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Antonio D'Arcangelis | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


Through The Wire - Week 16
12/17/18; Updated: 12/18/18

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Targeting weekly waiver picks is a completely subjective business, but this column hopes to point out some obvious and not-so-obvious selections to help your team from week to week while you strive to collect fantasy wins, reach your league playoffs and win the elusive title that your friends say is out of your grasp. While I’m a big proponent of making trades to bolster your roster, the waiver wire can be an almost limitless resource when it comes to discovering fantasy value in strange places. Each week, I’ll highlight some of the popular (and not-so-popular) players who can help your squad and may still be available in your league.

Feedback is always welcome, appreciated and encouraged. I’ll get to as many e-mails as I can.




Aaron Jones suffered a sprained MCL early in Wk 15 leaving the bulk of RB work to Jamaal Williams.


Quarterbacks

Marcus Mariota, TEN – It’s slim picking for quarterbacks on the waiver wire in most leagues at this point, and Mariota has had two bad games in a row – most of that due to Derrick Henry taking over the offense and leading the way in two recent victories. I expect Washington to stack the box against Henry with their stout defensive lineman and linebackers and force Mariota to throw the ball a bit more in Week 16. He’s far from a great play, but he’s a risk that could pay off in DFS and in deeper formats.

Sam Darnold, NYJ – Darnold is coming off one of his better games this rookie season, throwing for 253-2-0 against the Texans in Week 15. The Packers season is all but over and they don’t seem to be playing with much intensity at this point, so I could see them struggling against the Jets in New Jersey in Week 16. Darnold is a decent QB2 option this week.

Josh Allen, BUF – Since Week 12, Allen has been one of the more consistent fantasy QBs out there. He’s coming off a Week 15 performance in which he threw for 204-1-0 and added 16 rushing yards and a TD on the ground. He gets the Patriots in Week 16 and Bill Belichick’s defense could make an interesting foil – or a challenging obstacle for the rookie to overcome.

Nick Foles, PHI – Like Mariota and Allen, Foles (5-15 percent owned) is a risk as well, but the threw for 270-0-1 on Sunday night and gets the Texans in Week 16. It’s not a great matchup but Foles has worked his magic before.

UPDATE: Foles is starting Week 16, even though Carson Wentz is not being placed on IR.

Other QBs to consider: Josh Johnson, Cody Kessler, Jeff Driskel

Updates:

Dak Prescott, DAL – I’ve talked a little in previous articles about expecting the occasional dud from Prescott, but I didn’t see them getting shut out by the Colts. His 206-0-1 passing line and glaring lack of any rushing yardage (or attempts!) in Week 15 are an extreme example of his poor play. Expect a bounce-back against the Bucs in Week 16, but don’t get too excited.

Derek Carr, OAK – Car’s 263-1-0 (lost fumble) is a bit disappointing considering the favorable matchup with the Bengals. Carr gets a tougher task against Denver in Week 16 and shouldn’t be rostered in single QB leagues.

Lamar Jackson, BAL – Jackson’s been steady since taking over the starting duties and turned in another decent game with 131-1-0 and 95 rushing yards (lost fumble) in Week 15. I’d caution against starting him versus the Chargers in Week 16, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a passable, Top 15 performance.

Case Keenum, DEN – Keenum threw for 257-0-2 but added a rushing TD to somewhat salvage his day and earn the Broncos a win. The Raiders should be easy pickings in Week 16, but Keenum just hasn’t been taking advantage of favorable matchups this season.

Running Backs

Jamaal Williams, GB – Williams (20-30 percent owned) rushed 12 times for 55 yards and a TD in Week 15 against the Packers, notching 4-42-0 receiving on five targets. The second-year back out of BYU took over once Aaron Jones left with a knee injury and he should be the go-to tailback in Week 16 with Jones likely unavailable.

UPDATE: Kapri Bibbs was added to the Packers roster while Jones was placed in Injured Reserve. Williams can safely be fired up as an RB2 this week.

Alfred Blue, HOU – While Lamar Miller’s ankle injury isn’t considered serious, Blue could get more work in Week 16 and has had his moments this season when given the opportunity. He has limited upside but could make an impact in PPR leagues, noting he had a 8-73-0 receiving game back in Week 5 against Dallas. Blue has rushed for 472 yards and two TDs on 143 carries this season as Miller’s backup.

Wendell Smallwood/Darren Sproles, PHI – Smallwood (25-35 percent owned) rushed for 48 yards and two scores Sunday night, adding 2-9-0 in the win over the Rams. Sproles rushed for 30 yards on three carries and hauled in 3-16-0 on Sunday night. He’s a viable flex play in PPR leagues and could have sneaky DFS value in Week 16 facing the Texans if he can get loose for a score. Adams remains the lead back in this committee, but these two both fill substantial roles.

Keith Ford, BUF – Marcus Murphy is heading to IR with a dislocated elbow, and both LeSean McCoy and Chris Ivory are questionable. Ford rung up 53 yards on 15 carries in Week 15, so he’d get the call if McCoy and Ivory are unavailable.

Other RBs to consider: Rex Burkhead, Kalen Ballage

Updates:

Kenneth Dixon, BAL – Dixon (20-35 percent owned) rushed for 48 yards on 11 carries, but it was Gus Edwards and Jackson who led the Ravens rushing offense. Dixon should remain the secondary/third-down back and earn 10-15 touches in Week 16, but he’s not a bell cow in this run-heavy offense that seems comfortable with Edwards carrying a larger share of the workload.

Elijah McGuire, NYJ – McGuire (20-40 percent owned) had a solid outing on Saturday, rushing for 42 yards and a TD and adding 3-29-0 receiving. His fantasy prospects for Week 16 remain promising with Isaiah Crowell heading to IR with his toe injury.

Damien Williams, KC – Williams (now about 60 percent owned in competitive leagues) had a monster outing on Thursday night, rushing for 49 yards and two TDs and adding 6-74-0 receiving in the last second loss to the Chargers. Williams was the starter with Spencer Ware (shoulder, hamstring) unavailable and would get the start again in Week 16 at Seattle if Ware is unable to go.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

Mike Williams, LAC – Williams (50-75 percent owned) was a revelation on Thursday night, doing everything he could for the Chargers to sneak out a victory over the Chiefs. He caught 7-of-9 targets for 76 yards and two TDs in the stunning win, adding a 19-yard touchdown rush and scoring the game-winning two points on a conversion in the closing seconds.

Robert Foster, BUF – Foster finished the Bills Week 15 victory over Detroit with 4-108-1 on five targets and seems to have developed a good rapport with Josh Allen. The rookie WR is about 5-10 percent owned in fantasy leagues and could continue to be an impact player over the last couple of weeks.

Robby Anderson, NYJ – Anderson is finally having the kind of fantasy performances that his owners imagined when they drafted him before the 2018 season got underway, hauling in 7-96-1 on 11 targets in Week 15. He’s now got TD receptions in consecutive weeks and is still just 25-40 percent owned.

John Ross, CIN – Ross is a huge risk for the remaining couple of weeks, but he’s vaulted in the No.1 receiving role for the Bengals with Tyler Boyd (MCL sprain) likely missing the last two games. There’s some limited upside facing the Browns, though – and the Bengals have nothing to lose except a couple more games.

Other WRs/TEs to consider: Alex Erickson, Tyrell Williams, C.J. Uzomah, Eli Rogers

Updates:

Dede Westbrook, JAC – Westbrook (50-70 percent owned) salvaged what would have been a disappointing day with a punt return TD and 20 yards on a single carry but caught just 3-21-0 on five targets in Week 15. He should be a viable WR3/flex play in Week 16 against the Dolphins.

Ian Thomas, CAR – UPDATE: Thomas started off fast with a couple of catches but that was it – two catches for 14 yards on four targets from Cam Newton. It was a strange Monday night game with the defenses dominating much of the action, but Thomas should be right back on the streaming radar in a favorable matchup with the Falcons in Week 16.

Kenny Stills, MIA – Stills busted out with just one catch for 17 yards Sunday against the Vikings. Ryan Tannehill just didn’t have the time to get the ball downfield to Stills – a deep- threat type of receiver who could face similar issues against the Jags and their staunch pass rush in Week 16.

Chris Conley, KC – Conley didn’t get a lot of attention on Thursday night and caught just 2-19-0 on three targets. He’s a similar risk in Week 16.