Week 16 was another hectic week for the NFL, mired in injuries and more COVID-19 outbreaks throughout the league.
Fantasy-relevant players such as Travis Kelce, Austin Ekeler, Dalvin Cook, Taysom Hill, Mike Williams, Tyler Huntley, Rhamondre Stevenson, Jared Goff and Gabriel Davis were unavailable after landing on the COVID-19/reserve list. Other noteworthy players such as Lamar Jackson, D'Andre Swift, Darren Waller, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette, Elijah Mitchell, Teddy Bridgewater, Daniel Jones and Justin Fields were all unavailable due to injuries.
The absences led to starts by backup signal-callers Drew Lock, Josh Johnson, Tim Boyle, Nick Foles, Jake Fromm and Ian Book (Monday). Fromm was benched mid-game and Foles was the lone backup to pick up a win.
Amid the chaos, there were numerous lopsided contests. The Texans upset the Chargers 41-29 for their second straight victory. The Chiefs routed the Steelers 36-10. The Bengals handled the Ravens 41-21 in a consequential divisional matchup. The Bills knocked the Patriots out of first place in the AFC East with a 33-21 win. The Eagles defeated the Giants 34-10. The Cowboys eviscerated Washington 56-14 in primetime.
Unfortunately, multiple stars suffered injuries that knocked them out of their respective games. James Robinson is done for the year after tearing his Achilles. Clyde Edwards-Helaire left with a collarbone injury. Miles Sanders may have broken his hand. Adam Thielen re-injured his ankle.
Whether you need an injury/COVID-19 fill-in, or a Week 17 streamer for the fantasy finals, make sure to check out The Action Network's top targets at each position — all of which are available in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues — that you should prioritize come Tuesday night.
Note: Yahoo! roster percentages are reflected in parenthesis and as of Monday.
Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups
Fantasy Waiver QBs to Target
Carson Wentz, Colts (48% rostered)
Rest-of-season schedule: vs. Raiders, at Jaguars
Wentz cooled off significantly after a hot start with the Colts leaning heavily on the run game. He delivered a solid Christmas performance in a tough road matchup against the Cardinals and completed 18 of 28 attempts for 225 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He is currently QB11 heading into Monday Night Football and is a solid Week 17 streaming option against the Raiders for managers needy at the position.
Priority: Medium.
Taysom Hill, Saints (42%)
Rest-of-season schedule: vs. Panthers, at Falcons
Hill was a dud last time we saw him in Week 15 against the Buccaneers, mustering only nine fantasy points. He missed Week 16 after landing on the COVID-19/reserve list, but has a chance to play in Week 17 if vaccinated. The Saints face the Panthers this week, whose defense didn't inspire much fear last week against a Buccaneers team without Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Leonard Fournette. Hill will be a fringe QB1 based on his rushing upside assuming he can clear the league protocols in time.
Priority: Medium.
Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins (41%)
Rest-of-season schedule: at Titans, vs. Patriots
I reserve the right to retract this recommendation if Tagovailoa is a complete dud on Monday Night Football. He should, in theory, capitalize on another positive matchup against the Saints this week after finishing top 12 in Week 15 against the Jets. Tagovailoa faces the Titans in Week 17, which is an attractive matchup for the fantasy finals as Tennessee has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this year.
Priority: Low.
Justin Fields, Bears (23%)
Rest-of-season schedule: vs. Giants, at Vikings
Nick Foles got the start this week with both Fields and Andy Dalton unavailable. Dalton is dealing with a groin injury and was on the COVID-19/reserve list while Fields was inactive due to an ankle injury. Fields was questionable throughout the week, suggesting he could have been close to playing, and had finished as the QB10 in back-to-back weeks prior to the injury. If active, he would be a potential streaming option with the Giants and Vikings on deck.
Priority: Low.
Fantasy Waiver RBs to Target
Rex Burkhead, Texans (13% rostered)
Rest-of-season schedule: at 49ers, vs. Titans
Burkhead had a monster day for fantasy in the Texans' upset win over the Chargers. He recorded 22 carries for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns with David Johnson sidelined with a quad injury. Royce Freeman also saw a healthy workload with 12 carries for 34 yards. Johnson did not practice all week and it's unclear if he is set to miss more time. At any rate, Burkhead's touches have been increasing since Week 13, as the veteran seems to have carved out a role in this suddenly not-so-anemic offense. He will be a high-floor streamer this week against the 49ers' middle-of-the-road run defense.
Priority: High.
Dare Ogunbowale, Jaguars (<1%)
Rest-of-season schedule: at Patriots, vs. Colts
Ogunbowale led the Jaguars' rushing attack with star running back James Robinson going down early with a torn Achilles. He recorded 17 attempts for 57 yards and a touchdown and caught two of four targets for 15 yards in a 26-21 loss to the Jets. Robinson will miss the remainder of the season, which presents an opportunity for Ogunbowale — a former undrafted free agent from Wisconsin. He immediately vaults into the streaming conversation based on workload, even with the Patriots and Colts on deck.
Priority: Medium to high.
Boston Scott, Eagles (15%)
Rest-of-season schedule: at Washington, vs. Cowboys
Scott saw the bulk of the running back carries in Sunday's 34-10 win over the Giants with Miles Sanders going down early in the third quarter. He recorded 12 attempts for 41 yards and a touchdown while Jordan Howard recorded nine carries for 37 yards and Kenneth Gainwell did not record a rushing attempt. The Eagles fear Sanders suffered a fractured hand, which will undoubtedly sideline him for some time. Howard and Scott will be next up in this backfield, which has been quite messy for fantasy this year. Philadelphia takes on Washington in Week 17, whose defense was just eviscerated for 56 points in primetime.
Priority: Medium to high.
Derrick Gore, Chiefs (2%)
Rest-of-season schedule: at Bengals, at Broncos
Gore was impressive in the Chiefs' Week 16 win over the Steelers and saw 12 carries for 43 yards. He also tacked on three catches for 61 yards and benefitted from Clyde Edwards-Helaire going down with a collarbone injury. The X-rays on Edwards-Helaire's collarbone were negative, though there is a good chance he misses time. Darrel Williams — who saw 14 touches for 85 scrimmage yards in the contest — will likely lead the backfield for Kansas City if Edwards-Helaire misses time, but expect Gore to be incorporated as well.
Priority: Medium.
Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Buccaneers (1%)
Rest-of-season schedule: at Jets, vs. Panthers
Ronald Jones II led the Buccaneers in rushing attempts with Leonard Fournette on injured reserve with 20 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn also played a role and turned heads with one of the biggest plays in the game. Vaughn recorded seven carries for 70 yards, including a 55-yard score in the first quarter. He and Jones get a cupcake matchup in Week 17 on the road against the Jets, who rank dead last in fantasy points allowed per game to running backs.
Priority: Medium.
Fantasy Waiver WRs to Target
K.J. Osborn, Vikings (34% rostered)
Rest-of-season schedule: at Packers, vs. Bears
I was ready to write off Osborn with Adam Thielen returning from injury, which lasted less than half of a game. Thielen re-injured his ankle in the second quarter of the Vikings' Week 16 matchup against the Rams and would not return. Osborn reeled in five of seven targets for 68 yards and a touchdown — his third score in four games. Depending on how serious this re-aggravation is for Thielen, Osborn could be in for the WR2 treatment once again. He would immediately be in the WR3/flex conversation next week with the Packers on deck.
Priority: High.
Isaiah McKenzie, Bills (1%)
Rest-of-season schedule: vs. Falcons, vs. Jets
It was McKenzie — not Emmanuel Sanders — who stepped up big time this week with both Gabriel Davis and Cole Beasley out on the COVID-19/reserve list. He saw a whopping 12 targets (just one fewer than Stefon Diggs) and caught 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Diggs caught seven of 13 targets for 85 yards and a touchdown and Sanders caught two of four targets for 20 yards. Davis landed on the COVID-19/reserve list on Friday while Beasley was placed on the list on Tuesday. Both will have to miss a minimum of 10 days before returning to play, which rules Davis out for Week 17 and jeopardizes the availability of Beasley (who was fined this week for repeated violations of the NFL's COVID-19 protocols). As such, McKenzie could be in for another big game this week against the Falcons, whose defense has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing receivers this year.
Priority: Medium to high.
Joshua Palmer, Chargers (5%)
Rest-of-season schedule: vs. Broncos, at Raiders
Palmer popped off (on my bench) this week against the Texans and caught five of six targets for 43 yards and a touchdown — his second in three games. He saw an uptick in targets with Mike Williams out on the COVID-19/reserve list after testing positive for the virus. Williams is reportedly unvaccinated and will miss at least one more game, per league protocols. Palmer will be an interesting flex play this week against the Broncos.
Priority: Medium to high.
Braxton Berrios, Jets (6%)
Rest-of-season schedule: vs. Buccaneers, at Bills
Berrios has been trending upwards over the last three weeks and had his best game of the season against the Jaguars. He caught five of six targets for 37 yards, but tacked on a massive 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He could continue to play a role in this offense with Jamison Crowder battling a calf injury, Corey Davis out for the year with a core muscle injury and Elijah Moore on injured reserve with a quad injury.
Priority: Low to medium.
Byron Pringle, Chiefs (2%)
Rest-of-season schedule: at Bengals, at Broncos
Pringle is coming off of his best game of the season by far against the Steelers. He caught six of seven targets for 75 yards and two touchdowns — his fourth and fifth of the season. Pringle undoubtedly saw more targets with Travis Kelce unavailable for this game after failing to clear the COVID-19 protocols. He is a deep-league dart throw at best if Kelce and Tyreek Hill are both active in Week 17.
Priority: Low.
Fantasy Waiver TEs to Target
Gerald Everett, Seahawks (42% rostered)
Rest-of-season schedule: vs. Lions, at Cardinals
Everett had another strong day for fantasy in Week 16 against the Bears and caught four of five targets for 68 yards and a touchdown — his third in five games. He enters Monday night as the TE3 for the week behind only Mark Andrews and Dalton Schultz and should capitalize on a soft Week 17 matchup against Detroit. The Lions have been carved up by tight ends of late and have allowed at least nine fantasy points in half PPR to seven tight ends over the last five games (Cole Kmet, Jimmy Graham, Tyler Conklin, Albert Okwuegbunam, Zach Ertz, Kyle Pitts and Hayden Hurst).
Priority: Medium.
Foster Moreau, Raiders (22%)
Rest-of-season schedule: at Colts, vs. Chargers
Moreau had a decent day for fantasy with Darren Waller still sidelined despite a difficult Week 16 matchup. He caught all four of his targets for 67 yards against the Broncos, who have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends all year. Moreau would be in the streaming conversation if Waller is unavailable once again come Week 17 against the Colts, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to the position.
Priority: Low to medium.
