Week 16 is here, and your fantasy football season hangs in the balance. It’s semifinal time—one wrong move, and it’s over. One right move? You’re one step closer to a championship. The waiver wire is your secret weapon, so don’t miss the chance to make the winning play and dominate your league.
Let’s dive in.
Others to Consider: Cooper Rush, Aaron Rodgers, Bryce Young, Quentin Johnston, Tim Patrick, Rashod Bateman, Calvin Austin, Malik Washington, Chig Okonkwo, Juwan Johnson
Note: Roster % based on Yahoo!
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 16 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
TOP 5 HANDCUFFS
5.) Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles (5%)
Assuming every Saquon Barkley owner already has him rostered, Kenneth Gainwell should be a solid end-of-bench stash just in case anything were to happen. The Eagles have such a good offensive line, and their offense, in general, is very compact when it comes to touch distribution. Gainwell has shown explosiveness in his limited touches, and one would imagine that if he was put into an expanded role, he’d produce numbers worthy of a starting lineup spot.
4.) Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers (12%)
Since JK Dobbins has gone down for the Chargers, they’ve really struggled to replace their lead back and get quality production out of that spot. While Gus Edwards is still the RB1, Kimani Vidal seems to have secured his role as pass catcher and third down option. Vidal played a season-high 67% of the snaps despite very limited production. His ceiling is higher than Edwards, thanks to his receiving and big play ability, but the floor is much lower until he earns more consistent touches.
3.) Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars (53%)
It was a bit of a step back for Tank Bigsby this week, only playing 26% of snaps, but the 11 carries were slightly encouraging. Jacksonville has a very nice upcoming schedule with the Raiders and Titans on deck, which could actually put them in run positive game scripts and potentially give Bigsby a chance to operate down at the goal line.
2.) Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (44%)
There hasn’t been much in terms of positive output in Tennessee this season, but Tyjae Spears had a nice day in the Titans backfield once Mason Rudolph was brought in under center. Spears was utilized as a pass catcher, grabbing six of his seven targets en route for 87 yards and a score. He also managed to punch in a rushing touchdown as well at the goal line. Spears PPR usage, though, is what pops out the most here. We know Pollard is supplanted as the lead back, but Spears looks to be the receiving option for a team that’s likely to be trailing for many of these games moving forward.
1.) Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints (11%)
Alvin Kamara left Sunday’s game with an injury, leaving Kendre Miller as the lead back for the Saints in his absence. Miller had some prior issues with the old coaching staff and was seemingly held out of games despite decent health. Miller is talented if you look at his YPC in limited time, but if an aging Kamara is forced to miss any time whatsoever, Miller becomes an immediate must-add.
TOP 5 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
5.) Jalen Coker, WR Carolina Panthers (2%)
Coke Heads, rejoice!
After missing three games, Jalen Coker reminded us all who the true WR1 in Carolina is. Coker caught four of his six targets for 110 yards and a touchdown on the day. As we’ve seen, Bryce Young has been revitalized after his benching, and as a result, he has opened up this Carolina offense where they aren’t an absolute dud anymore. Coker is playing over 85% of snaps and has high usage for a team likely to trail and play from behind.
4.) Jalen McMillan, WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8%)
Turns out last week wasn’t a fluke for rookie receiver Jalen McMillan, who hauled in another touchdown against the Chargers in Week 15. The Bucs were slinging the ball all over the field this week as Tampa’s offense exploded and resulted in a positive fantasy day for Bucs pass catchers. McMillan is cementing his role as the second option behind Mike Evans, and gets nice matchups with Dallas and Carolina the next few weeks. As they fight for a playoff spot, this team won’t take their foot off the gas.
3.) Romeo Doubs, WR Green Bay Packers (38%)
This year, the problem for Romeo Doubs has been staying healthy and on the field. When he can do both, Doubs has been a consistent weapon and top option for Jordan Love. Doubs plays the most snaps and runs the most routes of all wide receivers, making him the guy we can trust the most out of Green Bay. He rewarded us with two touchdowns this week, his first scores since Week 6, where he also got two. With New Orleans and Minnesota on deck, he has great matchups in the queue.
2.) Brenton Strange, TE Jacksonville Jaguars (2%)
Filling in quite nicely for the injured Evan Engram, Brenton Strange responded with 11 catches for 73 yards on 12 targets. The Jaguars’ pass-catching core is severely depleted to the point where Strange is basically now their second option behind Brian Thomas. Mac Jones relies heavily on shorter check-down options, where Strange should be a target hog for the next few weeks.
1.) Jerome Ford, RB Cleveland Browns (42%)
With Nick Chubb going down with a broken foot, the Cleveland Browns backfield will belong to Jerome Ford for the remainder of the fantasy season. It’s been a disappointing campaign for Ford, despite playing well in the first quarter of the season when he was playing over 75% of snaps. Ford should return to that high-level usage while having a plus matchup against the Bengals’ defense in Week 16.
