If your fantasy team is still alive in Week 16, congratulations; you’ve made it to your league’s playoffs. As you assess your roster for weaknesses or look to fill injury gaps, the waiver wire is going to be one of your strongest tools to reach the championship.
This week, we have four players who are all rostered in less than 50% of leagues and are all trending in the right direction after strong performances in Week 15. Let’s break down each of these four players in detail as you look to make your waiver moves ahead of Week 16.
Rostered percentages and scoring figures (using points-per-reception, or PPR, scoring) via FantasyPros. Last week’s waiver wire advice can be viewed here.
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
Rostered: 48%
Week 15 stats: 22-of-29, 260 pass yds, 3 pass TD, 6 rush att, 10 rush yds, 23.4 pts
C.J. Stroud finished Week 15 as the No. 8 quarterback in fantasy, which is start-worthy in all leagues. It was his second straight game with at least one touchdown and no interceptions, as well as his third straight with at least 200 passing yards. Of course, with the Texans becoming one of the league’s most dominant defenses down the stretch, there may not be much for Stroud to do in Week 16 against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, if you have injury issues or an underperforming signal-caller currently on your bench, Stroud’s stock is definitely on the rise.
Running Back
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Washington Commanders)
Rostered: 48%
Week 15 stats: 18 rush att, 96 rush yds, 1 rush TD, 1 FUML, 15.6 pts
Save for Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s monster Week 5 performance, in which he scored 27 points on the strength of two rushing touchdowns, Week 15 was the best week of the Commanders rusher’s season. With 18 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown, Croskey-Merritt was the No. 10 running back in fantasy, which elevates him to Flex (if not RB2) status should his production continue in Week 16. Then, he’ll face the Philadelphia Eagles defense, which over the last five weeks has been giving up an average of 107.8 rushing yards a game to running backs. Croskey-Merritt’s ceiling is a bit lower in PPR leagues, as he hasn’t logged a single reception in the last three games.
Wide Receiver
Jayden Reed (Green Bay Packers)
Rostered: 41%
Week 15 stats: 5 rec, 55 rec yds, 10.5 pts
Green Bay’s receiving corps is something of an enigma for fantasy managers; on any given week, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden or Jayden Reed could be the leader of the Pack. In Week 15, it was Reed and Golden who tied for 55 yards apiece, while Reed and tight end Luke Musgrave saw the most targets, at six each. Though Watson had established himself as the Packers’ No. 1 wideout after returning from rehabbing an ACL tear, he left the Week 15 matchup against the Broncos after injuring his shoulder. Though he avoided a major injury, his status for the Week 16 matchup against the Bears is unknown. It’s worth putting in a claim for Reed now in case you need him on Saturday.
Tight End
Darren Waller (Miami Dolphins)
Rostered: 37%
Week 15 stats: 7 rec, 66 yds, 2 rec TD, 25.6 pts
His Week 15 performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers was by far the best of Darren Waller’s season. The tight end found the end zone twice and amassed 66 yards on seven receptions, ending the week as the No. 3 tight end in fantasy. Waller’s eight targets were the most of any Dolphins pass-catcher, and while that trend may not continue for the rest of the season, he has two juicy matchups in Weeks 16 and 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who rank 28th and 30th, respectively, in passing yards allowed per game. A waiver wire claim for Waller this week will net you a starting tight end for at least the next two games.
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