The first week of your fantasy football playoffs is over, and if you are reading this, congratulations – you likely are in a spot that has you moving on to the next round. Needing to overcome a few key injuries suffered in Week 15, your Week 16 waiver wire pickups need to focus on players that can help you now, not later.
As always, players included in this list are rostered on fewer than 50 percent of all ESPN fantasy football teams, helping give you a good chance at being able to make a few late-season additions to your roster.
Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups
10. Deon Jackson – RB
11.9% Rostered
Indianapolis Colts
The bookend players on this list come from the same team and position group, as the Indianapolis Colts need to find who is going to step into Jonathan Taylor’s role moving forward. With the former Wisconsin star back potentially missing the remainder of the regular season, fantasy football rosters are scrambling for potential replacement options.
Deon Jackson factored into the backfield delegation for the Colts once Taylor left, but he was not the most featured option, making his role this upcoming week a bit shaky. As long as he does have some sort of a role (pass catcher is the likeliest) for the offense, then he will have some relevancy for your fantasy football roster.
9. Mike White / Zach Wilson – QB
16.1% / 7.0% Rostered
New York Jets
The New York Jets are fighting for their postseason lives, and the uncertainty at QB is making that fight even tougher. Zach Wilson stepped in with Mike White out with an injury and delivered a very quality performance, potentially muddying the waters yet again.
If you are looking for a Jalen Hurts replacement you can look the way of the Jets, just know that you will be banking on a competent game from whichever player is starting, which could be a hard pill to swallow.
8. Royce Freeman – RB
0.0% Rostered
Houston Texans
Making the tough decision to actually target a member of the Houston Texans is not easy, but Royce Freeman can be included in your waiver wire pickups after Dameon Pierce’s injury in Week 14. Freeman earned the most work out of the trifecta of backup options (Rex Burkhead, Freeman, and Dare Ogunbowale), so you can add Freeman to your roster – just don’t expect a ton of production.
7. Brock Purdy – QB
22.6% Rostered
San Francisco 49ers
News broke Monday about the health of Hurts moving forward, a shocking blow to the fantasy football community. With few QB resources available to plug into your starting lineups, turning to Brock Purdy as the top QB target in your waiver wire pickups may just have to do.
It seems like whoever is the QB for the San Francisco 49ers enjoys a ton of success, making that place a haven for below-average signal callers to look like Pro Bowlers. Purdy looks very competent running Kyle Shanahan’s offense, which is good enough when it comes to finding a last-minute Hurts replacement.
6. Elijah Moore – WR
45.2% Rostered
New York Jets
The curious case of Elijah Moore has resurfaced, this time for all the right reasons. With Wilson back in the fold, Moore was surprisingly able to remain a heavily-targeted piece of the offense, a role that should continue with the Jets fighting for their playoff lives.
Far from out of any potential dud weeks, Moore should be able to hold down his role in the passing attack, regardless of which QB is throwing him the ball.
5. Chigoziem Okonkwo – TE
14.8% Rostered
Tennessee Titans
The tight-end market remains quite dry, and if you are needing any sustained talent at that position, there really is only one option to consider – Tennessee’s Chigoziem Okonkwo. Over his past four games, Okonkwo has earned five-plus targets per game, hauling in 17 passes on 23 total targets.
The Titans are not going to out-pass most teams, but a safety valve like Okonkwo has probably the safest floor in the passing attack, making him a top add at the TE position.
4. Marquise Goodwin – WR
1.0% Rostered
Seattle Seahawks
With Tyler Lockett having only a slight chance to return during the regular season after breaking a finger, Marquise Goodwin will slide into the starting lineup opposite DK Metcalf. With Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks needing to rely on the passing game quite frequently, Goodwin immediately steps into a solid target-share opportunity, something that is hard to find at this part of the season.
3. Tyler Allgeier – RB
33.5% Rostered
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have switched from Marcus Mariota to rookie QB Desmond Ridder, and with that swap came a heightened emphasis on running the ball, which Tyler Allgeier was the main beneficiary of.
Granted, he still does need to deal with Cordarelle Patterson for touches, but this is the point of the season where non-contending teams like to lean more on their youngsters to see what they have, and Allgeier is in a prime spot to make an important impression, both for the Falcons and your fantasy football team.
2. Donovan Peoples-Jones – WR
50.8% Rostered
Cleveland Browns
Holding down the second spot on this list for the second consecutive week, Donovan Peoples-Jones has been one of the, if not the, most consistent wide receivers for your fantasy football team this season. As the Cleveland Browns get to the home stretch of their season unlikely to make the postseason, you can go back to Peoples-Jones once more this year, adding him as your top target for your waiver wire pickups.
1. Zack Moss – RB
0.7% Rostered
Indianapolis Colts
Having Taylor go down early in Indy’s Week 15 loss derailed plenty of fantasy football seasons, and he likely will not return at all this year – so adding his backup becomes a prerogative for your waiver wire pickups.
While Zack Moss shared time with Jackson after Taylor left, Moss was the clear leader of the backfield, especially when looking at how the carries were distributed. While more clarity will come out later this week about what to expect for the timeshare, expect Moss to earn the lion share of backfield work.
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