If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you made it to the championship of your league’s playoffs (congrats!). Since you’ve proven to have a championship-caliber squad, the odds are you don’t need any major reinforcements. But hey, it doesn’t hurt to see who’s available since you never know when the next Matt Asiata (5 TDs in week 16 the past 2 years!) will emerge when it’s least expected.

As always, our featured experts are here to help. They’ve ranked the top readily available targets and shared their thoughts on who they like as D/ST pickups this week. If you’re curious about advice tailored to your team, be sure to check out our My Playbook tool.

Featured Pros

Kevin Hanson (EDSFootball)

Greg Smith (The Fake Football)

Mike Tagliere (Pro Football Focus)

Jon Collins (Fantasy Sports LR)

*Editor’s note: Karlos Williams is omitted from the rankings due to his ownership level. If he’s available in your league, he should be a top add given LeSean McCoy‘s injury status.

Waiver Wire Rankings (Standard Scoring)

Week 16 Waiver Wire Advice

Each expert was asked to share the reasoning behind their waiver rankings as well as what D/ST they like as a rental for week 16. Here’s what the experts had to say.

Q1: Give us your thoughts on a waiver wire target (or two) you especially like as a pickup.

Mike Tagliere – Pro Football Focus

We are down to the final week, so this comes down to strictly matchups. Throw out the player names that may or may not turn it around, and grab those with guaranteed work. The first that strikes my mind would be Christine Michael. After being passed around from team to team, he came back to where he began in Seattle and totaled 84 yards on 16 carries. Seeing as it was the first game in his career with more than nine carries, it should be no surprise to anyone that he will be the workhorse in Week 16 when the Rams come to town. Opposing teams are averaging roughly 68 snaps per game against them, which includes an average of 37 pass attempts. That would leave about 31 rush attempts, minus a few sacks as well. Also keep in mind that the Seahawks have thrown the ball more than 33 times just once all year. Michael is going to see a ton of work, and he is a high-end RB2 in championship week.

Jon Collins – Fantasy Sports LR

Christine Michael is my priority add this week, but I’d rather talk to you about the man I have ranked behind him. Bilal Powell may be overlooked by your league-mates who were busy sipping Eggnog on Saturday night, but he could be just the piece you need to fill out your championship puzzle. Powell found the end zone again on Saturday, the third straight game in which he’s notched a score, and totaled 79 yards on 13 touches. With Chris Ivory wilting a bit under his workload, and a presumed come-from-behind situation against New England he could approach that workload again in the week ahead. The Pats have given up a healthy 79 receptions (10th most) and 558 yards through the air to opposing backs.

Kevin Hanson – EDSFootball

Markus Wheaton: I like DGB (more) and I’m guessing others will choose to write about him, so I’ll go in a different direction with Wheaton. Of course, Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant are better options on his own team, but Wheaton has been consistent over the past four weeks with three top-24 finishes during that four-game span. While it started with a career (and unrepeatable) 201-yard performance against the Seahawks, Wheaton has a minimum of 50 yards in four consecutive games with a touchdown in three of them. Given this week’s matchup against the Ravens, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing receivers this season, it wouldn’t surprise me if he once again finished as a top-24 producer.

Greg Smith – The Fake Football

This season’s litany of injuries has priced most analysts, myself included, into tabbing running backs as the top waiver adds on a weekly basis. Heading into fantasy football’s championship week, however, taking a home run swing on a wide receiver could be the way to go. In particular, I like DeVante Parker and Dorial Green-Beckham as Week 16 waiver options. Both rookies now garner enough snaps and targets for fantasy relevance. Starting either remains a high-variance proposition, but their touchdown and big-play upsides are tempting in the week we put all our proverbial cards on the table. Ultimately, Parker and Green-Beckham are better bets for week-winning production than the host of committee backs clogging the waiver wire.

Q2: For owners renting a D/ST in Week 16, what readily available option should they target and why?

Kevin Hanson – EDSFootball

Not only have the Steelers D/ST scored at least eight fantasy points in nine games this season, but they have scored at least 16 fantasy points in three of their past five games. The first time they faced the Ravens, a much healthier version back in Week 4, the Steelers scored 9.0 fantasy points. Since their Week 9 bye, Ravens quarterbacks have thrown 11 interceptions over six games and the team has surrendered four defensive touchdowns in their past four games. With Pittsburgh favored by 10.5 points, it’s possible that the Ravens are forced into catch-up mode early, which would set the Steelers up for plenty of sack and interception opportunities.



Greg Smith – The Fake Football

My preferred streaming defense for Week 16 is Detroit. The Lions play at home as big favorites against Blaine Gabbert and the woeful 49ers. San Francisco gives up the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses, allowing at least 7 fantasy points to opponents in all but four games this year. The offensive line is a notable weakness of the Niners, as evidenced by the 17 sacks they’ve allowed over the past three weeks. They rank last in Football Outsiders’ adjusted sack rate (10.4%) and adjusted line yards (3.19). Even on a short week, the Lions should have little trouble pressuring Gabbert and forcing mistakes.

Mike Tagliere – Pro Football Focus

Streaming defenses can be tricky sometimes, but the Steelers should be more than 50 percent owned by Sunday, so it’s important to grab them now. Coming off of a subpar performance against the Broncos, they will will head to Baltimore to play against the Jimmy Clausen led Ravens. These two teams played back in Week 4 when most of the Ravens offense was still alive, and the Steelers D/ST scored 9.0 points in that game. They’ve actually scored 8.0 or more fantasy points in 9 of 14 games this season, and the Ravens have allowed 10 or more points to opposing defenses in five of their last six games. Their playoff hopes are on the line as well, giving them extra motivation to shut down this pitiful Ravens offense. Stream away, streamers.

Jon Collins – Fantasy Sports LR

At 49% owned, the Steelers barely qualify but they’re worth speaking about all the same. Kansas City notched more than 20 points against Baltimore this week and the Ravens have allowed double-digit points to opposing defenses in five of their last six games. Moreover, since Joe Flacco went down they’ve allowed four defensive scores in four outings. Be it Jimmy Clausen or Matt Schaub at QB, this is a situation to exploit. In fact, the 51% available Steelers would be my #1 priority this week.

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Thanks to the experts for ranking their top waiver pickups for Week 16. For more advice, please give them a follow on Twitter.

