Just win, baby! It’s the motto of the entire fantasy football season but rings even more true when it comes to the playoffs. If you’re reading this Week 16 fantasy football waiver wire pickups column, we’ll assume that you still have a shot at a payout of some kind. Congratulations on getting one step closer to winning a championship! Now, with several injuries transpiring across the NFL this past weekend, let’s try to shore up our rosters to continue on the path to the ultimate fantasy football glory.
While the playoffs bring about a unique set of strategies to deploy when warranted, managers are still advised to prioritize situations, snap counts, workload and target shares over a one-week scoring output when putting in waiver claims. Keep in mind that these stats and trends will better predict sustainable success. Read on for our top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 16.
Note: Players must be owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues to be included in the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups column. Ownership percentages will reflect their status on Tuesday mornings ahead of standard waiver processing.
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Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 16
QB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets (43.8%)
By all accounts, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams probably won’t be playing for the New York Jets next season. That didn’t stop the veteran duo from putting up a massive game this past Sunday against Jacksonville. It marked only the second time all season that Rodgers threw three touchdown passes in a game. Meanwhile, the 30.06 fantasy points he amassed was by far the most he has produced in a game this year. With multiple QBs sustaining injuries, some managers still alive in the playoffs may be in need of a fill-in. Rodgers could be just what the doctor ordered for your team as he has another healthy matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16.
MORE: NFL Power Rankings Week 16 – Injuries Shake Top Teams
We are in the home stretch of the NFL regular season, but several of the top teams in the league are dealing with injuries. How will these impact their status in the official FlurrySports NFL Power Rankings? Click through the latest edition to see where your team stands heading into Week 16!
RB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns (32.5%)
Once again, the Cleveland Browns’ backfield belongs to Jerome Ford. With Nick Chubb suffering a broken foot this past weekend, Ford becomes a top priority among Week 16 fantasy football waiver wire pickups. The Browns notably had a miserable offensive output as a team this past Sunday, but Ford still managed to turn seven carries into 84 yards and a score. He notably had three games scoring double-digit PPR points early on this season when Chubb was sidelined at that point. Some combination of D’Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong may eat into his touches a little, but Ford is definitely the RB to own in this offense and is immediately startable in the RB3-FLEX range.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (43.2%)
Thanks to a big game as a pass-catcher and the fact that he managed to reach pay-dirt twice, Tyjae Spears finished as the RB3 in PPR scoring this past week. While Tony Polllard held a sizeable advantage in rushing attempts, it was Spears who played a 56% majority of the Tennnessee Titans’ offensive snaps in Week 15. With the Titans well out of contention and likely to be playing from behind in their remaining games, there’s a real chance that the team continues to maintain a balance or even favor Spears when it comes to playing time. He makes for an intriguing fantasy football waiver wire pickups option ahead of a divisional clash with Indianapolis in Week 16.
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens (21.7%)
By now, we know that Justice Hill’s role is to be a third-down and passing-down change-of-pace option to Derrick Henry. Yet, from a fantasy football standpoint, he has actually been producing at a fairly steady clip of late. Hill now has at least four receptions in three of the last four games. He has found the end zone in two of the last three contests which resulted in double-digit fantasy points in both games. In four of the last six games, Hill has scored at least eight PPR points. One of the those was against the same Pittsburgh defense that the Baltimore Ravens will contend with in Week 16. Managers in need of an upgrade at the FLEX position might wish to consider Hill among this week’s fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
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WR Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers (40.2%)
After missing two consecutive games due to injury, Romeo Doubs’ ownership took a major hit. He returned to the lineup for the Green Bay Packers in Week 15 and promptly had his second multi-touchdown game of the season. On the downside, he has failed to find the end zone in any other game besides those two all year. Of course, the positive here is that he is one of the primary targets for Jordan Love in the offense. The Packers have several other pass-catchers, so Doubs is bound to have his fair share of targets and positive situations moving forward. He is worth rostering amongst this week’s fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10.3%)
Late-season rookie breakouts are not out of the norm, and Jalen McMillan appears to be having exactly that for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Chris Godwin done for the year, extra targets and opportunity became available to all other Bucs wideouts. The former Washington Huskies standout has come alive in the last two weeks. Spanning both games, McMillan has seen 13 targets and caught nine of them for a combined 134 yards and three touchdowns. While it would be wrong for fantasy managers to assume the touchdown output will continue, McMillan’s overall presence in what is currently a thriving Tampa offense doesn’t appear to be waning anytime soon.
Tim Patrick, Detroit Lions (2.0%)
As the third WR option in the Detroit Lions offense, Tim Patrick has been overlooked amongst fantasy football waiver wire pickups this season. However, he has now found the end zone three times in the last two games while seeing seven and eight targets in those contests, respectively. Patrick is at least worth rostering as we head into the semifinals of the Fantasy Football Playoffs. He could be worthy of FLEX consideration too for managers in a bind. The Lions’ defense has been ravaged by injuries, so high-scoring games figure to be the norm with this team. Additionally, with David Montgomery lost to injury, Jared Goff’s recent uptick in passing attempts should continue.
TE Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars (2.1%)
With Evan Engram having been ruled out for the remainder of the year, the tight end spot in Jacksonville officially belongs to Brenton Strange. His rapport with fellow backup, Mac Jones, was on full display this past Sunday. Jones peppered Strange with a dozen targets, and the latter reeled in 11 of them for 73 yards. Managers should make note that the Jags’ wide receiver room is also decimated by injuries. As such, Strange could wind up being an unheralded difference-maker moving forward in the Fantasy Football Playoffs.
Stone Smartt, Los Angeles Chargers (2.4%)
As the Los Angeles Chargers have become a more pass-happy offense over the course of the season, the TE position has played and maintained a role. With Will Dissly sidelined by injury in Week 15, Stone Smartt filled in nicely. The second-year pro out of Old Dominion has now reached the 50-yard mark in two straight games since Dissly went down. With L.A. on a short turnaround to play on Thursday night in Week 16, Dissly’s availability is once again in doubt. Smartt is hardly a sexy option, but he is a viable fantasy asset given the circumstances and the league-wide mediocrity of the TE position.
