Surprise Players Who Could Help You Win in the Fantasy Football Playoffs in Week 17: Tyrod Taylor, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Gerald Everett

If you're reading this article, congratulations on likely having made your fantasy football league's championship in Week 17! Perhaps you did it with the help of last week's article, in which I took a look at one under-the-radar player from each position who could have a big Week 16. The results from that article were good, for the most part. Wan'Dale Robinson at WR was a huge disappointment, catching just three of seven targets for 16 yards, but everyone else was at least okay, not bad at all for players taken straight off the scrap heap. Obviously, the real gem was Joe Flacco, who was the QB1 on the week with 368 yards and three touchdowns, but Mike Geisicki and Justice Hill also turned in solid performances.

I will try to follow Week 16's performance up with some more productive picks this week. These are the players who you will hopefully see years from now in a screenshot  of your league-winning lineup and say, "What was that guy doing in a championship team?" Let's get started!

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Best Deep Streaming Options For Fantasy Football Week 17

Quarterback: Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants

I will not be going back to the Elite Dragon this week, as Flacco is unfortunately headed into a brutal matchup with the Jets' defense. A tough matchup is also what keeps me from selecting Jacoby Brissett, who has looked very good in limited action this season and gets his first start this week ... but is facing the 49ers. Instead, I will put my faith in former Raven/Bill/Brown/Charger/Texan Tyrod Taylor. 

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't feel great about starting Tyrod this week with a championship on the line. But we've seen him play real snaps in three games so far this season. He scored just 10.4 points against the Bills in Week 6, but managed 21.66 against the Commanders in Week 7 and 9.42 in just a half against the Eagles last week. It is worth noting that his two good outings came against the two best QB matchups in the league in Philly and Washington, but he does play the Rams this week, the seventh-best matchup in the league. Especially with Los Angeles' offense having been on fire recently, I can see Taylor racking up some garbage time points and putting in a solid performance. He also still adds some value with his legs at the age of 34, with at least 20 yards on the ground in all four games where he's played over a third of the Giants' offensive snaps this season. Hopefully he can turn back the clock with a vintage dual-threat fantasy performance this week.

Extra Gross Alternatives: Will Levis, Nick Mullens

Running Back: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs

At 47% rostered, Edwards-Helaire is just barely eligible for the arbitrary 50% threshold I've set myself for this article (and thank the fantasy gods he is, as the rest of the options are not pretty). That's very impressive considering he ranks as the RB34 in our Projections for this week — of the 33 backs above him, Ty Chandler is by far the least rostered all the way up at 85%. And I personally would have CEH up even higher in my rankings than RB34 for this week. 

With Jerick McKinnon already on IR, assuming Isiah Pacheco misses this week's game due to the concussion protocol, Edwards-Helaire will be the only healthy back on the Chiefs' roster besides La'Mical Perine ... who was just one carry all year. The Chiefs will likely activate a third RB from their practice squad (probably ex-Cardinal Keaontay Ingram), but the former first-rounder will still be in line for a huge workload. Even though Kansas City's offense hasn't been the fantasy gold mine we are used to, being the bell cow on their offense is still a very favorable situation. I wouldn't just recommend starting Edwards-Helaire if you're desperate, he's legitimately a solid play this week.

Extra Gross Alternatives: Justice Hill (again), Kenneth Gainwell

Wide Receiver: K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings

This one is just too simple. With T.J. Hockenson out for the season and Jordan Addison dealing with an ankle injury, K.J. Osborn is likely to be the Vikings' second target in Week 17. Not all teams' second options are fantasy viable, but the Vikings average 37.0 pass attempts per game, the fourth-most in the league. In a matchup with a Green Bay secondary that has been getting torn apart recently and will be without Jaire Alexander, things are setting up very nicely for Osborn to have a solid outing.

Last week, he finished with 18 Half-PPR points, steeping up after injuries to Hockenson and Addison with five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. I can't promise that level of production again, but he should do enough to help fill your lineup with at least a few points.

Extra Gross Alternatives: Quentin Johnston (if Joshua Palmer is out), Michael Wilson/Greg Dortch (if Marquise Brown is out), Jameson Williams (if you like to live dangerously)

Tight End: Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers

While he was once stuck in a timeshare with fellow tight end Donald Parham Jr., Gerald Everett clearly has the favor of the Chargers' new regime following the firing of Brandon Staley, to the extent that Parham was a healthy scratch in Week 16. With Parham out, Everett posted by far his season-high in route participation rate at 82%. He also saw eight targets for the third straight week, catching seven of them for 42 yards. 

Heading into Week 17, everything is setting up for an explosion (relatively speaking) from Everett. There is a chance the Chargers will be without any of their top three receivers (Keenan Allen, Joshua Palmer, and Mike Williams), and Denver's defense is the best matchup in the league for the tight end position. Even with Easton Stick under center, I like Everett's chances to finish as a TE1 this week; not bad at all for someone available in 57% of leagues.

Extra Gross Alternatives: Tucker Kraft, Juwan Johnson, Jonnu Smith