Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

WIDE RECEIVERS - PICK THEM UP

Jabar Gaffney (Denver Broncos)

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jabar Gaffney had his finest game of the season last week in a close loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, as he caught seven passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Of course, a lot of this production came, at least in part, because Brandon Stokley was ejected from the game for hitting a referee. Stokley thought pass interference should’ve been called on a play and it wasn’t, so he went over an high-fived the referee, which is a pretty amusing clip to see and can be viewed…here. As for Gaffney, with Eddie Royal likely out, he should find himself in some favorable matchups this week with Brandon Marshall drawing double teams, and when the Broncos take on the Kansas City Chiefs, Gaffney could be a sneaky play as a low-end WR3 option.

Robert Meachem (New Orleans Saints)

Wondering why a player like Robert Meachem appears on the list? Despite his nine touchdowns, Meachem is still available in over 20 percent of leagues hosted by Yahoo and ESPN. New Orleans receiver Robert Meachem was real hot in the middle of the season as he had a string of five consecutive games with at least one touchdown. Then for two straight weeks after that he was held scoreless and people started to drop off the Meachem bandwagon. Last week, he rebounded as he had five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Being in the Saints offense is a boon for any receiver. Don’t expect double-digit catches from Meachem in a game, but he is always a threat to score, which makes him a solid low-end WR2, high end WR3 option with your season on the line.

Also Consider: Muhsin Muhammad (Carolina Panthers, Austin Collie (Indianapolis Colts), Jeremy Maclin (Philadelphia Eagles), Mike Wallace (Pittsburgh Steelers), Mike Thomas (Jacksonville Jaguars), Deion Branch (Seattle Seahawks), Brandon Gibson (St. Louis Rams)

TIGHT ENDS - PICK THEM UP

Zach Miller (Oakland Raiders)

Having Charlie Frye start at quarterback didn’t affect Oakland Raiders tight end Zach Miller last week as he caught nine passes for 110 yards. On any other team Miller is probably a top-five NFL tight end so we shouldn’t be too surprised about his production. This week Miller will be going against the Baltimore Ravens, and though they have a tough defense they aren’t so good at defending the pass and they don’t have a player that can matchup 1-on-1 with Miller. There are certainly better Week 17 options at tight end than Miller, but we know a lot of teams at this point in the season are desperate for anybody than can score points, and Miller is one of those guys you should be able to rely on for 50+ receiving yards. However, if the Raiders decided to wrap up the season with JaMarcus Russell under center you aren’t going to want to rely on Miller at this stage of your fantasy football season.

KICKERS - PICK THEM UP

Mike Nugent (Arizona Cardinals)

Having Arizona Cardinals kicker Mike Nugent on this list only applies if Neil Rackers, who has missed the last two games with a groin injury, does not return for Week 17. If he does, then disregard Nugent. However, if Rackers is still unable to go Nugent suddenly becomes an attractive option. Nugent has hit on all his field goal and extra point attempts thus far for the Cardinals, a good sign considering his past troubles with accuracy. The Cardinals will be at home underneath the retractable roof this week against the Green Bay Packers, in a game that could turn into a shootout.

DEFENSE - PICK THEM UP

San Francisco 49ers D/ST

So the San Francisco defense has been on this list multiple times but for some reason not everybody is paying attention as this unit is still available in a lot of leagues (30-percent of Yahoo leagues). That shouldn’t be the case. Last week the 49ers held the Detroit Lions to just six points and forced three interceptions and three fumbles. This week they could easily repeat that kind of performance against the St. Louis Rams, who have an offense as equally bad as the one in Detroit. This unit would be a good option in any league and if you are still alive entering Week 17 make sure to pluck the 49ers D/ST off of your leagues waiver wire.

Week 17 Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF    (click to read)

Week 17 Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM    (click to read)

Week 17 Waiver Wire Advice:  PICK THEM UP  |  CUT THEM LOOSE    (click to read)

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