Week 16 Waiver Wire Top Targets For This Week's Injured Fantasy Football Stars

Week 16 is an important one in almost all season-long fantasy leagues. In many formats, this is the penultimate postseason slate, and many managers will be vying for a spot in the championship round.

Unfortunately, not every manager will have all of their top stars available. There are no bye weeks, but injuries will sideline several notable stars.

Here, you'll find a rundown of the top remaining plays of the week, the latest from the Week 16 injury report, and some top sleepers to target on the waiver wire for point-per-reception (PPR) play.

Quarterback

AP Photo/Matt Patterson

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy

Top 10

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

2. Drake Maye, New England Patriots

3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

4. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

5. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

6. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

7. Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals

8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

9. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

10. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Injury Report and Waiver Wire Targets

The biggest QB-related news this week was probably the announcement that the Washington Commanders are shutting down Jayden Daniels for the remainder of the season.

Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor are both listed as questionable for the New York Jets.

Managers looking for a streamer off the waiver wire should consider Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. While the first-year starter has had his ups and downs this season, he's topped 20 fantasy points in each of his last two games.

This week, McCarthy will face a New York Giants defense that has surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. He's still available in over 50 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

The list of other QBs to consider off the wire includes Aaron Rodgers and Marcus Mariota.

Running Back

AP Photo/Butch Dill

Saints RB Evan Hull

Top 10

1. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins

2. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

3. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

4. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

5. James Cook, Buffalo Bills

6. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

7. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

8. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

9. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

10. Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys

Injury Report and Waiver Wire Targets

The New Orleans Saints have ruled out Alvin Kamara and have also placed Devin Neal on injured reserve. This should open opportunities for backups Evan Hull and Audric Estimé against a bad New York Jets defense.

The Jets have surrendered the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Estimé is available in over 80 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, while Hull is available in 99 percent of leagues.

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is listed as questionable, while Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson is out. Chicago Bears starter D'Andre Swift is also listed as questionable.

The Arizona Cardinals didn't activate Trey Benson and recently placed Bam Knight on injured reserve, which should open the door for Michael Carter. He's available in over 60 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues. Jawhar Jordan, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Samaje Perine are backs to consider in deeper leagues.

Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File

Packers WR Jayden Reed

Top 10

1. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

2. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

3. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

4. Nico Collins, Houston Texans

5. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

6. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

7. Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions

8. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9. George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys

10. DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers

Injury Report and Waiver Wire Targets

Rashee Rice, Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze are among the list of notable receivers who have been ruled out. Quentin Johnston, Tee Higgins, Dontayvion Wicks, Christian Watson, Drake London and Marvin Harrison Jr. are listed as questionable.

With Watson and Wicks both ailing, Green Bay's Jayden Reed looms as a promising sleeper. He's topped nine fantasy points in each of his past two games and has a favorable matchup against the Chicago Bears this week.

Chicago has surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing WRs this season. Reed is rostered in 54 percent of ESPN leagues and only 49 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Jets wideout Adonai Mitchell is available in over 60 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues. While the Saints have held up well against opposing receivers, Mitchell has topped 17 fantasy points in two of his last three outings.

Jalen Coker, Mack Hollins, Jayden Higgins and Kayshon Boutte are among the list of receivers to consider in deeper leagues.

Tight End

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Giants TE Theo Johnson

Top 10

1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

3. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

4. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

5. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

6. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

7. Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

8. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

9. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

10. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

Injury Report and Waiver Wire Targets

Browns tight end David Njoku, Jets tight end Mason Taylor, and Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fant have been ruled out. Cole Kmet and Gunnar Helm are both questionable.

Fant's injury makes Mike Gesicki a reasonable sleeper against a Miami Dolphins defense that has surrendered the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. He's available in over 95 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues. Of course, Dolphins tight end Darren Waller could bring even more value this week.

Waller, who is rostered in 53 percent of Yahoo leagues but only 30 percent of ESPN leagues, racked up 25.8 fantasy points last week. No team has surrendered more fantasy points to opposing TEs than Cincinnati.

Giants tight end Theo Johnson is available in over half of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, and he's tallied over 10 fantasy points in two of his last three outings. Dalton Schultz and Colston Loveland are other TEs to consider in deeper leagues.

*Fantasy roster and scoring information from FantasyPros.