If you are reading this, congratulations on making it to the second round of the fantasy playoffs.
Since every league has entered the playoffs, this article will be shorter and more to the point, focusing on players who are most likely to help you win this week.
I will still cover some players in the watch list section for each position, but we are living in the now in the fantasy playoffs.
As a reminder, recommended adds are available in at least 60% of ESPN leagues, and the watch list consists of players worth monitoring.
I will not list recommended FAAB percentages for every player because that decision comes down to too many factors including league size, team weaknesses, and the aggressiveness of the other managers in your league.
That said, this late in the year spend what you need to get a player.
Finally, I will not be ranking kickers and defenses because frankly I don’t care about them and want them to disappear from the game.
With those caveats out of the way, let’s get to it.
Best Quarterback Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 16
- Drake Maye
- Cooper Rush
Best Running Back Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 16
- Jerome Ford
- Kendre Miller
- Alexander Mattison
Best Wide Receiver Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 16
- Jalen McMillan
- Rashod Bateman
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling
- Malik Washington
Best Tight End Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 16
- Brenton Strange
- Chig Okonkwo
- Stone Smartt
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Best Quarterback Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 16
1. Drake Maye — Available in 84.1% of fantasy leagues
The streaming options for last week mostly fell flat, and I do not have much confidence in the options this week, either. Still, we can take a shot on Maye's playmaking ability and the likely game script with the Patriots 13.5-point underdogs in Buffalo. Maye is also seventh among qualified quarterbacks in rushing fantasy points per game, giving another out in addition to the likely increased volume.
2. Cooper Rush — Available in 94.0% of fantasy leagues
The one time I went to Rush he let me down, but he has thrown for multiple touchdowns in three of his last four games and should see increased volume with the Bucs' red-hot offense coming to town on Sunday night. Tampa Bay has given up the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Do I like it? No, but there are not a ton of options.
Watch List: I expect Michael Penix to be good overall for Atlanta's offense, but we both have not really seen him play and cannot be sure how much volume he will get in a winnable game against the Giants. Still, there is a lot of talent in Atlanta, so the upside is there if he hits the ground running…A solidly starting Jameis Winston would be worth a look against the Bengals, but it looks like Dorian Thompson-Robinson will get the nod in Week 16. DTR does at least bring some rushing upside, but he has averaged 3.7 yards per attempt over 146 career throws…Mason Rudolph at least moved the ball when he took over at quarterback, and he is facing a Colts defense that struggles to get pressure. They are 30th in the league in pressure rate over their last five games…It is a good matchup and the Jacksonville defense is bad enough it could lead to a surprisingly higher scoring game state, but I am not putting my fantasy future in the hands of Mac Jones.
Best Running Back Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 16
1. Jerome Ford — Available in 67.6% of fantasy leagues
If we knew Alvin Kamara was going to sit this week, I would rather go with Kendre Miller in this top spot, but that uncertainty — especially since the Saints play on Monday night — makes Ford the choice for those needing a spot starter at running back. Ford is a boom-or-bust kind of runner. As we saw on Sunday, he can create big plays, but he is also 35th in negative run rate among 44 qualifying running backs this season. Nick Chubb is dead last in that group, to be fair, but Ford was dead last in 2023. The Bengals have not been as bad against the run as the pass, and we have serious questions about Cleveland's offense with Dorian Thompson–Robinson getting the start. Still, Ford should get touches if you need a warm body.
2. Kendre Miller — Available in 92.0% of fantasy leagues
As mentioned above, I would rather Miller if we knew Alvin Kamara was going to sit, but we are unlikely to get that information before waivers are due. Miller was the clear option once Kamara left Week 15, playing 22 snaps to 3 for Jamaal Williams in the fourth quarter and getting all 8 of the backfield touches. Miller is averaging 4.6 yards per carry this season and has an explosive run on 17.9% of his carries, albeit on a very small sample. That said, he is unlikely to get quite as much work as Kamara in the passing game, and this offense has serious concerns with Spencer Rattler likely starting at quarterback.
3. Alexander Mattison — Available in 62.6% of fantasy leagues
Based on his Instagram, it seems like Sincere McCormick‘s injury will be season ending. With the young back out in the second half, Ameer Abdullah played 2 more snaps and had 1 more touch than Mattison. Still, that was in negative game script, and I would expect Mattison to get the bulk of the work in a good matchup this week against the Jaguars with McCormick likely to miss time.
Watch List: Keep an eye on Tony Pollard‘s injury situation, but also don't read too much into Tyjae Spears‘ usage in the second half on Sunday. Spears did play 4 more snaps than Pollard after the break, but the Titans were in comeback mode. He ran 21 routes to 6 for Pollard, and all 6 of his touches were in the receiving game. Pollard has been on the injury report for several weeks, though, so perhaps the Titans do look to give him less work and perhaps even shut him down over the rest of the season…As always, you can fill bench stashes with handcuffs. Miller, for instance, was on that handcuff list last week. Trey Benson had been one of my favorites, but he left Week 15 with an ankle injury…Jahmyr Gibbs dominated work when David Montgomery missed time last season, and I would expect the same thing to happen this year. I am not interested in chasing those secondary options in Detroit.
Best Wide Receiver Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 16
1. Jalen McMillan — Available in 89.8% of fantasy leagues
We had some questions about McMillan last week because he had been running routes but was not getting the targets until Week 14. Well, those targets stuck around in Week 15, and he now has 24.1% of the Bucs' targets over the last two games. The Cowboys have allowed 8.3 yards per target to receivers this season (23rd) and 8.8 yards per target to boundary targets (25th). In a game with a 49.5-point total, McMillan could once again get a solid number of targets in a good matchup.
2. Rashod Bateman — Available in 80.9% of fantasy leagues
Bateman paid off any believers with 80 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 15, and his 20.8% target share in that game was above his season average. It was still only 5 targets, however, and Bateman has been at or below that number in eight of his last nine games. He is attached to Lamar Jackson, gets deep targets, and Pittsburgh is 20th in yards per target allowed to wide receivers (8.1). Also, 12.4% of receiver targets against them have resulted in a 20+ yard play.
3. Marquez Valdes-Scantling — Available in 79.2% of fantasy leagues
Valdes-Scantling has not found the end zone in the last two weeks, but his usage has been much more promising. Over the last two games, MVS has earned 23.3% of the Saints' targets, catching 6 passes for 115 yards. The quarterback situation leaves a lot to be desired, and the Packers are not an enticing matchup. Still, Valdes-Scantling is getting targets and has that big play upside.
4. Malik Washington — Available in 99.8% of fantasy leagues
This is just a deep league play, but if Jaylen Waddle is forced to miss time, Washington should be the next man up for the Dolphins. He ran a route on 79.4% of the dropbacks over the final three quarters on Sunday, seeing the same number of targets as Tyreek Hill. The 49ers have not been a great matchup overall for wide receivers, but they have been at their worst against slot receivers, allowing 8.2 yards per target, 18th in the league. Washington has lined up in the slot on 53.6% of his snaps this season.
Watch List: Cedric Tillman is expected back this week, and Elijah Moore is still available, but we don't want to invest much in this passing game with Dorian Thompson–Robinson leading the way…Marquise Brown could play this week, but the Chiefs have not been lighting up the scoreboard even with a healthy Patrick Mahomes…There are reasons to like Jalen Coker this week, especially if Xavier Legette misses time, but it is important to remember that 83 of his 110 yards came on a coverage bust touchdown. I don't think I would be comfortable with anyone except Adam Thielen in that passing game…Tim Patrick got there again with a touchdown in an absolute jailbreak game script, and he is going to run a large share of the routes in that Detroit offense. Still, he is down the pecking order for a team that wants to run when possible, although the David Montgomery injury could affect that plan.
Best Tight End Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 16
1. Brenton Strange — Available in 87.2% of fantasy leagues
A favorite from earlier in the season, Strange is back in play with Evan Engram out for the rest of the year. Strange ran a route on 84.3% of Jacksonville's dropbacks on Sunday, commanding a 27.9% target share which he turned into 11 catches for 73 yards. The Raiders allow 8.7 yards per target to tight ends, which ranks 27th in the league.
2. Chig Okonkwo — Available in 94.5% of fantasy leagues
I have been hesitant about Okonkwo because his targets were so scattershot over most of the season, but he has 19% of Tennessee's targets over the last three games including 10 total against the Bengals, which he turned into 8 catches for 59 yards. Okonkwo is a big play creator when he gets his chances, so the more targets he gets, the better his chance at a big play. He also has a solid matchup against the Colts this week.
3. Stone Smartt — Available in 97.6% of fantasy leagues
Smartt did not have the game I was hoping for against the Bucs, but 5 for 50 yards is not a bad outing for a streaming option. More importantly, he ran a route on 70.3% of the dropbacks and still had an 18.8% target share with Ladd McConkey back in the mix. The matchup against the Broncos on Thursday is not good. They have allowed just 5.4 yards per target to tight ends this season, the best in the league. This play is just about throwing targets at the wall in a desperation scenario.
Watch List: Noah Gray got into the end zone on Sunday, but his route rate has fallen each of the last two weeks. With Patrick Mahomes now uncertain because of his ankle injury, Gray is a very risky play…The Eagles finally opened up the playbook a bit, but Grant Calcaterra only saw one target in their win over the Steelers as A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith dominated targets. The matchup this week against the Commanders is better, but it is tough to trust Calcaterra's target share.