After 15 weeks of action, the fantasy football championship is finally here for the vast majority of leagues. Whether you’re looking to take home a title or just avoid coming in last, now is the time to search the waiver wire for all the best available running backs. Heading into Week 16, you should set your eyes on Mike Boone, Boston Scott, Adrian Peterson, and Wes Hills.
Note that in order to make this list, the player had to be available in over 50% of fantasy leagues. If you’re in smaller leagues, there may be better players available. Make sure to check your waivers to see if there are any diamonds in the rough before submitting your claims.
Week 16 Waiver Wire Claims: Running Back – Wide Receiver – Quarterback – Tight End – Defense
Mike Boone, Boston Scott Highlight Fantasy Football Week 16 Running Back Waiver Wire Claims
Mike Boone
Dalvin Cook suffered a shoulder injury and, as of this posting, we don’t know the exact severity of the injury. What we do know is that Cook was ruled out prior to the conclusion of Week 15’s action, which implies this could be a serious injury. Alexander Mattison is battling an injury of his own, leaving Mike Boone as the top option in Minnesota’s backfield. While filling in for Cook, Boone recorded 13 carries for 56 yards and two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Chargers.
No matter how good your current roster is, you need to do everything in your power to get Boone on your roster. If Cook and Mattison don’t play, the Boone has RB1 upside in Minnesota’s high-powered offensive attack. Even if one of those two is active, chances are they won’t be capable of handling a full workload. You need to put in a claim for Boone, but his total projection is going to be affected by Cook and Mattison’s status.
Boston Scott
Miles Sanders stole the show in Week 15, but Boston Scott managed to carve out a role of his own in Philadelphia’s backfield. In total, Scott finished his night with six carries for 26 yards to go along with six receptions for 50 yards and one touchdown. The Eagles clearly don’t want to give Miles Sanders all of the snaps quite yet, and Jordan Howard doesn’t appear close to returning to the lineup.
Scott figures to remain an integral part to the Philadelphia Eagles’ backfield. Carson Wentz doesn’t have any reliable weapons in the passing game outside of Zach Ertz, so Scott should carry a safe floor in PPR scoring formats. Additionally, he’s going to see a handful of carries against a beatable Dallas Cowboys defense. He’s definitely worth a flex play if you’re in a deep PPR league.
Redux: Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson is 49.9% owned in fantasy leagues, so he just barely qualifies for this list. By now, everyone knows the story with Adrian Peterson. He’s not going to contribute in the passing game, and he’s probably not going to go off for too many big plays. However, he’s the only man in town in one of the most run-centric offenses in football. In Week 15, Peterson recorded 16 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown.
As long as Peterson continues to receive that workload, he’s going to carry some form of fantasy football relevance. Dwayne Haskins looks more comfortable running the offense, which means Peterson should receive more scoring opportunities in Week 16. He’s not a must-play by any means, but he certainly belongs on a roster.
Wes Hills
How desperate are you? If you’re in a ridiculously deep league, you can take a flier on Detroit Lions running back Wes Hills. Facing off against a solid Tampa Bay Buccaneers rush defense, Hills finished his night with 10 carries for 21 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two receptions for one yard. He’s nobody’s idea of a great play, but he might be an effective start based on volume if Bo Scarbrough cannot play in Week 16.
Week 16 Waiver Wire Claims: Running Back – Wide Receiver – Quarterback – Tight End – Defense
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