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Waiver Wire Week 16 Fantasy Football

Last Updated: Dec 19, 2023

Those who have advanced to the second round of their fantasy football playoffs need waiver adds who can fill injury gaps or performance-related perceived holes in the lineup. Ideally, you should be looking for something other than free agency for a prime starter at this point.

Those players I recommend adding can help fantasy leaguers who survived to their playoff semifinals deal with continuing concerns at quarterback, injuries at running back, and always unreliable play at tight end. The guys I do feature here can make a potential immediate impact, and I do not include possible one-week wonders such as Aidan’O Connell.

QB Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals (44% rostered in Yahoo leagues)

Browning passed for 300 yards for the second time in three weeks while leading the Bengals to an overtime win over the Vikings in Week 15. He has passed for two TDs in each of his past two games and also added two bonus rushing TDs in his two games prior to Sunday.

Backup QBs sometimes falter after playing well for a few games, but Browning seems poised and confident, and he has fit comfortably into the Cincinnati offense. He is not an upside play, yet Browning should provide a quality floor in Week 16 against a Steelers defense that will spend a lot of time on the field and has allowed 20 TD passes, which ranks 25th in the NFL.

Utilize Browning as a one-week streamer if needed because of QB injuries. You might want to pivot off him in Week 17 against Kansas City, though. Be sure to check where Browning will fit in our Week 16 fantasy football rankings.

Jake Browning Free Agent Budget Bid: 35% of your available budget

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RB Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders (23%)

Josh Jacobs (quadriceps) missed Week 15, and White filled in with quality production in the massive blowout win over the Chargers. He totaled 85 scrimmage yards and rushed for a TD while catching three passes.

While Ameer Abdullah was annoyingly mixed in, too, White led the Raiders with 17 carries. Keep a watch on Jacobs’ status heading up to week 16 game day while adding White.

The matchup for the Raiders’ offense is not ideal against the Chiefs, yet White should still get a good amount of carries if he starts again and can post decent numbers as a streaming or fill-in option.

Zamir White FAAB Bid: 55% of your available budget

Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens (13%)

The season-ending knee injury for Keaton Mitchell puts Hill back into position to share some work with Gus Edwards in the Baltimore backfield. Edwards is only available in 30 percent of leagues, yet check your free agent list to make him the priority if he is on the waiver wire.

Hill may be in line for close to or more than double-digit carries in the next two games, and he has seen some occasional goal-line chances this season, too. If you have to dig deep for RB help, then add Hill.

Baltimore faces San Francisco in Week 16, but the 49ers did allow two rushing TDs to Arizona on Sunday. If Hill posts adequate totals against the Niners, you may consider him for championship week when the Ravens take on the Dolphins.

The Ravens have the fifth-best rushing offense in the NFL, so any RB they use frequently has to be considered. It will just be a question of how much work Hill gets against the 49ers.

Justice Hill FAAB Bid: 45% of your available budget

WR Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

Noah Brown, Houston Texans (46%)

After two games in which he did not catch a pass due to a recent return from a knee injury and a tough matchup in bad weather with the Jets, Brown rediscovered his better form in a Week 15 Texans win at Tennessee. He was clearly the top WR option for Houston, catching eight of 11 targets for 82 yards and a TD.

Brown, a big target with downfield playmaking abilities, performed well with backup QB Case Keenum as the starter. He has a more challenging draw against Cleveland in Week 16 but faces the Titans again in Week 17.

C.J. Stroud returning from a concussion next week obviously will help Brown, and he can still be a quality option for Week 17 even if he is the No. 2 WR with Nico Collins (calf) possibly back in action. If Collins misses Week 16, you can strongly consider starting Brown because of potential volume of targets.

Noah Brown FAAB Bid: 65% of your available budget

Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers (39%)

Palmer returned from a knee injury in Week 15 and caught a 79-yard TD pass on his way to a 113-yard night on four catches last Thursday. The Chargers were in major play-from-behind mode in the embarrassing loss to Las Vegas, yet Palmer cemented himself as a viable option if Keenan Allen (heel) misses more time.

Joshua Palmer FAAB Bid: 40% of your available budget

TE Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (20%)

Bailey Zappe has taken to Henry as a preferred playmaker, as the TE caught two TD passes in Week 15 and then caught seven of nine targets for 66 yards and a TD in Week 16 with another TD reception. Henry is a must-add if your team still has shaky options at the thinnest position in fantasy football.

Hunter Henry FAAB Bid: 70% of your available budget

Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers (14%)

Kraft has caught TD passes in two of his past four games and has 121 total yards in his last two. He is worth an add for decent totals if a TE hole has to be plugged for the remainder of the fantasy postseason.

Tucker Kraft FAAB Bid: 45% of your available budget

Best Cheap WW Bids for Week 16

  • Curtis Samuel, WR, Washington Commanders (47%): He caught two TD passes on Sunday, and Samuel has 26 targets in his last three games. I would recommend him more strongly if matchups with the Jets and 49ers were not ahead to finish the fantasy playoffs.
  • Joe Flacco, QB, Cleveland Browns (32%): In Week 15, Flacco passed for 374 yards but was also intercepted three times. You can consider streaming him as a deeper option in Week 16 against Houston’s 24th-ranked pass defense, but he faces the Jets in Week 17.
  • Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (54%): Mayfield, who is attempting to guide the Buccaneers to the NFC South title, has six TD passes in his last two games, and he had a season-high 381 yards in Week 15. He is worthy of desperation streaming consideration in Week 16 against Jacksonville’s 29th-ranked pass defense.
  • Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers (7%): The rookie has topped the 90-yard mark in two of his past four games and is certainly worthy of a deeper add after catching a season-high six passes in Week 15.

Defense Streamers for Week 16

  • Denver Broncos (36%): The Broncos totaled 11 sacks in the two games prior to a blowout Week 15 loss to the Lions. They close the fantasy playoffs with matchups against the Patriots and the Chargers without Justin Herbert.
  • Chicago Bears (10%): Chicago has 12 interceptions in its last four games and four sacks in each of its past two. This emerging fantasy unit finishes the fantasy playoff schedule against the Cardinals and Falcons.

Kicker Adds for Week 16

  • Ka’imi Fairbairn, Houston Texans (2%): He made all four field goal attempts after returning from a quadriceps injury. Fairbairn had a three-game streak of three-plus field goals made not long before he landed on IR.

Author

Scott Engel

Scott Engel is a Senior Sports Writer at The Game Day. Previously he was at SportsLine.com and The Athletic. His work is also featured at RotoBaller and on Seahawks.com. Scott is a host on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. He is an inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's Hall of Fame. Scott is a four-time FSWA award winner and a 13-time finalist. He was an Associate Editor and featured writer at ESPN.com. and his career began at CBS SportsLine, where he was a Senior Writer and Managing Editor. Scott was the Managing Director at RotoExperts.

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