Fantasy Football 2021 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 roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com
Quarterbacks
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers (41% Rostered): Garoppolo’s weak fantasy output masked what really was a competent game. The game script led to a run-heavy approach for San Francisco, but Garoppolo completed nearly 80% of his passes and avoided any turnovers for the second straight game. This week’s matchup with Tennessee should be more competitive, and as such he’ll likely throw multiple touchdown passes for the third time in four weeks. Jimmy G lacks the high ceiling of the next QB on this list, but the offense he’s in is much safer. Choosing between the two really is about how the rest of your roster is constructed, and how much you need a spike game from the QB position.
Justin Fields, Bears (26% Rostered): Fields has a long way to go to prove he is a franchise NFL QB, but he’s evolving into a useful fantasy QB right before our eyes. Fields didn’t light the world on fire on Monday night, but his 285 yards and one passing touchdown were respectable. More importantly, the Bears trusted him to throw a career-high 39 passes, and he also ran seven times for 35 yards. As long as the rushing attempts are there – six or more in six of his last seven games – Fields has a baseline that should keep him out of disastrous territory. He also gets the Seahawks, who entered Week 15 as the NFL’s fourth-worst pass defense.
Running Backs
Ronald Jones, Buccaneers (36% Rostered): Jones has been a recommended add for quite a while for Leonard Fournette managers, and now as most leagues enter their championship week, Fournette managers who didn’t listen are scrambling. Jones took over and banged out 63 yards on just eight attempts; he’s not going to be what Fournette was because he’s just not a reliable pass-catcher, but Jones is a borderline elite pure runner. With Chris Godwin done, and Mike Evans possibly hobbled, the Bucs should lean heavily on the ground game, and Jones could wind up a league winner.
Ameer Abdullah, Panthers (8% Rostered): It’s championship week, so the only players I’m offering up here are startable right now. Abdullah would be very risky, and he’s surely a play for deeper leagues, but as Carolina’s pass-catching back he’s going to see a high snap count against a furious Bucs team. Abdullah has surpassed a 50% snap share in back-to-back games, and he scored a touchdown last week to go with 48 receiving yards. He has a low ceiling, but with the right game script he could resemble a J.D. McKissic-esque line.
Wide Receivers
Russell Gage, Falcons (50% Rostered): Gage tops the list of receivers this week, after a third straight game of heavy target share has me convinced he’s safe to play. Gage is drawing the attention from Matt Ryan that Kyle Pitts managers have begged for all season, and his matchup with Detroit this week is very enticing. Gage has been a fantasy murderer in the past, so hesitancy is understandable, but he has seen double-digit targets in two of his last three tilts, gone for more than 60 yards in four straight games, and caught five or more passes in four of his last five.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions (30% Rostered): Staying in the same game, St. Brown has been even more hypertargeted, drawing double-digit looks in three straight games, and scoring in two of them. St. Brown’s proven he’s a talented receiver who can get open consistently, but the reason he isn’t ahead of Gage is simply shaky QB play. Jared Goff can fool us at times with random solid performances, but I’d prefer to roll with Matt Ryan’s top guy than Goff’s when both have friendly opponents.
Gabriel Davis, Bills (19% Rostered): Davis is in a better offense than Gage or St. Brown, but he’s got much more competition for target share. Davis is red-hot, having scored four touchdowns in his last three gamed, but he hasn’t had more than five receptions in any of them. That’s a bit too TD-dependent to be considered “safe,” so with a championship hanging in the balance, I’d give the edge to guaranteed volume in good matchups.
K.J. Osborn, Vikings (47% Rostered): Osborn turned in a dud vs. Chicago, drawing just three targets, catching them all for a meager 21 yards. Adam Thielen may be back next week, rendering Osborn a bench option, but if Thielen remains out I would expect Osborn’s targets to bounce back in what might be a shootout with the Rams.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Packers (41% Rostered): Valdes-Scantling caught five passes for 98 yards and a touchdown last week, and saw five or more targets for the fourth consecutive game. MVS has clearly earned Aaron Rodgers’ trust, a scary thought considering his size and talent. We might be seeing a real breakout as this season nears its end, and while he remains a wee bit sketchy to trust in your fantasy title matchup, he has massive blowup potential.
Tight Ends
Cole Kmet, Bears (25% Rostered): Kmet’s season has been a frustrating see-saw,but his six-catch, 71-yard performance vs. Minnesota is promising ahead of a date with the Seahawks, who give up 8.3 points per game to the position. He’s seen at least five targets in each of his last four games, and that’s nothing to sneeze at for TEs. Kmet could post a dud, but so could literally any player at this scarce position. Chasing matchups is recommended unless you have a bona fide monster like Travis Kelce, and this is a good one.
C.J. Uzomah, Bengals (16% Rostered): Uzomah faces the Ravens, who also give up 8.3 points per game to TEs, so he’s viable too. Uzomah isn’t as integral to the Bengals offense as Kmet is to the Bears, but he has five touchdowns this year to Kmet’s zero. Kmet does get vulture at times by Jimmy Graham, whereas Uzomah tends to find the painted area in these smash matchups.