The fantasy football playoffs continue to roll on, and stocking up on late-season breakouts, potential streamers, and just-in-case stashes is paramount. At this time two weeks ago, few expected the likes of Zack Moss, Deon Jackson, and Royce Freeman to be among the top Week 16 waiver wire pickups, but these handcuff RBs could be started in a lot of semifinal matchups. Gardner Minshew, Khalil Herbert, Marquise Goodwin, and K.J. Osborn could also be surprise starters over the final two weeks and merit consideration on either waivers or the free agent wire. At this point in the season, you can blow out your budget and pretty much ignore the projected FAAB bids below, as it's all about securing the players you need to advance to the next round.
As we'll do every week this season with the help of our friends at Fantasy Alarm, let's break down the top pickups and give you some idea of their general value relative to other potential adds this week.
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Week 16 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire QB pickups, streamers
By Ray Kuhn, Fantasy Alarm
Gardner Minshew (PHI). Following the news that Jalen Hurts is dealing with a sprained right shoulder, it would not surprise me to see the Eagles hold their quarterback out for at least one week. Minshew is slated to step into a fully functional and humming offense with plenty of weapons, including A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, which should help make things pretty easy for him in his first start of the season. I would also expect the Eagles to lean on Miles Sanders and the running game, but that should also open things up for Minshew in the passing game, and we should note that he can do some damage on the ground himself. Minshew has had success when given a chance in the past to start, and this is probably the best situation he has been in. Projected FAAB Bid: 3-5% of total budget
Zach Wilson (NYJ). We have to make the decision early with the Jets playing on Thursday, and it looks like Wilson will be back under center once again. As someone who spends their fall being disappointed by the Jets, this recommendation is not given lightly but Wilson did throw for 317 yards and two touchdowns last week. We should note that it came against a mediocre Detroit secondary, but Wilson has another favorable matchup on Thursday against Jacksonville. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-5%
WEEK 16 FANTASY: Top waiver pickups
Week 16 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire RB pickups, streamers
Deon Jackson (IND). Talk about a kick to gut seeing Jonathan Taylor (ankle) exit early on Saturday, but that just means we have to attack Jackson on the waiver wire. Jackson carried the ball 13 times for 55 yards while also adding a touchdown reception on his lone target. When Taylor was sidelined earlier in the season, Jackson had a 10-reception game, and while he has shown the ability to churn out yards on the ground, he also adds value in the passing game, making him a better pickup than Zack Moss (see below) in PPR leagues. Projected FAAB Bid: 10-15% of total budget
Royce Freeman (HOU). With Dameon Pierce (ankle) placed on injured reserve, someone needs to step in Houston’s backfield, and this past week that was Freeman. In what was a surprisingly strong game for the Texans’ offense, Freeman carried the ball 11 times for 51 yards while catching a pass for another five yards. I would look for Freeman to be the lead back once again for Houston this week, which puts him on our radars. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10-12%
Zack Moss (IND). In no way are we going to see the same game script from the Colts that we saw against Minnesota, but we cannot ignore the fact that Moss carried the ball 24 times last week. However, Moss was not exactly efficient, gaining 81 yards for his efforts. That being said, Moss will clearly have a role moving forward. Proj. FAAB Bid: 8-13%
Khalil Herbert (CHI). Herbert is expected to make his way back to action on Saturday after being activated from injured reserve following a hip injury. While David Montgomery and Justin Fields are both real factors on the ground, I would also expect Herbert to reprise his role. In his first 10 games of the season, Herbert picked up 643 rushing yards and four touchdowns, and he should continue to have at least flex value. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-5%
Marlon Mack (DEN). Mack is the clear second option in Denver’s backfield, but he has carved out a solid role over the past few weeks. Week 15 was his best game of the season and second straight over 10 fantasy points, as he found the end zone for his first touchdown of the year. Mack also caught all four of his targets for 26 yards while gaining 37 yards on five carries. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-3%
WEEK 16 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 16 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire WR pickups, streamers
Jahan Dotson (WAS). The rookie has really picked up momentum over the past two games, which shouldn't be surprising given his pedigree. Dotson has touchdowns in back-to-back games while catching nine-of-15 targets for 159 yards and emerging as a weapon for the Commanders. Projected FAAB Bid: 5-8% of total budget
Russell Gage (TB). Gage was the clear beneficiary of Tampa's garbage-time snaps last week. After having a role early in the season, he missed four games before bouncing back to action slowly. He operated as the No. 3 receiver last week with Julio Jones out, and the expectation is that Jones will be out once again this week. That puts Gage on the radar as a strong option. Gage caught eight of his 12 targets for 59 yards and two touchdowns, and the volume should be there once again. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-7%
Elijah Moore (NYJ). Moore entered the season with a fair amount of buzz, and then things went downhill pretty quickly. The second-year receiver has begun to recover, and that continued this past week as Moore caught four of his seven targets for 51 yards. In his past three games, Moore was targeted 23 times, and that type of volume will help him continue the momentum he established last year. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-7%
K.J. Osborn (MIN). We do not want to overreact to what we saw in Minnesota on Saturday, but we also can't ignore Osborn's numbers. He was targeted 16 times, catching 10 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. It was by far the best game of the season for Osborn and while we are not going to get a repeat this week, he projects to be in a solid spot against the Giants. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-5%
WEEK 16 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 16 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire TE pickups, streamers
Juwan Johnson (NO). Johnson bounced back from an ankle injury in a big way this past week. The tight end continued his red-zone production, catching two more touchdowns as part of a four-catch, 67-yard effort. Now, if he can only repeat the workload this week. Projected FAAB Bid: 3-5% of total budget
Chigoziem Okonkwo (TEN). A popular DFS option over the past few weeks, Okonkwo should not be ignored in the seasonal format either. He was targeted five times last week, which gives him 21 targets over the past four games, and he caught four for 54 yards. Given the state of the tight end position, we cannot overlook the consistent role and workload. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-5%
Week 16 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire Defense pickups, streamers
As we always caution, you shouldn't spend more than one percent of your FAAB budget on a D/ST. Here are this week's potential streaming pickups:
- Tennessee Titans (vs. Texans)
- Cleveland Browns (vs. Saints)
- Los Angeles Chargers (@ Colts)
- Las Vegas Raiders (@ Steelers)
- Detroit Lions (@ Panthers)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (@ Jets)
- Los Angeles Rams (vs. Broncos)
- Cincinnati Bengals (@ Patriots)
