Fantasy Waiver Wire: FAAB Report for Week 16 pickups, free agents

12/22/2021

In normal weeks, Ronald Jones, Samaje Perine, and Justin Jackson would be the most obvious adds, and while they’re still likely to be the top Week 16 fantasy waiver wire pickups in most leagues, it’s not quite as automatic. At this point in the season, it’s all about selling out for whatever you need, so for some owners, that might be a WR like Gabriel Davis, Amon-Ra St. Brown, or Marquez Valdes-Scantling instead of a running back. Either way, you can blow out for your FAAB budget and bid up as high as you want because if you don’t win this week, it won’t matter how much you have left over for next week.

Nonetheless, as we do every week this season with the help of our friends at Fantasy Alarm, we’ll break down the top pickups and project how much of your FAAB budget you should bid on them, at least in normal circumstancess. If you feel the need to bid 100 percent of your budget on Jones, go for it. There’s no reason to hold back now. The projected bids below are just to give you a sense of a player’s general value to your team.

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Week 16 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire QB pickups, streamers

Tua Tagovailoa (MIA). Tua didn’t look great last week. With a lack of volume and poor efficiency, he scratched and clawed his way to 196 passing yards and two touchdowns. He was clearly off his game without Jaylen Waddle (reserve/COVID). The good news is that Waddle will be back this week, and that should lead to better production for Tua against the Saints. New Orleans did shut out Tampa Bay on Sunday night, but Miami should have to throw often in this matchup. Projected FAAB Bid: 6-8% of total FAAB budget

Justin Fields (CHI). Fields is finally looking like the fantasy asset we knew he could become. Over his past two games, he’s attempted 33 and 39 passes, respectively, so we obviously like the increased volume, and he’s run for 109 yards in that span, as well. He still has seven passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions on the season, but he has looked good enough that he should be ranked as a top-15 quarterback heading into the next two weeks. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5%

Jared Goff (DET). Remember about a month ago when most fantasy pundits pointed out Goff’s poor touchdown numbers? He had eight through the team’s first nine games and five of those came in the first two weeks. Well, Goff heard the criticism and decided to start doing something about it. He has nine touchdown passes in his past four games, and while the passing volume will fluctuate, he’s still been a fantasy asset and could continue to throw multiple touchdowns this week against the Falcons, who grade out as one of the worst defenses in fantasy against the quarterback position. Of course, he’ll need to come off the reserve/COVID list first, but if he does, consider him a worthwhile streamer. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-4%

Honorable Mention: Tyler Huntley. Huntley was electric and fun to watch against the Packers, but with Lamar Jackson (ankle) expected back, Huntley might not have any fantasy value. If Jackson is out, then you can fire up Huntley as a streamer against Cincinnati.

Week 16 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire RB pickups, streamers

Samaje Perine (CIN). Joe Mixon suffered an ankle injury on Sunday, so proactive fantasy football managers should be looking to add his backup, especially if they feel the need to cuff their running backs. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor did note that Mixon would likely be a limited participant or held out of practice early this week, but it’s still very possible he’s ready to go for Sunday’s game against Baltimore. With that said, don’t be surprised if the practice/injury reports aren’t in Mixon’s favor because he sounds like a true game-time decision. Projected FAAB Bid: 15-16% of total budget

Ronald Jones (TB). It seems Leonard Fournette is likely out in Week 16 with the hamstring injury he sustained on Sunday night. Jones isn’t nearly as good, as his ball security issues are well documented, but he’s done well when Fournette had to miss time last year, so he’ll be at least an RB2 for as long as Lenny is out. Proj. FAAB Bid: 15%

Craig Reynolds (DET). With D’Andre Swift (shoulder) and Jamaal Williams (reserve/COVID) out of the picture, Reynolds emerged as the lead back for Detroit. Williams is finally off the reserve/COVID list, but Reynolds could still be heavily involved in the Lions offense, and with matchups against Atlanta and Seattle, he could have flex value. Proj. FAAB Bid: 12-15%

Justin Jackson (LAC). There were some conflicting reports on Ekeler Monday afternoon. Some said he would be placed on the reserve/COVID list while others revealed later in the day that actually didn’t happen. Either way, the Bolts have slowly been decreasing Ekeler’s workload, probably to keep him alive and well for the playoffs. If we get more clarity on Ekeler’s status on Tuesday or throughout the week then we’ll know if Jackson is startable or not. For now, I wouldn’t be surprised if he received at least 10 carries no matter what in a great matchup against the Texans this week. Proj. FAAB Bid: 8-10%

Ameer Abdullah (CAR). This week’s matchup is awful for Chuba Hubbard against an angry Bucs team that just got shut out by the Saints. If the Panthers are chasing points, then they’ll likely get Abdullah involved. He caught all four of his targets against Buffalo and found the end zone. He won’t be ranked as a top-30 running back this week, but there is some flex appeal here if you’re hurting at the position. Proj. FAAB Bid: 6-7%

Week 16 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire WR pickups, streamers

Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET). St. Brown is available in plenty of leagues, and he now has double-digit targets in three straight games. Over that span he has 26 catches on 35 targets for 249 yards and two touchdowns. He’s arguably a must-start flex option in PPR formats, and there’s no reason for Jared Goff not to look his way for the remainder of the season. Detroit will visit Atlanta in Week 16, and St. Brown should be in line for another healthy dose of targets. Projected FAAB Bid: 15-20% of total budget

Marquez Valdes-Scantling (GB). MVS has quietly led the Packers in air yards the past four weeks, so while he’s only had two productive fantasy football games in that span, Aaron Rodgers is trying to get him going. It showed last week with five catches for 98 yards and a touchdown against Baltimore. Green Bay gets a prime matchup on Christmas against the Browns, whose secondary has been decimated by COVID protocols, so it could be another productive week for MVS in Week 16. Proj. FAAB Bid: 12%

Gabriel Davis (BUF). Davis is emerging at the right time as a flex option, as he’s been hogging touchdowns in Buffalo lately. He has a relatively modest 19 targets in his past three games, but he’s caught 12 — four of which went for touchdowns. The downside is Buffalo will visit New England in Week 16 and the Patriots boast a pretty strong secondary. If Emmanuel Sanders (knee) misses more time, then Davis will really continue to benefit. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10%

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (TEN). Truthfully I only feel like ARSB, MVS, and Davis are worth picking up this week. However, if Julio Jones has to miss the remaining few games after leaving Sunday’s game against the Steelers with a hamstring injury, then NWI is worth a look in deeper leagues. He’s led the team in routes run and targets recently and should still heavily factor into the passing game with A.J. Brown (chest) likely to return this week. Does that guarantee immense passing volume? No, but in deeper formats, if the top three receivers in this section are unavailable, then NWI is my next favorite option. Proj. FAAB Bid: 4-5%

Tyler Johnson (TB). The Bucs got bit by the injury bug at the worst possible time. Chris Godwin (knee) is done for the year and both Leonard Fournette (hamstring) and Mike Evans (hamstring) may not suit up this week. Luckily they will be getting Antonio Brown back and Tom Brady could still lean on Rob Gronkowski, but we should expect Johnson to get some looks especially after he had seven targets in Sunday’s game against New Orleans. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3%

Week 16 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire TE pickups, streamers

Cole Kmet (CHI). Kmet had a very strong game Monday night, as he caught six passes for 71 yards on nine targets. He now has 32 targets over his past four games and is becoming a reliable target for Justin Fields. Remember, rookie quarterbacks tend to lean on big targets over the middle. Unfortunately, Kmet doesn’t have a touchdown on the season. In fact, it’s been over a year since he found the end zone. He’s trending in the right direction to score over the final weeks so long as Jimmy Graham isn’t vulturing his opportunities. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7-10%

James O’Shaughnessy (JAC). O’Shaughnessy saw four targets last week and ran a route on 57 percent of Trevor Lawrence’s dropbacks. He was productive as he caught all four of his targets for 60 yards. In PPR formats, you’ll take that from your tight end if he isn’t finding the end zone. The Jags will visit the Jets this week, and that’s a matchup where we can look to O’Shaughnessy again. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-6%

Honorable Mention – Zach Gentry: Pat Freiermuth suffered a concussion on Sunday, his second of the season. I’d say it’s likely that Freiermuth doesn’t play against the Chiefs this week, so that could make Gentry a more intriguing option in deeper formats, but put more emphasis on acquiring either Kmet or O’Shaughnessy.

Week 16 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire Defense pickups, streamers

As we always caution, you shouldn’t spend more than one percent of your FAAB budget on a D/ST. Here are this week’s potential streaming pickups:

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