As we head into the semifinals of the playoffs for most Fantasy leagues in Week 16, the biggest thing to monitor are the injuries at running back. And, unfortunately, we have some prominent guys who are hurt.
David Montgomery (knee) and Nick Chubb (foot) are out for the rest of the season, and Alvin Kamara (groin) is unlikely to play in Week 16. Sincere McCormick (ankle), Braelon Allen (back), and Jaleel McLaughlin (quadriceps) were also injured in Week 15, and we’re still waiting on the status of Kenneth Walker III (calf).
The top replacement options available are likely Jerome Ford (49 percent rostered on CBS Sports), Kendre Miller (21 percent), and either Ameer Abdullah (57 percent) or Alexander Mattison (57 percent), depending on your scoring format (I prefer Abdullah in PPR). We’ll discuss all of these guys below.
At receiver, we have some good streaming options in Jalen McMillan (27 percent) and Romeo Doubs (57 percent), among others. And there are some excellent streaming tight ends in Brenton Strange (5 percent) and Stone Smartt (8 percent).
The quarterback options for Week 16 are more geared toward Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, but you might have to replace Patrick Mahomes (ankle), Geno Smith (knee), or even Jameis Winston, who is getting benched. Aaron Rodgers (45 percent) is likely your best option, but you could also look at Cooper Rush (34 percent) or Carson Wentz (2 percent).
And we have some good DST options for Week 16, including the Texans (57 percent), Falcons (32 percent) and the Bengals (44 percent). Yes, even the Bengals DST might be a starting option in Week 16, with Dorian Thompson-Robinson starting for the Browns.
Editor’s note: For this waiver wire column, we are mainly looking at players rostered in less than 65 percent of CBS Sports leagues.
Week 16 Waivers
Injuries: Patrick Mahomes (ankle), Justin Herbert (ankle), Geno Smith (knee), Aidan O’Connell (knee), Drew Lock (heel, Tommy DeVito (concussion) and Derek Carr (hand).
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Matthew Stafford (79 percent rostered), Caleb Williams (73 percent), and Anthony Richardson (66 percent). Stafford was bad at San Francisco in Week 15 with 8.2 Fantasy points, but he scored at least 19.6 points in four games in a row prior to facing the 49ers. The Jets have allowed four of the past five opposing quarterbacks to score at least 22.7 Fantasy points, and Stafford remains a low-end No. 1 quarterback in Week 16. … Williams had a rough game Monday night at Minnesota with his worst outing since Thomas Brown started calling plays with 191 passing yards and a touchdown and three rushing yards and a lost fumble. But I expect Williams to bounce back at home in Week 16 against a beat-up Detroit defense, and he scored 32.1 Fantasy points against the Lions in Week 13. … It’s obviously tough to trust Richardson after he just scored 14.4 Fantasy points in Week 15 at Denver, but I like his matchup against the Titans in Week 16. Tennessee has allowed five of the past six opposing quarterbacks to score at least 19.7 Fantasy points, including three rushing touchdowns over that span.
Add in this order:
Week 16 Waiver Priority List
WAIVER WIRE
Running Backs
Injuries: David Montgomery (knee), Alvin Kamara (groin), Kenneth Walker III (calf), Nick Chubb (foot), Braelon Allen (back), Sincere McCormick (ankle) and Jaleel McLaughlin (quadriceps).
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Jaylen Warren (81 percent rostered), Javonte Williams (78 percent), and Tank Bigsby (75 percent). Warren had 10.8 PPR points in Week 11 against Baltimore, and he could have similar production in the rematch in Week 16. He also could get some additional touches after Najee Harris lost a fumble in Week 15 at Philadelphia. Warren is worth using as a flex against the Ravens. … Williams could get some additional work in Week 16 at the Chargers with McLaughlin banged up. It’s tough to trust a Broncos running back, even if McLaughlin is out, but Williams could be a desperation flex in deeper leagues on Thursday night. … Bigsby played 22 snaps compared to 61 for Travis Etienne in Week 15 against the Jets, but Bigsby still had 29 carries in his past two outings. If he gets double digits in carries in Week 16 at the Raiders, then he could be used as a flex option in deeper leagues.
Add in this order:
Week 16 Waiver Priority List
WAIVER WIRE
Wide Receivers
Injuries: Injuries: George Pickens (hamstring), Jaylen Waddle (knee), Quentin Johnston (ankle), Chris Olave (concussion), Cedric Tillman (concussion), Xavier Legette (groin) and Alec Pierce (concussion).
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Keenan Allen (84 percent rostered), Adam Thielen (79 percent), Josh Downs (77 percent), Michael Pittman (76 percent) and Rome Odunze (66 percent). Allen has scored at least 20.2 PPR points in three of his past four games, including 24.3 PPR points in Week 13 at Detroit. The Lions are No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, so Allen and Odunze have the chance to play well in Week 16. Odunze is more of a deep-league option, but he does have at least six targets in seven of his past eight games. … Downs (6.2 PPR points) and Pittman (9.8 PPR points) were disappointments in Week 15 at Denver, but both got at least eight targets against the Broncos. They have a better matchup in Week 16 against the Titans, who have allowed seven receivers to score at least 14.1 PPR points in their past five games. … Thielen only scored 10.1 PPR points in Week 15 against Dallas, but he had seven targets and now has 28 targets in his past three games. He scored at least 19.2 PPR points in his two previous outings prior to Week 15, and I still consider Thielen a solid No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues heading into Week 16 against Arizona.
Add in this order:
Week 16 Waiver Priority List
Injuries: David Njoku (hamstring), Zach Ertz (concussion), Evan Engram (shoulder), Dallas Goedert (knee) and Will Dissly (shoulder).
Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Tucker Kraft (81 percent rostered), Pat Freiermuth (79 percent), Hunter Henry (73 percent), and Dalton Kincaid (70 percent). Kraft had a down game in Week 15 at Seattle with two catches for 34 yards on two targets, but he scored at least 10.6 PPR points in three games in a row prior to that. He’s still worth using as a low-end No. 1 Fantasy tight end in Week 16 against the Saints. … Freiermuth has stepped up recently with George Pickens (hamstring) hurt, and Freiermuth comes into Week 16 at Baltimore with a touchdown in three games in a row. He also has scored at least 9.9 PPR points in five of his past six games, and he has two games in his past three outings with at least six targets. If Pickens is out against the Ravens, then Freiermuth is worth starting in all leagues. … Henry had a down game in Week 15 at Arizona with four catches for 25 yards on four targets, but prior to that, he scored at least 9.4 PPR points, in six of his previous seven outings. He has a tough matchup in Week 16 at Buffalo, but Henry is still worth using as a low-end starter in all leagues. … Kincaid returned from his three-game absence with a knee injury in Week 15 at Detroit and had four catches for 53 yards on seven targets. He should stay in that range in Week 16 against New England, which makes him a low-end starter in the majority of leagues.
Add in this order:
Week 16 Waiver Priority List
Week 16 DST streamers
- Texans (57 percent rostered) at KC
- Falcons (32 percent rostered) vs. NYG
- Bengals (44 percent rostered) vs. CLE
- Rams (19 percent rostered) at NYJ
- Titans (42 percent rostered) at IND
Kicker streamers
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