Week 16 Waiver Wire Top Pickups & Adds: Jalen Hurts To Deliver Another Big Game

Hopefully, you are moving on in your fantasy football playoffs as Week 16 is often the big week for championships. If you do have a Week 17 league, reconsider it next year and also don’t worry we will have you covered with all of our usual content. This week had a lot of late news that impacted a lot. A few teams are now eliminated from the playoffs like the Patriots and 49ers, we have several games with playoff implications this week and more injuries to deal with. Tune into our Week 16 fantasy football rankings & projections to help guide you throughout the week with any decisions.

Quarterbacks

 Jalen Hurts – Philadelphia Eagles

Average % Rostered: 32%, FAAB: 20%

It is a shame we didn’t have Jalen Hurts earlier in the season as he now has back-to-back strong fantasy outings. However, he makes for a great streaming option again this week. If you have been dealing with quarterback issues but have found yourself in a playoff matchup, Hurts can deliver for you. With middle-tier quarterbacks not being consistent and also a couple of quarterbacks having injury troubles, Hurts is a safe option. Despite Doug Pederson’s joke about deciding on next week’s starter, Hurts is of course going to be it. Hurts will face Dallas next week, who rank bottom ten in DVOA against the pass. They are middle of the road in fantasy points allowed but the games against Daniel Jones, Carson Wentz, Alex Smith, and the Bengals are weighing it down.

Running Backs

Jeff Wilson – San Francisco 49ers

Average % Rostered: 50%, FAAB: 15%

First things first, if Le’Veon Bell is out there, go ahead and use the rest of your FAAB money. That is kinda the case for everyone as FAAB money has likely dwindled down or whatever is left this is the last week to use it. Bell is around 60% rostered so a bit high for me to include. Jeff Wilson, however, is out there in half of leagues and more so in shallower leagues. Raheem Mostert has battled injuries all season long and left against Dallas. Wilson had over 15 touches and while he will still likely be in a committee next week, he should have 12+ touches against an Arizona defense that is middle of the road against the run.

Salvon Ahmed – Miami Dolphins

Average % Rostered: 13%, FAAB: 10%

We still need to monitor Myles Gaskin for Week 16, but Salvon Ahmed has been excellent when healthy and filling in. He missed the past few weeks but had produced 16, 12, and 21 fantasy point games overall this season. He also has 21, 17, and 24 touches in those three games. Miami has a strong matchup against the Raiders this week, who have allowed the 4th most PPR points to running backs this season and rank dead last against the run.

Tony Pollard – Dallas Cowboys

Average % Rostered: 21%, FAAB: 15%

Ezekiel Elliott was a surprise scratch before the game as Mike McCarthy was expecting him to play all week. That was certainly fine as Tony Pollard stepped right in and delivered a monster game. He has been the better back this season, and we shall see if Elliott is ready to go this week. Pollard isn’t a sure thing for Week 16 but his upside is there if Elliott is out and would be an easy start to slide right in.

Wide Receivers

Emmanuel Sanders – New Orleans Saints

Average % Rostered: 49%, FAAB: 10%

With Michael Thomas on the IR, Emmanuel Sanders is worth a pickup. He had 11.6 PPR points this past week against the Chiefs and will see an easier secondary to deal with against Minnesota in Week 16. They have allowed the 7th most PPR points per game to wide receivers this season. Drew Brees looked rusty but I anticipate a better showing this upcoming week. Sanders is a WR3 or FLEX option at best this week.

Keke Coutee – Houston Texans

Average % Rostered: 31%, FAAB: 10%

Keke Coutee had another strong game and this is now back to back games with a touchdown. He has 19 targets over the last three games since the Will Fuller suspension kicked in. He has 22, 9, and 14 fantasy point games in that span. Houston will take on Cincinnati this week and the offense continues to march on despite the absence of Fuller. Coutee is a solid wideout in PPR formats with 16 catches over the last three games.

Russell Gage – Atlanta Falcons

Average % Rostered: 21%, FAAB: 10%

While the Falcons have talked about Julio Jones seeing the field again, it seems unlikely this season. Russell Gage has seen a tick up in production the last two games, although throwing a 39-yard touchdown is going to help. Gage has been seeing big targets since the bye week, with 12, 5, 8, 7, and 10. He has double-digit fantasy points in four of the last five games and is over 15 in each of the last three.

Tight Ends

Logan Thomas – Washington Football Team

Average % Rostered: 53%, FAAB: 5%

Logan Thomas is coming off a monster game with 13 catches for 101 yards. He now has 9, 7, and 15 targets over the last three games and double-digit fantasy points in each of the last four. Washington will take on Carolina this week and regardless of who is under center, Thomas is an excellent play. He will take on Carolina, who have allowed the 9th most fantasy points to tight ends this season.