Fantasy Football Week 16 Waiver Wire: Jerome Ford Leads Top Free-Agent Additions
The 2024 fantasy football playoffs may be nearing their conclusion, but managers who have earned a spot in the semifinals shouldn't be resting on their laurels with a stagnant roster.
While most teams that have managed to reach this point in the postseason have quality talent across the board, there are almost always a few small holes to patch via the waiver wire. Even if you have a strong starting lineup set to go in Week 16, it's still wise to turn over the bottom of your bench and bolster insurance options in case injuries or other unforeseen circumstances arise.
You will also want to glance at your upcoming opponent's roster and put in claims for players who may possibly get deployed against you during the next two weeks. For instance, if an impending foe has a clear void at running back, it would be prudent to put a claim in on Jerome Ford (this week's top free agent) and stash him on your bench. Doing so could be the difference between earning a coveted championship berth and being eliminated.
With that in mind, here are five waiver-wire targets—available in 50 percent or more of all Yahoo! leagues—to consider for Week 16.
Fantasy points and rankings courtesy of FantasyPros' PPR data taken prior to this week's Monday Night Football matchup. Fantasy points against stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference. Suggested free-agent acquisition budget (FAAB) bids are based on a $100 dollar starting budget.
QB Cooper Rush, Dallas Cowboys (8 Percent Rostered)
1 of 5
Suggested FAAB Bid: $1-2
Cooper Rush may not be putting up the MVP-type numbers that Dallas Cowboys fans grew accustomed to with Dak Prescott at the helm, but the backup quarterback has been steadily improving since taking the reins for the injured starter and could even help fantasy managers steal a win in Week 16.
Rush just capped off his second top-10 showing of the past month by completing 18-of-29 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. It resulted in 19.1 fantasy points and a QB9 finish, career-high marks for the 31-year-old.
While Rush did lose a fumble in Week 15, he was interception-free for the third time in his last four starts, a testament to his low-risk game management style that boosts his fantasy floor.
With an atrocious Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense on tap in Week 16, Rush appears well positioned to build on his career-best outing. The Bucs allow a league-high 21.3 fantasy points per game to opposing signal-callers and have conceded 23 touchdowns through the air against a meager seven interceptions.
Consider Rush a one-game spot starter who can help teams reach the finals, although managers should be ready to move on from him quickly. Dallas will square off against a much tougher Philadelphia Eagles foe in Week 17, a team that limits opposing QBs to just 14.5 fantasy points on average and already held Rush to negative-two points in Week 10.
RB Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns (32 Percent Rostered)
2 of 5
Suggested FAAB Bid: $20-25
Jerome Ford has had a relatively disappointing fantasy season, failing to distinguish himself as a reliable option during Nick Chubb's absence earlier in the year and falling off the radar almost entirely since the Cleveland Browns star returned in Week 7.
Ford finally showed signs of life against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15, capitalizing on an increase in playing time after Chubb exited the contest with an injury—an ailment head coach Kevin Stefanski later revealed has been diagnosed as a broken foot.
With Chubb now out indefinitely, Ford will be thrust back into the spotlight for the final stretch of the fantasy playoffs. While his early season work wasn't promising, Ford showed he could be a difference-maker by taking his seven totes for 84 yards and a touchdown and adding 20 more yards on two receptions.
This 18.4-fantasy point performance resulted in an RB7 finish for Ford, his best marks of the 2024 campaign.
Ford should be able to build on this encouraging showing with a soft Cincinnati Bengals defense on deck. The Bengals rank in the bottom-four in both yards and points allowed this season, most recently giving up an RB5 finish to Tyjae Spears in Week 15 and an RB8 finish to Rico Dowdle the prior week.
The Browns are slated to face the Miami Dolphins during fantasy's championship week as well, an opponent has been allowing nearly 20 points per game to the RB position. This makes Ford a must-add pickup for any squad that has reached the final four but still needs a little help to secure a championship.
WR Jalen Coker, Carolina Panthers (1 Percent Rostered)
3 of 5
Suggested FAAB Bid: $2-4
Although their record may not show it, the Carolina Panthers have looked far better in the back half of the 2024 campaign than they did at the start. Bryce Young has made noticeable strides since returning from an early-season benching, posting five consecutive top-20 fantasy finishes after notching just one such finish over his first six appearances of the year.
Expect Young to show even more improvement now that Jalen Coker, Carolina's promising young pass-catcher, is back from a three-game layoff.
While Coker had flashed his immense potential prior to going down with a calf injury—including a four-catch, 78-yard, one-score outing that resulted in a WR10 finish back in Week 8—he's been firmly off the fantasy radar during his rookie season. That should change in the playoffs as Coker made a strong statement upon his recent return to action.
Coker re-assumed his field-stretching role in Carolina's offense on Sunday and turned in the finest game of his fledgling NFL career. The Holy Cross product reeled in four of six targets for 110 yards and a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys, a performance that resulted in a personal-best 17 fantasy points and another WR10 finish.
With the Panthers well out of contention, it would be a surprise if the team doesn't prioritize getting Coker more involved and work on improving his rapport with Young after this stellar showing.
Carolina could easily find itself playing from behind in Week 16 against an Arizona Cardinals team desperate to keep its playoff hopes alive. That situation would result in a number of big-play opportunities for Coker, who also has a dream matchup for the fantasy championship week against the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their No. 29 ranked pass defense.
Managers should note that while Coker boasts immense upside, he still has an extremely low floor. He's sandwiched a pair of WR57 and WR43 finishes in between a pair of top-10s, so only managers in deep leagues or those willing to take a huge gamble with a championship berth on the line should consider Coker much more than a desperation flex play.
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WR Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens (19 Percent Rostered)
4 of 5
Suggested FAAB Bid: $2-4
Rashod Bateman has been one of the more polarizing fantasy receivers this season. The Baltimore Ravens wideout failed to record a single finish inside the top 30 over the first month of the campaign but has since gone on to log five WR26 or better finishes over the last 10 weeks.
That inconsistency has made Bateman difficult to trust, but his recent three-catch, 80-yard, two-touchdown outing against the New York Giants puts him right back on the fantasy map at a critical time.
Bateman's big Week 15 resulted in a cool 23 fantasy points—his highest total of 2024—and a WR10 finish, his best since a WR4 showing back in Week 7.
It was a welcome sight for those who stuck with Bateman after a disheartening performance in Week 13. The wideout failed to draw even a single target against the Philadelphia Eagles before exiting with a knee injury in the third quarter, although Bateman clearly healed up during Baltimore's bye. He's now in position to do more damage in Week 16 when the rival Pittsburgh Steelers come to town.
Although Bateman had just two catches for 30 yards and finished as the WR64 in his most recent matchup with the Steelers, he did see some respectable volume. His five targets in that Week 11 contest tied for the second-most he's logged in 2024 and a similar volume in Week 16 could result in far more production.
Fantasy managers should be aware that Bateman is still a risky play and has a good chunk of value tied to finding the end zone. There's a noticeable lack of quality receivers on the free-agent scrap heap right now, however, so anyone downright desperate for help at this position could do far worse than putting a claim in for the Ravens pass-catcher.
TE Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars (2 Percent Rostered)
5 of 5
Suggested FAAB Bid: $5-6
The Jacksonville Jaguars may be slogging through the final weeks of a lost season, but Brenton Strange's recent emergence is at least one bright spot for this downtrodden club.
The second-year tight end just had the finest game of his career, capitalizing on an uptick in usage following Evan Engram's season-ending labrum tear. Engram became the latest player to join starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence, wideout Christian Kirk and several other key Jacksonville offensive talents on the shelf.
Strange reeled in a whopping 11 of his 12 targets for 73 yards against the New York Jets on Sunday. It resulted in a career-best 18.3 fantasy points and a TE2 finish for Strange, who had started the year relatively hot but had been sparingly utilized since Week 5 when he turned in the most recent of his three prior top-10 outings.
Strange's work as Mac Jones' safety valve helped the backup signal-caller muster up another respectable performance. Jones has fared relatively well since Jacksonville's Week 12 bye—posting a pair of top-12 finishes over the last three games—and will likely continue to lean heavily on his young tight end throughout the final weeks of the campaign.
With the Las Vegas Raiders up next—a team that allows an average of 9.9 fantasy points to tight ends in 2024, the third-most in the league—the Jones-Strange battery should connect often during their trip to Sin City.
Even without the threat of busting a big play (none of Strange's nine receptions against Gang Green went for more than nine yards), the tight end should still get enough catches to be on the TE1 radar. Consider Strange a very viable PPR option at a position currently bereft of other starting-caliber free agents.
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