Fantasy Football Daily - Patrick Mahomes Replacement Options & League-Winning Adds | Week 16 Waiver Wire

Episode Date: December 16, 2025

We just lowered prices across all our packages, and promo code 'GURU' gets you an extra 15% off our already discounted 50% off. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠��⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.fantasypoints.com/plans#⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠/ Week 16 is the final pressure point of the fantasy football season, and this Fantasy Football Daily waiver wire episode is built for playoff survival. We break down the best Patrick Mahomes replacement options at quarterback, including Kirk Cousins, Marcus Mariota, Gardner Minshew, Tyler Shough, and J.J. McCarthy, while also digging into the most actionable RB and WR adds that can swing matchups right now. Jacory Croskey-Merritt is back in a big way, Jawhar Jordan and Michael Carter are forcing their way into usable workloads, and injuries open the door for Audric Estime, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Samaje Perine. We also hit key reminders on Luther Burden, Adonai Mitchell, and Jayden Reed, plus deep-league and TE options like Jalen Coker, Darius Slayton, Tre Harris, and Colby Parkinson. If you’re still alive in the fantasy playoffs, this is the waiver wire roadmap you need to finish the job. Where to find us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://twitter.com/TheOGFantasy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://twitter.com/⁠⁠TomBrolley⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://twitter.com/FGDolan ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the Discord here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.fantasypoints.com/media/discord#/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to Fantasy Points for FREE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.fantasypoints.com/plans#/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Transcription Here: https://podsqueeze.com/embedded/transcript/BuC5bG8h9JtCkRqEpuqdWa Fantasy Points Website - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.fantasypoints.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ NEW! Data Suite - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://data.fantasypoints.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/FantasyPts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/FantasyPts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/FantasyPts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@fantasypts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #FantasyFootball #2025Rankings #FantasyFootballAdvice #NFL #FantasyFootball #WaiverWire #Week7 #FantasyFootball2025 #FantasyPoints #NFLFantasy #FantasyAdvice #Sleepers #WaiverPickup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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visit unsmoke.ca Week 16 fantasy football waiver wire ads. We're officially into week two of the fantasy playoffs, and we are in complete panic mode. Patrick Mahomes, torn ACL, a really strong season for Mahomes, but he is done for the year. Tom Brawley, is Gardner Minchu, one you want to pick up and just go with his direct backup, or are you pivoting and looking

for other options on the waiver wire this week? Yeah, I'd rather look elsewhere than Gardner Minshu. It is a good match up against the Titans, but I am worried a little bit overall about this Chief's team. They've been moving in the wrong direction for the last couple of weeks, and now that they're officially eliminated from the postseason, they're going to have the same motivation. They're emotional leader without Patrick Mahomes. So I think I would look elsewhere. And we could also see them run a little bit of a different offense. They've been one of the most pass-heavy teams throughout the Patrick Mahomes era.

Maybe they go lean into the run a little bit more with Gardner Menshoe at quarterback. So I think I would look elsewhere. I think certainly for people that are playing in single QB leagues, Tyler Shuck would be at the top of the list for me. He's 9% owned in Yahoo leagues. He's been playing some good full. football the last couple of weeks. I know the New Orleans beat writers are talking about,

is he the future for the Saints here? And it's kind of gone under the radar a little bit because he's playing in that NFC South. And, you know, he's always like the fourth or fifth game on the television in that, you know, 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. windows. But he's put up some major production in the last couple of weeks. This one's kind of gross. J.J. McCarthy, guy that might have been dropped a bunch

over the last couple of weeks. He's put together back-to-back games with three touchdowns, ran one in against the Cowboys. He has matchups against the Giants and the lines to the friendliest matchups for quarterbacks in the last two weeks of the season here. And, you know, maybe Marcus Marriota as well, 10% owned in Yahoo Leagues.

We'll see if he gets another start. He's been able to put up, you know, serviceable production. He's not going to kill you. He's going to run a little bit. He'll get you 20 to 30 rushing yards, give you a nice floor. We'll see if Jane Daniels is able to make it back.

but he does have the Eagles this week, which isn't the easiest matchup, but he does have that Cowboys matchup in Week 17. So those are three of the guys that I would kind of look at that are less than 10% owned or may have been dropped in your league with J.J. McCarthy. And Joe, we love that Tyler Shuck schedule that's coming up. Not only has he provided like Fantasy Utility over the last few weeks, but it doesn't get much better when you're looking at Week 16, Week 17, McCarthy pretty close, though.

Which way would you be leaning? I know Tom mentioned a number of quarterbacks. If you had to sort of pick one or two out of that group, who would you focus on? Well, number one would be shuck. Tom, Tom has the guy. The Jets and the Titans coming up. I want nothing to do with Minchu. Over the last five weeks, by the way, Patrick Mahomes is the number 17 quarterback in fantasy points per game.

how am I supposed to extrapolate that into anything positive for Gardner Minshue? That's a completely broken offense with a broken offensive line and no run game. So I want nothing to do with Gardner Minshu. But another name I want to bring up is Kirk Coupons, Kirk Cousins. He threw for 373 and three touchdowns against the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers hate seeing Kirk Cousins coming up on the schedule. Now, Drake London, I want to see if he gets back, the Falcons might just shut him down at this point. but over the next two weeks, Kirk Cousins has beatable matchups, Arizona and the Rams.

The Rams, you know, obviously, have struggled in the secondary. I don't love that one for Kurt Cousins, but if you need them this week, Arizona is a solid matchup here for Kurt Cousins. So he's another name I'd throw on there, and I'd probably put him number two for this week at least after Tyler Shuck. I think the Eagles' defensive performance against the Bears seems to be an outlier at this point, They just held the Raiders to 75 yards. I don't think that's a really good matchup for Marcus Mario to this coming week.

Yeah, they're all interesting names. I think you sort of nailed it there. I'm interested with the Drake London call because it seems like they're keeping a candle burning for him to potentially make a return. That would be a significant boost. So again, just to sort of wrap up some of these names here, Tyler Shuck, Kirk Cousins, J.J. McCarthy, keep an eye on Marcus Marriota with Jaden Daniel's viability, and neither Tom nor Joe nor myself is really that excited about Gardner Minchu as a potential replacement. I even brought this one up to you guys. If you're like a Super Flex manager and you're in a deep format, are you looking to potentially,

if it's Gardner Minchu versus using a viable like wide receiver play, are you just going no quarterback in that situation versus a potential bottom five quarterback like a Brady Cook, certainly a minchew players sort of in that light, Tom? Yeah, I would probably go with the position player if it's a player that you can see sticking in as your wide receiver three. Obviously, if you've made it to this point of the season into week 16, you probably have a pretty good roster,

maybe have some depth at wide receiver or running back. So I think I would probably look that direction. Some of these guys on the very low end aren't going to provide you much of a ceiling and the floors aren't that great either. So, you know, it all depends, but if it's like a wide receiver three or a wide receiver four, I could see just going with the wide receiver over the quarterback on the low end here with like Minchu and the Brady Cooks and some of these really low end options that

are out there, Phillip Rivers. So, yeah, absolutely trying to avoid that one for sure. Let's talk about a tight end that's very, very appealing. We've talked about Colby Parkinson on a number of our shows recently, and now he's kind of stepping up into really a not only a tight-end streamer viability, but a potential player that could make a significant impact in week 16 and week 17. Devante Adams went up with a non-contact injury. It's the hamstring for Devante Adams,

really problematic considering that this was an injury that he's sort of been maintaining for a few weeks now. With Colby Parkinson, what is sort of the ceiling case here? Tom, is he like a potential top five tight end this week? Where would you think you're going to be valuing him? Just how enthusiastic should fantasy managers be about adding him this week if he's still available in their fantasy leagues? And he probably is. He's 4% owned in Yahoo leagues right now.

So widely available. I know some people picked him up and played him this past week and they're probably pretty happy and they're going to continue to roll with them. but this Adams injury, I would not be surprised if he, you know, doesn't play again in the regular season. They kind of hold him out toward the, until the postseason. We've seen him, you know, kind of sitting out some practices here the last couple of weeks. So I think he could be. We got to watch Tyler Higby.

He is eligible to come off the IR this week, but it is a Thursday night game. I have a tough time seeing him getting ready to play for Thursday night. So I think we get at least one more game with Parkinson. definitely the lead tight end, and we've seen with Stafford. I mean, he supports, you know, two stud fantasy players all the time. We're going to take Devante Adams out of the mix. Parkinson's kind of been his favorite guy down near the goal line behind Devante Adams. So I think at the very least, that should continue.

He should get some looks around the goal line. And maybe he kind of fills in that role behind Pooka Nakua. I think Puka will be, you know, very, you know, very out. in front here among these receivers, you know, with the Rams. But I do think Parkinson could be the number two option. So I think he should be added, you know, pretty much everywhere. If you have any kind of doubts at the tight end position, he's a must add this week. I kind of view him as a mid, you know, you know, mid tight end one type, you know,

maybe like the sixth or seventh best option this week. And I even gotten a question already. Like, so I play Parkinson over Bowers this week? and I think I would go Parkinson. I mean, he's got this match up against Seattle, Bowers. I mean, if Kenny Pickett plays again, I'm going to have a tough time putting him into a lineup against the Texans defense that's kind of shutting down everybody.

So Parkinson's going to be viable up against a lot of the top tight ends this week. And Joe, Parkinson's been running pure in the touchdown department for multiple weeks now. I mean, it's just the guy's been finding in the end zone at an exceedingly high rate. yesterday it was five catches for 75 yards and two touchdown grabs. I love what Tom said because not only does he absorb maybe a little bit of the Devante Adams target share, but it's that valuable role deep into the red zone around the goal line where Adams has been just so good this year. You could sort of foresee Parkinson potentially in like week 16 and 17 scoring touchdowns

in both weeks. I'm really excited about this one. Well, it'll especially help for you for fantasy football. with Colby Parkinson can get tackled at the two-yard line and get called for a touchdown. So, I mean, look, if that's going to be the case, then I'm ranking this guy just up there with Trey McBride. If he doesn't even have to get to the end zone to get a touchdown, that was one of the worst calls I have ever seen in my entire life.

So let's just say he got gifted a second touchdown, though Matthew Stafford did give him a catch-and-run opportunity. No, but I'm ranking him as a top five tight end. He actually led them in routes run. Remember Pooka Nakua? Look like he got shot. left with cramps, and he was able to get back into that game. But remember, they've reduced Pooka Nukuwa's Routes run as well,

just to kind of keep them fresh. I wouldn't be surprised if Colby Barkson leads them in Routes Run in week number 16. And by the way, I don't think any of us foresee Devante Adams playing in that game. Yeah, I think that Devante Adams, like Tom said, is done for the regular season. Really, really, really a strong fantasy season from him. And I love that you mentioned Trey McBride. A big shout out to our guy, Jacoby Brissette. We don't have to talk about him today because everybody's rostered him.

But right now, guys, Jacoby Brissette, heading into Monday night football the time we're recording this, he is the QB12 on the week. This will be the first week of the entire season that the Houston Texans defense gives up a QB one week. Our guy, Jacoby Brissette, we can need to do a waiver wire wrap-up show at some point soon, guys, do our all waiver wire team. Really, really a fun year. But we're not done. We've got to talk about multiple options at wide receiver. and running back right after this. All right, welcome back, Fantasy Football Daily,

Theo Greminger, Joe Dolan, Tom Brawley. We've been doing this. This is our 17th show, guys, because we did the preseason Waverwire show. Hopefully you've done very, very well in your league this year. Hopefully you are still into your league final four this week. And if you want access to even more WaverWire information, all of our amazing rankings,

all of our amazing content at Fantasy Points, Consider a fantasy point subscription. We're practically given it away at this point. All of our prices have been slashed. It makes an unbelievable Christmas gift, Hanukkah gift, or a gift to yourself if you're looking to get an edge in these final two weeks of the season. And you get that early off-season content,

early best ball content, early draft content. We're covering everything, not to mention award-winning DFS coverage right over at FantasyPoint.com. And you can use the code Theo and get an additional 15% off of our already reduced packages. Check it out, fantasypoints.com. Let's start off at the running back position. Guys, we're going full circle here. I feel like it's August. We're talking about Jacori Kroski Merritt as a waiver wire edition. Bill went nuts yesterday, had a long touchdown run, really, really a productive game. And there was a couple of fantasy managers

who used them in their lineup sort of begrudgingly when Chris Rodriguez was announced out. out. But he goes 18 for 96 on the ground. Again, scores a long touchdown. Sort of your enthusiasm level for Jacori-Krosky Merritt here. Let's start out with you, Joe, on this one. I'm not getting the rug pulled out from under me again. It's not very high. I think he's kind of a flex option. I think if you go back a couple of weeks ago and saw what the what the bears did to the Eagles on the ground, you can maybe talk yourself into it. But they've got two matchups against the Eagles here, if you're playing in week 18, of course. the Eagles here in week 16, which is not a particularly appealing matchup.

There's no guarantee Chris Rodriguez isn't going to be back for one of these games, and then you're into a ugly three-headed monster. Now, here's the thing about Bill. He did end up having a big game, but it was Jeremy McNichols who got all the early work. So they gave Jeremy McNichols an opportunity to become the hot hand, and he couldn't do it. And then they started giving Bill the ball. I wonder if this is this is fools gold here, guys. I'm with you.

I'm a little bit worried here. And we could still get Chris Rodriguez back. He was very close to playing. It was right up until inactive's had to be announced where we found out that he couldn't play. So I would think as long as he didn't have a setback on right before game day, I would think that he probably gets back to practice and is back in the mix. And we did see this backfield start to tilt towards Chris Rodriguez before his injury that forced him to miss this past week. So the only way I'd want to use Jacori Crosky Merritt is if we definitely know that Rodriguez isn't going to play.

It is a Saturday game. So it's a, you know, a quicker timeline here for Rodriguez to get healthy to play on Saturday against the Eagles. But I can't, I won't be using either of these backs if we're going to have all three of them in the mix with Jeremy McNickle, Mick Nichols being the third guy. So we also had another injury with Woody Marks injuring his ankle. Now, there's been some positivity here saying Woody Marks could have came back in the game. Of course, this was a blowout win for Houston. They win 40-20 over the Arizona Cardinals. But Jawar Jordan came in 24, sixth round pick out of Louisville, very productive in his time at

Louisville. He was the Holiday Bowl MVP. had, I believe, like, 1,200 or 1,200 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns back in 2023. Your thoughts on Jawar Jordan, if they decide to play it safe with Woody Marks this week. Jordan, again, very, very productive yesterday, very, very positive stuff there. Every time, it seems like every year, guys, we get some of these like random running backs sort of coming out of the woodwork that become potentially fantasy viable in these last two weeks of year and a lot of times it can be like you said sort of fools gold but jordan did have 101 rushing yards your thoughts on this one tom this yeah this is one uh i would pick them up it's just like as a

stash here this week uh i do think it does sound like marks could play this week uh nick chob could also be back in the mix and we know houston has been very you know they they've kind of been deferential to some veterans uh at wide receiver It took a while for Nick Chubb to get supplanted by Woody Marks this season. So I could see him getting back into the mix as well. So this is one of those situations where I don't want to use Jordan unless I know for sure Marks and Chubb are going to be out of the lineup. It is a good matchup against the Raiders team that just saw,

we saw the entire fourth quarter from Tank Bigsby in week 15 going against the Raiders. So, you know, this offense isn't producing a whole lot for Las Vegas. It should be, you know, they should be playing from ahead in Houston here. So there's a scenario where whoever is the lead back does get a lot of volume in this game. But this is going to be a tough one to navigate. Jordan is the guy, though, if both Chubb and Marks would miss this week. And Joe, like a devil's advocate here, Houston's won six straight games and they're playing probably the worst team in the NFL. is there a chance that they sort of play it safe with Woody Marks in this one?

Nine and five record for Houston, they can go to 10 and five against Vegas. They've already seen Jordan sort of have success in this role. Is there a chance you think they just sort of tread cautiously with Woody Marks here? Yeah, I think there really is a chance that they sit down Woody Marks and get him fresh for the playoffs. And it's good for Jordan that they're going to be heavy favorites against the Raiders. but I do want to point out that they trust Dario Gunboale on third down and passing downs. And if somehow Vegas is competitive in this game,

maybe they trust a Gunboale down by the goal line as well, there is a chance that Jawar Jordan just gets kind of all the empty calorie touches, and Dario Gunboale is actually the guy who outscores him. The fact that it's a good matchup with the Raiders gives me a little bit more confidence in Jordan, but we can never forget about these veteran third down kind of power. protection running backs that coaches love in these situations. Yeah, Darien Gubba Ogunboale. I was not prepared to even talk about him.

I got to get the pronunciation there, guys. Ogunbo Wale, he's had a lot more experience in the system here. I sort of had a couple of random fantasy performances over the years. Jordan's got the juice, though. I think the way that I would handle this is, if I have Woody Marks, I'm going to prioritize adding Jordan here on the waiver wire. I think if you're not necessarily a Woody Marks manager and you're looking for a little bit more of a plug-in play,

very low-end RB2 or flex play, I might look at Michael Carter this week. Carter's had several weeks of fantasy viability this season, guys. Now we have a Bam Knight injury, and Carter brings it to the table sort of this two-way ability. 19 touches, 94 total yards. He had four catches. So after Trey McBride, after Michael Wilson, he was the third leading receiver for Arizona.

And the matchups for Arizona, it's this week against Atlanta and then week 17 against the Bengals. Again, we mentioned Jacoby Brissette sort of out of muscle memory at this point because we talked about him for so many weeks here. But Michael Carter could be a sneaky pickup. Tom, your thoughts on him. Yeah, he would be my favorite pickup of the week here. It does seem like Bam Knight could miss at least this week. It's not as severe as it looked. He had to get carted off the field there,

but it does sound like there is a potential that he could come back at some point. But at the very least, it seems like Carter could be got, could be the guy this week. And he got most of the work here, 67% carry share, 63% route share from our fantasy points data. So those are very strong marks here.

And as you said, against the Falcons and the Bengals, two really good matchups. We would expect Arizona to, to continue to be one of the past heaviest teams. Michael Carter is proficient in the passing game so he can get you, you know, two to four receptions and get you some yards here this week. So he's not one of these guys that's going to blow up and probably get you 25 fantasy points. But I think his receiving production builds in a pretty nice floor,

and he could always find a, you know, find a touchdown. It didn't seem like DeMarcato had much of a role here this past week. So Carter would be my, you know, favorite pick. up this week. If I was looking to, you know, plug somebody in as a low-end RB2 flex guy with Bam Knight likely to miss this week. Yeah, I saw some speculative demarcato pickups before the week this week, sort of with him coming back. And it was nothing. It was a complete domination from Carter with the touches there. I think Carter's in a really, really good spot. I completely agree with Tom. How about New Orleans,

Joe? How are you handling the Devin Neal injury? We already lost Kamara. Now we're losing Devin Neal. Is this Audric Estimee time, who just to kind of back it up, Odrick Estime was a player that a lot of us were really excited about heading into the NFL draft, had

just an unbelievably productive career at Notre Dame, sort of a bad NFL combine doomed him. He's matriculated in New Orleans this year and sort of hasn't been heard from. Your thoughts on Estime, do you think he could be a player

that could put up some numbers over the next two weeks just due to the opportunity and this role in the passing game. Yeah, three for 39 receiving is what excites me. Are we operating under the assumption, by the way, that Alvin Camara is not going to be back? I don't know. He hasn't really practiced. Yeah, it seems like they're kind of putting them on ice.

At least that's the way it kind of feels like me. If that's the guy, then it's Estimate with Dev and Neil going out. Hamstrings are not good. I would be surprised if Devin Neal plays this week. So Estimate would be the guy I pick up. I know they have what, Evan Hall is there as well. But no, I would think the guy is Audric Estimate. The fact that he got the work in the passing game was pretty encouraging to me

because I don't think I really saw him as that kind of guy coming out of Notre Dame, you know, kind of an early down bruiser. But now it's good to see Audric Estime catch those three passes because he would be the guy that I would prioritize in this backfield. Yeah, Estimate's. 22 years old. So again, like, you love seeing this opportunity for a younger player like this. I'm sure there's a couple of people listening to us right now with Audric Estimate dynasty

shares, and they're still holding on to those. But Estimate is an interesting sort of role of the dice pickup in redraft leagues as well. And again, we talked about how this Saints team seems to really be believing under Kellyn Moore. And this schedule is just lining up perfectly for them over the next two weeks. to have a really, really strong end of the season. And guys, the beat reporters are saying Tyler Shuck might be the quarterback next year.

We were saying that like six weeks ago. Shucks played his way into the potential starting role. So yeah, shout out to those beat reporters in New Orleans for finally listening to us on that one. Low-hanging fruit right there, guys. Let's mention Samajai P. Rine. Your thoughts on P. Ryan here, Tom. He had 15 touches on Sunday.

Again, this would be really a break glass in case of emergency, like deep, deep league pickup. Yeah, I kind of liked him the last couple of weeks just in case something happened to Chase Brown. I think he's been a really strong handcuff that people have overlooked. And he's kind of carved out a little bit of a role. I mean, it's basically almost of like a 50-50 type of backfield. You know, it's probably more 60, 40 towards Chase Brown.

But P. Ryan's getting a lot of opportunities in the backfield. You'd like a few more catches in the passing game. But I do think he is still one. of the stronger handcuffs. And he does have a little bit of standalone value. I will say Isaiah Davis is another guy to keep an eye on here with the Jets. Maybe if you're a Brees Hall owner, he's been out of practice a little bit recently dealing with a knee injury.

He did not look good in week 15. The Jets aren't going anywhere. Breast Hall is a free agent. So maybe he could put a little bit of pressure on the team to let him sit out. He doesn't want to put more bad tape out there. So maybe we get a little Isaiah Davis late in the season. So if you've been rolling with Breece Hall, I think it would be a good time to maybe pick up Davis here just in case he does sit

out one of these last couple of games. Yeah, that's a great call on your part. And I'll say also if you're an R.J. Harvey manager or you're looking at sort of a dart throw, Harvey is dealing with a ribs injury right now, which Devon A. Chan's going to play through. This could end up being absolutely nothing. but if he misses, Jaliel McLaughlin would probably be the back, the next man in in Denver. So if I'm a Harvey manager, I'm looking to at least handcuff him with McLaughlin this week. Let's take one more quick break and then let's talk about some wide receiver pickups

heading into a must-win crucial week 16 fantasy football week right after this. All right, guys, let's talk about it. Christian Watson exited with a chest injury. Jaden Reed returned two weeks ago. And the usage in production has been very positive. Five catches for 55 yards yesterday. And Tom, there's always the threat of Jaden Reed in those manufactured rushing opportunities as well.

If Christian Watson were to miss, how enthusiastic would you be about Jaden Reed in a one-week spot start or potentially, if we don't want to speculate, but a two-week viability? Yeah, I think he's very viable here. Christian Watson's kind of been the number one, wide receiver, number one receiver overall for the Packers, ever since Tucker Kraft went down.

It does seem like, you know, Watson was in, you know, some pretty severe pain there. It doesn't sound like it's going to be season ending or anything like that, but I could also see a guy with Christian Watson's history of injuries. You know, the Packers are also, you know, very conservative, at least their medical staff. So I could see him sitting out a week or two at the very least. And I think Reed kind of sticks in his same role. he's going to continue to play the slot. I do think he's not going to get like a full route share. He's not going to be a 90% route share kind of guy.

They like him in that slot role. But whenever he's on the field, he usually commands targets anyway. But if you take Watson out of the picture, I do think maybe that gives him an opportunity to, you know, get a few more first read targets, maybe just a few more targets overall. Matthew Golden and Don Tavian Wicks would be kind of elevated on the outside. And I don't know if there's complete.

trust with those with those guys necessarily so i do think reed would be the top option in this passing game if watson were to miss a game or two and joe we've talked about this before sort of when you get to week 16 week 17 i don't want to chase floors i want to chase ceilings and we've seen jaden reid put up huge spike weeks at time during his career now do i think he's going to get a huge spike week this week no probably not but i do know that it's capable he's capable of ripping off a long touchdown capable of putting up a big fantasy number. Do you agree with Tom sort of that you'd be very enthusiastically adding him if available? Yeah, I mean, one of the reasons I wasn't enthusiastic about him coming back was because there were so many receivers here.

Well, now there are fewer receivers here if Christian Watson ends up missing. And I actually think outside of Watson, Reed is the most gifted of the guys here. Matthew Golden has barely flashed at all. So Jaden Reed would be my preferred option here for Green Bay. I know he's still rostered and I think he's bordering on a not in my league bro kind of guy, but he is the guy I'd be most excited about. Speaking of not in my league bro, Luther Burden had his best game as a pro. We'll give a Luther Burden reminder. Six catches for 84 yards. Chicago completely handles Cleveland. I'll kind of change this question. Tom, not only is Luther Burden sort of a no-brainer ad and some people are rolling their eyes at this one, but what is

your, sort of your confidence level in him, are you putting him into your starting lineup this week with him trending up? Sort of like, just how enthusiastic are you about burden over these next two weeks? I would be, but he did pick up a little bit of an ankle injury towards the end of that game. So I'm a little bit concerned about that. And Roma Duneze was pretty close to playing. He was actually active. And we found out basically like five or ten minutes before the one p.m. kickoffs that he kind of aggravated that fracture in his foot and they decided to hold him out. So I think it kind of depends on if burden is able to get through a couple of practices this week through that ankle injury.

And if Roma Dunzee misses again, if we do have a situation where Adunzee does play, my motivation to play burden certainly dialed down a little bit. But if we get a Dunesay out again and burdens, you know, even remotely, healthy here. He's a wide receiver three for me. And we kind of saw it this past week. He put up some strong numbers, even though he did have that little bit of an ankle injury late in the game. So he's in the lineup for me for sure if a Dunezai is out again. Yeah. And guys, did you see some of these people on X saying that the commissioners should come in and allow people to sort of change up the Roma Dunesay in their lineup thing? Because of the late,

I mean, honestly, people are losing it here. Like your thoughts on that one, Joe, how crazy are people getting in the year of 2025, almost 2026, that they want commissioners to sort of change things up in the fantasy playoffs. Yeah, I mean, that's a really tough situation. I mean, the news was out there. I'll be fully honest. I was preparing for serious X-M fantasy football game day, and I missed it. Now, I didn't have a Dunezade in any lineup, but maybe I'm the wrong guy to talk to because I have so many damn teams that I have to manage and so many that ended up being dead. I forgot to take T. Higgins out of the lineup this week. So maybe I'm the wrong guy to ask about I did not beg for him to be replaced in that lineup, by the way, because that would not have been very fair.

But nonetheless, yeah, I think it's a news you lose kind of situation, and that's the risk you run in these games and playing these games. Yeah, and commissioners, if you wouldn't have done it in week one, you can't do it in week 15. Just bottom line, cutthroat, everybody needs to be sort of either paying attention or don't play a guy that's been banged up significantly for like multiple weeks here. Tom, let's talk about Adonai Mitchell, another strong game from him. Again, this might be a not in my league bro guy, but I think a lot of people might have cut bait on Jets players. Adonai had a really, really strong performance again from a bottom line. Six catches, 58 yards, but he did have a touchdown. Sort of looks like the wide receiver you'd want to use from this team.

Your thoughts on Adonai, this is just a really bad offense, but Adonai looks like a player that at least is going to have a role over the next two weeks. Yeah, he's put up a couple. of monster games in two of his last three games. So now the only one that was a dud was Tyrod leaves early. A rookie undrafted guy, Brady Cook, kind of gets thrown in the lineup and the offense had no hope here. So Mitchell was heavily involved this past week with Cook having a full week of practice, able to get a game plan for him. So I would feel much more confident about him now. I would love to see Tyrod back this week. He is dealing with a groin injury. But

If it is Brady Cook again, I could see using Adonai Mitchell as a flex guy. We've seen him post these monster games in two of his last three. So if you need a little bit of upside in that flex spot, maybe you're a little bit of an underdog this week. You're going up against some studs. Maybe Mitchell is a guy that can give you a little bit of that higher ceiling. He could disappoint you. We are talking about a pretty bad Jets offense.

but we also have a unique situation in week 16 and week 17 as well. We're starting to have some of these Saturday games. So we're going to have a little bit more data points before we have to set lineups on Sunday. So like this past week, we knew that Kyle Pitts went off. So you might have a better idea if you're a major favorite or a major underdog. So a guy like Mitchell, I can see throwing into lineups where I feel like I need some upside. And he could potentially do it here as we've seen two out of the last three games. Joe Dolan, any interest in Darius Slayton coming out of the Giants by week,

Darius Slayton had 10 targets. Again, four catches for 53 yards. But tied Wondell Robinson with the most targets on the New York Giants this week. The schedule for the Giants is somewhat positive here. They've got the Vegas Raiders matchup. They've got Minnesota. And again, Jackson Dart, fully healthy here. Well, we think he's going to be fully healthy.

Yeah. We'll keep like, we'll say. that he's somewhat healthy. So your enthusiasm level for potentially a dart throw at Darius Slayton. Uh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, I see what you did there.

Um, actually, I'd be, I'd be, uh, much more enthusiastic if it was a, if it was a Winston throw at, uh, Darius Slayton. So, uh, let's see. Look, if Jackson Darts going to continue to dive head first into a brick wall, pull a Gus Ferrat every week, then I'd be much more excited about Darius Slayton. Um, but I mean, he's a viable option because at the very least Jackson DART

does uncork the ball, not, not to the level. James does, but he does uncork the ball. And I'm okay with Dary Slayton at this point if you need them. There's some other guys I'm more excited about him, probably more excited about A.D. Mitchell, certainly more excited about Jaden Reed, but he's a viable lower end option. And then Tom, this is the second consecutive week we've seen Jalen Coker sort of pace the Carolina wide receivers here. Your thoughts on Coker, four catches for 60 yards, disappointing loss for the Panthers here. But Coker again, healthy and sort of trending well. Yeah, he's been, you know, obviously had that very slow start to the season, missed, I believe, the first six games.

And even when he came back into the lineup, it was kind of slow going. But he's kind of elevated himself into that number two receiver role. Legate, you know, he has like a good game once a month and kind of disappears. And we love Tet McMillan, but he's also kind of been a little bit quiet here over the last month or two. And I think some of it has to do with Jalen Coker kind of emerging here as a strong second option. So if you need a little bit of a floor, he's been able to stack together a bunch of games here with three plus receptions.

So he does that. And he's also, you know, shown a little bit of an upside here. He scored a touchdown this past week. So they get this Tampa Bay matchup, which has not been scary. We just saw Kirk Cousins, shred them with Kyle Pitts and a bunch of, you know, David Sills and a bunch of backups this past week. So I could see that the Panthers having some success through the air here. And maybe Jalen Coker is the guy that has some of that success.

So, Joe, we usually, like, give you, like, a player that you have no desire to talk about to end the show. But I think that we're actually, like, it's a holiday gift for you here. We're going to actually give you a player that you might be really excited to talk about in a potential really, really fun matchup. The Chargers play the Dallas Cowboys this week. Trey Harris, could this be a big Trey Harris week? Trey Harris had three catches for 49 yards against Kansas City.

Quentin Johnston was inactive. If QJ is inactive once again, are you using Harris in a matchup that could potentially tilt way, way over? I haven't looked at the early over unders this week, but I would imagine Dallas, L.A. has a nice big, healthy number next to it. Yeah, as a matter of fact, let me look at that right now. But yeah, Trey Harris, he is not a not in my league, bro. He's almost guaranteed to be rostered in your league if you aren't, if you're not in a dynasty league.

Dallas is a point and a half-point favorite. 49 and a half is the total. Theo, I am perusing, I am perusing the numbers. And I think that is the highest total. Excuse me, Cincinnati, Miami is a higher total, but it's right there is one of the highest total games of the week. Kandre Lambert Smith, not one of my favorite players, he scored a touchdown in that game, but Trey Harris was actually the guy benefiting.

I remember Paul Kelly on my Series X-N Game Day show acting disgusted because Ladd McConkey hadn't caught a ball, and Trey Harris was doing all the work early in that game. But the concern I have, and I know the Dallas matchup is not a terrible one, and certainly nine just had a solid game against them. The concern I have is they cannot protect Justin Herbert. He is under siege consistently behind that offensive line. And Dallas might be able to get after him. But Trey Harris would be a premier outside receiver for them if Quentin Johnston can't play again.

So, yeah, I am excited about him. Yeah, again, if you're chasing ceiling, sort of know your matchup here, guys. If you're a significant underdog and you need a flex-play dart throw, chasing the high total, chasing a long touchdown, not the worst way to go down swinging. Make sure you're checking out all of our articles over at Fantasy Points,

Tom's Waver Wire article, Graham Barfield starts sit, Chris Wex's incredible projections, Scott Barrett and Ryan Heath's Everything Report. I got the Dynasty Market Report covered. We're everywhere here at Fantasy Points. We're going to help you crush week 16 and we're going to help you crush it in week 17.

We're going to help you win your fantasy playoffs. We'll see you soon. Thank you.