Top Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 16: Russell Gage, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Gabriel Davis

December 22, 2021

Justin Carter's fantasy football wide receiver waiver wire pickups for Week 16 of the 2021 NFL season. His free agent WRs to add, stream and stash off waivers.

It's fantasy playoff time and the NFL is a mess right now due to COVID. Are there any players left on the waiver wire wasteland? Let's find out. Below, you'll find some wide receivers that you should be targeting on the fantasy football waiver wire ahead of Week 16.

Not all of these waiver wire options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster.

Be sure to also check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 16 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list here are around 50% rostered or below.

Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons

50% rostered

Russell Gage was targeted 11 times this week. No other Falcons wideout saw more than two. It's been a rocky road to get here, but we can finally say that in the absence of Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage is Atlanta's No. 1 wideout. This was the second time in three weeks that Gage has seen double-digit targets. He's a WR3 option with upside in Week 16 against the Lions.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers

41% rostered

MVS had as many target as Davante Adams this week and now has five or more targets in four consecutive games. This is Green Bay's No. 2 guy, a role that means you should be rostering him. This week, he had seven targets, catching five for 98 yards and a touchdown. And he get an exploitable Browns team on Christmas Day. MVS is a solid WR3 play with upside.

Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers

36% rostered

A week after getting targeted 12 times, Anderson was targeted eight times this week. He only caught three of those for 29 yards, but the targets continue to be there for Anderson. There are worse options that you could use as a desperation flex play in Week 16.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

38% rostered

Still not rostering St. Brown? Well, he had double-digit targets for the third week in a row, turning 11 of them this week into eight catches for 90 yards and his second touchdown in three weeks. Without T.J. Hockenson, St. Brown is the top target in this Lions passing attack. He's a solid WR3 play on a weekly basis, and has some nice contests to end the season against the Falcons and Seahawks.

Marquez Callaway, New Orleans Saints

23% rostered

As long as Taysom Hill is the QB in New Orleans, you can't fully trust any of the Saints receivers. But Callaway was targeted nine times this week, catching six passes for 112 yards. With Deonte Harris suspended and Callaway looking like Hill's favorite target, there's some upside here. I mean, Callaway had 72 percent of Hill's yards this week. If you roster any Saints pass-catcher, this is the guy.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans

21% rostered

With Julio Jones hurt again and A.J. Brown on IR, Westbrook-Ikhine was targeted seven times against the Steelers, catching four of those for 32 yards. There are concerns about yardage, as he's topped 50 yards just twice this season, but if you want someone who should see decent volume on Thursday against the 49ers, NWI is an option in deep leagues as a WR5-type guy.

Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills

19% rostered

With Emmanuel Sanders out with a knee injury, Davis saw expanded snaps, getting seven targets and bringing in five of them for 85 yards and two touchdowns. He now has four touchdowns in the last three games. If Sanders is out again this week, Davis is an intriguing upside play.

Josh Reynolds, Detroit Lions

10% rostered

Reynolds has five or more targets in four consecutive games, including six against Arizona. He brought all of those in for catches, finishing with 68 yards and a score. Reynolds doesn't have the same kind of upside in this offense as Amon-Ra St. Brown, but he's establishing himself as a solid WR4 play in full PPR leagues because of the amount of looks he's getting and his ability to get you 50-plus yards.

Laquon Treadwell, Jacksonville Jaguars

2% rostered

Hmm. Treadwell was targeted nine times, catching six of them for 57 yards. That's four weeks in a row with at least five targets for the former Viking. Treadwell gets the Jets next. I'm intrigued in, like, a 16-team league, or in a 14-team league where I'm dealing with a ton of injuries.

Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

1% rostered

Remember back in the Jameis era when injuries to the Bucs' top receivers made Breshad Perriman a waiver wire hero? Well...Johnson might not be that level of game-changer, but injuries are boosting his role. Antonio Brown returning will lower that value, but Johnson appears to be ahead of Scotty Miller and Jaelon Darden. If Mike Evans is out this week, I like Johnson in a spot-starter role in a 14-team league.

Zay Jones, Las Vegas Raiders

0% rostered

Zay Jones appears to be Derek Carr's No. 1 wideout now, as he had nine targets this week, with six catches for 67 yards. If we assume Darren Waller will remain sidelined this week, then you almost have to get Jones on your roster. Carr likes him more than Bryan Edwards and DeSean Jackson, while Hunter Renfrow is going to get most of the defensive attention, leaving Jones free to post WR4 numbers.

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