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Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Football

By Jason Schandl

Breshad Perriman catches a pass against the Lions in Week 15.
Breshad Perriman catches a pass against the Lions in Week 15. / Rey Del Rio/Getty Images
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The fantasy football playoffs are here, and that means there's no room for error if you're still playing. Hitting or missing on a single player can be the difference between a championship berth or elimination and the end of your season.

With those high stakes in mind, these five players are owned in 50 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Football leagues or less and are worth targeting on the waiver wire heading into Week 16.

1. Breshad Perriman, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11% Owned)

Breshad Perriman scores a touchdown against the Lions in Week 15.
Breshad Perriman scores a touchdown against the Lions in Week 15. / Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Mike Evans got banged up in Week 14 with a hamstring injury, and Breshad Perriman exploded for 113 yards and three TDs. Now with Chris Godwin out, Perriman's volume should expand even further. Bringing that into a matchup with the Houston Texans (allowing above-average PPR production to WRs) makes him a must-start for Week 16.

2. Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Miami Dolphins (25% Owned)

Ryan Fitzpatrick throws a pass against the Giants.
Ryan Fitzpatrick throws a pass against the Giants. / Elsa/Getty Images

Ryan Fitzpatrick could be a league winner and he's available in three quarters of Yahoo! Fantasy Football leagues. The Cincinnati Bengals have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points per game to opposing QBs, and heading into Week 15, Football Outsiders' DVOA rankings have them ranked 30th against the pass. Fitzmagic just dropped 20.5 fantasy points on Sunday, giving him 20-plus points in three of the last four games with an average of 21.2 per game during that time. He's an outstanding streaming option for championship weekend.

3. A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (39% Owned)

A.J. Green and Joe Mixon against the Buccaneers.
A.J. Green and Joe Mixon against the Buccaneers. / John Grieshop/Getty Images

On the other side of that matchup, A.J. Green could be back in action this week, and he'd immediately be back in play if he returned. The Dolphins are one of the only pass defenses worse than the Bengals' (32nd in DVOA), and they're allowing the NFL's second-most PPR fantasy points per game to the position. Andy Dalton has averaged 40.4 pass attempts per game this season, and there will be no shortage of volume to go around for Green, provided he suits up.

4. Mike Boone, RB, Minnesota Vikings (2% Owned)

Mike Boone celebrates a touchdown against the Chargers.
Mike Boone celebrates a touchdown against the Chargers. / Harry How/Getty Images

Dalvin Cook hurt his shoulder in Week 15, and his status for fantasy's championship weekend appears to be in doubt. With the Minnesota Vikings' No. 2 back, Alexander Mattison, also dealing with an injury, Mike Boone has the chance to swing some fantasy matchups in Week 16. Boone turned 13 carries into 56 rushing yards and two scores last week, and he looks primed for another big role here if Cook is limited or sidelined. Available in 98 percent of Yahoo! Fantasy Football leagues, Boone should be a top priority this week.

5. O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (41% Owned)

O.J. Howard catches a pass against the Jaguars.
O.J. Howard catches a pass against the Jaguars. / Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

With Evans and Godwin out, it looks like it's time for the O.J. Howard breakout. He just saw a season-high eight targets in Week 15, giving him a total of 19 across the last three games, which is finally giving him enough volume to offer consistent fantasy value. The Texans have also allowed the eighth-most PPR fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. Howard should have no trouble turning his expanded volume into production, as he racked up 180 receiving yards across his last three.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. 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 their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.