Week 16 Waiver Wire: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jawhar Jordan and More
Fantasy

Week 16 Waiver Wire: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Jawhar Jordan and More

Who are the players to target as leagues enter the second week of playoffs? Kendall Valenzuela shares her top picks.

I hope the first week of the fantasy playoffs treated you well and that you didn't have to start by facing Kyle Pitts on Thursday night … because seriously what was that?! On Sunday, Trevor Lawrence tried to do his best Pitts impression by scoring 44.3 fantasy points against the Jets... and we also had some history made. Trey McBride set another NFL record as the first tight end with back-to-back 100-catch seasons — he joined Travis Kelce as the only tight ends in history with at least 100 catches in multiple seasons.

Now let's get into waivers. All rostership percentages are from Yahoo and, as always, I try to focus on highlighting players less than 40% rostered. Also, don't forget our Waiver Wire Tool, which will have even more targets on a weekly basis.

Week 15 Injuries

Week 16's Best Waiver Wire Adds

Marcus Mariota, QB, Commanders (10% rostered)

If you're in need of a quarterback, look no further than Marcus Mariota. He's been featured in this waiver article a lot this season and Sunday showed us another reason why. It wasn't always pretty, but Mariota can get it done with his legs. He finished with 14.74 fantasy points off 211 passing yards and one touchdown through the air. He also added 10 carries for 43 yards on the ground. The Commanders face the Eagles before going head-to-head with the Cowboys in Week 17.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, Commanders (45% rostered)

Chris Rodriguez was inactive on Sunday due to a groin injury and that meant his 55 touches from the past five games were up for grabs. It was Jacory Croskey-Merritt who became the biggest beneficiary as he saw 18 carries for 96 yards and one touchdown. Since Rodriguez was a game time decision it's likely that he could be rested and ready for Week 16, but we always want to be early on players off the waiver wire.

Jawhar Jordan, RB, Texans (1% rostered)

Woody Marks exited Sunday's game against the Cardinals with an ankle injury and was unable to return. With Nick Chubb also unable to start this game it was Jawhar Jordan who stepped up for the Texans. He finished Week 15 with 13.8 fantasy points after locking down 15 carries for 101 yards. Houston doesn't get to play the Cardinals every single week, but they do get the Raiders in Week 16. If Marks is unable to return then Jordan could be a desperate flex plays in the fantasy playoffs.

Colston Loveland, TE, Bears (40% rostered)

Rome Odunze was on track to play in Sunday's matchup, but suffered a setback during warmups. Luther Burden also went down during the game, leaving work open for DJ Moore and Colston Loveland. Loveland has scored 10 or more fantasy points in three of his last four games and caught four of his five targets for 63 yards against Cleveland. There will be more opportunities here if the team is without both Odunze and Burden in Week 16.

Michael Carter, RB, Cardinals (5% rostered)

It was an unfortunate day for Bam Knight managers as he logged just one carry for minus-2 yards before being carted to the locker room with an ankle injury. It's been a miserable year for the Cardinals running back room and with Trey Benson not activated off IR, it's Michael Carter and Emari Demercado's backfield. Carter is the one to target here — he finished with 14 carries for 56 yards while also being involved in the passing game, coming down with four receptions for 38 yards. Arizona takes on the Falcons in Week 16.

Darius Slayton, WR, Giants (40% rostered)

Darius Slayton was tied with Wan'Dale Robinson for a team-high 10 targets on Sunday and came down with four receptions for 53 yards. There aren't many receivers floating around the waiver wire right now, but Slayton should be more rostered. It's not an easy matchup against the Vikings in Week 16, but the Giants finish off the fantasy playoffs in Week 17 against the Raiders.

Luther Burden, WR, Bears (17% rostered)

I know Luther Burden is going to be on the injury report and it's important to monitor this week, but if he's floating around your waiver wire now is the time to grab him (because he shouldn't be out there). He led the team on Sunday in targets, receptions and receiving yards. You can tell the chemistry has really come together between Burden and Caleb Williams and while their upcoming schedule is less than ideal (Packers Week 16, 49ers Week 17) he's done more than enough to be rostered across more leagues.

The Other Guys

Players Mentioned in this Article

  1. Michael Carter
    MichaelCarter
    RBARIARI
    PPG
    4.09
  2. Marcus Mariota
    MarcusMariotaQ
    QBWASWAS
    PPG
    11.85
  3. Jawhar Jordan
    JawharJordan
    RBHOUHOU
    PPG
    1.23
  4. Jacory Croskey-Merritt
    JacoryCroskey-Merritt
    RBWASWAS
    PPG
    6.78