Fantasy Football waiver wire targets for Week 16 of 2021 NFL season

Amon-Ra St. Brown saw 11 targets in Week 15, which was a three-week low for him after seeing 12 in each of the previous two games. The Lions rookie caught eight passes Sunday for 90 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 5 yards, good for 23.5 fantasy points. St. Brown has now scored over 15 fantasy points in three straight games and has over 23 in two of those. The volume he has been seeing weekly simply cannot be ignored, and if you are in need of a receiver, he is the top option as he remains available in far too many NFL.com leagues. He is a WR3 or flex option each week with even more upside, as he is showing.

Check If Available: Antonio Brown, Hunter Henry, Russell Gage.

You can drop: Jerry Jeudy, Chase Claypool, Julio Jones, Rashod Bateman, Mike Williams, Michael Pittman Jr. (really, you can drop anyone you will not start the next two weeks — but do not drop your stars for one bad game).

Do not drop: Najee Harris, Amari Cooper, Tom Brady, Dak Prescott, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, James Conner.

Defenses to Stream in Week 16: Chargers, Eagles, Jaguars, Falcons, Jets, Lions.

Quarterback

Justin Fields will play on Monday night, but he faces the Seahawks in Week 16, who as of now allow an average of 290 passing yards per game to QBs. Plus, Fields has been playing well as of late. He has now scored over 18 fantasy points in his three last full games. If you are streaming, Fields is a solid option with upside due to his rushing ability.

Tyler Huntley threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 73 yards and another two scores. He put up 35.9 fantasy points in his monstrous game. He came a two-point conversion away from upsetting the Packers and clearly showed he could hold his own in this tough matchup. If Lamar Jackson misses Week 16 against the Bengals, Huntley would definitely be in play as a streaming option. If you have Jackson, you should definitely be adding Huntley.

Trevor Lawrence failed to take advantage of a good matchup in Week 15, but he will get another shot in Week 16 against the New York Jets. After a hot start to the season against QBs, the Jets have really struggled against the position as of late. Since Week 7, QBs are averaging 19.9 fantasy PPG against New York. On the year, the Jets have allowed the seventh most fantasy points to QBs (18.63).

Drew Lock came in after Teddy Bridgewater suffered a head injury. We are all hoping Teddy is OK and quickly returns. But there is a strong possibility we see Lock in the immediate future. Lock completed six of 12 pass attempts for 88 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals. He will be in play in two-QB formats next week against the Raiders if he starts.

Running back

Ronald Jones II was a late addition to the waiver wire article but on Sunday night Leonard Fournette suffered a hamstring injury that’ll cost him a week or two — which is the rest of the fantasy football season. In his place, Jones played 30 percent of the snaps and saw eight carries go for 63 yards. He also caught both his targets for eight yards. He will not be a direct replacement for Fournette, but Jones is a powerful runner with better burst. He has the chance to break some long runs. He is the top add of the week for RB-needy teams — and there is always a need for more backs. Ke’Shawn Vaughn played 25 percent of the snaps and carried the ball three times for 19 yards, while failing to catch either of his targets. He is purely a deeper-league option.

Devin Singletary played 92 percent of the snaps against the Panthers while seeing 22 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown. He caught his lone target for 10 yards. In all, he went for 16.6 fantasy points a week after going for 14.9. Singletary has dominated snaps for the Bills the past two weeks and was exclusively used against the Panthers. He has a tough matchup next week against the Patriots, but in Week 17 has a great matchup against the Falcons. He is a flex option in Week 16, as he could see good pass-game usage, but if he continues to dominate the snaps he will very much be in play in championship week. He may be rostered, but if he is out there, grab him.

Craig Reynolds carried the ball 26 times for 112 yards against the Cardinals. He caught his lone target for five yards. Reynolds has seen nice volume in each of the last two weeks and scored double-digit fantasy points in both those game. His fantasy status depends on the status of D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, but if those two miss another game, Reynolds will be in play next week against the Falcons.

Samaje Perine was used after Joe Mixon exited the game with a leg injury. The Bengals didn’t provide an immediate update on Mixon, but either way, Perine should be added just in case — especially if you have Mixon on your roster. Perine ended up playing 31 percent of the snaps with four carries for 30 yards, while catching both his targets for 13 yards. Perine would be an RB2 on volume if Mixon was to miss time. Use this as another reminder to grab your starting RBs’ handcuffs if you still can!

Duke Johnson led the Dolphins by playing 58 percent of the snaps while carrying the ball 22 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns. He caught his only target for 20 yards. Johnson stepped up after Myles Gaskin spent the whole week on the reserve/COVID-19 list. But Gaskin was active and Johnson still played the lead role. Now that could just be because Gaskin was not 100 percent and missed the week of practice. But Johnson played well enough where maybe he can remain involved moving forward. We will have to pay close attention to this backfield and the reports that come out this week, but Johnson is worth a flier just in case he continues to be involved for Miami.

Wide receiver

Gabriel Davis balled out in Week 15 with Emmanuel Sanders sidelined. He led the Bills with five catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets. Davis was able to showcase his two biggest traits as a receiver — the ability to stretch the field and to be utilized in the end zone. Davis has had trouble putting up consistent production because he has operated as the fourth receiver — but he has outperformed Sanders for some time now, and after this big performance there is a chance he jumps Sanders on the depth chart. If Sanders is out again next week, Davis would once again see a big boost in fantasy value.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling saw seven targets against the Ravens, which tied Davante Adams for the most on Green Bay. He caught five of them for 98 yards and a touchdown. MVS now has at least seven targets in three of his last four games — with over 20 fantasy points in two of those. He showed last week that he still doesn’t bring the safest floor, when he scored five points on five targets, but he has been getting more consistent volume and remains the Packers’ best downfield threat. He will be in play in a favorable matchup next week against the Browns, who struggle against the deep ball.

DeVante Parker tied for Dolphins team lead with eight targets, catching four for a team-high 68 yards and a touchdown. He was good for nearly 17 fantasy points in Week 15. He got a boost from Jaylen Waddle missing the game and there is a chance Waddle is back next week, but do not overlook Parker. He has now had at least seven targets in every game but one that he has played this season. He has also scored over 11 fantasy points in four straight — and over 16 in three of those. He is in play in a favorable matchup against the Saints next Monday Night.

Laquon Treadwell saw a team-high nine targets, catching six for 57 yards. That was good for nearly a dozen fantasy points, but the volume is what is important. Treadwell has now seen at least five targets in four straight games — with his fantasy points increasing in each of the last four. He has scored between 9.3 and 11.7 fantasy points in each. He shows that he brings a safe floor due to volume, and he has a favorable matchup next week against the Jets. If you are going deeper for a flex option, Treadwell is a name for you.

Robby Anderson is trying his best to make up for his disappointing season. He saw eight targets, catching three for 29 yards, but added 33 rushing yards as well. It was not a big day by any stretch, but Anderson has been seeing more consistent volume. He has now gotten 20 targets over his last two games and has at least six targets in four of his past five games. He has topped eight fantasy points in each of the games involving six targets and shows some upside. He is a deeper-league flex option due to the volume.

Tight end

Gerald Everett will not play until Tuesday night, but he had been seeing more volume leading into Week 15. Everett has been a big factor for Seattle in the red zone, as he has at least one red zone target in each of his last four games and five total in that span. He has scored a touchdown in two of his last three. He remains a high-end TE2 due to his chance of scoring each week. He can be stashed now since he has not played yet, if you need a streaming tight end for Week 16.

Evan Engram has not been great this season, but he has seen at least five targets in four of his last five games. The reason you are interested in him is he faces the Eagles in Week 16. Heading into Week 15, the Eagles allowed the most catches, yards, touchdowns and fantasy points to tight ends this season. If you are streaming, this is simply taking a shot on the best matchup a tight end can have.

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