Joseph Randle is the top consensus waiver pickup after DeMarco Murray’s hand surgery

Week 15 is all but over and for those who survived the terrible quarterback play on Sunday and found a way to seal a victory, congratulations! If you’re in a re-draft league league and this is the championship week for your league, now is not the time to hold onto a handcuff that hasn’t seen the light of day all season. That being said, those who held onto Joseph Randle may be thanking the stars as DeMarco Murray’s active streak might be in jeopardy come Week 16.

With that, the Week 16 waiver wire pickups come into play. In the case of Week 16, there are certainly a few candidates that would be worthy of a waiver claim and we’re here to help you out with who that claim should be used on. As with each week, we’ve asked the experts to rank the top waiver wire pickups that are readily available. Read on to view the pundits’ consensus advice as well as their top D/ST rentals for Week 16.

Featured Pros

Alessandro Miglio (FootballGuys)
Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts)
Greg Smith (The Fake Football)
K.J. (Fantasy Team Advice)

Waiver Wire Rankings (STD Scoring)

Week 16 Waiver Wire Advice

Each expert was asked to share advice about a target or two they like this week along with any other waiver wire suggestions they have. Here’s what the experts had to say.

Q1: Give us your thoughts on a waiver wire target (or two) you especially like as a pickup.

Alessandro Miglio – FootballGuys
With the late breaking news that DeMarco Murray will have surgery this week, Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar both make for the top pickups of the week. Hopefully Murray owners hung on to one of them as a handcuff, otherwise a potential championship game might be ugly. It’s too early to tell whether Carlos Hyde is going to miss time or not, but he is absolutely the next best pickup for championship week if he is healthy with Frank Gore likely out with a concussion. Not only would Hyde likely see the majority of the touches, but the dynamic rookie would have a nice matchup against the San Diego Chargers. Should Hyde also be out, Alfonso Smith becomes a decent pickup himself, though not nearly as exciting.

Stedman Bailey going up against the New York Giants is an intriguing proposition. The Giants have been playing well on defense lately, but they have faced some rather weak competition. The Rams aren’t the Packers on offense, but they should offer a tougher challenge than Tennessee’s or Washington’s offense. Bailey is a bit of a dart, but he could have a nice game.

Greg Smith – The Fake Football
It’s time to swing for the fences with your waiver wire moves. Fantasy championships are not won with the likes of Toby Gerhart and Doug Baldwin. We know what those players are capable of and if you made it this far, your roster is likely good enough to not need a middling talent in that vein. You’re searching for a legitimate opportunity for impact or you’re aiming to block your opponent from finding the same. With that in mind, Carlos Hyde is my top waiver target this week. Frank Gore’s concussion on Sunday has opened the door for this talented rookie to step into a starting role and win some fantasy titles for us, the degenerates of fake football. Hyde suffered an injury of his own on Sunday against Seattle, but he will have top-10 upside if he starts this week against San Diego. Monitor the reports of his health as long as you can before submitting your claims and be ready to audible to a claim on Alfonso Smith if the prognosis on Hyde is grim.

K.J. – Fantasy Team Advice
If Carlos Hyde is cleared in time for Week 16, I think he should be considered the top waiver wire option over DeMarco Murray’s handcuff Joseph Randle. Randle is a fine runner, but he will most likely be in an RBBC, while Hyde should have all the touches he can handle against the Chargers in Week 16. I’m a big believer in Carlos’ ability, and will be paying close attention to Gore’s concussion throughout the week.

Jody Smith – Gridiron Experts
Cecil Shorts could make for an interesting play this week. We all know the negative effect playing on short rest tends to have on defensive players and the early talk is that Blake Bortles could miss this game, meaning Short’s old buddy Chad Henne could get the start. These two shared a nice rapport last season, so it could mean some extra looks for Shorts this week.

He might not have a ton of “wow” factor due to that Trent Richardson-like yards-per-carry average, but Matt Asiata continues to be a decent fantasy option for owners desperate to fill a flex void. Asiata has scored eight touchdowns already and will continue to be Minnesota’s featured runner and goal-line back. As an added bonus, Asiata has racked up 3+ receptions in each of Minnesota’s past six contests, giving him added appeal in PPR-leagues.

Q2: For owners looking to rent a D/ST in Week 16, what readily available option should they target first?
*Note: Experts were asked to pick a team other than the Jaguars’ opponent (Tennessee Titans) since they’re an obvious choice

Alessandro Miglio – FootballGuys
My favorite defense that is likely unowned this week is the Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay. They are essentially playing for a playoff spot against a bad team, and we could well see some turnovers and, perhaps, a score on the defensive side for Green Bay. The downside is the possibility Aaron Rodgers puts the Packers up big early enough for garbage time to kick in, but the offense hasn’t been nearly as good on the road this season.

Jody Smith – Gridiron Experts
Somehow the Green Bay Packers defense is still owned in well under half of fantasy leagues, even though they were the third highest scoring unit in fantasy football leagues heading into Week 14. The Packers aggressive D has already accumulated four defensive scores to go along with an NFL-high three safties. Week 16 also brings a plus matchup for the Packers as they get a lousy Tampa Bay club in a game that Green Bay must win to keep up with Detroit in the NFC North.

Greg Smith – The Fake Football
Of the readily available options, I’m looking to add the New York Giants defense and special teams for Week 16. They have come on strong recently, with at least 7 sacks in each of their past three games. Those contests were all against poor opponents, but in Week 16, they square off against a Rams team who are equally generous to opposing defenses in terms of fantasy points allowed.

K.J. – Fantasy Team Advice
A fantasy defense that I highlighted in this week’s waiver wire article is the Jacksonville Jaguars. They get no love in the world of fantasy football (or the real world for that matter), but the truth is that they have outscored the Denver Broncos this season in D/ST scoring, are owned in fewer than 5% of leagues, and have the struggling TEN offense on tap in Week 16. If your waiver wire looks exceptionally bleak, and you don’t like the D/STs on your bench, you should take a flier on the Jags.

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If you’ve made it this far and have a meaningful game in Week 16, you are likely playing for a championship. Congratulations on a successful season and thank you to the experts for contributing their thoughts on Week 16 waiver wire pickups.