Fantasy Football Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.
Quarterbacks
Josh Allen, Bills (23% Owned): Allen didn’t put up the gaudy rushing yardage we’ve grown accustomed to in recent weeks in Week 15, but he still ran the ball nine times – a lot for a quarterback! -- and found the end zone for a rushing touchdown. Rushing and receiving touchdowns are the most valuable commodity in fantasy leagues in which passing scores count for four points. Allen can transform into a turnover machine at times, and he doesn’t offer much in terms of passing yardage, but his consistent rushing places him above far superior real-life quarterbacks. It’s conceivable that in Championship Week teams have survived the slumps of the likes of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton etc. It sounds like blasphemy, but you are doing yourself a disservice by not rolling with Allen if he’s available, especially with the Patriots’ terrible run defense on the slate.
Lamar Jackson, Ravens (45% Owned): Jackson is a similar player to Allen. Both rookies are raw as passers, and are prone to turnovers and low yardage through the air. But Jackson, like Allen, is among the more gifted running QBs we’ve seen. Jackson has a tougher matchup this week vs. the Chargers, but if you’re in a situation with a slumping, name-brand QB and you can’t scoop up Allen, don’t be afraid to slot him in your lineup. Now is not the time to show loyalty. If you have a QB that isn’t getting it done, don’t be afraid to pull the trigger.
Running Backs
Elijah McGuire, Jets (34% Owned): McGuire doesn’t look like a special talent, but he’s in an offense with a rookie quarterback that the team is trying to protect, and he’s been fantasy useful in back-to-back matchups vs. high-end run defenses (at Buffalo, home for Houston). In each game McGuire racked up double-digit carries, and scored a touchdown. This week, things should be much easier vs. a zombie Packers defense that ranks 25th in the NFL vs. the run per FootballOutsiders.com. Volume and goal line opportunities turn average players into fantasy starters, and good players into fantasy stars. It’s early to decide where McGuire falls on the spectrum, but for Week 16 he’s a clear-cut RB2.
Jamaal Williams, Packers (19% Owned): Williams has the Packers’ backfield to himself this week, and he used his opportunity well last week, turning 12 carries into 55 yards and a touchdown. The Jets rank just 20th vs. the run, and their weighted defensive ranking, 25th, suggests a unit that’s ready to hibernate until training camp. It’s tough to trust Williams, because he’s been unexceptional for most of his young career, but the matchup is solid. Chances are, if you’re an Aaron Jones owner still alive then Williams is your best available option. Check for McGuire first, but spend the rest of your FAAB on Williams if you can’t snag him.
Wide Receivers
Robby Anderson, Jets (28% Owned): Anderson is showing his potential with Sam Darnold back in the saddle, scoring in back-to-back weeks and totaling 18 targets in the last two games. More importantly, the Jets are becoming more comfortable taking shots down the field; Anderson’s averaging 15.7 yards per target over those two games, as opposed to his mark of 8.7 yards for the whole season. That shows increasing confidence in Darnold, and makes better use of his game-breaking speed. Against the Packers, who rank just 22nd vs. No. 1 receivers, Anderson is a very nice play.
Antonio Callaway, Browns (16% Owned): Callaway is a similar style player to Anderson, but he’s much less refined as a receiver, and is therefore a much riskier play. I would only be recommending him as a deep-league WR3 option, but with that said, there are some encouraging things I see. Callaway has been targeted five or more times in three of the last four games and scored twice in that span. He also has very high upside thanks to his blazing speed. The Bengals are a wounded team dying for the season to end, while Cleveland is trying to shock the world with a playoff berth behind Baker Mayfield, who is playing his best football. It’s not hard to see the path to a fantasy-relevant outing for their deep threat.
Tight Ends
Chris Herndon, Jets (12% Owned): Herndon has a bright future, and even though he doesn’t have major upside this week, he is reliably targeted by Sam Darnold, and likely won’t score zero points. That’s something we’ve seen from TEs in the Top 5, so it’s nothing to sneeze at. If your team is loaded, and you just need some safety at the TE position, Herndon is at least worth a look.