Gus Edwards, Nelson Agholor among top last-minute pickups for Week 17

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While you might notice some overlap with Field Yates’ pickup column that publishes on Mondays, an important distinction is that the options mentioned in this column are focused solely on this week’s matchup and not the players’ values for the remainder of the season.

Do you need replacement options for injured players? Or are you looking to block your championship game opponent from picking up a player who might help beat you? A roundtable of fantasy analysts join me to identify some names to consider.

Here are some of our favorites for Week 17:

Quarterback

Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts (14.8% rostered; vs. Jaguars)

Prior to last week’s struggles against the Steelers’ steady pass rush, Rivers had strung together five consecutive outings with multiple passing scores and had tallied at least 17 fantasy points in ESPN standard scoring in seven of the previous nine games. With the Colts incentivized to win in an attempt to make the postseason in a crowded AFC playoff bracket and the Jaguars depleted on defense and headed for the top draft pick next spring, Rivers makes for a solid streaming candidate given Jacksonville has surrendered the third-most fantasy points to passers this season. -Jim McCormick

Running Back

Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens (22.5% rostered; at Bengals)

I’m not sure what else this dude needs to do. Really. I mean, he’s averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Not over the past month or this year… for his career (402 carries). He led the Ravens in carries last weekend with 15 against the Giants. While I’m not labeling him the top dog in this backfield, I expect Baltimore to pound the rock plenty against the second- worst run defense in terms of running back yards per carry against (5.1). -Kyle Soppe, ESPN Fantasy researcher