Week 16 Waiver Wire 2020: Fantasy Football Pickups You Need to Add for the Fantasy Championship

This is it. We have reached the fantasy football championship in Week 16. This is the most important moment of the season when it comes to making key roster decisions. Let's be real, it could mean the difference between a first and second place finish.

That means you will need to be on top of your game when it comes to making waiver wire pickups this week. It's now or never when it come to finding that diamond in the rough to plug into your starting lineup or simply blocking your opponent from adding someone.

With that in mind, here are the top four waiver wire pickups in fantasy football (rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo! fantasy football leagues) heading into Week 16.

1. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Taking over the starting role due to Ezekiel Elliott being our due to a calf injury, Tony Pollard balled out in Week 15 rushing for 69 yards on 12 carries and scoring 2 touchdowns. He also hauled in 6 of 9 targets for 63 receiving yards. He proved to both the Cowboys coaching staff and fantasy football managers that he is worthy of a starting position. Pollard has FLEX potential moving forward even if Elliott returns given his recent play. However, he immediately becomes a must-start if Elliott is forced to miss any more time. That upside makes him a top target even if we don't know anything about Zeke's status early in the week.

2. Russell Gage, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Here we have another player making the most of his opportunity right now. Falcons' No. 1 receiver Julio Jones has been dealing with a hamstring injury recently and Russell Gage has stepped up in his place. He has caught 14 of his 25 targets over the last three weeks and scored 2 touchdowns as well. Plus, the Falcons love to pass the ball as they have done so on 61.9% of plays this season, which ranks as the ninth-highest percentage in the league. That means Gage could continue seeing targets even if Jones returns soon. He receives a boost in PPR leagues, too.

3. Rashard Higgins, WR, Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are in the midst of a great season and a lot of it has to do with their development of the passing attack. Rashard Higgins has become a reliable No. 2 receiver with Odell Beckham on the shelf over the second half of the season. He has seen at least 5 targets in each of his last three games and surpassed 65 receiving yards in all of them. Higgins has also scored 2 touchdowns in that span. He draws a great matchup against a poor Jets defense in Week 16 that gives him FLEX potential.

4. Salvon Ahmed, RB, Miami Dolphins

Salvon Ahmed returned from injury last week to rush for 122 yards on 23 carries and score a touchdown. He looked impressive as the team's workhorse running back, but starter Myles Gaskin is expected to be active and ready to go next week. However, adding Ahmed this week wouldn't be a bad idea. If Gaskin is not able to return or will be limited in his snap count, Ahmed slides back into the RB2 conversation. The Dolphins should continue to lean on the rushing attack in Week 16 as the Raiders' haven't been great at defending it all season (giving up 125.8 rushing yards per game).

SIGN UP AND GET AN INSTANT DEPOSIT BONUS UP TO 500! We'll match 20% of your first deposit on FanDuel Fantasy Sports. Max bonus $500

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.