Fantasy Football Waiver Wire, Week 16: Zamir White and Noah Brown Emerge

I have only included players who are rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues. A player’s roster percentage will appear in parentheses next to their name. Denny Carter is mercifully handling the kicker section of this article which will be added Tuesday mornings. Updates from Monday Night Football will be added on Tuesday mornings as well. Be sure to check out the Waiver Wire Q&A Monday at 6PM ET.

Quarterback

Jake Browning, Bengals (47%)

Browning got home again in Week 15, tossing two scores with 324 yards. He has finished as a top-10 fantasy quarterback in three consecutive games. Since his first start, Browning ranks third in EPA per dropback and completion percent over expected. Browning has played like a legitimate NFL starter, and his surrounding talent has elevated him near QB1 status for Week 16.

Derek Carr, Saints (39%)

Carr isn’t the streaming quarterback we deserve, but he is the one we need. His Week 16 opponent is the Rams. They have given up the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year and have been increasingly targeted through the air. Over the past five weeks, they have faced a top-five pass rate over expected. LA’s secondary has allowed eight passing touchdowns over their past three games. Coming off his first three-score performance of the year, Carr should be able to stay hot in Week 16.

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Running Back

Zamir White, Raiders (15%)

White turned 17 carries and three targets into 85 yards and a touchdown. He played on 70 percent of his team’s snaps and ran a route on 59 percent of Aidan O’Connell’s dropbacks. If Jacobs doesn’t play in Week 16, White will rank as an RB2. Jacob was listed as questionable last week but did not practice at all, so he appears to be a true coin-flip for the Raiders' upcoming game.

Tyler Allgeier, Falcons (48%)

After being relegated to backup duties for a few weeks, Allgeier resurfaced as the Falcons' top back in Week 15. He out-carried Bijan Robinson 14-7 and played on 49 percent of the Falcons' snaps. Will this split hold into Week 16? Who knows. This is Arthur Smith we are talking about. Teams desperate at running back may be forced to take that gamble. The good news is that, on the most run-heavy team in the NFL, even a No. 2 role in the backfield will keep Allgeier on the RB4 radar for fantasy purposes.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs (40%)

Edwards-Helaire saw the bulk of the carries and ran more routes than Jerick McKinnon in Week 15. He finished the day with four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown through the air to go along with 37 rushing yards. However, Isiah Pacheco is expected to return in Week 16. While it's possible Pacheco suffers a setback or is eased into the rotation, CEH is now only worth an add in the deepest of leagues.

McKinnon, on the other hand, is more likely to see his role stick even with Pacheco healthy. He only has eight carries and seven targets over the past two weeks but has converted that into a rushing, receiving, and passing touchdown. McKinnon saw his role tick up at the end of 2022 and could be getting the same treatment with Kansas City ironing out their offensive plan as they approach the playoffs.

Trey Sermon, Colts (0%)

Zack Moss suffered a shoulder injury in Week 15 and did not return. Sermon earned over half of the team’s carries and ran more routes than fellow backup Tyler Goodson. He ultimately rushed 17 times for 88 yards. If we knew Moss and Jonathan Taylor would be out for Week 16, Sermon would be at the top of this list. However, with both backs having a shot at suiting up this week, it’s hard to justify adding him over someone like Zamir White.

Wide Receiver

Noah Brown, Texans (40%)

After delivering consecutive goose eggs to fantasy managers in his past two games, Brown came back to life with eight catches for 81 yards and a score versus the Titans. He accounted for 32 percent of the team’s targets and 46 percent of their air yards while also seeing two targets in the end zone. If Nico Collins is out for Week 16, Brown will push for WR2 status. Even with Collins in the lineup, Brown would sit at the back of the WR3 ranks.

Curtis Samuel, Commanders (37%)

As has been the case nearly all year, Samuel is the top FLEX option by points per game who is available in over half of Yahoo leagues. He has a 25 percent target share and two top-15 finishes at wide receiver over his past three games.

Joshua Palmer, Chargers (29%)

Palmer ran a route on 83 percent of Easton Stick’s dropbacks. His 13 percent target share left a lot to be desired, but he did account for 37 percent of the Chargers’ air yards. He led the team’s receivers in targets. Palmer got home on a busted coverage play for a long score.

Quentin Johnston played a similarly chaotic role, seeing one fewer target but even more air yards. If Keenan Allen is out for Week 16, Palmer will have some WR3 juice while Johnston will rank as a low-end WR4.

Dontayvion Wicks, Packers (3%)

Wicks has played a more prominent role in the Packers’ offense with Christian Watson out and he rewarded his coaches with six catches for 97 yards in Week 15, That included four gains of 19 or more yards. He leads the Packers in yards per route run and is second on the team in targets per route run this season.

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Tight End

Tucker Kraft, Packers (10%)

Kraft was one of the many rookies who got home for Green Bay in Week 15. He caught four passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. With Luke Musgrave on injured reserve, Kraft has run a route on 86 percent of Jordan Love’s dropbacks and has finished as a TE1 in three of four games.

Gerald Everett, Chargers (44%)

Everett’s two best games by route share and target share have come in the past two weeks. He has run a route on 68 percent of his team’s dropbacks and has earned 16 targets over that stretch. Everett has 10 catches for 80 yards in those games and is riding a streak of four games with at least four catches.

Kickers (Presented by Denny Carter)

Wil Lutz, Broncos (25%)

The Broncos are 6.5-point home favorites against the late Belichick-era Patriots. That should be enough to make Lutz a viable option in Week 15. Lutz is averaging 2.71 field goal tries in Denver wins this season (and 1.4 in losses). That’s why we like our kickers on favored teams, folks. It is Lutz Szn. You’ve been warned.

Lucas Havrisikm, Rams (5%)

Though the Rams may have parted ways with Mason Crosby too soon -- Havrisik missed another kick in Week 15 against the Commanders -- the team is expected to keep Havrisik in the starting role this week against the Saints.

LA is a 4.5-point home favorite with a solid implied total of 24.25 points. The struggling Havrisik is averaging 2.2 field goal attempts in Rams wins this season and is facing a Saints team that has allowed multiple field goal tries in five of its past six games. If you can stomach it, Havrisik is a good process play in Week 16.

Matt Gay, Colts (35%)

This week’s Not In My League Special, Gay -- after last week’s five attempts -- is averaging a whopping 3.2 field goal tries in Colts wins this season. So what if he’s missed 23 percent of his kicks in 2023? We care not for results, but for process.

Gay checks all the boxes: The Colts are 4.5-point favorites against a reeling Falcons team that has allowed the third-most field goal tries in 2023. Erase Gay’s two missed Week 15 kicks and play him against Atlanta.