Irv Smith Jr. (TE, MIN) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues

ROSTERED: 15% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: We're past most fantasy leagues' championship weeks, and if that wasn't enough to make for a thin waiver wire, we're also entering the last week of regular-season games. No matter what, we're here to get the most of it and squeeze till the last drop. And I don't think it gets much better than scoring yourself a high-scoring tight end for the last match of the year.

Irv Smith Jr. was the fourth-highest scorer of the Friday (yes, you read that right) game between Minny and New Orleans, only behind two other skill-position players (an all-time performance by Alvin Kamara and just 0.4 PPR-points shy of fellow Viking Adam Thielen). Smith closed W16 with an incredible 23.3 PPR points in which came to be his best game of the season--and it's not even close. Smith Jr. bested his best mark to date by 7 full PPR points after scoring 16.3 FP back in W14.

Smith has taken advantage of an injured Kyle Rudolph and has played 56 offensive snaps in back-to-back weeks for 82% and 88% snap rates. He's become Minnesota's TE1, has logged 4+ targets in the last three weeks, and had season-high marks in receptions (6), targets (9), and touchdowns (2) this past Friday along with 53 total receiving yards on the day.

The final matchup of the season isn't the greatest, as Detroit's defense ranks eighth at stopping fantasy TEs, but Smith is killing it to finish the year and he should retain his role this weekend too. Great streaming option for fantasy GMs in need of TE-help for W17, and a very interesting player to consider come the 2021 draft season in a few months.

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