The fantasy football playoffs are here. If your team is still alive, here’s who to pick up on the Week 16 waiver wire. Or, skip straight to the initial release of our model’s complete Week 16 projections.
The fantasy football playoffs continue on into Week 16, and if you’re reading this, you probably made it through. There were some monstrous performances by players this past week that hopefully catapulted your fantasy roster to victory, but a couple of key injuries may have left you in need of replenishing your depth.
With that in mind, here are the top options to target on the waiver wire going into the next round of the playoffs. Just one more win stands in the way of you and playing in the championship, so let’s get the information we need to make that a reality.
Week 16 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Running Backs
Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford is no stranger to fantasy waiver wire articles. He’s made numerous appearances throughout his time in the NFL, unfortunately in large part due to the injuries that have happened to the player above him on the depth chart, Nick Chubb.
After working hard to make his way back from a devastating knee issue that he suffered last season, Chubb fell victim to another season-ending injury in Week 15 as he sustained a broken foot. As a result, Ford has moved to the top of waiver wire rankings and should be viewed as a solid replacement option for the remaining few games.
In Week 15, Ford finished with the highest yards per carry total (12.0) for any RB with more than one rush attempt, which was aided by a breakaway 62-yard touchdown when he took over for Chubb later on in the game. He’s shown the ability to be a home run threat in the past, and that could show up against a Cincinnati Bengals defense in Week 16 that’s allowing 126.9 rushing yards per contest.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans RB Tyjae Spears has been in and out of the lineup all season long as he’s been battling through injury. He’s now played in three consecutive contests though and put up a dominant showing in Week 15 against the Bengals as he sliced-and-diced his way for 92 total yards and two scores.
A negative game script played in Spears’ favor as he was utilized as the pass-catching option out of the backfield and reeled in six of his seven targets. He’s likely not able to be viewed as a solid or safe option for fantasy lineups in Week 16 against the Indianapolis Colts, but he’s shown that he can provide plenty of upside.
If you’re managing a fantasy roster that’s projected to lose by a significant amount and you’re looking for a home run swing at the RB position, Spears should be a target for you off of the wire.
Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints
With the news that New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara is dealing with a groin injury that could potentially sideline him for Week 16, Kendre Miller becomes an intriguing option off the waiver wire.
While he could potentially see a sizeable workload this next week, a tough matchup against a Green Bay Packers defense that’s allowing the ninth-fewest rushing yards per contest this season will keep him a bit farther down in the rankings. That is assuming that Kamara is indeed ruled out.
Fantasy managers may not have the information they need regarding Kamara’s injury by the time that waiver claims need to be submitted, so Miller should only be picked up if you need insurance for a starting RB going into this next week.
Wide Receivers
Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers
In weeks 6 and 7, Romeo Doubs looked to be on his way to a breakout season and was on the verge of becoming a locked-in starter for fantasy lineups with two back-to-back top-15 fantasy finishes. He was headlining waiver wire articles and plenty of FAAB was spent to scoop him up.
Unfortunately, Doubs’ production fell off a cliff and he had failed to finish inside the top 45 WRs in half-PPR scoring formats since that point. Additionally, he missed weeks 13 and 14 with a concussion, but he returned in solid fashion on Sunday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks with a two-touchdown performance.
He finished with an impressive 3.1 burn yards per route, while also adding a 60% big-play percentage. He showed that he’s back to full strength after the concussion, and he should be viewed as a high-upside Flex play in Week 16 against the New Orleans Saints secondary.
Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jalen McMillan was a feature of our waiver wire article from last week and it certainly paid off for those who heeded the advice and scooped him up where they could. In a tough matchup on paper for opposing passing games, McMillan and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved the ball freely and put up video-game style numbers in Week 15.
McMillan reeled in five of six targets for 75 yards and a touchdown, making it three scores for him in the last two contests. He’s developing a solid rapport with Baker Mayfield, while also creating separation routinely as evidenced by his 100% open rate, and that’s translating to high-level fantasy production.
It’s not every day that you can find a plug-and-play WR3 off of the waiver wire in the fantasy playoffs, so if McMillan is still out there in your league, he needs to be a priority target.
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens
Through the first three years of Baltimore Ravens WR Rashod Bateman’s career, he had amassed just four total receiving touchdowns. Now, with a few weeks left to go in the 2024 NFL season, he already is up to seven on the year.
While the touchdowns haven’t exactly come at predictable points, Bateman’s showing that he has the talent to be a high-upside fantasy threat any given week. The veteran WR posted a whopping 17.5 burn yards per target, while also posting an impressive 80% open rate in a two-touchdown outing in Week 15 against the New York Giants, which was good enough for a top-five fantasy finish.
A divisional matchup in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers may not see a ton of points flying up on the board, but Bateman’s shown that his upside could appear at any moment and help push your fantasy lineup over the top.
If you’re an underdog going into the next round of the fantasy playoffs that’s in need of a Flex option, Bateman’s worth considering.
Tight End
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
With the news that came out later on in the week that starting tight end Evan Engram was landing on IR, desperate fantasy managers turned to the waiver wire to plug in backup option Brenton Strange. Expectations were not high for the relatively unknown pass catcher, but he would seemingly fill the hole left in the offense.
Virtually no one expected Strange to see the most targets at the TE position in Week 15 and finish as a top-tier option! The second-year player out of Penn State became one of Mac Jones’ go-to weapons as he reeled in 11 of 12 targets for 73 yards.
Now heading into this next matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Strange should be viewed as a solid streaming option with plenty of upside. With Engram completely out of the picture, he should have no issue continuing to be targeted heavily in the short passing game.
Be sure to check out our full Week 16 fantasy football projections, as well as our NFL, MLB, NBA, and college football coverage. And follow along on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X for more.
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