Week 16 Waiver Wire: Christine Michael, Markus Wheaton Highlight Pickups to Know

With Week 16 on the way, it's time for owners still alive to hit the waiver wire and find those guys ready to step into a big role or a great matchup, if not both.

Earlier in the season owners could refine their search and grab future-looking players who might step into a role later in the year. Now, though, it's about time to grab one-week adds who can either back up a stud or start outright.

Last week, Isaiah Crowell and Blake Bortles proved how effective the strategy could be. Below rest some of this week's options as owners still in the race feel more pressure than ever to field the best lineup possible.

Week 16 Waiver-Wire Pickup Targets

Name	Pos.	Team	Ownership Percentage
Kirk Cousins	QB	WAS	25.0
Teddy Bridgewater	QB	MIN	15.6
Mike Gillislee	RB	BUF	0.3
Jerick McKinnon	RB	MIN	4.4
Christine Michael	RB	SEA	8.5
Markus Wheaton	WR	PIT	22.4
Jermaine Kearse	WR	SEA	6.6
Dorial Green-Beckham	WR	TEN	16.7
Zach Miller	TE	CHI	36.9
Tyler Kroft	TE	CIN	0.2

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Minnesota Vikings (15.6 Percent Owned)

It's hard to imagine owners who have made it this far still need a quarterback, but if they do, last weekend provided the perfect option while giving even more folks a fallback guy if their starter gets injured. 

It's all about Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater this week. He had only hit 18 or more points three times this year, perhaps underperforming compared to what some thought he would do with Adrian Peterson in his lineup for a full season.

Alas, Bridgewater smashed through expectations against the Chicago Bears this past weekend, throwing four scores on the way to 32 points.

Some will point out the easy matchup and Bridewater's consistency. Keep in mind the great matchups will continue to flow, though, thanks to a Week 16 encounter with a New York Giants defense that entered last weekend allowing the sixth-most points to quarterbacks.

Christine Michael, RB, Seattle Seahawks (8.5 Percent Owned)

So it finally happened. 

With Marshawn Lynch out of the picture, most figured former high-profile rookie back Christine Michael would take over for the Seattle Seahawks, but instead the offense turned into the Thomas Rawls show.

Rawls is now gone as well, meaning the Seahawks don't have much of anyone else except Michael. As such, he flashed against the Cleveland Browns, rushing 16 times for 84 yards and eight points.

It's an encouraging sign and owners shouldn't worry too much about players eating into his workload, especially after an endorsement from Russell Wilson, according to the Seahawks on Twitter:

While Michael won't always get to play against the Browns, usage will equal production in his case. Seattle backs tend to produce with consistency, so as long as it sounds like he'll see the majority of the snaps, Michael isn't a terrible play in Week 16.

Markus Wheaton, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (22.4 Percent Owned)

Gary Landers/Associated Press

With the way Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continues to sling it, it's about time owners boosted Markus Wheaton's ownership percentage.

Wheaton's a big-play threat every time he takes the field and has been especially potent since the team's Week 11 bye. Over the four games since, Wheaton has gone to double digits three times with a high of 26 points and has three touchdowns.

Perhaps even more important is the fact Big Ben has targeted Wheaton at least six times in every contest in that stretch, including a pair of double-digit-target outings, a first for his otherwise quiet season.

With Wheaton's usage increasing alongside the improving play of Big Ben during a playoff push, the explosive wideout should have a much higher ownership percentage this time next week—especially considering the Steelers finish the season with easy games against Baltimore and Cleveland.

Tyler Kroft, TE, Cincinnati Bengals (0.2 Percent Owned)

It's an odd week at tight end, but if owners need a quality backup who can start in a pinch, it wouldn't hurt to look at Tyler Kroft of the Cincinnati Bengals.

He's a rookie and Tyler Eifert is the starter, yes, but it's hard to know how much time Eifert will miss with the concussion that held him out of Week 15.

Kroft was a big part of the game plan for the Bengals this past weekend with the inexperienced AJ McCarron under center. He finished with three catches for 31 yards and a score, good for nine points.

With Andy Dalton gone until at least the postseason, McCarron needs big-bodied tight ends to lean on as he did Kroft Sunday. The Bengals might hold Eifert out until the postseason just to be safe, making Kroft a quality emergency option.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats as of December 20. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.