Hello everyone, congratulations if you made the fantasy football championships in any of your leagues! Thank you for taking the time to read my articles throughout the course of the season, I appreciate that and hope it helped you in some way. Good luck and Happy Holidays to you all. Let’s bring those titles home!
WEEK 16 WAIVER WIRE TARGETS
QUARTERBACKS:
Drew Brees (NO): If by some chance Drew Brees was not added to a roster when he returned from injury last week, pick him up if you can. Brees gets a great looking matchup versus the Vikings on Christmas Day. Minnesota has allowed roughly 252 passing yards per game over the last four weeks, which is the 10th most in the NFL. When doing research for this article, I noticed that Brees was surprisingly still available on the waiver wire in two of my 12-team PPR redraft leagues, so there’s a decent chance he could still be on the waiver wire in your league if it’s of that size or smaller.
Baker Mayfield (CLE): Mayfield has scored the second-most fantasy points by quarterbacks over the last two weeks and faces the New York Jets in Week 16. The Jets allow 278.86 passing yards per game and allow the third most fantasy points to quarterbacks over the last four weeks. Keep rolling with the hot hand and picking on bad defenses.
RUNNING BACKS:
Le’Veon Bell (KC): Chiefs starting RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire went down with an injury in Week 15 and had to be helped off the field. Bell is the next man up for the Chiefs. Kansas City faces Atlanta in Week 16. The matchup versus Atlanta is actually a rather tough one, but we are getting the primary RB in a Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs offense. I’m not overly concerned about a poor matchup in a situation like this. Bell is a fine FLEX option with upside as Edwards-Helaire is expected to miss the rest of the regular season. Darrell Williams is the backup to Bell if you were looking for an additional option.
Darrell Henderson (LAR): Cam Akers is expected to miss the Rams Week 16 matchup versus Seattle. We’ve mentioned previously that Seattle’s defense is pretty terrible vs quarterbacks and receivers, and they are very good vs the run. With Akers out, perhaps the volume Akers had been seeing over the last few games could be shifted into Henderson’s favor. I’d only start Henderson in an injury type situation though. I see Henderson as a low-end RB3/FLEX option for now.
WIDE RECEIVERS:
Kendrick Bourne (SF): With the Deebo Samuel injury in San Francisco, Kendrick Bourne has been called upon to step up for the 49ers. He caught a long touchdown in Week 15, totaled 18.60 PPR fantasy points. That probably was his ceiling for the year, and I don’t expect much better than that. He faces Arizona next week. If you need a FLEX option, Bourne is an okay play. Just stick with what you have though, ideally.
Lynn Bowden (MIA): Miami is so depleted with injuries on their offense, and that has let Bowden carve out a role. Bowden is an RB/WR hybrid. Miami was without Parker, Williams, Gesicki, AND Gaskin in Week 15. With all those injuries, Bowden had to step up and play some snaps. He might even be RB eligible in your league, which is worth looking into as well.
TIGHT ENDS:
Dan Arnold (ARI): Don’t look now, but over the last two weeks, Arnold actually has scored the sixth-most fantasy points among all tight ends. Arnold faces the 49ers in Week 16. I don’t think Arnold is a startable player right now, but if you’re desperate, you can do worse than Arnold at this point.
Cole Kmet (CHI): The tight end position is looking very underwhelming on the waiver wire as usual here in Week 16. I know Kmet had a poor game last week, but his team is fighting for their playoff lives right now and he gets a matchup vs Jacksonville. Jacksonville is in the driver’s seat to secure a chance to draft Trevor Lawrence at first overall.
KICKERS:
Dustin Hopkins (WAS): My strategy for kickers this week is to pick kickers on teams fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive in solid matchups and/or in good weather situations. That’s the case with Hopkins. He’s got a simple matchup vs Carolina and his team is still in contention to win the NFC East.
Cairo Santos (CHI): Another team trying to make the playoffs is the Chicago Bears, who face the Jaguars. This should be a simple win for the Bears, and that will mean a lot of production out of Santos.
DEFENSES:
Buffalo Bills (BUF): If by some chance Buffalo is still available on your waiver wire, as they are in one of my leagues, add them. The Bills get a great Week 16 matchup versus the Patriots. Buffalo is not completely out of the running for the AFC first round bye (it’s unlikely for them, KC is in the driver's seat) but BUF is next in line. New England is completely eliminated from playoff contention and does not have a good offense anyway. This is simply picking on bad teams.
Philadelphia Eagles (PHI): The Eagles are fighting for their playoff lives and will face the Cowboys in a matchup that has major divisional implications. Dallas’ offensive line is injury depleted, Elliott has a calf strain, and Andy Dalton is proven to just be a mediocre QB for Dallas. This sets up nicely for the Eagles defense. The one downside for this play is that the game is in Dallas instead of being in Philadelphia.
WEEK 16 INJURY REPORT
QUARTERBACKS:
Nick Mullens (Elbow)
RUNNING BACKS:
Cam Akers (Ankle)
DeeJay Dallas (Leg)
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Ankle)
Raheem Mostert (Ankle)
James Robinson (Ankle)
WIDE RECEIVERS:
Michael Gallup (Hip)
Collin Johnson (Hamstring)
Cordarrelle Patterson (Knee)
Jalen Reagor (Ankle)
Tre’Quan Smith (Ankle)
TIGHT ENDS:
Richard Rodgers (Shin)
(Cover Photo: Josie Lepe/AP)
Comments