Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Nick Foles Could Help Seal Your Fantasy Title
Well ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of the road.
It's been a fun and entertaining season in fantasy football. But as we enter Week 17, we realize that our time has come to an end for the year.
It's been a pleasure offering up my advice for the waiver wire each and every week. I sincerely hope it helped some of you out.
For those of you that still have your league championship on the line in Week 17, here are the top waiver wire adds for the final week of the season.
Thanks for a great season, and best of luck in Week 17!
RB C.J. Anderson, Los Angeles Rams- Who would have guessed at the beginning of the year that Anderson, as a member of the Rams, would be a top 5 RB in Week 16? Certainly not me. But the veteran back, less than a week after signing with Los Angeles, exploded for 167 yards and a touchdown on just 20 carries against the Cardinals. Gurley may be healthy enough to return next week, but with an easy matchup against the 49ers on deck, Sean McVay may choose to rest his star running back, giving Anderson another start. If Gurley sits again, Anderson becomes a must-start fantasy option and the number one waiver wire add of the week.
RB Darren Sproles, Philadelphia Eagles- Sproles put together an all-around strong game in Week 16, rushing for 32 yards on nine carries but adding three receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. With the Eagles' season on the line, Doug Pederson turned towards the veteran to lead the team's backfield in touches. Josh Adams may have out-carried Sproles, but it was the small, speedy back that was in when the game mattered most. With Philly's playoff hopes still alive heading into Week 17, Sproles is likely to lead the backfield yet again. In a must-win game against Washington, I like Sproles' chances of finding the end zone again.
QB Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles- Speaking of the Eagles, how about the performance out of last year's Super Bowl MVP? It appeared as if Foles still has some magic left in the tank, as the quarterback threw for 471 yards and four touchdowns against the Texans' solid defense, making him fantasy's QB3 for the week. Foles should be able to continue the hot streak against a middling Washington defense in Week 17. With Philadelphia's playoff hopes hanging on by a thread, the Eagles will need Foles' to be at his best for the final game of the regular season. As we've seen several times already, Foles doesn't shy away from the big moments.
RB Rod Smith, Dallas Cowboys- If your fantasy team has been carried by Ezekiel Elliott all season, then your team likely had a good postseason run. However, the Cowboys clinched the NFC East title with their win in Week 16, and with the Bears defeating San Francisco, Dallas is locked in as the NFC's no. 4 seed. With their playoff seed already set, the Cowboys have nothing but pride to play for in the final game of the season. While Jerry Jones would definitely like to end the season on a high note, defeating a division rival on the road, chances are he won't want to risk the team's star players getting hurt right before the playoffs. Smith hasn't done much this year, but going up against the Giants' awful rush defense, the fourth-year back will be a must-start if Elliott does indeed sit.
WR Chester Rogers, Indianapolis Colts- Following the departure of Eric Ebron (concussion), Rogers re-emerged as Andrew Luck's second-favorite option in the Colts' passing game behind T.Y. Hilton. The third-year receiver finished the day with seven catches on seven targets for 54 yards and the game-winning touchdown with under a minute left in the game to keep Indianapolis' playoff dreams alive. The performance was his best since Week 6, which highlights the risk that comes with relying on Rogers. However, if Ebron is forced to miss Indy's win-or-go-home contest against Tennessee in Week 17, then Rogers should continue to play a big role in the offense. Keep an eye on the injury report throughout the week, but go grab Rogers on the waiver wire while you still can.
RB Jeff Wilson Jr., San Francisco 49ers- Wilson came out of no where at the end of the season and instantly popped up on the fantasy radar. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has already ruled out Matt Breida for the team's meaningless regular season finale, which means it's Wilson's show in Week 17. The matchup against the Rams isn't amazing, as LA is coming off a game in which it did a tremendous job of limiting David Johnson. But the Rams have been a bit shaky against running backs in the passing game, an area that Wilson excels in. The rookie back should manage to find his way into the end zone in this one.
TE Chris Herndon, New York Jets- Herndon has been a pleasant surprise for the Jets this year. A fourth-round pick out of Miami, Herndon wasn't on the fantasy map prior to the season kicking off. Yet the rookie tight end has been able to rack up 38 receptions for 494 yards and four touchdowns this season, almost all of which came after Week 5. In New York's tough overtime loss to the Packers in Week 16, Herndon reeled in six of seven targets for 82 yards and a touchdown, snapping a six-game scoreless streak. Herndon has been the top rookie tight end in fantasy this year, and is a strong streaming option against the Patriots in Week 17.
RB Dwayne Washington, New Orleans Saints- Similar to Rod Smith, Washington has not done much this season, buried behind Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram on the depth chart. But with the Saints having nothing to play for in Week 17 after clinching the top seed in the NFC, this could be Washington's time to shine. Sean Payton would be wise to give his two talented running backs some time off to rest their bodies before the team's playoff run. Assuming Kamara and Ingram sit, Washington would be a great start in the regular season finale against a lost Panthers team.
Matt Citak is a contributor for CBS Local Sports and a proud Vanderbilt alum. Follow him on Twitter.