Waiver Favors: 2018 Week 16 Fantasy Football Pickups

December 23, 2018

By Ha Kung Wong

As I do every week over the last 6 years, I’m back to help with some waiver wire adds via my weekly Waiver Favors article!

Hopefully, you’ve already won your championship game, in which case, CONGRATS! But if you didn’t and you’re vying for a championship in Week 17, don’t worry, we got you covered. Here are a couple suggestions after Week 16 of the 2018 fantasy football season that might help you get that last win! You’re welcome.

As usual, all pickups are available in at least 50% of Yahoo standard fantasy football leagues (with some minor exceptions) as of Sunday evening.

Thanks again for following Waiver Favors! We’ll see you again next year!

C.J. Anderson

RB – Los Angeles Rams – 44% Owned

So Todd Gurley was ruled out in Week 16, surely burning plenty of fantasy football teams in a critical week. But if you managed to grab C.J. Anderson, who was literally sitting at home without a job less than a week ago, and sub him in, you’re probably sitting pretty right now, as Anderson shocked the world with 20 carries for 167 yards and a TD. Gurley’s knee problem isn’t terrible, but the Rams probably don’t need him against the 49ers in Week 17, so it likely behooves them to allow Gurley to rest another week for the playoffs. If that happens, Anderson may win championships for those of you who play in Week 17. He’s viable in all leagues.

Ted Ginn Jr.

Ted Ginn Jr. – Getty Images

WR – New Orleans Saints – 3% Owned

Ted Ginn was finally activated after healing from his knee injury in Week 4 and reminded us of what he could do catching 5 of 8 targets for 74 yards. He’s clearly the WR2 in the prolific Saints offense when healthy. He’ll get a chance to for more playing time even with the Saints clinching the number 1 seed, so if you’re looking for that WR3/Flex in 14-team leagues or deeper, you could do worse.

DeAndre Carter

WR – Houston Texans – 1% Owned

Poor Demaryius Thomas. We all thought he’d be a big part of the Texans offense after he was traded, but he was mostly mediocre, even with no Will Fuller and no Keke Coutee. But now he has an Achilles injury that is likely to have ended his season. And if you’re wondering who will step up and fill the void, maybe it’s DeAndre Carter. Carter caught 6 of 7 targets for 61 yards, his second 60+ effort in back-to-back weeks. It’s a gamble, but if you’re really hurtin’ for a WR4/Flex in a 16-team league or deeper, why not?

Jarius Wright

WR – Carolina Panthers – 0% Owned

Taylor Heinicke’s first NFL start was less than stellar, but there were two things that I took away from the game. First, Christian McCaffery is going to get as much work as he can handle racking up an insane 33 touches for 178 total yards. Second, is that the Panthers are going to have to throw a lot since they’re likely to be behind, and Heinicke’s two favorite WRs are Curtis Samuel and Jarius Wright. Samuel got more targets, but was hampered by most of them being around the line of scrimmage. Wright, on the other hand, caught 7 of 8 targets for 69 yards, which isn’t much, but is 50% more yardage than Samuel. The Saints are probably going to rest people in Week 17, so there’s a decent chance that Wright will have some room for production after showing a good rapport with Heinicke. If you need a dart throw in 16-team leagues or deeper, feel free to give him a look.

Here are guys that I’ve mentioned before but are Moving Up this week:

Elijah McGuire (61% Owned)

After totaling 85 yard and 2 TDs on the ground and through the air, McGuire is now looking like a great play in all 12-team leagues or deeper. So that’s where I’m moving him.

Jeff Wilson Jr. (48% Owned)

Matt Brieda re-aggravated his ankle yet again, and the 49ers might just let him sit out the final game of the season. If so, Wilson is in line to the primary RB there, so I’m moving him up to 14-team leagues or deeper.

Also, since we’re in the fantasy playoffs, don’t forget to stash your RB handcuffs. That includes:

Rod Smith (1% Owned) – Dallas Cowboys (for owners of Ezekiel Elliott)
Rex Burkhead (19% Owned) – New England Patriots (for owners of Sony Michel and James White)
Chase Edmonds (2% Owned) – Arizona Cardinals (for owners of David Johnson)
Justin Jackson (46% Owned) – Los Angeles Chargers (for owners of Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler)

UPDATE from Monday Night Football

Royce Freeman

RB – Denver Broncos – 43% Owned

Freeman has been disappointing as compared to the hype this season, but rushed seven times for 21 yards against the Raiders with Phillip Lindsay going out in the 3rd quarter with a wrist injury. It’s now being reported that Lindsay is suffering a possible scaphoid fracture, along with ligament damage and may face a lengthy recovery, meaning is almost definitely out in Week 17. That sets up Freeman as the top option in the backfield for the Broncos, so scoop him up if you need an RB in all leagues.

Advice: Seven touches obviously aren’t a lot, but even that number is exaggerated since it came at the expense of Phillip Lindsay’s third-quarter hand injury.

And here’s who I’ve recommended in previous weeks that I still think deserve a look:

10-Team Leagues

None

12-Team Leagues

QBs – Baker Mayfield, Dak Prescott, Mitchell Trubisky

RBs – Josh Adams, Gus Edwards, Elijah McGuire, Jaylen Samuels, Spencer Ware/Damien Williams, Jamaal Williams

WRs – Robby Anderson, Kenny Golladay

14-Team Leagues

QB – Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jameis Winston

RBs – Kalen Ballage, LeGarrette Blount, Austin Ekeler (assuming he returns from injury), Wendell Smallwood, Jeff Williams Jr.

WRs – Antonio Callaway, Taylor Gabriel, Chris Godwin, Robert Foster, DaeSean Hamilton, Adam Humphries, Zay Jones, Christian Kirk, D.J. Moore, Tim Patrick, Josh Reynolds, Calvin Ridley, Mohamed Sanu, Courtland Sutton, Mike Williams

TE – Cameron Brate, Chris Herndon, Ian Thomas, C.J. Uzomah (PPR)