DFS Army’s Gthom goes over the waiver wire targets for this week. These waiver wire targets are normally available in 50-percent of ESPN leagues.
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Dec 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan (15) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
QUARTERBACKS
Aaron Rodgers (NYJ) – 40%
The Jets’ passing offense was clicking on all cylinders in Week 15. Rodgers had his best fantasy performance, going 16 for 30, with 289 passing yards and three touchdowns in the air. He also added six carries for 45 rushing yards. This effort was good enough for 30.0 fantasy points.
Rodgers and the Jets will turn their attention to the Los Angeles Rams, who will travel to New York in Week 16. The Rams are one of the top-10 easiest matchups in the NFL when solely examining fantasy points per game allowed to opposing quarterbacks. They are allowing 17.5 fantasy points, which is the 10th-highest in the NFL. Additionally, the Rams have allowed the ninth-most touchdowns to the position this season.
This game has a healthy game total projected in Week 16, with an over-under of 46.5 early in the week. The Jets remain 3-point underdogs on their home field and Rodgers fits into the fantasy equation as a fringe top-12 option.
Matthew Stafford (LAR) – 39%
Stafford looks to be the final streaming option for fantasy managers in Week 16. Since Week 11, Stafford has averaged 18.3 fantasy points, the 16th-highest among all NFL quarterbacks during that time. He has scored 15 or more points and at least two touchdowns in four of his last five games.
This week, he faces the Jets, who are struggling to stop quarterbacks. Since Week 6, they have allowed 21.8 fantasy points to the position. That average rises to 23.3 fantasy points allowed when looking at their last five games. In those five games, they are allowing 6.8 fantasy points above expectation.
Weather may be a concern, but it is too early in the week to know for certain. Stafford remains a mid-range QB2 with upside against a struggling Jets defense.
RUNNING BACKS
Tank Bigsby (JAC) – 50%
On the back of an 11-carry, 42-yard performance, Bigsby remains the best running back widely available in fantasy leagues. While his matchup against the Jets was tough, his next opponent will be easier — the Raiders. Las Vegas is allowing opposing running backs to score 24.3 PPR points per game (prior to their Week 15 Monday Night Football game), ranking 13th-highest in the NFL.
Bigsby has shown flashes of brilliance when he gets consistent opportunities. With a tight, low-scoring game projected for Week 16, Bigsby could easily have another breakout week like in Week 5 or Week 7. During those weeks, he scored 25.9 and 23.8 PPR points, respectively.
Jerome Ford (CLE) – 32%
Ford will see the bulk of the backfield to himself for the rest of the season after Nick Chubb broke his foot against the Chiefs. We have seen Ford in this role before, and it does not carry much upside. However, he should have a decent floor with double-digit touches. The biggest issue Ford faces, beyond his limited ceiling, is the Browns losing more offensive firepower each week.
When Ford commanded the backfield in Weeks 1 through 6, the third-year back averaged 10.2 PPR points per game, ranking 34th among running backs during that span. Additionally, Ford was the RB30 overall for this six-week stretch, accounting for 60.4 percent of the fantasy points scored by all Browns running backs. He also scored all the Browns’ running back touchdowns, accrued 60.3 percent of the rushing yards, and commanded 49.5 percent of the carries.
Factoring this all in, Ford remains an unexciting FLEX option for Week 16 against the Bengals, who are a middling team against opposing running backs, allowing 23.7 PPR points per game to the position.
Kendre Miller (NO) – 8%
Miller emerges as a priority waiver add following Alvin Kamara’s early exit during Week 15’s game against the Commanders. With the Saints likely to miss the playoffs, rushing Kamara back would not benefit his long-term health, and a cautious approach makes sense for their prized offensive weapon.
Miller has seen limited action this season but would be the most dynamic back in the Saints’ backfield. In four games this season, Miller has posted 130 rushing yards on 28 carries (4.64 yards per carry) and one touchdown. He has added two catches for one yard as well. If Kamara were to play in Week 16, Milelr would not be playable.
Lastly, it would be naïve to assume Jamaal Williams or Adam Prentice won’t factor into the backfield with Kamara shelved. Any usage by Williams or Prentice would cut into Miller’s workload. As a result, Miller is a speculative FLEX option in Week 16 against a tough Green Bay Packers defense. The Saints are projected as 13.5-point underdogs, playing with a tandem of backup quarterbacks.
Running Back Handcuffs with Low-End FLEX Usage
- Alexander Mattison (LV)
- Tyjae Spears (TEN)
- Tyler Allgeier (ATL)
- Devin Singletary (NYG)
- Ty Johnson (BUF)
Running Backs to Stash Only
- Trey Benson (ARI)
- Ray Davis (BUF)
- Cam Akers (MIN)
- Blake Corum (LAR)
- Craig Reynolds (BAL)
WIDE RECEIVERS
Jalen McMillan (TB) – 10%
McMillan is coming alive toward the end of this fantasy season, scoring 21.9 and 18.5 PPR points in his last two games, respectively. During this span, he has averaged 67 receiving yards on 6.5 targets, 4.5 receptions, and 1.5 touchdowns per game.
The rookie receiver now faces a porous Dallas defense that recently lost its best cornerback. Over their last four games, the Cowboys have allowed an average of 35.0 Half-PPR points and 5.5 fantasy points above expectation to opposing receivers. This makes McMillan the top receiver to pick up for managers desperate for help at the position.
Romeo Doubs (GB) – 40%
Doubs jumped right back into the receiver rotation, nearly leading the entire receiver room in snaps. The third-year receiver finished with three catches for 40 yards and two touchdowns on five targets. This small yet impactful stat line demonstrates the exact type of player Doubs is: boom-or-bust.
Doubs has posted single-digit fantasy points in seven of his 11 games. Even with the lack of targets, he can provide a fantasy spark that few others on the waiver wire can. He has three games with 17 or more PPR points, and this Packers offense remains highly efficient.
Cedric Tillman (CLE) – 35%
After becoming a fantasy darling in Weeks 7 through 9, Tillman has fallen off the fantasy radar due to an ongoing concussion that has lingered. In Weeks 11 and 12, he finished with 7.7 and 2.8 PPR points, recording eight and four targets, respectively.
Tillman has flashed his ceiling during a three-game stretch this season where he averaged 22.1 PPR points. In that span, he posted 85 receiving yards, 10.6 targets, 7.0 receptions, and 1.0 touchdown per game. Tillman will face the Bengals in Week 16, but it remains unclear who the starting quarterback will be for the Browns moving forward. Either way, Tillman will see targets if he gets activated which makes him a FLEX consideration.
Tim Patrick (DET) – 2%
Patrick continues to deliver FLEX performances for managers willing to invest in his fantasy stock. In Week 15, he finished with six catches for 43 yards and two touchdowns, totaling 22.3 PPR points. In Week 16, he followed that up with four catches for 30 yards and one touchdown, producing 13.0 PPR points.
The eighth-year Utah product will face the Bears in Week 16 for the second time this season. Patrick played 70 percent of snaps in their first meeting and finished with two catches for 48 yards. Prior to the Bears’ Monday Night Football game, they had allowed 30.9 Half-PPR points to opposing receivers over their last four games, a middling amount.
Due to his low volume of opportunities, Patrick remains a not-so-exciting FLEX player. He likely needs to find the end zone to return value. Luckily, since Week 12, Patrick is second on the Lions with four red zone targets and three red zone receptions.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (NO) – 21%
With a rotation of quarterbacks operating under center for New Orleans, Valdes-Scantling remains a low-floor, high-ceiling option on the waiver wire. The veteran receiver has shown he only needs two or three catches to score more than 15 PPR points, but he has failed to reach 10 PPR points in each of his last two games. Despite this, he has received 14 targets during that span.
Valdes-Scantling remains a viable option for fantasy managers hoping for another big game, but it could lead to fool’s gold. He faces the Packers in Week 16, and they have been tough against opposing receivers, ranking as the seventh-stingiest unit in the NFL this season.
Jalen Coker (CAR) – 1%
Coker does not feel like a sexy pickup, but he has delivered a mixed bag of results in Carolina this season. In his eight games, Coker has three instances of 10 or more PPR points in eight games this season. He has scored as many as 21.0 PPR points in a single game – which took place in Week 15 against the Cowboys. Coker finished with four catches for 110 yards and one touchdown on six targets against Dallas, which genuinely feels like Coker’s ceiling. The downside to Coker is his inconsistency, highlighted by his five games of 7.1 PPR points or less.
Xavier Legette was only able to play 42 percent of snaps before leaving with an injury. Coker will likely continue being the second option in this passing offense if Legette remains on the shelf. If Legette is healthy enough to play in Week 16, Coker becomes less viable, and it would be difficult to trust him.
Elijah Moore (CLE) – 22%
Moore has not played well in his last four games. He has posted an average of 8.2 PPR points across those games, which is largely from a single game. If you remove that game, his PPR average falls to 4.5 points. But Moore is worth monitoring due to the injury situation in Cleveland.
Moore will be more intriguing if one or both of David Njoku and Cedric Tillman miss. If both of those players are healthy, it feels very difficult to trust Moore against a Bengals team that has played the slot receiver position around the NFL average over the last six weeks.
The elephant in the room is who will start at quarterback for the Browns. Jameis Winston was benched for Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who did not fare much better in Week 15. This makes the Cleveland pass catchers even more volatile heading into their game against the Bengals.
TIGHT ENDS
Brenton Strange (JAC) – 2%
With no one left to catch passes for the Jaguars, Strange was a huge beneficiary. He now becomes relevant for the rest of the season due to Evan Engram missing the remainder of the season with an injury.
Week 15 was excellent for Strange. He posted 11 catches for 73 yards on 12 targets for 18.3 PPR points. Prior to Monday Night Football, he is the TE2 overall in fantasy football foir Week 15.
His next game will be against the Las Vegas Raiders. Since Week 8, no one has been worse against opposing tight ends. Since that time, they have allowed an average of 21.1 Half-PPR points to the tight end position, which, when compared to the rest of the NFL across the entire season, easily ranks as the worst. The next closest is 13.8 Half-PPR points.
Stone Smartt (LAC) – 2%
Clearly, the Chargers’ offense is stuck in a rut too, as they have scored 17 points in each of their last three games. Smartt filled in for the injured Will Dissly in Week 15 and finished with five catches for 50 yards on six targets, generating 8.0 PPR points. In limited action in Week 14, Smartt finished with 8.4 PPR points on the back of three catches for 54 yards.
Their next game will be against a tough Denver defense. The Broncos have allowed 11.7 Half-PPR points to the tight end position since Week 10. When the Broncos faced off against the Chargers earlier this season, they allowed 6.1 Half-PPR points to the Chargers’ tight ends.
If Dissly is healthy enough to play, he would take over the majority of the usage, and managers should play him over Smartt. Dissly is available in nearly 75 percent of ESPN leagues.