If you’re reading this, congratulations on making it deep into your fantasy football playoffs. You’re in the right place to get the last-minute fantasy help you need to bring home your league title. One of the hottest waiver wire names for Week 16 is Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren. We’ll break down whether Warren is a quality waiver wire addition for Week 16 as he faces the Las Vegas Raiders.
Should You Add Jaylen Warren From the Waiver Wire?
It’s far from ideal to need running back depth with fantasy championships on the line over the next two weeks. Managers who need a back also don’t have an obvious candidate who is stepping into a bigger role thanks to an injury. Warren is an unconventional name considering he’s RB52 in PPR leagues, but he has some upside in Week 16.
Even with Najee Harris carrying the rock 24 times in Week 15, Warren still logged 11 carries for 38 yards and one touchdown. It was his highest number of rushes all season (despite his speed being an obvious asset for the struggling Pittsburgh offense). I wonder if Warren would’ve earned starting reps at some point if it weren’t for Harris’ status as a former first-round pick.
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Warren’s averaging 4.6 yards per carry on only 53 rushing this season and has added 21 receptions for 178 yards. His first career touchdown came this past week against the Cardinals when he scurried into the end zone from two yards out. It was only his 10th red-zone carry of the season.
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His Week 16 matchup against the Raiders could bring more success. The Raiders have only allowed the 15th-most rushing yards but the fourth-most fantasy points per game to backs. They’re especially vulnerable to receiving backs, giving up the most yards and second-most receptions per game.
This isn’t a sign of guaranteed opportunity for Warren since Harris is still dominating the workload. Harris has four times as many carries and 11 more receptions and plays 65% of their total snaps. Warren has nine games with five or fewer touches.
With his low usage and the offense’s limited upside, Warren’s only managed four fantasy performances this season. His Week 5 outing against Buffalo was his first statistically solid game, with nine touches for 63 yards. He totaled 75 yards against Philadelphia, 77 against New Orleans, then 49 and a touchdown against Carolina.
The rest of his season has been nondescript despite flashes of difference-making speed. Though the Raiders are susceptible to fast backs making big plays (especially ones who can get downfield on a screen), Warren will unlikely get more than one or two targets to make that happen.
Starting Warren is simply too risky — the Steelers haven’t incorporated his skill set effectively. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada has failed to build a scheme that utilizes any of his available talent effectively, and fantasy managers shouldn’t trust that he’ll expose Las Vegas’ weak linebacker corps with Warren’s speed.