The Week 16 waiver wire: Top pickups

“That’s what you work all season for, to get into the playoff games, and you don’t want to blow it.” –Ray Nitschke

You’re in the playoffs. Don’t blow it. If you do blow it, you won’t return for 365 days if you’re lucky. Now that the stakes are high in the sudden-death playoff format, you need to play it safe and avoid any unnecessary risks. The best way to do so is through the wire, so here is your Week 16 Waiver Wire.

*Owned % are in terms of the Yahoo platform at the time of writing

Worth a Look (over 50% owned)

Zay Jones, JAX- WR (55%)

Zay Jones has emerged as a premier receiver in Duval County, averaging over 10 targets per game in the last 5 games, and if you aren’t aware, that’s an elite number. Not only does Jones get volume, but the touchdowns are certainly there too. With 3 TDs this week, and another one in the week before, Zay Jones is a stable start in essentially every league. Paired with the breakout of Trevor Lawrence, Zay is destined for more.

Jerick McKinnon, KC- RB (78%)

Jerick McKinnon is a running back, but he’s not on this list for his rushing efficiency. McKinnon has 17 targets in his last two games, the most of any running back during that time. McKinnon out-touched Isiah Pacheco, and additionally has five touchdowns in three games.

McKinnon faces the Seattle defense, who is coming off of a week where they gave up six catches and 138 total yards to Christian McCaffrey. Even though the Seattle matchup doesn’t look great at first glance, McKinnon has got to be starting in the postseason.

Trevor Lawrence, JAX- QB (77%)

For the first time in his career, Trevor Lawrence is looking like the first-round pick we all anticipated he would be. Throwing no less than 3 touchdowns in 3 of his last 4 games, Lawrence has helped vault the Jaguars back into playoff contention while putting up great fantasy numbers. Despite a challenging schedule for the remainder of the fantasy season, Lawrence can definitely be trusted as a starter.

Waiver Wire (under 50% owned)

Tyler Allgeier, ATL- RB (37%)

In rookie QB Desmond Ridder’s debut in Week 15, the Falcons relied on Tyler Allgeier, who rushed for his first-ever 100-yard game. With a career-high 17 rush attempts, Allgeier found the endzone and established himself as the true workhorse in Atlanta.

Expect Allgeier to have another high-volume outing for a number of reasons, such as backup Caleb Huntley’s injury, Cordarrelle Patterson’s inefficiency, Desmond Ridder’s clear need to warm up, and Baltimore’s scary secondary.

Brock Purdy, SF- QB (20%)

The legend of Brock Purdy continues! The future hall of famer, perennial all-pro, Man of the Year, 11-time Super Bowl champion, G.O.A.T., and at this rate, President of the United States, has been unreal in the first three games of his career. When hopes of a deep playoff run had seemed lost for the 49ers, Purdy arose and has led the team to three straight wins.

Purdy has been efficient with the football while protecting it as well, as shown by his 6:1 TD:INT ratio as a starter. What makes Purdy even more intriguing is his remaining schedule. In the final two weeks of the fantasy season, Purdy faces the Commanders, and the Raiders, who have given up the 11th most, and 4th most points to quarterbacks, respectively. Purdy will be a high-floor option for the remainder of the season.

Jahan Dotson, WAS- WR (17%)

Jahan Dotson’s overall Week 15 statline, which includes a 105-yard performance, is slightly misleading. While Dotson was certainly an important factor in the Washington offense, 61 of those 105 yards came on a single deep pass, which is not reasonable to expect on a consistent basis.

What is intriguing about Dotson however, aside from his uptick in targets, is his red zone usage. Even early in the season, Dotson has always been a stalwart in Washington’s red zone efforts. Now, with touchdowns in back-to-back weeks, Dotson remains a high-upside play.

Zack Moss, IND- RB (2%)

To be frank, Zack Moss’s name was not one I expected to hear too much of following his trade to the Colts. The reality is, however, that Jonathan Taylor is hurt, and due to how late in the season it is and the Colts’ playoff odds, it is more than likely the team errs on the side of caution and rests Taylor for the rest of the season.

Such a decision would vault Moss into the RB1 role in Indy, resulting in a potential FLEX option moving forward. After all, we say Jeff Saturday was not afraid to give Moss the football, which he did 24 times against the Vikings.

K.J. Osborn, MIN- WR (5%)

K.J. Osborn has touchdowns in back-to-back weeks, with the best game of his career in Week 15. During the Vikings’ epic 33-point comeback, QB Kirk Cousins looked Osborn’s way an elite 16 times. Because Osborn hasn’t been consistently good, he is not necessarily a reliable option for most teams at this point in the playoffs, although his matchup against a Giants secondary that lacks depth is certainly worth noting.