Who Should I Pickup for Fantasy Football Week 16? Kenneth Gainwell, Darren Waller, Matthew Golden, Theo Johnson, Dalton Schultz, Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland, Audric Estime

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell continues to be a PPR machine, racking up seven receptions for 46 yards while adding 13 carries for 80 yards on the ground in the Monday night win over the Miami Dolphins. Gainwell led the team in catches, with four other Steelers tied for second with three, and outgained Jaylen Warren by 47 yards on the ground on one more carry.

The 26-year-old remains a vital piece of the Steelers offense and a player that quarterback Aaron Rodgers relies on for easy dump-off passes to pick up yards after the catch. Gainwell has recorded at least six receptions in four of the past five games and has emerged as a weekly option in PPR leagues. He'll project favorably again as an RB2/flex option next week against the Detroit Lions.

Miami Dolphins tight end Darren Waller recorded seven receptions for 66 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Waller scored the only touchdowns of the night for the Dolphins and notched his second two-touchdown game of the season, with the other coming back in Week 4 against the Jets. Both touchdowns came in garbage time in the fourth quarter as Miami's offense struggled to generate anything for most of the game.

The 33-year-old tight end was quiet in the last two games after returning from a pectoral injury, totaling three catches for 60 yards on six targets, but he remains a dangerous threat in the red zone. Waller profiles as an interesting streamer in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, who have been the worst defense in the league against tight ends.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden has mostly had an underwhelming rookie season to this point, recording 27 catches for 341 yards on 37 targets across 11 games. The 22-year-old has not played more than 37% of Green Bay's offensive snaps in any game since Week 8. However, Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (chest) suffered a chest injury in Week 15 that has his status for the team's Week 16 matchup against the Chicago Bears in question.

If Watson is sidelined, Golden could have an opportunity for increased playing time. In Week 15, three of Golden's four targets and two of his three receptions came after Watson exited the game. In PPR fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams where Golden remains available, he should be added off the waiver wire and stashed until more information is known about Watson's injury status.

Across 14 games this season, New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson has recorded 45 receptions for 528 yards and five touchdowns on 72 targets. While the 24-year-old has yet to demonstrate explosive upside, he's been highly consistent. Johnson has recorded exactly three catches in seven of his last eight games and double-digit PPR fantasy points in six out of his last eleven contests.

Johnson has also dominated tight end snaps in New York this season, playing 80% or more of the team's offensive snaps in 12 out of 14 weeks. The Giants will host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 before a more favorable matchup in Week 17 in Las Vegas against the Raiders. In fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams, Johnson could be worth targeting as a streaming option off the waiver wire at the tight end position.

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz had a big game in his team's Week 15 win over the Arizona Cardinals, recording eight receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. Over his last nine games, Schultz is earning 7.3 targets per contest. While he's not an explosive player, Schultz's proven target-earning ability gives him a relatively safe production floor for fantasy managers. He's racked up at least 11 PPR fantasy points in five out of the last seven weeks.

Houston will host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16 before traveling to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers in Week 17. In fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams. Schultz is a viable streaming option for managers in need of tight end help to target on the waiver wire.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson said on Monday that rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III's ankle is a "day-by-day" situation, according to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune. Biggs goes on to write that it sounds like Burden's availability for Saturday night's divisional clash against the Green Bay Packers "will remain a question until later in the week." Chicago's receiving room could be thin in Week 16 after Burden got hurt in Sunday's win over the visiting Cleveland Browns.

Fellow wideout Rome Odunze is dealing with a stress fracture in his foot and is in danger of missing a third straight game this weekend. If both Burden and Odunze are inactive against Green Bay, Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay would start in three-wide sets next to DJ Moore. In two games with Odunze out, Burden has 10 grabs for 151 yards on 13 targets, which makes him flex-worthy in Week 16 if he's active and Odunze misses another contest.

Chicago Bears rookie first-round tight end Colston Loveland had another solid showing for his fantasy managers in the team's 31-3 blowout win over the visiting Cleveland Browns on Sunday, catching four of his five targets for 63 yards. Most of Loveland's damage in this game came on receptions of 24 and 19 yards, and he wasn't really involved late with the game already in hand. The 21-year-old 10th overall pick out of Michigan got off to a slow start in his first year in the NFL, but he's been more involved in the second half of the season and is worth rostering in most fantasy leagues.

It started with a six-catch, 118-yard, two-touchdown breakout in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Since then, Loveland has had at least 40 receiving yards in five of seven games, including all four of his touchdowns in 2025. He has had at least five targets in four straight games. More work could be coming for Loveland in Week 16 against the Packers, especially if receiver Rome Odunze (foot) misses a third straight game.

At least in deeper fantasy football leagues, New Orleans Saints running back Audric Estime is worth looking at on waivers going into Week 16 action after rookie RB Devin Neal injured his hamstring in the Week 15 upset win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Estime played a season-high 36% of the offensive snaps and split backfield work with Evan Hull after Neal was injured in the second quarter. The 22-year-old handled three carries for 11 yards and also caught all three of his targets for an additional 39 yards.

Hull had just one more carry than Estime and wasn't involved at all in the passing game. Estime could be in play as a deep-league RB3/flex option in a great Week 16 matchup against the New York Jets if both Alvin Kamara (ankle, knee) and Neal are unable to play. Keep in mind that both rookie quarterback Tyler Shough (team-high eight carries on Sunday) and tight end Taysom Hill could take valuable carries away from both Estime and Hull if Kamara and Neal are out this weekend.