Week 17 is here. It’s championship week in fantasy football land which means IDP managers are furiously scouring the waiver wire for impact additions. The right pickup or two could propel you to a fantasy championship. Here are some names that should be able to give you that extra edge in the finals. Let’s take a look at some of the names that are worth some of your free agent budget.
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Carlos Dunlap (DE – SEA): 4% rostered on Yahoo
Carlos Dunlap has been catching fire at exactly the right time. The veteran pass rusher has played his way into being a priority add for championship week. Dunlap was excellent in Week 16, tallying five solos, two sacks, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one pass defended. He is now at five sacks in his last two games and six in his last four. It’s quite the turnaround for someone who became waiver wire fodder earlier this season, but talent has never been in the question with Dunlap. Dunlap is blessed with the Detroit Lions in Week 17, and while Jared Goff may be back under center, that does not change the fact that it is a wonderful matchup for the edge rusher. Fire him up as a DB2 option for championship week.
Rasheem Green (DE – SEA): 7% rostered on Yahoo
Rasheem Green is another Seahawks pass rusher who has impressed lately. While he has not quite been playing to the level of Dunlap, Green has 3.5 sacks over his last three games, with one in Week 15 and two in Week 16. Green recorded two solos, two sacks, and two tackles for loss against Chicago and could have another big game in Week 17. Detroit has allowed the 14th most fantasy points to the defensive end position, making Green a sneaky DL2 option for the plus matchup. Add and start Green where needed.
Emmanuel Ogbah (DE – MIA): 7% rostered on Yahoo
Ogbah has been excellent lately. He is up to nine sacks on the season, with three coming n his last two games. Ogbah went off on Monday night, tallying three solos, two assists, two sacks, and one tackle for loss, creating constant pressures against a depleted New Orleans Saints offensive line. He may not get to feast agonist a depleted offensive line in Week 17 but will get a Tennessee Titans team gifting the third-most fantasy points per game to the defensive end position. Start Ogbah as a borderline DL1 for championship week.
Marcus Davenport (DE – NO): 4% rostered on Yahoo
Marcus Davenport has been excellent when healthy this season. He has hit a career-high 7.5 sacks on the year and is in an excellent position for more against whoever the Carolina Panthers decide to have under center in Week 17. Carolina has relinquished the eighth-most fantasy points to the defensive end position and has allowed 11 sacks total over their last two games combined. Fire Davenport up as borderline DL1 for Week 17.
Jerome Baker (LB – MIA): 8% rostered on Yahoo
Baker was hot again in Week 16, recording five solos, one assist, 1.5 sacks, and two tackles for loss. He has 3.5 sacks in his last two games to go with nine solos and four assists, making him the LB1 overall since the start of the fantasy playoffs. Baker gets another plus matchup in Week 17, this time against the Tennesee Titans. The Titans have surrendered the 11th most fantasy points per game to the linebacker position, making Baker a strong LB2 option with LB1 upside. Start Baker wherever possible.
Jonas Griffith (LB – DEN): 0% rostered on Yahoo
Jonas Griffith has been excellent since stepping in as the starter for the injured Kenny Young. He went off in Week 16, recording six solos, seven assists, and three tackles for loss. Griffith is up to 14 solos and eight assists over the last two contests and is playing like an LB2. The former UDFA has played well enough (and Kenny Young poor enough) to get an extended look, even when Young is healthy, so Griffith is worth a priority add for those in deeper redraft leagues. Start him as an LB3 with LB2 upside for a Week 17 matchup against a Los Angeles Chargers team surrendering the second-most fantasy points to the linebacker position.
Anthony Barr (LB – MIN): 3% rostered on Yahoo
Anthony Barr was excellent in Week 16, racking up five solos, two assists, two interceptions, and two passes defended. While the Vikings continue to misuse his talent, he is heating up at the right time for fantasy managers. He has recorded at least four solos and seven total tackles in four of the last five weeks. Week 17 gives him a Green Bay Packers team he recorded 10 total tackles against back in Week 11. His floor may bar him from the LB2 conversation, but he is strong LB3 teeming with LB2 upside in the plus matchup. Add Barr where needed.
Lorenzo Carter (DE/LB – NYG): 0% rostered on Yahoo
Lorenzo Carter has been heating up lately and should be a priority add for deep leaguers looking for some pass rush juice. The 2018 third round pick recorded two solos, one assist, one sack, one forced fumble, and one pass defended in Week 16. He now has three sacks in his last two games and gets the good (great?) fortune of facing off against the Chicago Bears in Week 17. The Bears are a plus matchup regardless of who is under center, making the edge rusher a solid LB3 with LB2 upside. Add and start Carter where possible.
Jordan Whitehead (S – TB): 1% rostered on Yahoo
Jordan Whitehead has been putting together an excellent run for the Buccanneers, but his rostered numbers suggest that IDP managers have not noticed. He is the DB10 in fantasy points per game since Week 8 and should be treated as a borderline DB1 for championship week. Whitehead recorded six solos, one assist, one interception, and three passes defended n Week 16 and should be good for another monster game against the mess that is the New York Jets. Add and start Whitehead where possible.
Darnell Savage (S – GB): 3% rostered on Yahoo
Darnell Savage has gotten hot at the right time. Savage recorded five solos, three assists, one interception, and one pass defended in Week 16. He now has at least five solos in two straight games (for the first time all season) and appears set up for another high tackle outing against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17. He is hard to trust as anything more than a DB3 option, but he boasts DB2 upside in the plus matchup. Savage had one of his most productive games of the season against the Vikings in Week 11, recording six solos, one assist, and two passes defended. Add and start Savage where needed.
Jeremy Reaves (S – WAS): 0% rostered on Yahoo
Promoted to the active roster due to a COVID outbreak and injury, Jeremy Reaves has shined in his two starts. He racked up six solos, four assists, and one tackle for loss in Week 16 and was even better in Week 15 when he tallied nine solos and three assists. He is playing a near every snap role for Washington and figures to remain a starter in Week 17. Reaves has a plus matchup against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles in Week 17, giving him DB2 upside against what should be a ground heavy attack, even without Miles Sanders. Add and start Reaves as a DB3 with a DB2 ceiling.
Taylor Rapp (S – LAR): 8% rostered on Yahoo
Taylor Rapp has battled inconsistency in 2021. He put up five solos and three assists in Week 16 after four straight duds and would normally being headed for the sit portion of our weekly sit/start column if it were not for his Week 17 opponent. The Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens represent a plus matchup for all defenders regardless of position and have relinquished the most fantasy points per game to opposing safeties. Rapp has been more name than game for most of the season but appears set to produce as expected when it matters the most. Add and start Rapp where possible.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.
