Free agent pickups: Load up on Jaguars

The 16th Sunday of the NFL season may be most remembered for the stunning end to the Detroit Lions‘ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (offensive pass interference twice!), but it also featured fantastic performances by Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, Cincinnati Bengals RB Chase Brown and New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave, among others. The Jaguars winning in Denver was arguably the most notable outcome of the day.

Meanwhile, Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart, Dallas Cowboys RB Javonte Williams, Atlanta Falcons WR Drake London and Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride all disappointed fantasy managers. Allen scored only 6.9 points. Dart scored 0.02 points — that’s not a misprint! Injuries removed Cleveland Browns RB Quinshon Judkins (leg) and, later in the day, New England Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson (head).

Each Monday, before the current NFL weekend ends, we will identify players available in at least 50% of ESPN standard leagues worthy of your attention, from standard formats to deeper options. The NFL is a weekly league, and player valuation and roles seldom remain stagnant. It does not matter how you acquire players for your fantasy rosters, just that you acquire them!

Quarterback

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (51% rostered in ESPN leagues): Myriad fantasy managers likely shied away from Lawrence, who entered Week 16 as the No. 7 QB for the season, because he had a road game against the mighty Denver Broncos. So, naturally, Lawrence scored a position-best 31.16 fantasy points in a 34-20 win. Lawrence has accounted for 75.46 points (10 touchdowns!) over the past two games. He has become a must-play option for Week 17 against the Indianapolis Colts, or managers should at least add him and ensure their playoff opponent cannot feature him.

Tyler Shough, Saints (10.9%): Shough scored 17.12 points in Sunday’s cruising win over the terrible New York Jets, reaching a career high with 308 passing yards. He will face the improved Tennessee Titans in Week 17. The Titans did not get thrown on by various Kansas City Chiefs backups on Sunday, but generally they struggle to contain opposing passers and Shough has scored at least 17 points in four consecutive outings. He’s a rookie, but one who may be performing better than your current starter.

Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders (16.2%): Mariota (hand) could not finish Saturday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but chances are he will be ready to face the rival Cowboys on Christmas. Note: Get your lineups in on time! There are three games on Thursday and two more on Saturday! Mariota has made eight starts this season in place of Jayden Daniels (elbow) with inconsistent results, but the Cowboys’ defense consistently welcomes opposing quarterbacks, permitting the most fantasy points (by far) to the position.

Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts

• Green Bay Packers starter Jordan Love (concussion) left Saturday’s overtime loss to the Chicago Bears well before that extra period and Malik Willis (0.1%), a third-round pick by the Titans in the 2022 NFL draft, scored an impressive 13.24 points in relief. Long known for his running ability, Willis rushed for 44 yards, but he also completed 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. The Packers host the desperate Baltimore Ravens, middle of the pack in permitting QB fantasy points, on Saturday night.

• Seattle Seahawks starter Sam Darnold (43.4%) scored 19.5 points in a wild, overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams. He will face the underrated Carolina Panthers in Week 17. The Panthers are solid against the pass. Darnold is not the most consistent fantasy provider, including recently, but if you want a veteran on a good team over a rookie, he is available in many leagues.

Running back

Blake Corum, Rams (29.8%): Corum keeps appearing in this space because he keeps providing solid fantasy numbers. He now boasts four consecutive games with double-digit fantasy points. He has averaged double-digit rushing attempts over that span and he scored a rushing touchdown in each game. He goes for five valuable outings in a row this week against the Falcons.

Dylan Sampson, Browns (7.4%): The Browns lost rookie Quinshon Judkins (leg), so someone must replace him for the final games against the Steelers and Bengals. Sampson (hand) hasn’t played the past two games, but the rookie fourth-round selection from Tennessee had been the prime Judkins backup. He even caught eight passes and scored 17.3 points when Judkins did not play in Week 1. If Sampson sits, veteran Trayveon Williams (0.1%) and Raheim Sanders (0.1%) would be next. Williams caught four passes for 38 yards in relief of Judkins on Sunday, but Sanders saw more volume.

Jawhar Jordan, Houston Texans (5.2%): Woody Marks (ankle) was a late scratch Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, and Jordan easily outshined veteran Nick Chubb for volume and production, scoring 12 fantasy points. Perhaps Marks returns this week against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Tyjae Spears, Titans (30.7%): Spears and colleague Tony Pollard combined for 154 rushing yards and 31.7 points in Sunday’s win over the eliminated (and it showed) Chiefs. Next up, they face a Saints defense that has played well lately. Spears is the preferred choice because of his work catching passes, though Pollard routinely gets the nod in fantasy leagues.

Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts

• Michael Carter (39%) is Arizona’s top running back for the rest of the season. He averaged 5.9 yards per rush against the Falcons on Sunday, but game script kept him to 11 touches. He should have more in Week 17 against the Bengals.

• Packers reserve Emanuel Wilson (36.4%) outscored starter Josh Jacobs against the Bears, turning 14 carries into 82 rushing yards. Wilson was utilized instead of Jacobs (knee) quite a bit in the second half after a Jacobs fumble. We assume Jacobs is not missing Week 17 against the Ravens, and let’s face it, nobody knows how much volume Wilson may get. He is not a sure thing.

• Commanders running backs continue to sit on free agency in most leagues, including starter Chris Rodriguez Jr. (29.9%). Rodriguez returned from a one-game absence to score 13.9 points in the loss to the Eagles, while rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt (47.5%) scored 8.5 points. Rodriguez saw more volume. The Cowboys are bad against the run, too.

Wide receiver

Parker Washington, Jaguars (12.8%): We still like his teammates Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr. more, but those fellows combined for only 12.4 points against the Broncos, while Washington, taking advantage of matchups/coverage, scored 23.1 points. Sure, the Broncos paid more attention to Meyers and Thomas, but still, Washington has mattered this season. This is his third game with double-digit targets, but his first with more than 100 receiving yards. He will have a chance to do it again this coming Sunday against the Colts.

Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts

• Titans rookies Chimere Dike (20.1%) and Elic Ayomanor (8.9%) combined for 21.8 points against the Chiefs, though on only nine combined targets, which is the risk. They will face the Saints this week, but chances are if you have made it to Week 17 in your playoffs, you will not be relying on any Titans.

• Steelers star DK Metcalf figures to be suspended for at least Week 17, leaving veteran Adam Thielen (6.2%) with a chance at volume against the Browns. Thielen saw only two targets in his first two Steelers games after signing, but then he caught all four of his targets for 49 yards against the Lions.

Tight end

Brenton Strange, Jaguars (27.3%): Strange scored 14.9 points against the Broncos, including a terrific, one-handed touchdown catch. Strange caught only one pass in Week 15, but he has generally been a larger part of the offense. The Jaguars face the Colts in Week 17… and the Colts are among the easiest defenses to accrue TE points against.

Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts

• We’ve discussed the Bengals all season in this space because their defense permits the most fantasy points to tight ends. Cardinals star Trey McBride should have fun in Week 17. However, let’s discuss a Bengals TE, too, as Mike Gesicki (3.2%) has touchdowns in two of the past three games.

• Chances are good you aren’t streaming a tight end this late in the season, but Saints starter Juwan Johnson (53.6%) and Seahawks starter AJ Barner (15.6%) are also reasonable options.

Defense

• The Chargers D/ST (35.9%) saw its streak of consecutive games with double-digit fantasy points end in Dallas, but the unit still scored 4.0 points for fantasy managers. The Chargers host the Texans (one offensive touchdown Sunday against the Raiders) in what should be quite a defensive battle.

• The Buccaneers D/ST (31.9%) is not among the top 20 units in fantasy, having scored double-digit fantasy points only twice, but No. 3 may occur this week against the Miami Dolphins and backup QB Quinn Ewers. The Dolphins struggled to score on the rough Bengals defense on Sunday.

• The Saints D/ST (57%), Vikings D/ST (49.2%) and Panthers D/ST (6.1%) are also reasonable streamers in Week 17.