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

The NFL may be done with bye weeks, but injuries continue to be a blight on the fantasy football landscape. Managers battling in the fantasy playoffs may still need to rely on a few waiver wire options this week.

Fortunately, injuries often create opportunities to find value on the wire. In Week 15, for example, the Houston Texans turned to second-year running back Jawhar Jordan with Nick Chubb sidelined. After Woody Marks exited the game, Jordan took off, racking up 101 rushing yards and 13.8 fantasy points.

Jordan will be a popular waiver target this week, but he isn't the only sleeper managers may find available. Before we dive into this week's top waiver targets, let's run down some updated point-per-reception (PPR) flex rankings.

PPR Flex Top 40, Week 16

AP Photo/Matt Durisko

Dolphins RB De'Von Achane

1. De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins

2. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

3. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

4. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

5. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams

6. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks

7. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills

8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

9. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

10. Trey McBride, WR, Arizona Cardinals

11. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

12. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

13. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans

14. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

15. Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers

16. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

17. Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

18. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

19. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

20. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots

21. Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys

22. Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions

23. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

24. Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

25. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

26. DK Metcalf, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

27. Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers

28. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

29. George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

30. Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals

31. Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

32. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers

33. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens

34. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

35. Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams

36. Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens

37. D'Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears

38. RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos

39. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns

40. Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons

Waiver Wire Cheat Sheet, Week 16

AP Photo/Jerome Miron

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy

Quarterback

1. J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

2. C.J. Storud, Houston Texans

3. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

4. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

5. Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

Running Back

1. Jawhar Jordan, Houston Texans

2. Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals

3. Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams

4. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders

5. Isaiah Davis, RB, New York Jets

Wide Receiver

1. Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers

2. Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets

3. Jayden Higgins, Houston Texans

4. Darius Slayton, New York Giants

5. Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots

Tight End

1. Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams

2. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

3. Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers

4. Theo Johnson, New York Giants

5. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

Deep Sleeper: Ty Johnson, RB, Buffalo Bills

AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper

Managers desperate for someone to throw into the RB slot can consider Buffalo Bills backup running back Ty Johnson.

While Johnson generally doesn't see a large workload behind James Cook, he does have a role as a change of pace and receiving back. He's delivered at least 5.5 fantasy points in each of the past five games and had 15 points in a blowout win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11.

There's a good chance that the Bills win decisively this week against the struggling Cleveland Browns. While the Browns' defense was quite formidable early in the season, it has collapsed over the past couple of weeks—which has coincided with the loss of standout defensive tackle Maliek Collins.

Johnson is a boom-or-bust option this week, but a reasonable PPR floor means he's highly unlikely to leave managers with a blank. He's available in over 90 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Deep Sleeper: Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

New Orleans Saints receiver Devaugn Vele has become an intriguing sleeper for a couple of reasons.

The Saints have increased Vele's role since trading former No. 2 receiver Rashid Shaheed at the trade deadline. After receiving just 13 targets over his first nine games, Vele has been targeted 26 times over his last four.

Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough has also breathed some new life into the Saints' offense. As a result, Vele has reached double-digit fantasy points in two of his last four outings.

This week, the Saints will host the New York Jets, who just allowed Trevor Lawrence to go off for 33 yards and five touchdowns. With Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson drawing most of the defensive attention, Vele should have opportunities to shine.

Vele is available in over 80 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues.

*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros.