Fantasy Football Week 16: Waiver-Wire Pickups, Rankings and Stat Projections

For many fantasy football leagues, Week 16 is championship week. And if you're closing in on getting to play for the title, it shows that all your hard work to this point has paid off.

But now isn't the time to stop doing research or to abandon the waiver wire. That's likely how you got into your league's championship, and there are still going to be some important decisions to make this week. Plus, there are some players on the waiver wire who could potentially win you your league with a big Week 16 showing.

Even if your league doesn't hold its championship until Week 17, this is still an important week, as that means there will be semifinal matchups taking place.

Here are some early rankings for Week 16, along with several players to target on the waiver wire.

Quarterbacks

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. ATL)

2. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (vs. SF)

3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (at DAL)

4. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans (vs. CIN)

5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (at NE)

6. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (vs. TEN)

7. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (vs. NYG)

8. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (vs. LAR)

9. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. DEN)

10. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at DET)

Waiver-Wire Target: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (at DAL)

If you play in a league with a free-agent budget, use whatever you have left to try to land Hurts, because he's the type of player who could singlehandedly win you the championship. That's how impressive he was in Week 15 at Arizona.

In his second career start, Hurts passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 63 yards and a score. All of a sudden, Philadelphia's offense has life, and Hurts is the key reason for that. He's likely to keep it going in Week 16 when the Eagles face the Cowboys, who rank 24th in the NFL with 383.6 total yards per game.

Fantasy managers who added Hurts last week made a great decision. However, he's still available in 61 percent of Yahoo leagues and 68 percent of ESPN leagues. So, there's a decent chance he could still be sitting on your league's waiver wire.

Do whatever it takes to try to acquire Hurts, then insert him into your starting lineup (unless you have a quarterback like Mahomes or Murray). The rookie quarterback is going to be fun to watch again in Week 16.

Projection: 282 passing yards and three touchdowns, 72 rushing yards and a touchdown

Running Backs

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

1. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (vs. MIN)

2. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers (vs. TEN)

3. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. DEN)

4. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans (at GB)

5. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings (at NO)

6. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles (at DAL)

7. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns (at NYJ)

8. David Johnson, Houston Texans (vs. CIN)

9. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. MIA)

10. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears (vs. JAX)

Waiver-Wire Target: Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys (vs. PHI)

If Ezekiel Elliott (calf injury) sits out again in Week 16, then Pollard is a must-start running back. On Sunday, he rushed for 69 yards and two touchdowns and had six receptions for 63 yards in the Cowboys' win over the 49ers.

It's a risk to try to add Pollard, as he's not worthy of starting if Elliott decides to suit up. But because Pollard's ceiling is so high when Elliott is out of the lineup, it's a risk that should be worth taking for many fantasy managers this week, especially with so few start-worthy running backs likely available on most waiver wires.

Pollard is rostered in only 45 percent of Yahoo leagues and 22 percent of ESPN leagues, but those numbers are sure to increase this week, especially if it appears that Elliott is going to sit out. Don't wait, though. Add Pollard now and continue to monitor Elliott's status throughout the week.

If Pollard plays, expect a solid performance against the Eagles, who rank 23rd in the NFL with 125.6 rushing yards allowed per game.

Projection: 130 total yards and a touchdown

Wide Receivers

Danny Karnik/Associated Press

1. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers (vs. TEN)

2. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. ATL)

3. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals (vs. SF)

4. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. DEN)

5. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills (at NE)

6. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks (vs. LAR)

7. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons (at KC)

8. Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears (at JAX)

9. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams (at SEA)

10. Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions (vs. TB)

Waiver-Wire Target: Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons (at KC)

While Julio Jones continues to deal with a hamstring injury, Gage has emerged as a solid fantasy option at wide receiver. On Sunday, he had five receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers, marking the second time in three weeks that he's gotten into the end zone.

Gage is also getting a lot of looks from quarterback Matt Ryan, as he's been targeted 25 times over the past three games (including 10 times against Tampa Bay). That shouldn't change if Jones is out again, as it's clear that both Gage and Calvin Ridley will get opportunities to put up big numbers in this offense.

Available in 76 percent of Yahoo leagues and 79 percent of ESPN leagues, Gage should be one of the better wide receivers on most waiver wires. So, if you're in need of a player to fill a wide receiver or flex slot in Week 16, Gage could be worth consideration.

Projection: 77 yards and a touchdown

Tight Ends

Nick Wass/Associated Press

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. ATL)

2. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. MIA)

3. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens (vs. NYG)

4. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions (vs. TB)

5. Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at DET)

6. Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. DEN)

7. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles (at DAL)

8. Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team (vs. CAR)

9. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers (vs. TEN)

10. Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints (vs. MIN)

Waiver-Wire Target: Tyler Eifert, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. CHI)

The Jaguars may be struggling, but Eifert could be a decent streaming option this week because of the matchup. The Bears have given up seven touchdowns to tight ends over their past eight games, and Eifert could be the next to get into the end zone against them in Week 16.

Eifert last scored a touchdown in Week 12, but he's had decent numbers in recent weeks. On Sunday, he had a season-high 51 receiving yards on three catches. If he has similar numbers and adds a touchdown against Chicago, he'd be worthy of fantasy consideration.

Rostered in only 6 percent of Yahoo leagues and 3 percent of ESPN leagues, Eifert is widely available on waiver wires. So, if you've been a manager trying to stream tight ends looking for touchdowns, Eifert could be the one for you in Week 16.

Projection: 48 yards and a touchdown