Week 16 Waiver Adds: Another League-Winner in Detroit?
Week 16 is here and for most fantasy leagues, only four teams remain in the hunt for the title. Those with contending teams are likely quite happy with the players that have carried them this far. But with fresh injuries popping up each week, and “questionable” tags piling up by the day, these week 16 waiver adds may just come to the rescue.
Here are ten potential adds for those in need of a boost this weekend.
Note* – All players are rostered in fewer than 45% of ESPN leagues, per their website.
Fantasy Football Week 16 Waiver Adds
Romeo Doubs (Packers)
Romeo Doubs missed weeks 13 and 14 with a concussion he picked up in Green Bay’s humbling of the 49ers in week 12. Rarely a week-winner, Doubs should offer a solid floor, considering the Packers’ receiver-friendly match-ups over the next two weeks.
The Packers face New Orleans and Minnesota in weeks 16 and 17 respectively, both teams are bottom 12 in passing yards allowed over their last five games. Doubs should be a confident flex play in both weeks, with touchdown upside.
Jerome Ford (Browns)
Of all the week 16 waiver adds, this one stands out.
One potential week-winner in week 16 is Jerome Ford. Already the more explosive looking back in Cleveland, Ford possibly won week 15 for any manager that trusted him with a flex spot at the weekend. With Nick Chubb leaving the game with a broken foot, Ford continued on to register 104 total yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs on Sunday.
Now the lead back for the team, Ford faces a dream match-up this week. Cincinnati has allowed 4.7 rushing yards/attempt over their last five games, that’s tied for the fourth-most in the NFL over that stretch.
Ford can serve as your RB2 this week if you need him to, but for teams with two elite running backs, he should be strongly considered for a flex spot.
Kendre Miller (Saints)
Kendre Miller has looked impressive whenever he’s been given an opportunity this year and showcased that once again this past weekend. Miller may have totaled only 46 rushing yards, but he did so on just nine carries, averaging 5.11 yards/attempt.
Starting running back, Alvin Kamara, left Sunday’s game with Washington with an adductor injury, which could impact his availability for week 16. If Kamara can’t go, Miller would take on the lead role for the team, with Jamaal Williams backing him up.
If you need a running back this week though, Ford is by far the best option at the position. Miller is an explosive back, but Kamara’s injury is currently unclear and Miller would be a wasted add if the veteran was healthy for week 16. The Saints don’t play until Monday night, giving Kamara the maximum possible time to recover.
Even if Kamara is out this week, the Saints play a strong Packers team that have been good against the run lately. The Packers will be expected to run away with that game, which would limit Miller’s rushing opportunities early on.
Malik Washington (Dolphins)
Malik Washington was an afterthought in the Miami offense just a few weeks ago, but with Odell Beckham gone and Jaylen Waddle possibly injured, Washington is an intriguing fantasy prospect in week 16.
An explosive receiver and a strong runner with the ball in his hands, Washington could have a big opportunity to show off his playmaking abilities this week.
Waddle’s injury is considered day-to-day with the team not playing until Sunday’s late window. With that in mind, there is a chance that Washington is sat behind Tyreek Hill, Waddle, and Jonnu Smith in the Miami passing game on Monday.
When you factor in that the 49ers have allowed the fewest passing yards in the league over their last five games, Washington will be in very few lineups this weekend, so your FAAB dollars may best be spent elsewhere.
Tim Patrick (Lions)
One player that will be tempting for your week 16 flex spot though, is Tim Patrick.
Whilst Patrick hasn’t been racking up the yards, the 6’5″ pass-catcher has come out of nowhere to become one of Jared Goff’s favorite targets, particularly in the red zone. Patrick has accounted for 15 targets over the last two weeks, and he even out-targeted Jameson Williams 8-5 in week 15.
Patrick has three touchdowns in his last two games, and whilst touchdowns can be volatile, those scores are a direct result of purposeful red-zone usage.
With David Montgomery out for the season with a knee injury, it’s very possible that the Lions will lean more on their passing game in the final few weeks of the year. Patrick should be considered a high-ceiling, low-floor flex play this weekend. If you pick him up and he out-targets Williams again though, he will be an easy flex pick in the final week.
Tyjae Spears (Titans)
Tyjae Spears took off in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s match-up with Cincinnati, with the team chasing the game.
Spears finished the game with seven targets, catching six for 87 yards and a touchdown, adding a rushing touchdown on a goal-line carry. Despite the breakout, Spears is still behind Tony Pollard in the Titans backfield, but his success in the receiving game on Sunday should turn some heads in Tennessee.
Pollard should be expected to handle the majority of snaps this weekend, with a more run-friendly game script likely against Indianapolis, . If Spears has earned himself a bigger role though, he’ll have a chance to earn himself a flex spot in fantasy lineups next week. Only managers with no running backs, or those needing a high risk/reward flex should be turning to Spears this week.
Jalen Coker (Panthers)
Jalen Coker, after three games out, returned this past weekend and caught four of six targets for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Whilst Adam Thielen has made the most noise on the Panthers offense recently, Coker now has 14 targets in his last two games and showed an explosive side to his game with a long touchdown on Sunday.
The Panthers disappointed at the weekend, after putting together a number of encouraging performances of late. But in the Cowboys, they faced an opponent that ranks first in quarterback pressure rate this year. Their week 16 opponents, the Cardinals, are fifth-worst in that stat.
Fantasy managers should expect an improved offensive display from Carolina this weekend, and Coker could be a big part of that. If you’re not ready to trust him this week, you can stash him ahead of a week 17 trip to the Buccaneers, who have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers this year.
Brenton Strange (Jaguars)
Those mourning the untimely loss of Evan Engram should be looking no further than his Jaguars replacement, Brenton Strange.
With Engram out, Strange exploded in week 15, catching 11 of 12 targets for 73 yards. With Engram on IR, strange would be a top-ten tight-end for the rest of the year with that usage, with touchdown upside.
The sorry state of the Jaguars defense should keep Mac Jones busy moving forward, and Brenton Strange looks like he’ll be a big part of that.
Strange faces the Raiders in week 16, who have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to tight ends this year.
McCormick/Alexander Mattison (Raiders)
Despite the Raiders’ recent struggles, the team faces two mouth-watering running-back match-ups in the final two weeks of the fantasy season.
This weekend, the team welcomes Jacksonville, a team that have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs this year. After that, they head to New Orleans, to face a Saints defense that have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to the position.
Sincere McCormick would likely be the lead back for the Raiders if healthy, but he left Monday night’s match-up with Atlanta in the first half. In his place, Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah split work between them, the latter catching all seven of his targets for 58 yards and a touchdown.
It’s too early to know how bad McCormick’s injury is, but in his absence, Mattison would be the likely starter, with Abdullah taking receiving work.
If McCormick is available on Sunday, he should be a strong consideration for flex spots, or as a replacement for any recently injured running back. If he can’t play though, Mattison put up modest, yet often flex-worthy numbers when leading the line earlier in the year, and would carry touchdown upside. Fantasy managers in need of help should be following Raiders news closely this week.
Both players are widely available, and whoever ends up playing could prove very valuable over the next two weeks.
Main Image: Junfu Han – USA Today Sports
