Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets for Week 16

Staying active on the waiver wire is an important way for season-long fantasy owners to improve their teams and get an edge on the competition. Shifts in opportunities for players due to injuries or performance cause value spikes that owners can take advantage of to fill in roster holes to build a championship lineup.

Each week, we will discuss waiver wire targets at each position to consider for both the week ahead and the rest of the fantasy season.

Week 16 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds

* Current roster % in home leagues is noted in parentheses (from Sleeper)

Aaron Rodgers, QB (New York Jets) (38%)

Maybe Aaron Rodgers just needed to get warmed up this year in his 19th NFL season. The 41-year-old has likely played his two best games of the year in the last two weeks. He’s averaging 314 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in that stretch with zero interceptions.

Rodgers is finally getting the most out of his superstar targets. Davante Adams caught nine balls for 198 yards and two scores and Garrett Wilson added three catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. Combined with two talented running backs in Breece Hall and Braelon Allen, this Jets offense certainly has plenty of weapons for Rodgers to utilize.

The Jets will need to put up points to keep up with the Rams and Bills in their next two games. They will likely be playing catch-up in the game script, which may play right into the hands of Rodgers’ fantasy owners in the playoffs.

Looking for more fantasy football content? Make sure to check out Sean Koerner’s and Chris Raybon’s weekly fantasy football rankings by subscribing to FantasyLabs’ 2024 fantasy football kit to see how other waiver wire candidates look this week.

Jerome Ford, RB (Cleveland Browns) (43%)

Another tough injury for Nick Chubb (broken foot) once again elevated Jerome Ford to the lead role in the Browns’ backfield. Ford made the most of the opportunity with a 62-yard touchdown run in garbage time as Cleveland got blitzed by the reigning Super Bowl Champions.

Ford began 2024 as the starting running back and saw double-digit touches in four of the team’s first five games. He found the end zone just once in those weeks but caught at least three passes in all but one game.

Ford has a promising 5.2 yards/carry on the season and should see plenty of work against a porous Bengals defense. He will likely be the top waiver wire option for fantasy playoff teams with potential league-winning production.

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Quentin Johnston, WR (Los Angeles Chargers) (57%)

Talent has never been an issue for Quentin Johnston, but he has failed to find consistent production over his first two NFL seasons with the Chargers. Maybe he’s starting to turn a corner in his rapport with Justin Herbert, with five catches in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.

Unfortunately, those five catches accounted for only half of the targets he received on Sunday against Tampa Bay. He tallied just 45 yards but scored for the second week in a row. He led the team with a 31% target share and 45% of wide receiver opportunities.

A breakout game feels inevitable for Johnston at some point, but it’s unclear when that will come to fruition. Fantasy owners needing a high variable option to pull an upset could consider Johnston as an upside play.

Brenton Strange, TE (Jacksonville Jaguars) (7%)

The only time the Penn State product entered fantasy relevance before Sunday was due to a few sporadic touchdown catches over the last two seasons. Everything changed against the Jets for Brenton Strange as he caught a career-high 11 catches on 12 targets for 73 yards.

Although he failed to reach the end zone, Strange saw an incredible 28% overall target share and 100% of the tight end looks. With Jaguars starting tight end Evan Engram sidelined for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, Strange was the clear number two receiving option behind rookie Brian Thomas Jr. for Mac Jones.

Jacksonville faces the Raiders and Titans over the next two weeks. Las Vegas is 31st against fantasy tight ends. Strange is an obvious pick-up for the fantasy playoffs, but don’t be surprised if his targets retreat back into single digits.

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Indianapolis Colts, D/ST (15%)

Their defense ranks 19th in fantasy points on the season, but they have by far the best matchups for the fantasy playoff run in the next two weeks. The Colts face the Titans, and potentially Mason Rudolph, in Week 16 and the Giants, with Tim Boyle, in Week 17. Those teams rank 32nd and 29th in points allowed to fantasy defenses this season.

After recording just one interception in the previous three weeks, the Colts intercepted Bo Nix three times in their loss to the Broncos on Sunday. They sacked the rookie just one time but averaged 2.2 per game on the season. The Colts are in must-win mode to say in the playoff race and will likely bring heavy pressure against backup quarterbacks in the next two weeks.

Each week, we will discuss waiver wire targets at each position to consider for both the week ahead and the rest of the fantasy season.