Week 16 Waiver Wire: The Championship Push

Quarterback

• Brock Purdy – SF (22.6% rostered ESPN; 21% Yahoo!)
  • Purdy may not be the best quarterback, but he’s been careful with the football in his 2+ games since filling in for Jimmy G. He’s averaging just over 200 passing yards per game with six touchdown passes (plus a rushing touchdown) with only one turnover, good for QB10 over the last three weeks. Given the talent around him and the upcoming matchups against Washington (17th most FPPG allowed to QBs) and Las Vegas (7th most), Purdy is a viable streamer in deep/two-QB leagues or if you’re looking for a Jalen Hurts replacement.  
• Gardner Minshew – PHI (0.2% rostered ESPN; 1% Yahoo!)
  • Minshew steps in for Jalen Hurts for at least Week 16’s rivalry with the Cowboys. Minshew has finished as a top-14 QB in 14 of his 22 career starts, and a top-12 QB in 8 of them, including five top-10 finishes. Dallas may seem like a tough matchup on the surface, but the Cowboys are just 24th against the pass over their last four games. With AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and the returning Dallas Goedert at his disposal, Minshew is a solid streamer against a Cowboys defense struggling at cornerback.

Running Back

• Zack Moss – IND (0.7% rostered ESPN; 3% Yahoo!) and Deon Jackson – IND (11.9% ESPN; 7% Yahoo!)
  • With Jonathan Taylor out for the year on IR, Moss and Jackson will share the load the rest of the way. Moss took 24 carries for 81 yards with three scoreless goal-line carries filling in on Saturday while Jackson handled 13 for 55 yards and reached the end zone once through the air. Moss will likely handle more of the early-down work while Jackson has typically been more of a pass-catcher when not the lead back. However, both backs saw similar workloads in the first half, with 13 of the Moss’s carries coming after halftime. But the schedule is good for Moss with the Chargers and Giants on the schedule for the fantasy semi-finals and finals, but Jackson could also get enough work with Indy playing from behind to be viable in deeper leagues if you miss out of Moss.
• Khalil Herbert – CHI (27.6% rostered ESPN; 39% Yahoo!)
  • Herbert should return this week after missing four games due to a hip injury. He’s been the more efficient and explosive back this season, and should regain a role in the Bears offense down the stretch. He may be eased in this week in a tough matchup, but could be a league-winning FLEX play in Week 17 against the Lions, though Detroit has been much better defensively lately. If he’s available, he’s worth a pickup, especially in case of another David Montgomery injury.

Wide Receiver

• Marquise Goodwin – SEA (1.0% rostered ESPN; 3% Yahoo!)
  • Goodwin steps into the WR2 role in Seattle for at least one week with Tyler Lockett’s finger injury, and it’s a great week to have a prominent role. The Seahawks take on the Chiefs, who are 25th against the pass and have allowed the 6th-most fantasy points to wide receivers this year. This game has the 2nd-highest total and the Seahawks are the largest underdogs in Week 16, so the Seahawks are likely to be playing from behind and will need to throw. Goodwin has produced in limited opportunities this year and is a solid FLEX play this week.
• Chris Moore – HOU (17.4% rostered ESPN; 19% Yahoo!)
  • Moore has seen a whopping 39.2% target share over the last two weeks with Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins out of the lineup, 5th-highest in the league. While he posted a dud in a good spot against the Chiefs in Week 15, we can’t ignore the volume. He has an even greater matchup in Week 16 against the Titans, who are 31st defending the pass over their four-game losing streak and 23rd against WR1 this season, allowing the most fantasy points to wide receivers. With Cooks and Collins potentially out another week, Moore is a decent FLEX option.

Tight End

• Chigoziem Okonkwo – TEN (14.8% rostered ESPN; 29% Yahoo!)
  • Okonkwo has seen 5+ targets in four straight games, and he’s averaging over 50 yards per game. He’s the TE3 since Week 12, has the 9th-highest target share among tight ends over that span, and led the Titans in targets in Week 15. Okonkwo has a favorable remaining playoff schedule against a Texans team who’s 23rd defending tight ends this season and a Cowboys team that’s banged up across all levels on defense.