Fantasy Football Week 16 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers to Grab on Waiver Wire

The fantasy football playoffs will keep rolling during Week 16 of the NFL season.

The injury bug couldn't care less.

Jalen Hurts has a sprained shoulder. Jonathan Taylor sprained his ankle. Tyler Lockett had surgery on a broken bone in his hand.

The hits keep on coming, meaning that—as suboptimal as this sounds—you could very well need a streamer for your biggest matchup to date. We'll do our best to help you find one, though, by spotlighting our top plug-and-play pick at each of the three marquee positions.

QB: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 15: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on December 15, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The 2022 draft's Mr. Irrelevant has suddenly become extremely relevant down the stretch of the fantasy football season.

Purdy was pressed into duty by Jimmy Garoppolo's broken foot (which was preceded by Trey Lance's season-ending ankle injury) and has been rock-solid ever since.

Purdy has made two consecutive starts after seeing significant action in relief of Gaoppolo three weeks back. During this stretch, Purdy has piled up 612 passing yards with six passing touchdowns against one interception. He also has a rushing score on his stat sheet.

He doesn't always air it out and won't take too many deep shots, but he doesn't have to. Not when he has so many playmakers around him and head coach Kyle Shanahan consistently scheming them open.

RB: Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons

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ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 04: Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier (25) runs during the Sunday afternoon NFL game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 4th, 2022 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Allgeier's fantasy ceiling is somewhat held in check by the presence of Cordarrelle Patterson, but it hasn't stopped the rookie from establishing a stable fantasy floor.

Being stuck in a timeshare isn't ideal, but Allgeier has handled double-digit touches in 10 of his 13 games, so it's not like he's being lost in the shuffle. He's had at least 50 scrimmage yards in nine of his last 11 outings, and he sometimes sprints past that number with ease.

Last week was one of those times. Armed with a career-high 17 carries in rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder's first start, Allgeier rushed for 139 yards and a score. It was his first 100-yard rushing performance, but his third time with triple-digit scrimmage yards.

He draws a tricky matchup against the Ravens this week, but if your fantasy team gets through it, he has a much more favorable tussle with the Cardinals in Week 17.

WR: Marquise Goodwin, Seattle Seahawks

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 27: Marquise Goodwin #11 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball during the second half of the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lumen Field on November 27, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)

If you're willing to take a boom-or-bust risk in Week 16, then Goodwin is your guy.

His season stats are forgettable, and his team has been trending down in recent weeks. There's your bust factor.

As for the boom, though, Goodwin could be looking at a featured role opposite DK Metcalf with Lockett sidelined. Goodwin has had five games with five-plus targets this season. Three of them were unfortunately duds, but the other two were head-turners: four receptions for 67 yards and two scores in Week 7, five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown in Week 14.

With the Chiefs on the docket, the Seahawks could easily find themselves in a shootout against a team whose defense has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers, per Yahoo.