NFL Waiver Wire: Week 16
QB: Baker Mayfield – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
-49.1% rostered
-29.04 points against Green Bay Packers
-22/28 for 381 yards and 4 TDs
Big big day for Baker Mayfield against the Packers as he almost threw for 400 yards. Moving forward, we shouldn’t expect him to hit 350+ yards but we can expect him to play really well and put up some decent fantasy numbers. The Bucs are in the midst of their playoff push so they will be playing with playoff type intensity for the remainder of the season. In the middle of this playoff push, Baker has quietly put up good fantasy numbers. 20 points last week and 29 points this week. What stands out the most is that Mayfield is finally spreading the ball to WR Chris Godwin, who had been largely invisible this season. In addition to this, RB Rachaad White has shown an ability to catch the ball and run for a lot of yards. Oh, and we can’t forget WR Mike Evans who has been a model of consistency over the last 5+ yards. The point is, Mayfield has a lot of weapons he can pass to. Next week, Mayfield plays against the Jaguars who have allowed the 3rd most points to fantasy QBs this season.
RB: Clyde Edwards-Helaire – Kansas City Chiefs
-32.3% rostered
-20.1 points against the New England Patroits
-13 rushes for 37 yards but added 4 receptions for 64 yards and a TD
So I may have been wrong about Jerick McKinnon last week. CEH is the guy stepping up in Kansas City and CEH has shown to the be guy that can catch the ball. He was a highly drafted guy who slowly fell out of rotation in the Chiefs backfield. There is talk that RB Isiah Pacheco could return this week but because he is coming off shoulder surgery, I don’t see him getting a full workload and I think that CEH will still handle the majority of it. In the Chiefs’ offense, getting 10+ carries is a sign of trust and CEH has gotten 11 last week and 13 this week. The Chief’s offense is still trying to figure it out and it looks like QB Patrick Mahomes is starting to develop some trust issues with his receivers but there is no doubt that Mahomes has a lot of trust in CEH. Next week, the Chiefs play against the Raiders who give up the 6th most points to the RB position.
WR: Noah Brown – Houston Texans
-40.4% rostered
-22.2 points against the Tennessee Titans
-8 receptions on 11 targets for 82 yards and a TD
I think its time to give Noah Brown his flowers. When he’s healthy, he is a major factor in this Texan passing game. This season, he has had games of 27.3, 24.2 and 22.2 points but it has been hard to rely on him because he’s been injured and in and out of the lineup. The Texans are also still in the playoff hunt so there is ample reason for him to show up big each and every game. Also, QB CJ Stroud is slated to come back from his concussion this week which will ultimately help Brown and his downfield ability. Another reason why he is a great pick is because he might be the de facto #1 receiver on this team. WR1 Tank Dell is still out for the rest of the season and WR2 Nico Collins is battling a tricky calf injury. Brown might see a ton of targets and volume this week on a team that again, is battling for a playoff spot.
TE: Juwan Johnson – New Orleans Saints
-19.4% rostered
-11.8 points against the New York Giants
-2 receptions on 2 targets for 38 yards and a TD
Sorry everyone, here is another dart throw for the TE position. I’m really not good at nailing the TE position but here is to hoping that I nail it this week. But honestly, if you want some good TE takes, listen to the podcast and Tradon will help you out. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? Anyway, here it goes! Juwan Johnson is a decent TE who plays in a sometimes explosive, sometime anemic Saints offense. The big thing that Johnson has going for him is that if he is healthy, he is involved. He has only put up one 0 point game this season. He gets a decent amount of targets and even had a 7 target game earlier this season. Sure, TE Jimmy Graham put away his walker when he came out of retirement and has been the redzone TE over the last two games but Johnson scored a TD anyway. Graham is only used for 5ish plays a game but Johnson is out there a lot. There is more potential for volume if the Saints’ aren’t in their anemic state. Up next the Saints play against the Rams who give up the 4th most points to the TE position.