Fantasy football waiver wire: 6 players to add for NFL Week 16

Admin December 17, 2024

The fantasy football playoffs – and NFL injuries – continue, with only the fittest surviving.

Fantasy managers who’ve moved within one victory of playing for a league title may have suffered some collateral damage along the way this past week with injuries to the likes of David Montgomery, Patrick Mahomes and Nick Chubb.

But if you lost one of those key performers (and you can still make roster moves), then the waiver wire may be a place to find some solace. And maybe even an emergency Week 16 starter.

Though it may be a long shot any player you consider picking up this week should be someone you could conceivably put into your lineup and be a solid contributor.

Fantasy football players to add for Week 16

Due to the wide variance in types of leagues and individual team needs, the players listed here are in the order of preference for a flex start, along with their availability rates in Fantrax leagues, which may or not match rates on other platforms.

RB Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns (35%)

Ford garnered waiver wire consideration a couple weeks ago when he began taking on a larger share of the workload, primarily on passing downs. But with starter Nick Chubb suffering a broken foot on Sunday, Ford now returns to a starting role, one he held earlier in the season while Chubb was recovering from knee surgery. In Week 15, Ford had his best game since the season opener with 104 total yards and a touchdown. As he did earlier, he could share snaps with D’Onta Foreman and Pierre Strong, but Ford is actually a better fantasy starter than Chubb has been.

RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints (49%)

Miller’s value this week depends on the status of Alvin Kamara and a groin injury that forced him out of Sunday’s game against Washington. If Kamara can’t go or is limited, Miller becomes a viable option. The only problem is, the Saints play on Monday night at Green Bay so there’s no fallback option if Kamara’s status is in doubt. Miller hasn’t had much of an opportunity to show what he can do with a full workload, but he did score a rushing TD in Week 14.

TE Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars (87%)

The Jaguars lost a major part of their offense when TE Evan Engram suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. But it turns out, Engram’s absence didn’t change their game plan very much at all. Taking over as the starter, Strange led all tight ends with 12 targets in Week 15, catching 11 of them for 73 yards – and trailing only Miami’s Jonnu Smith in PPR points for the week.

RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (23%)

Spears had his best day as a pro on Sunday, catching six passes for 87 yards and a touchdown – and also contributing a short-yardage TD on the ground. Starter Tony Pollard left the game briefly with an ankle injury, but Spears’ success came largely with backup QB Mason Rudolph in the game. The Titans haven’t said whether Rudolph or Will Levis will start this week at Indianapolis, but the Colts defense has allowed the fifth-most total yards and third-most rushing yards in the league this season.

WR Tim Patrick, Detroit Lions (79%)

After his two-touchdown breakout in Week 14, Patrick hauled in another touchdown pass Sunday as part of the Lions’ offensive explosion. Montgomery’s injury could encourage the Lions to throw the ball just as much this week at Chicago, which would open the door for Patrick to continue his recent run of success.

QB Cooper Rush, Dallas Cowboys (67%)

For teams in danger of losing Mahomes, the options are few if you don’t already have one on your bench. Rush may be the best of the available quarterbacks, coming off a 214-yard, three-TD performance against the Panthers. This week, he gets another poor defense in the Buccaneers, who have yielded the third-most passing yards in the league and are the second-most fantasy-friendly opponent for quarterbacks on the season.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.