-of-season outlook is less favorable than many other waiver options. His involvement has been consistent, but his production has not been. There is a chance that he closes out the season with two more quality showings, making him a viable fantasy addition, but expectations should be tempered.
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