December 20, 2016

Ben Ruppert's 2016 fantasy football tiered rankings for Week Sixteen wide receivers (WR) - waiver wire pickups, adds & sleepers for PPR and non-PPR. These are NFL WRs to target.

What’s up everyone! Welcome back for your Week 16 fantasy football waiver wire WR options. This week we have a number of options that have emerged, several of whom are likely available in your league and could help out your WR situation.

Below you will find some deeper waiver wire grabs heading into Week 16. Check out my entries from Week 15 as well. If players like Steve Smith Sr. or Cole Beasley are still out there, PICK THEM UP FIRST. These are deeper options who will likely be available in many leagues. If you are forced to pick between two players, find me on twitter @Ben_Ruppert_21, and I will be more than happy to help you out!

Now, let’s get rolling.

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

Week 16 Waiver Wire - Wide Receivers (WR)

The Shallow End (Under 50% Owned)

Ty Montgomery, RB/WR, GB- 39% Owned on Fleaflicker

James Starks being ruled out opened the door wide open for Ty Montgomery to reclaim the RB1 role for Green Bay. Montgomery responded by gaining 162 yards on only 16 carries (10.1 YPC) with two touchdowns. He out-touched Christine Michael 18-to-4. It was the best game for a Packers RB all season long; they have been struggling mightily to find consistency at the position. He was able to rip off big runs of 61, 36 and 26 yards, and his YPC is now up to 6.5 overall this season. Though he only caught two passes for one yard in this one, he remains a big receiving threat out of the backfield. He has two 10-reception games this season, and both came while he was doing additional work out of the backfield.

The only potential downside to Montgomery is head coach Mike McCarthy, who hasn’t been able to properly utilize his backs all season long. If he keeps Montgomery as the lead back even with Stark’s return, and calls enough rushing plays for him, Montgomery will be a solid RB2 in next week’s tough matchup with the Vikings.  He should be an immediate pickup in all formats, even if he is only WR eligible on your site.

Kenny Stills, WR, MIA- 30% Owned on Fleaflicker

Outside of a two-reception, 21-yard performance in Baltimore, Kenny Stills has put together solid fantasy performances in three of the past four weeks. Over that span he has three touchdowns, and has averaged 22.1 YPR as Ryan Tannehill’s preferred deep ball target. He averaged three receptions for 74 yards and a TD against the Jets, Cardinals and 49ers, with his best game surprisingly coming against the Cardinals. Especially in standard leagues, Stills is an interesting add candidate who provides a high ceiling against the Bills this week.

Earlier in the season when these two teams met, Stills had a field day, corralling five passes for 100 yards and a TD, which came off a 66-yard reception to extend Miami’s lead. With both of these teams still fighting for their playoff lives, expect nothing to be held back in Buffalo on Sunday. As of now, the forecast in Buffalo for this game will be partly cloudy with no real amount of snow, so new quarterback Matt Moore should be able to pass fine in the cold weather. Stills makes for a high-upside, low-floor flex play on championship Sunday.

Cameron Meredith, WR, CHI- 24% Owned on Fleaflicker

With the Bears getting down early against the Packers, Matt Barkley was forced to throw the ball 43 times. He completed nearly 70% of his passes, which was great for the Bears WR corps. Meredith was able to post his best game since Week 6, catching nine of a team-high 13 targets for 104 yards in the loss. Over the past three weeks, Meredith has seen his targets, receptions and yardage all rise. Barkley isn’t going to throw the ball 43 times every week, but with the Bears routinely behind they will certainly be more pass-heavy. The return of Alshon Jeffery didn’t effect Meredith; his return phased out Josh Bellamy, who had a nice couple of games with Barkley.

Next week the Bears face the high-scoring Redskins. While they do have Josh Norman, he will likely be assigned to cover Jeffery over Meredith. Barkley will no doubt need to pass early and often to keep up with Kirk Cousins and company, so another big game for multiple receivers isn’t out of the question. Meredith is a WR2 with some upside the remainder of the season, and should be picked up if he snuck through last week.

J.J. Nelson, WR, ARI- 17% Owned on Fleaflicker

The sudden departure of Michael Floyd left a big hole alongside Larry Fitzgerald as the No. 2 WR in the Cardinals' offense. J.J. Nelson and John Brown both got plenty of work on Sunday, and while Brown out-produced Nelson, Nelson led the team in targets. He finished the day catching 5-of-11 targets for 38 yards and a TD in the close 48-41 loss to New Orleans. Nelson also out snapped Brown 46-to-35. You would like to see Nelson get more than 38 yards, but the jump in playing time along with the increased targets are very encouraging. Nelson has had some big games this year via the long ball, which is something we could see more of in the final two weeks.

Nelson will look to keep his three-game TD streak alive next week with the Cardinals taking on the Seahawks in Seattle. This matchup isn’t ideal for Nelson, but if the targets are there for him again next week, then he has big upside. Seattle has been beatable of late, with Davante Adams, Ted Ginn and Mike Evans all performing well against them over the past several weeks. Divisional games can be tricky, but if you’re looking for an upside dice-roll, Nelson is a good option.

More Options: Taylor Gabriel, ATL (47% Owned), Pierre Garcon, WAS (47%), Anquan Boldin, DET (47%), Chris Hogan, NE (40%), Tyler Boyd, CIN (38%), Philip Dorsett, IND (38%), Malcolm Mitchell, NE (37%), Dontrelle Inman, SD (36%), Ted Ginn, CAR (26%), Marqise Lee, JAX (21%)

The Deep End (Under 15% Owned)

Eli Rogers, WR, PIT- 14% Owned on Fleaflicker

Rogers led the Steelers in receiving on Sunday, catching 5-of-6 targets for 75 yards, including the game-winning TD in the fourth quarter. He was held in check for the first half, but came alive in the second half when the Steelers' offense was struggling to move the ball. This was his best performance since Week 9. Next week the Steelers return home, where they are much more capable of moving the ball and scoring points. They are playing the Ravens' formidable defense, but Rogers may be able to deal some damage from the slot.

Robby Anderson, WR, NYJ- 9% Owned on Fleaflicker

Even though he was third on the team in targets, Anderson once again led the Jets in receiving on Saturday. He caught 4-of-6 targets for 80 yards and a TD, which came on a 40-yard bomb early in the first quarter. It is now his third straight game with at least four receptions and 60 yards, and he now has two touchdowns in the past three weeks. Anderson has been seeing increased targets with Bryce Petty under center, and even though Brandon Marshall, Quincy Enunwa and Bilal Powell all out-targeted him, he still makes for a high-ceiling, moderate-floor play for the rest of the year. Next week the Jets draw the Patriots, who have already clinched the division but are still fighting for a first round bye. Expect plenty of passes from Petty, cracking the door open for Anderson to have another big week.

Aldrick Robinson, WR, ATL- 2% Owned on Fleaflicker

Julio Jones’ likely Week 16 return makes this a riskier pick, but Aldrick Robinson should still be looked at in deeper leagues. Mohamed Sanu was brought in to be the team’s No. 2 WR, but both Taylor Gabriel and Robinson have both played better than Sanu of late. Last week, Robinson led the team in receiving, catching 4-of-5 targets for 111 yards in the win over the 49ers. Robinson played the most snaps of any WR with 55, more than Sanu (46) and Gabriel (24). When Julio is active this is his team, but Robinson has flashed the ability to be a serviceable player alongside Jones. Against the Panthers next week, Robinson could still get some chances despite Jones and Sanu both being back from injury.

Deonte Thompson, WR, CHI- 0% Owned on Fleaflicker

Thompson led the Bears in receiving on Sunday, hauling in 8-of-10 targets for 110 yards in the close loss to the Packers. It was by far his biggest game of the season, and it came when Alshon Jeffery returned from his suspension. Chicago threw the ball more often than normal, so this was likely the ceiling for Thompson. However, the Bears do trail more often than not, so even though he is behind Meredith and Jeffery on the depth chart, there could still be some value here. Available in virtually all leagues, Thompson is worth an add in very deep leagues only.

More Options: Brian Quick, LA (14% Owned), Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN (13%), Adam Humphries, TB (10%), Seth Roberts, OAK (9%), Marquise Goodwin, BUF (6%), Charles Johnson, MIN (4%), Chester Rogers, IND (1%), Josh Bellamy, CHI (1%)

That’s all for this week folks, hope you get everyone you claim! For all your WR waiver wire questions, read these articles each week and get at me on twitter @Ben_Ruppert_21. I am more than happy to lend a hand to hungry fantasy owners!