6 Last-Minute Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 16)

Fantasy football can be an extremely fun game to play. It can also be highly frustrating at times. Nothing is more annoying than needing to make a last-minute waiver wire move because someone in your starting lineup is out for the week. Sadly, there isn’t much you can do about it. However, I’m going to try to help.

Every week, I will have six players you can grab off the waiver wire at the last minute and throw into your lineup. Some will succeed, while others will fail. Unfortunately, that’s how the game of fantasy football is played. Let’s dive into my six last-minute waiver wire targets for Week 16.

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Last-Minute Waiver Wire Pickups & Injury Replacements

All the players in this article are rostered in fewer than 35% of ESPN leagues.

Tyler Shough (QB – NO) vs. New York Jets | 10.2% Rostered

New Orleans was eliminated from the playoffs a few weeks ago. Yet, they have been the biggest thorn in the side of the NFC South lately. The Saints have won back-to-back games over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers. More importantly, Tyler Shough has played well lately, completing 70% of his pass attempts for 218.3 yards, one touchdown and 18.9 fantasy points per game over the past three weeks. Furthermore, the rookie has averaged 35 rushing yards and 7.5 fantasy points per game on the ground during that stretch.

More importantly, Shough is one of the better streaming options for the final two weeks of the fantasy playoffs. He faces the Jets on Sunday and the Tennessee Titans in Week 17. New York had no answer for Trevor Lawrence last week. They made the former Clemson star look like Josh Allen, surrendering 330 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, 51 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown and 44.3 fantasy points. While Shough won’t score six touchdowns against the Jets, expect him to record his fourth consecutive game with at least 17.4 fantasy points.

Michael Carter (RB – ARI) vs. Atlanta Falcons | 34.7% Rostered

Unfortunately, the Cardinals are down to their fourth starting running back, as James Conner, Trey Benson, and Bam Knight have all suffered season-ending injuries. Last week, Michael Carter played well after Knight left early in the contest, totaling 14 rushing attempts for 56 yards and four receptions for 38 receiving yards. He scored 13.4 PPR fantasy points. The veteran has played well when given an opportunity. He has averaged 12.9 fantasy points per game in the four contests with at least 10 touches, totaling 11.4+ points in all but one outing.

Hopefully, fantasy players already added Carter off the waiver wire, as the veteran has top-20 upside on Sunday against the Falcons and next week against the Cincinnati Bengals. Atlanta has surrendered 97 rushing yards and 17 fantasy points per game to running backs over the past two weeks, allowing at least 87 yards and 15.6 fantasy points in both outings. More importantly, Carter remains a factor on offense even if Arizona has to chase points and throw the ball. He had four receptions last week and five in Weeks 10 and 13.

Audric Estime (RB – NO) vs. New York Jets | 9.1% Rostered

Injuries have crushed the Saints’ backfield, as Kendre Miller and Devin Neal are on season-ending injured reserve (IR). Meanwhile, Alvin Kamara missed the first two days of practice this week and is trending towards missing his fourth consecutive game with multiple injuries. Therefore, Audric Estime will be New Orleans’ lead running back on Sunday against the Jets. The veteran has barely seen the field on offense this season. However, he was productive last week against the Carolina Panthers, totaling 50 scrimmage yards and eight PPR fantasy points on only six touches.

While having a lead role makes most running backs fantasy-relevant, Estime also has an appealing matchup against the Jets, who have surrendered 27.4 fantasy points per game to running backs this year, the third-most in the NFL. Furthermore, their run defense has been atrocious lately. New York has surrendered 114 rushing yards, 1.8 touchdowns and 37.5 fantasy points per game to running backs over the past five weeks. More importantly, the Jets have allowed opposing running backs to score at least 41.9 fantasy points in three consecutive games.

Adonai Mitchell (WR – NYJ) vs. New Orleans Saints | 32.2% Rostered

Head coach Aaron Glenn announced on Wednesday that Brady Cook would make his second consecutive start on Sunday. While fantasy players don’t love the idea of the undrafted free agent (UDFA) rookie quarterback starting again, Cook didn’t hurt Adonai Mitchell’s fantasy value last week. The former Texas star had six receptions on nine targets for 58 receiving yards, one touchdown and 17.4 PPR fantasy points, leading the Jets in every category. Furthermore, the second-year pro has played well in his last two games, where there wasn’t a quarterback change due to injury.

Everything went wrong for New York’s offense in Week 14 with Tyrod Taylor leaving the game after playing six snaps. However, Mitchell has played well in the other two games over the past three weeks, totaling 14 receptions on 21 targets for 160 receiving yards, two touchdowns and 41.6 fantasy points. Meanwhile, the Saints haven’t faced an elite passing attack since their Week 11 bye. Yet, they’ve surrendered three receiving touchdowns and 22.3 fantasy points per game to wide receivers over the past four weeks, allowing 26.1+ points twice.

Jalen Coker (WR – CAR) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9.8% Rostered

Fantasy players have wanted Jalen Coker to become a consistent contributor since he made the team last year as an undrafted rookie. Unfortunately, injuries hampered his ability to build off a solid rookie season. Coker missed the first six contests and averaged 3.2 targets and 5.2 PPR fantasy points per game over his first six outings, totaling 6.6 points or fewer in all but one. However, he has played well lately, averaging four receptions for 67 receiving yards, one touchdown and 15.7 fantasy points per game over his past two contests.

Furthermore, Coker was the Panthers’ best wide receiver in last week’s upset loss to the New Orleans Saints, leading the team’s pass-catchers in receptions (four), targets (four), receiving yards (60), touchdowns (one) and fantasy points (14). Meanwhile, Carolina faces a Tampa Bay defense that has been fantasy-friendly towards opposing passing attacks lately. The Buccaneers have struggled to defend the pass since their Week 9 bye, surrendering 11.5 receptions for 154 receiving yards, 0.8 touchdowns and 31.6 fantasy points per game to wide receivers despite facing multiple sub-par offenses.

Darren Waller (TE – MIA) vs. Cincinnati Bengals | 29.8% Rostered

Darren Waller hadn’t played well for fantasy players since returning from a pectoral injury, totaling 9.4 PPR fantasy points over his two games back on the field. He was on his way to another lackluster performance last week before an excellent conclusion to the game. Waller finished with seven receptions on eight targets for 66 receiving yards, two touchdowns and 25.6 fantasy points, leading Dolphins pass-catchers in every category. Some believe Miami switching from Tua Tagovailoa to Quinn Ewers will hurt his production. I wouldn’t bet on it.

Waller couldn’t ask for a better fantasy matchup in Ewers’ first career start. The Bengals have surrendered 22.7 fantasy points per game to tight ends, the most in the NFL, allowing 5.3 more points per contest than the next closest team. Last week, Baltimore Ravens tight ends had only two receptions and 3.8 fantasy points against Cincinnati. However, Lamar Jackson had only 12 pass attempts in the win. By comparison, the Bengals had surrendered 24.1 fantasy points per game to tight ends before last week’s matchup.

Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.