Waiver Wire Roto Wizard Waiver Wire Free Agents week 16 2022

This past weekend I constantly had flashbacks to the scene from Animal House when John Belushi's beloved "John Blutarsky" character refused to quit, and uttered one of the more iconic speeches of all time:

"What? Over? Did you say 'over'? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! It ain't over now. Because when the goin' gets tough, the tough get going! Who's with me?"

To put it bluntly, this weekend was absolutely insane in the NFL. We witnessed the largest comeback win in league history with the Vikings triumphing over the Colts on Saturday afternoon, multiple last-minute victories (Giants over Commanders, Saints over Falcons, Lions over Jets) and one of the most bizarre walk off victories I've ever witnessed in the Raiders versus Patriots game. It was a truly epic weekend to sit down and soak everything in.

During the bedlam, several low-rostered players managed to catch my eye, which I'll share with you below. Keep in mind, just because I am endorsing them as a potential pickup doesn't mean that I'd automatically plug them in over proven talent. As we are amidst the "one and done" playoffs, any wrong move could prove to be catastrophic. Consider carefully the options listed below as potential streaming or FLEX starters, and should you run into any difficult sit/start scenarios, please reach out to me on Twitter (@Roto_Wizard) for assistance, and I'll be happy to address your specific situation.
 

Quarterbacks

Brock Purdy (22 percent rostered) - I wrote about Purdy last week after his breakout versus Tampa Bay, but he followed it up with another stellar performance against Seattle on the road, so I will circle back. Purdy has thrown multiple touchdowns in each of his three starts, surrendering just one turnover in the process. His passing totals aren't gaudy by any means (hovering around 210 yards per start, or so), but he has a nice safe floor and a bevy of elite talent surrounding him. San Francisco squares off against Washington at home in Week 16, and the weakness of the Commanders defense is the secondary. I'd anticipate another heavy dosage of Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle, with Brandon Aiyuk operating as the downfield threat.
Recommendation: Purdy is a low-end QB1 in 12-team formats, and is worthy of consideration on rosters where the incumbent squares off against a tough defense. Purdy was added in a number of leagues last week, but remains available in shallower formats for a $3-$5 bid.

Mike White (16 percent rostered) - White was ruled out this past Friday when New York Jets team doctors refused to medically clear him for the contest against Detroit, citing his broken ribs. Despite his best efforts to try multiple doctors to gain their approval, White sat in favor of Zach Wilson on Sunday. To put it nicely, Wilson was dreadful, and it is evident that White should be the one under center if available. Don't let his 317 passing yards and two touchdowns fool you - Wilson barely completed 50 percent of his passes against a bottom-tier defense and had multiple interceptions dropped. New York has a quick turnaround in Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday evening, and it remains to be seen if White can be cleared in time - he is scheduled to be evaluated again on Monday. Should he be finally cleared, White would be a major boost to this offense, for a team that is vying for a playoff spot.

Recommendation: When considering White in deeper leagues, keep a close eye on medical snippets released by Jets beat writers early in the week to see if he gains medical clearance to play. If he does, White can be added in 14-team or SUPERFLEX leagues as a streamer for $3-$5.

Running Backs

Tyler Allgeier (32 percent rostered) - Allgeier set career-highs on Sunday against New Orleans, rushing the ball 17 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. Used as a battering ram between the tackles, Allgeier repeatedly dragged defenders with him to gain positive yards, and carved out a major role in this offense ahead of Cordarrelle Patterson. His presence allows Patterson to be used as more of a gadget option, and I anticipate that he will receive another healthy workload in Week 16 against Baltimore. The Ravens are a stingy defense against the run (allowing only 3.8 YPC, third best in the league) but expected volume pushes Allgeier into the low-end RB2 discussion. With Demond Ridder under center, Atlanta figures to run the ball often.

Recommendation: In shallower leagues where he is available, consider Allgeier a low-end RB2 capable of breaking a long touchdown. He should be a priority add and I'd consider spending whatever FAAB I had left to insert him at FLEX.

Deon Jackson (12 percent rostered) - Fantasy managers received the unfortunate news that Jonathan Taylor suffered a high-ankle sprain on Sunday, and he is expected to miss the remainder of the 2022 season. In his absence, Indianapolis will pivot to Jackson as their lead option, and we have seen him succeed in the past (such as Week 5-6). I'd anticipate Jackson to work ahead of Zack Moss as the primary ball carrier, and he should see a steady dose of touches, both as a runner and receiver. Indianapolis is in a downward spiral with nothing to play for, so it stands to reason that the team would showcase their backup options to make roster decisions for 2023. The Colts square off against the Los Angeles Chargers, who rank as a bottom-two option against running backs.

Recommendation: Jackson was dropped in plenty of leagues mid-season, and I'd anticipate him to be available in plenty of competitive formats. Any starting running back is worth rostering for volume purposes alone, and Jackson has shown flashes of upside in the past. Add him for $10-$15 where available.

Wide Receivers

Jahan Dotson (26 percent rostered) - Dotson was the star of Washington's aerial attack on Sunday night against the New York Giants, securing 4 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. Since shaking off the rust from his IR stint that cost him a significant chunk of his rookie season, Dotson has become the big-play receiver that the Commanders dreamed about, and looks to build off his big performance moving forward. Washington has a difficult Week 16 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, but I do anticipate Taylor Heinicke and co. being forced into plenty of passing situations, as the 49ers defense against the run is akin to a brick wall. His schedule greatly improves later on, against Cleveland and then Dallas to close out the season.

Recommendation: Dotson is a better play in non-PPR formats due to his modest target share, but his big-play ability cannot be ignored. He is a dynamic threat to score whenever he has the ball in his hands, and is electric in space. Add him for $5-$7 in 14-team leagues as an upside flier.

Rashid Shaheed (1 percent rostered) - I have had my eye on Shaheed since his strong start in Weeks 6-7, and his play of late has me intrigued. He has a very low total volume of targets (averaging just 4 in each of the last two weeks), but he is quickly emerging as one of the top deep threats in the league. New Orleans has begun to use Shaheed as the 1B option to Chris Olave, and I like him as a sleeper flier this upcoming weekend against Cleveland. In the topsy turvy NFC South division which is still up for grabs, Shaheed will serve as the downfield option for a team that has struggled to run of late. He is universally unowned and is a great dart-throw or DFS play.

Recommendation: As mentioned above, I would not add Shaheed as an immediate starter in any given format, but his recent string of success makes him a fun flier in DFS situations or EXTREMELY deep leagues. Add him for a minimum bid.

Tight Ends

Juwan Johnson (15 percent rostered) - While going through the past weekend's statistics, I was shocked to see Johnson rostered in so few leagues. He currently ranks within the top-10 at the position, despite being largely unused until Week 7. He had a prolific stretch from Week 7-11 before missing time due to an ankle injury followed by a bye, which apparently caused his ownership to plummet. That said, he has scored seven touchdowns since Week 7, and has averaged almost 5 targets per game since then. He is New Orleans' top red-zone threat, and a favorite for Andy Dalton to look towards. For his size (6'4, 231 lbs.) he moves like a gazelle in open space.

Recommendation: Any manager struggling at the position should consider adding Johnson, who has been a revelation since mid-season. In a position that is reliant upon touchdowns to generate value, Johnson is currently second only to Travis Kelce in that category. Add him for $5-$7.

Trey McBride (3 percent rostered) - McBride was my top-ranked rookie tight end for 2022, and I thought that his college tape (along with his impressive showing at the NFL Combine) would lead to success, if given the opportunity. Now operating as the top option with Zach Ertz out for the year, McBride has shown good chemistry with both Arizona Cardinals' backup quarterbacks, Colt McCoy and Trace McSorley. He will still be third or fourth on the target list for the team behind DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown, but McBride is a stellar receiver with a huge catch radius for these unproven options to take advantage of. He has 11 targets over the past two weeks, and has begun to blossom.

Recommendation: McBride is still off the radar in most formats, but should be added in dynasty/keeper leagues as a breakout option for 2023. Arizona faces Tampa Bay next week, and I would expect another 5-6 targets for McBride from whoever is under center. Add him for a minimum bid as a wait-and-see player.