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With last week in the rearview, it's time to look ahead to Week 17 with our wide receiver fantasy football waiver wire pickups. It's likely the fantasy finals for you this week, so we're only looking at players who could start for you in some format this week.
Below, you'll find some wide receivers that you should be targeting on the fantasy football waiver wire ahead of Week 17. Not all of these waiver wire options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster.
Be sure to also check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 17 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list are around 50% rostered or below.
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Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 17
Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos - 54% rostered
Courtland Sutton was injured on Sunday night, with Denver's best receiver suffering a concussion that now puts his status against the Chargers in question. L.A.'s pass defense has a lot of issues, so this could be a smash spot for Jerry Jeudy.
Sure, Jeudy just hasn't had the kind of breakout season people hoped he would have, and he hasn't had more than three receptions since Week 11, but if you're taking a chance on a Denver receiver this week, he's the one I'd grad. Risky, but with how the Chargers defense has looked, Jeudy could have his best game of 2023.
Noah Brown, Houston Texans - 48% rostered
The Texans spent Sunday's game against the NFL's best pass defense alternating Case Keenum and Davis Mills at QB, so Noah Brown never really found his footing, catching three of his seven targets for 38 yards.
He could be a league winner in Week 17, though. Houston plays Tennessee, and when these teams met in Week 15, Brown had eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. That was with Keenum at QB. C.J. Stroud should be back after missing the last two games with a concussion, raising the stock of this Texans passing attack.
Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers - 46% rostered
In his second game back, Josh Palmer wasn't quite as good as he was in his first game back. Against the Raiders in Week 15, Palmer caught all four of his targets for 113 yards and a score. This week against the Bills, he had more targets (eight) and receptions (five), but finished with 47 yards and failed to find the end zone. Still, he's currently the team's No. 1 receiver (unless Keenan Allen unexpectedly returns from his heel injury), which is worth flex consideration in most formats.
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions - 22% rostered
The biggest knock on Williams this season has been that he's basically big play or bust. He's had some explosive moments, but the volume hasn't been there for that to translate into consistent numbers.
But Williams has seen a pretty big increase in targets over the past two games. Before Week 16, he had just one game with more than three targets all season. He's surpassed that mark in both of the Lions' two most recent games, and he set a new season-high in receptions this week with five. Williams is always a threat to break off a huge play and an increase in usage makes that even more likely. He might be my favorite boom-or-bust option on the wire.
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints - 44% rostered
It's been a pretty boom-or-bust season for Rashid Shaheed, but he tied his season high in targets against the Rams this week with nine, catching five of those for 70 yards and a touchdown. Now he has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on deck, one of the NFL's worst pass defenses. Shaheed was quiet in the first meeting of these teams back in Week 4, but he has big-play potential in this contest. Of course, he also has bust potential, with four games of 25 or fewer receiving yards this season.
Demario Douglas, New England Patriots - 21% rostered
Another good game from rookie wide receiver Demario Douglas on Sunday as he caught five of his eight targets for 74 yards in New England's surprise win over Denver. Douglas is pretty clearly the best receiver on this team, though he has a tough matchup against the Bills on deck. He did have 74 scrimmage yards last time these teams met though, so Douglas is worth keeping in mind as a flex option.
Wide Receiver Deeper League Pickups For Week 17
Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams - 10% rostered
Alright, Demarcus Robinson's resurgence is for real. For the fourth week in a row, Robinson caught a touchdown pass. This week, he also set season highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (82). It's still a little tough to trust him since he's the team's No. 3 receiver, but a juicy matchup against the Giants this week makes Robinson a great flex option in 14-team leagues.
Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers - 13% rostered
A lot of people expected a huge Dontayvion Wicks game in Week 16. The fact that he scored a touchdown made them technically right, but the rookie was targeted just twice in the win over the Panthers.
Of course, a big part of that was that Wicks suffered a chest injury in the first half and didn't play the second half, so those numbers could have looked a lot better. If Christian Watson (hamstring) misses his fourth game in a row next week and Wicks is healthy, he's a strong deep-league flex option.
Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos - 8% rostered
Same situation here as with Jerry Jeudy up above — a great matchup against the Chargers and a potential increase in his role if Courtland Sutton is out with a concussion. Mims is an electric player who just hasn't really had many chances to show it this season. Jeudy's definitely the safest Denver receiver in Week 17 if Sutton's out, but Mims has big-play potential and makes sense as a boom-or-bust option in deep leagues.
K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings - 16% rostered
Big game from K.J. Osborn this week, as he was targeted seven times against the Lions, catching five of those for 95 yards and a score. Part of that was because Jordan Addison left the game with an ankle injury. Osborn's worth adding off the wire because he'd have deep-league flex appeal if Addison missed Week 17 against the Packers, though I wouldn't consider playing Osborn if the Vikings have Addison on the field for that one.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants - 2% rostered
Darius Slayton's really going to end up leading the Giants in passing yards again, isn't he? Slayton caught three passes for 90 yards and a score on Monday against the Eagles, which accounted for half the receptions by wide receivers. The other three all went to Wan'Dale Robinson as Jalin Hyatt and Isaiah Hodgins combined for zero targets and zero receptions. Slayton's playing well and has a decent matchup against the Rams on deck.
D.J. Chark Jr., Carolina Panthers - 7% rostered
D.J. Chark Jr. was a big acquisition this offseason for the Panthers, a veteran wideout who could help as rookie QB Bryce Young adapted to the NFL. That addition didn't really pan out for the Panthers, as Chark's had a couple of good games but has largely been a non-factor for Carolina. He had his best game against Green Bay in Week 16, catching six of his eight targets for 98 yards and two touchdowns, and he's got an appealing Week 17 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. I wouldn't feel very comfortable starting him because of his overall body of work, but there are worse dart throws out there.
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