The fantasy football regular season is officially over, and now, it is do-or-die as the fantasy playoffs are rolling for virtually all leagues. Fantasy managers are adjusting and tweaking their rosters based on what we’ve seen through the league’s first 15 weeks to prepare for a championship run.
Working the waiver wire is the best way to improve your team for the stretch run and find a weekly advantage. To aid in that, here are some of the top Week 16 waiver wire claims fantasy football managers should consider.
Top Waiver Wire Pickups in Week 16
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco, 49ers (22.6% rostered)
Brock Purdy is now 3-0 in the NFL, including a win in his first start against Tom Brady and his first Thursday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks on the road. Purdy showed total command of the offense, completing 17 of 26 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns with 16.5 PPR fantasy points.
Since Week 13, Purdy has been the QB10 overall in fantasy scoring and 13th in per-game average (17.8), despite recording zero rushing yards and missing Deebo Samuel for more efficient passing attempts. Although his passing volume isn’t the highest (204 per game), Purdy has three straight multi-touchdown games and six combined (T-third most). Purdy is a higher-end QB2 in Week 16 that’s still out there in the majority of leagues.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (47.9% rostered)
This should be no shock to any of you who have been around this year, as Jared Goff has been on my QB streamers list seemingly every week. Even in a difficult matchup last week, Goff completed 23 of 38 passes for 252 yards in a touchdown in their win over the Jets.
Although it wasn’t the offensive explosion we had seen in the last two games with 330+ passing yards in back-to-back weeks, it was expected this would be a bit more of a struggle given the strength of the Jets’ pass defense.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Goff recorded a touchdown. In reality, it was Brock Wright taking a fourth and one play and turning it into a 51-yard catch and running for a score.
I do expect a bounceback in Week 16 against Carolina Panthers. Goff is a high-end QB2 this week for fantasy football and retains his place as a weekly waiver wire option.
Russell Wilson, QB, Denver Broncos (39.9% rostered)
Do I feel great about this? No, but at least there is a sliver of hope as Russell Wilson is coming off his best game of the season back in Week 14, where he threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns and gained 57 yards on the ground against the Chiefs to finish as the QB3.
Wilson was held out of Week 15 despite clearing concussion protocol and is expected to suit up on Christmas Eve in a rematch with Kansas City. Since Week 11, the Chiefs have been 21st in DVOA and EPA, and 28th in points per game (21.59 PPR). We need to see who will be available at receiver for Denver, but Wilson is a waiver wire target to keep an eye on for Week 16.
Zack Moss, RB, Indianapolis Colts (0.7% rostered)
Week 15 was brutal for some fantasy managers, especially those with Jonathan Taylor. Injured on his first carry of the game, Taylor was quickly ruled out and, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapaport, was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain.
Given their 4-9-1 record, which was punctuated with the largest blown lead in NFL history, the Colts are shutting Taylor down for the rest of the season.
In similar situations, Deon Jackson had taken over and produced solid results for fantasy. Yet, on Sunday, former Buffalo Bills RB Zack Moss led the backfield with 24 rushes for 81 yards. However, Jackson was the more efficient back, with 55 yards on 12 carries and a one-yard touchdown on his only carry.
The two backs rotated every couple of plays, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is, at best, a two-man committee or even a three-man with Jordan Wilkins, assuming he’s activated off the practice squad. Moss dominated snaps 31-9 in the second half and overtime when the Colts were trying just to make it to the end, but he will never be the high-ceiling option.
However, if you lost Taylor and the waiver wire is sparse, Moss is likely available and has a favorable schedule with games against the Chargers, Giants, and Texans yet to come. In deeper leagues, or if you lose out on Moss, Jackson (11.9% rostered) should be considered, as I don’t see this backfield being set in stone yet.
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons (33.5% rostered)
I was wondering what the Falcons would look like under Desmond Ridder, and while he certainly struggled, Tyler Allgeier erupted for 139 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in the Falcons’ loss to the Saints.
The rookie from BYU has averaged 10.7 carries and 69.8 yards since Week 9, with five of the six games with 50 or more rushing yards. The backfield has been more of a three-way split with Allgeier, Cordarrelle, Patterson, and Caleb Huntley, but Huntley suffered an ankle injury and is out for the remainder of the season.
Although he is a zero in the receiving column, Allgeier has one of the highest floors of players readily available on the Week 16 waiver wire. Allgeier should be one of the top RB additions as he gets sent to take on a banged-up Ravens defense, followed by a matchup against the Cardinals in Week 17.
Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers (25.9% rostered)
In a surprising break from the norm, Chuba Hubbard dominated the snaps over D’Onta Foreman last week, as Foreman has become rather inefficient as of late. While Hubbard only gained 10 yards on four carries, he caught three passes for 57 yards while seeing 100% of the short yardage, third down, and two-minute drill snaps.
Even more interesting is his 16 early-down snaps were also the most on the team, which indicates a likelihood of more carriers in the future. The upcoming matchups against Detroit and Tampa Bay are perfectly fine. With RB9 and RB34 finishes in his last two games, Hubbard is should be added off the Week 16 waiver wire as he might be the lead back moving forward.
James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills (47.7% rostered)
Week 15 certainly wasn’t the snow game it was forecasted to be, but that didn’t stop James Cook from having a solid game against the Miami Dolphins. Although we only rushed five times, Cook more than doubled Devin Singletary (3.2) with 6.8 yards per carry, bringing his total to 34 yards on the ground. He also caught two of his three targets for only five yards but had a receiving touchdown.
Singletary did see the higher volume (17 to 8), but in an easier matchup against the Chicago Bears in Week 16, Cook should see double-digit touches. Barring an injury to Singletary, Week 16 is probably the last time I advise playing or picking up Cook off the waiver wire, as the Bears have allowed the fourth most points to running back this year.
In contrast, the Cincinnati Bengals have been one of the tougher defenses against running backs over the back half of the season.
Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears (27.6% rostered)
This one is a bit more speculative, but it’s expected that Bears running back Khalil Herbert will return from IR. Herbert suffered a hip injury against the Lions back in Week 10 and has been on the sidelines ever since.
Herbert had plenty of momentum before that, with six games as an RB3 or better, while splitting carries with David Montgomery. We’ll have to wait for more information, but Herbert is a very intriguing Week 16 waiver wire option that’s likely out there in the vast majority of leagues. You can add him straight to your IR and wait for him to be activated.
If, for some reason, anything were to happen to Montgomery over the next couple of weeks, Herbert would be a high-end RB2.
Chris Moore, WR, Houston Texans (17.4% rostered)
After recording ten catches on 11 targets for 124 yards in Week 14, it was always going to be difficult for Chris Moore to replicate that same success. With that said, it wasn’t a bad day either, but the volume intrigues me more as Moore led the Texans with nine targets, catching four of them for 42 yards in a scoreless effort.
When Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins are sidelined, Moore is the No. 1 option and is likely a fantasy starter so long as both players are inactive. The Texans play the Titans this week and then the Jaguars in Week 17.
That’s important as the Titans are last in points allowed while the Jaguars are 23rd. He is one of the top wide receivers available on the Week 16 waiver wire based on his recent play and lack of options on the offense.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns (50.8% rostered)
WR26, WR14, WR84, WR25, WR14. Those were the last five finishes for Donovan Peoplees-Jones coming into last week.
After leading the Browns with 13 targets, catching eight passes for 114 yards in Week 15, Peoples-Jones caught all four of his targets against the Ravens (17% target share) for 31 yards and a touchdown to finish as the WR31 (13.1 PPR). He now has over 70 yards or a score in eight of his last 11 games, and the chemistry with Deshaun Watson is only growing.
When the deep balls begin to hit, Peoples-Jones could explode. Given his upside and season so far, the fact he is out there in 50% of leagues still is baffling. He is a WR3 in Week 16 against the Saints.
Treylon Burks, WR, Tennessee Titans (46.3% rostered)
Due to a concussion, Treylon Burks has missed the last two games after sustaining his head injury against the Eagles back in Week 13. It’s a shame because he was on a roll and genuinely becoming the No. 1 of this offense.
In Weeks 11 and 12, Burks had 11 receptions on 14 targets for 181 yards, and if he comes back this week, he’ll face a cakewalk matchup against the Texans. Assuming he’s cleared, Burks is a waiver wire target I would have in my starting lineup as a Flex option in Week 16.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints (0.8% rostered)
Although Chris Olave has been the No. 1 option for the New Orleans Saints this year, Rashid Shaheed is matching him in terms of volume over the last three weeks. The UDFA rookie led all Saints skill players in snaps (39), routes run (20), and caught three of his four targets for 95 yards and touchdowns.
Shaheed has 50 yards or more in three straight games and is a player who is undoubtedly on the rise. The matchup against Cleveland is middle of the road in terms of difficulty, but keep an eye on the weather on Christmas Eve. If we see the winds and snow keep to the west, Shaheed is WR considering for fantasy football in Week 16 off the waiver wire.
Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE, Tennessee Titans (14.8% rostered)
With Burks on the shelf, Chigoziem Okonkwo has been the best receiver for Ryan Tannehill. Okonkwo led the Titans in targets with five and caught four of his looks for 54 yards. He’s now recorded double-digit PPR points in three straight games and is the TE2 over this time and fourth in points per game at 13.1.
Not only is Okonkwo scoring in fantasy, but his 2.63 yards per route run is No. 1 amongst tight ends with at least 50 routes. He’ll have a favorable matchup against Houston in Week 16. Okonkwo is not just a waiver wire target for TE-needy teams; he’s a legitimate low-end TE1.
Evan Engram, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars (66.2% rostered)
Regression was expected for Evan Engram following his 39.2 PPR outing in Week 14. However, Engram was busy on Sunday as he recorded eight receptions on ten targets for 62 yards in the win over the Cowboys.
Not only did Engram lead the team in receptions, but he scored over 14 PPR points for the third-straight week (14.2 PPR) and is the TE1 overall over the stretch. For the first time in a long time, Engram is a TE you can trust. He’s a low-end TE1 against the Jets in Week 16, but then he gets two great matchups against the Texans and Titans to close out the regular season.
Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints (15.6% rostered)
All this man does is score touchdowns. Making his return after suffering an ankle injury in Week 12, Juwan Johnson had another incredibly efficient outing. Although the Saints limited his playing time to just 13 routes, Johnson saw a ridiculous 46.1% target-per-route-run rate with four receptions on six targets for 67 yards and two touchdowns against the Falcons.
Johnson’s 22.7 PPR points left him sitting as the TE2 on the week, and he has now scored seven touchdowns in his last seven games. When it comes to fantasy, all you’re looking for, unless it’s an elite volume TE option, is touchdown upside.
And right now, no one has more upside than Johnson. Although the Browns have allowed only two touchdowns to tight ends this year, Johnson is a high-end TE2 for Week 16.