Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups: 5 Sleepers Who May Still Be Available

For most fantasy football leagues, Week 16 is championship Sunday.  Those who scoff at the purpose of fantasy sports likely have failed to reach this point, when league supremacy is a single strong lineup away.

Of course, there's no next week to think about for most owners.  Thus, benches are essentially useless at this point.  Unless you're a DeMarco Murray or Julio Jones owner who is waiting to hear the health status of your star, the players who should be on your roster are those with the best opportunity to help out this week.  Middling second-tier options who would normally serve as in-season and bye-week depth are needless surpluses now.

If you're scouring the waiver wire for a one-week gem to put you over the top, the obvious acquisitions like Joseph Randle and Harry Douglas are likely gone.  However, that does not mean that there are not still viable flex plays out there that may have been overlooked, regardless of league size.

With an eye on aid for both shallow and deep leagues, let's take a look at a few players who may still be available for your championship lineup.

Position	Shallow Leagues	Deeper Leagues
QB	Mark Sanchez, PHI (@ WSH)	Robert Griffin III, WSH (vs. PHI)
RB	Carlos Hyde, SF (vs. SD)	Branden Oliver, SD (@ SF)
WR	Andre Johnson, HOU (vs. BAL)	Allen Hurns, JAX (vs. TEN)
TE	Dwayne Allen, IND (@ DAL)	Zach Ertz, PHI (@ WSH)
D/ST	Packers D/ST (@ TB)	Panthers D/ST (vs. CLE)
K	Connor Barth, DEN (@ CIN)	Shayne Graham, NO (vs. ATL)

Robert Griffin III (10.3 percent owned)

RG3 has been one of the biggest busts in both real life and fantasy this season.  It's understandably difficult to trust a quarterback with so much turmoil surrounding his present and future, especially given that Griffin has significantly regressed as a passer this season.

However, the embattled third-year quarterback showed signs of life in emergency relief against the New York Giants last week, posting his highest fantasy point total of the season.  On Saturday, Griffin will get to face an Eagles defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, including a five-week stretch that has been particularly heinous, apart from Philly's Thanksgiving Day romp over the Cowboys:

Week	Opponent (QB)	Fantasy Points
11	@ Packers (Aaron Rodgers)	29
12	vs. Titans (Zach Mettenberger)	19
13	@ Cowboys (Tony Romo)	3
14	vs. Seahawks (Russell Wilson)	28
15	vs. Cowboys (Romo)	20

When Washington played the Eagles in Week 3, Kirk Cousins shredded Philly's secondary for 427 passing yards and three touchdowns.  While those stratospheric numbers are unlikely for Griffin, it's not inconceivable that he could find deep-ball success with DeSean Jackson.  According to Pro-Football-Reference (PFR), the Eagles have allowed the most 20-plus-yard passing plays this season. 

Griffin III is a dicey option in standard leagues, but in 12-team leagues or deeper, he represents a desirable alternative if you have a borderline starter with an unfavorable matchup, like Jay Cutler or Philip Rivers.  Given Philly's struggles, the odds of a total Griffin bust are not particularly high, despite his volatile season.

Carlos Hyde (11.5 percent owned)

Considering that Frank Gore is likely going to miss this week's game with a concussion, Hyde would be at the top of most pickup lists.  However, given the doubts surrounding his ankle and back injuries, the Ohio State product himself is no sure bet:

Still, the rookie is immediately a standard-league flex player if he plays, especially facing a Chargers defense that has allowed 100 yards in two of the past three games.  San Diego would most likely load the box and force the 49ers to beat the defense with their erratic passing game.  Still, teams have been employing that strategy all season, and San Francisco has still run the ball 49.96 percent of the time, ninth-highest in the league, per TeamRankings.com.

Thus, if nothing else, Hyde figures to benefit from sheer volume.  With unproven third-string back Alfonso Smith behind him in the depth chart, Hyde would likely receive the majority of the carries.  Considering how difficult it is to find running backs without usage concerns, plucking one off waivers this late would be a godsend.

As alluded to earlier, bench depth is useless in the final week of the season.  Hyde represents the type of no-risk, high-reward lottery ticket that you should stash on your bench to see if he plays.  Given that the Niners game is on Saturday, you can still adjust your lineup accordingly if Hyde ends up sitting out.

Allen Hurns (13.0 percent owned)

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After a stunning two-touchdown debut, the undrafted rookie Hurns burst onto many radars.  But although he largely disappeared midseason in the albatross that is Jacksonville's passing game, Hurns has since re-emerged, with a combined 27 targets over the past three games.

If only by default, he has likely separated himself as the top option for fellow rook Blake Bortles.  Second-rounder Marqise Lee has tailed off, with last week's meager four-catch, 14-yard performance making him the least valuable WR of the week, based on Football Outsiders' DYAR metric.  

This week, Hurns gets to face a reeling Tennessee defense.  The Titans resuscitated a pair of sleepy passing attacks, allowing the Giants and Texans to combine for 522 passing yards, four touchdowns and 72 fantasy points.  The injury-riddled secondary can be beaten deep, as DeAndre Hopkins illustrated two weeks ago.

Hurns is a deeper league play but probably a better flex option than more ballyhooed wide receivers like Larry Fitzgerald and Sammy Watkins.  You'll have to move quickly with the Jaguars set to play on Thursday, but Hurns could provide you an early leg up this week.

Zach Ertz (32.7 percent owned)

Michael Perez/Associated Press

I've listed Ertz as a deep league option, but in reality he could also suffice as a low-end No. 1 in standard leagues.  The second-year Eagles tight end gets to face a Washington defense that has allowed the second-most points to opposing tight ends this season.

Ertz has been wildly unreliable, with a whopping eight performances of three points or less.  But the skill set is clear, as his 13.6 yards per catch is fourth-highest among tight ends this season.  Indeed, in an Eagles system where the corner and over routes provide terrific vertical stretches in their passing concepts, it's surprising that Ertz has not received consistently higher snap counts:

Regardless, the Eagles tight end can compensate for a disappointing season this Saturday.  Outside of four to five tight ends, the position is entirely matchup-oriented.  Given that the likes of Greg Olsen, Jordan Reed and Larry Donnell are all facing defenses that rank among the top 10 stingiest against tight ends, Ertz represents the sneaky pickup that could emerge as a stealth top-five option and provide you a huge edge at the position.

Packers D/ST (37.7 percent owned)

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Fantasy owners may be hesitant to trust Green Bay after two consecutive lackluster performances against the Falcons and a middling Bills offense.  Still, even playing away from Lambeau Field, the Packers are a must-start fantasy defense this week in all formats.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fantasy gold for owners that stream defenses.  Tampa has conceded the second-most points to opposing defenses, with turnovers being the key.  The Bucs have coughed up the ball every game this season, including multiple turnovers in an astounding eight games this season.  Only four teams have had more such games this year.

That weakness dovetails perfectly with the Packers' strength, as Green Bay ranks seventh with 1.8 takeaways per game.  Expect the Packers to force multiple turnovers while keeping the point and yardage totals under control, making them a firm No. 1 fantasy defense option for the season finale.

*All points against and ownership percentages based on ESPN standard scoring.