December 20, 2016

Tony Peters identifies deeper 2016 fantasy football PPR sleepers & Week 16 NFL waiver wire pickups. These PPR RBs, WRs & TEs should be added off the waiver wire as fantasy football sleepers.

It's playoff time, RotoBallers. Below is my deeper PPR league sleepers column for Week 16 of the NFL season.

In this weekly article, we are going to take a look at some deeper waiver wire options for PPR leagues and target players who could help out your team in the upcoming week.

The following waiver wire suggestions for Week 16 of the NFL season are all owned in 15% or less of Fleaflicker leagues.

Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 16 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - CUTS

PPR Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Adds

Robby Anderson (WR, NYJ) - 7% Owned

Here's two pieces of advice for the 94% of owners who are still rostering Brandon Marshall: lose the zero. Then look up with the 7%-owned Robby Anderson likely still on your waiver wire and get with the hero. There is no beating around the bush on this one as the undrafted rookie is over-performing the veteran Marshall at every turn the past three weeks since the Jets decided to make him a focal point of their passing game. It's as clear this past Sunday when Anderson caught 4-of-6 targets for 80 yards and a touchdown while Marshall caught 1-of-11 targets for 16 yards as it has been the past three weeks where Anderson has 240 yards and two touchdowns to Marshall's 92 yards and one touchdown (only his second of the season). This isn't even a PPR-specific recommendation. Anderson should be considered a great WR3 option for Week 16, even after considering his difficult matchup with the Patriots.

Marqise Lee (WR, JAX) - 16% Owned

While Marqise Lee's ownership rate fully graduated himself past the 15% required to make this column most weeks, that is sure to drop after his Week 15 no-catch dud. Coming off a career-high day in receiving yards in Week 14, the hopes were high he'd at least keep his floor of being a decent WR3 or WR4 in deeper PPR leagues. That didn't happen but thankfully the blame for that can be placed almost squarely on his quarterback Blake Bortles and his depressing 92 passing yards. Hopefully a home game against one of the softer pass defenses in the league in the Titans will be the pick-me-up the entire Jaguars' team needs in their first post-Gus Bradley game. The Titans rank first in the NFL in points allowed to wide receivers over the past four weeks, par for the course for a team ranked fourth overall.

Deonte Thompson (WR, CHI) - 0% Owned

Here's your complete shot-in-the-dark deep PPR pick of the week: the Deonte Thompson repeat. Putting up the very first 100-yard game of his four-year career Sunday against the Packers has put him into the fantasy conversation for the first time all season long as his 110 yards topped the team on the day. But as the career kickoff returner has never, ever done this before, math says the likelihood of a repeat are slim if one wants to be obnoxiously generous. The Bears have nothing to play for the next two weeks other than to see which of their players should not be tossed overboard at the season's conclusion. With Eddie Royal's season over following his placement on the IR and the Bears' organizational fear of receivers thick with defensive coverage, the window isn't shut on a repeat.

Charles Johnson (WR, MIN) - 0% Owned and Cordarrelle Patterson (WR, MIN) - 5% Owned

After Adam Thielen went down Week 15 with a nasty neck injury, it was Charles Johnson and Cordarrelle Patterson who picked up the slack. Johnson caught all five of his targets for 50 yards while Patterson nabbed 5-of-8 targets for 49 yards. Neither has been worth a darn, even for the deep PPR type, as of late, though the slight nod goes to Johnson's bigger share of the receiving yards pie. As of this writing, Thielen's fate for Week 16 has yet-to-be-determined, but if he misses that game, both should see this bump in attention continue. With the NFL's leader in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers, the Packers, inviting the Vikings this weekend into the "Cheese Dome" (how I refer to Wisconsin as a whole), there's no better time for these two enigmatic receivers to put up some quality numbers.

PPR Running Back Waiver Wire Adds

Robert Turbin (RB, IND) - 1% Owned

Robert Turbin has been the vulture of his team, snatching touchdown after touchdown away from starter Frank Gore. After picking up two touchdowns in Week 15, Turbin now has four in his past five games compared to Gore's zero. To go along with his scores, Turbin's been getting additional looks in the passing game, catching 6-of-9 targets for 55 yards over the past two games. The Colts' next opponent is the Raiders, a team that has allowed the seventh-most rushing touchdowns to running backs this season with 12. Turbin's by no means a safe pick this week but if he can hit the red zone and catch a few passes again, he'll be well worth the flex play.

Travaris Cadet (RB, NO) - 0% Owned

All the recent attention showed to Travaris Cadet the past four games paid off Week 15 against the Cardinals. He caught all five of his targets for 30 yards and a touchdown while rushing once for 16 yards. There's still no role for him as a runner on the Saints as they also employ Mark Ingram and Tim Hightower, but he's carved himself out a role as a solid pass-catcher, averaging five targets per game over his last three. The Saints will face the Bucs in Week 16, a team that has allowed the seventh-most receiving yards to running backs this season.

PPR Tight End Waiver Wire Adds

Dion Sims (TE, MIA) - 0% Owned

After spending all season in fantasy oblivion, Dion Sims is suddenly on the radar as a tight end option during this most important of fantasy times. By catching all four of his targets for 31 yards and two touchdowns in Week 15, he now four weeks with the type of production that gets a tight end owned in double-digit leagues. The Dolphins' so-so passing game has kept Sims' target count low, but he's made up for that with sticky hands, catching 13-of-14 targets for 132 yards and four touchdowns over the past four weeks. While his Week 16 opponent, the Bills, are tough against tight ends, so were the Cardinals and 49ers but he scored against them anyways. Quarterback Matt Moore isn't about to toss four touchdowns in a game again but the offensive coaches aren't likely to suddenly forget how useful Sims has been recently.