Congratulations to anyone reading this who has made it to what should be the fantasy football finals. If it’s not, your commissioner and I need to chat.
Your rosters should be in pretty good shape if you have made it this far, though you may need an emergency replacement for Chris Godwin or Dalvin Cook.
Below are a handful of waiver wire candidates owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo fantasy football leagues who you should consider picking up:
Quarterbacks:
— Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins (25% owned): Fitzpatrick bounced back against the Giants last week and completed 23 of 41 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. He should rack up low-end QB1 numbers against the 1-13 Bengals.
Running backs:
— Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings (39% owned): Cook had to be helped off the field in third quarter of Sunday’s game after re-injuring the same shoulder that forced him from the game in Week 13. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday that he would be surprised if Cook plays in Weeks 16 or 17. Mattison is also banged up with an ankle injury and did not play in Week 15. That said, when he took over for Cook in Week 13, he had four rushes for 22 yards and caught four passes for 51 yards. If healthy, Mattison has RB1 upside this week.
— Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions (39%): Johnson has not played since Week 7 when he injured his knee against the Vikings. He is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, which is good timing in light of the health of the rest of the Lions’ backfield. J.D McKissic exited Sunday’s game after suffering a stinger and was ruled out for return, and Bo Scarbrough was inactive with a rib injury.
— Boston Scott, Philadelphia Eagles (8%): Scott saw six attempts for 26 yards and seven catches for 39 yards on Sunday against the Redskins behind Miles Sanders. With Sanders taking on the feature role with Jordan Howard sidelined since the team’s Week 10 bye, Scott has also seen an uptick in workload. He has flex value in PPR/deep leagues.
— Mike Boone, Minnesota Vikings (4%): With Cook and Mattison out in the second half of Sunday’s game, Boone tallied 13 carries for 56 yards and two touchdowns. If Mattison’s ankle injury does not heal in time for Monday night’s divisional showdown against the Packers, Boone will have to take on a workhorse role and could have RB2 value.
Minnesota Vikings running back Mike Boone scores a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers.Getty ImagesWide receivers:
— Anthony Miller, Chicago Bears (27% owned): Miller has quietly strung together four good fantasy performances with Taylor Gabriel sidelined with a concussion. He caught nine of 15 targets for 118 yards and a touchdown on Sunday and has scored in two straight games. The Chiefs, who are allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points to receivers this year, are a difficult Week 16 matchup, but Miller should eke out WR3/flex numbers as the No. 2 option behind Allen Robinson.
— Danny Amendola, Detroit Lions (25%): Amendola caught eight of 13 passes for 102 yards on Sunday against the Buccaneers. That was his third 100-yard game this season, and he should be targeted more with Marvin Jones out for the season with an ankle injury. Amendola’s value is limited by quarterback David Blough’s inability to generate any offensive momentum, but he should have some flex upside in Denver this week for deeper leagues.
— Chris Conley, Jacksonville Jaguars (22%): It was Conley, not Dede Westbrook, who capitalized on D.J. Chark’s absence in Week 15. He caught four of eight targets for 49 yards and two touchdowns. Conley should have WR3 upside in an excellent Week 16 matchup in Atlanta if Chark’s ankle does not heal come Sunday.
— Breshad Perriman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13%): Perriman is a must-add this week after Chris Godwin and Scotty Miller both went down with hamstring injuries in Week 16. After the game, head coach Bruce Arians said that Godwin’s injury “doesn’t look good” and it’s extremely unlikely he plays in Week 16. The Buccaneers were already short-handed at receiver with Mike Evans suffering a season-ending hamstring injury in Week 15. Perriman caught five of six targets for 113 yards and three touchdowns and has WR1 upside, especially with quarterback Jameis Winston coming off consecutive 400-yard, four-touchdown games.
Tight ends:
— O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (41% owned): Howard caught four of eight targets for 46 yards on Sunday, and he should see increased work with Godwin and Miller’s Week 16 statuses in jeopardy.
— Noah Fant, Denver Broncos (31%): Fant played three quarters of Sunday’s game after a hard hit to the shoulder on a fourth-and-1 play. He still managed to pick up 56 yards on two catches and has a great chance to bounce back against Detroit’s subpar defense.
Defenses:
— Indianapolis Colts D/ST (30% owned): The Colts aren’t a defensive juggernaut, but they face off against the Panthers this week. Carolina is starting rookie quarterback Will Grier after Kyle Allen has turned into an interception machine (15 since Week 8).





