2022 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 16 Picks and Injury Replacements

The Desai Guys continue their Waiver Wire Fantasy Football coverage this week with injury updates and replacements.

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Fantasy Football Updates: Week 15 Injuries And Waiver Wire Week 16

Colt McCoy, QB – Arizona Cardinals

• Left the game against the Broncos in the third quarter with a concussion
  • McCoy will now go through the concussion protocol and could miss the Cardinals Week 16 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• McCoy is filling in for Kyler Murray, who was lost for the season with an ACL injury last week against the New England Patriots
• This offense is not the same without Murray under center as McCoy just doesn’t have the same skill set to get the most out of Kliff Kingsbury’s offense
• Should McCoy not be able to get through the concussion protocol in time for their Saturday game, Trace McSorley will be the starter
  • McSorley wasn’t any better as both him and McCoy totaled 167 passing yards against Denver
• The Cardinals are eliminated from playoff contention, so you shouldn’t be trusting either McCoy or McSorley to lead your fantasy team
• Instead, grab Jared Goff, Brock Purdy, Russell Wilson, or Kenny Pickett off waiver wires if you need a quarterback for the fantasy playoffs

Ryan Tannehill, QB – Tennessee Titans

• Tannehill suffered an ankle injury in the opening drive of the game for the Titans
  • He left the game and then later returned but clearly, was in pain
• After the game, Tannehill mentioned that his ankle was in a ton of pain and that the injured ankle is the same ankle that sidelined him for two games earlier in the season
• With the NFL slate having a majority of their games on Saturday, the short week could play a factor in whether Tannehill can suit up for this weekend’s game against the Houston Texans
• Rookie Malik Willis stepped in when Tannehill left the game and also started for Tannehill earlier this year when he missed time
  • Willis would be the starter this week against the Texans if Tannehill can’t play
    • Playing against Houston may not be as easy as it seems as they’ve pushed both Dallas and Kansas City to overtime in consecutive game
• Willis is still a good start as Houston is giving up an average of 403 total yards in the past three games, which includes an average of 240 passing yards in that same span
• Consider Willis a good backup option if any of the previous guys listed were claimed or are already rostered in your league

Jonathan Taylor, RB – Indianapolis Colts

• Within the first couple minutes of the game against the Vikings, Taylor left with an ankle injury and didn’t return
  • Taylor is designated with a high-ankle sprain and his season is most likely done for 2022
• There is an outside chance that Taylor can return this season but with the Colts having the slimmest of chances to make the playoffs, they’re better off putting him on the shelf for next season
• This is just another loss for the Colts as they are just waiting for this season from hell to finally end
  • The good news is that will happen in about three weeks!
• In Taylor’s absence, look for Deon Jackson and Zack Moss to take over the rushing duties for Indianapolis
  • Moss actually tied a career-high in rushing yards against the Vikings last week and Jackson looked good as well
• If you’re in need of some running back help, both Jackson and Moss can be good FLEX options this week
• If you need some other options besides the Colts backfield, you can pick up James Cook, Tyler Allgeier, Khalil Herbert, or Chuba Hubbard off the waiver wire

Tyler Lockett, WR – Seattle Seahawks

• Lockett injured his hand toward the end of the game against San Francisco on Thursday night
  • Turns out that he has a fracture in his finger and will require surgery to repair it
• Lockett will miss at least one week, but he should be able to return in the regular season to help Seattle make a final push to claim a playoff spot
• With Lockett out, expect D.K. Metcalf to get a plethora of targets in the offense
  • Replacing Lockett will be Marquise Goodwin but he’s mainly a deep threat in this offense
    • D’Wayne Eskridge could possibly return this week for the Seahawks as well and he could supplement Metcalf and Goodwin
• While not a receiver, expect Noah Fant to get some more targets in the offense as well because he’s a reliable option at the tight end position
• Playing Kansas City this week, it’ll be a little tough to consider streaming any Seahawk receivers, so you’re better off looking elsewhere at the receiver position
• Donovan Peoples-Jones, Kadarius Toney, DJ Chark, and Noah Brown are solid options from the waiver wire that don’t wear a Seattle uniform

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 15 Picks

Waiver Wire Week 16 Quarterbacks

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions vs. CAR (ESPN Roster Percentage – 47.9%)

• The Lions are on the hottest of hot streaks right now and are fighting their way to a possible playoff spot
  • Leading that hot streak for the offense is Goff
• In two of his last three games, Goff has scored over 20 fantasy points and thrown for over 300 passing yards
• He’s playing Carolina this week and this game is on the road, which is not where Goff has shined
  • His stats at home: 8 games, 2,217 yards, 20 touchdowns, and three interceptions
  • His stats on the road: 6 games, 1,387 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions
• While the road stats can be worrisome, the Lions need to keep winning to stay in the playoff hunt and Goff should be able to put aside his road woes to have a good day on Saturday
  • Also, you can look to add him for a home start in Week 17 (possible fantasy championship title week) and stash him on your bench

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers vs. WAS (ESPN Roster Percentage – 22.6%)

• He didn’t make the list last week but now that it seems the injury isn’t going to affect him greatly, I’m all aboard the Purdy train
• He plays a 21st-ranked Washington defense next week and a terrible defense in Vegas the week after that
• He has yet to pass it less than 20 times as a starter
• Is Purdy the best QB on this roster?

Waiver Wire Week 16 Running Backs

Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs vs. HOU (ESPN Roster Percentage – 61.1%)

• This one is pretty self-explanatory
• 18 touches, touchdowns both through the air and on the ground
• Yes Isaiah Pacecho is an annoying thorn in the side when it comes to McKinnon but I think the Chiefs are explosive enough to feed both of them
• Not to mention he had over 100 receiving yards two weeks ago so if the Chiefs are smart, they’ll ride the hot hand

Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts vs. LAC (ESPN Roster Percentage – 0.7%)

• Jonathan Taylor is most likely done for the rest of the season with an ankle injury
• Moss stepped in against the Vikings and actually put together one of the best games of his young career
  • He rushed for 81 yards and had the most carries for the Colts with 24
• Playing against the Chargers this week, Moss should be able to build upon his game last week and have another solid day for fantasy managers
• Los Angeles is allowing the fourth most rushing yards in the NFL and Indianapolis would be smart to take advantage of that

Waiver Wire Week 16 Wide Receivers

Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders vs. SF (ESPN Roster Percentage – 26.3%)

• He’s baaaaack!
• 17 targets over the last two games and at least 13 points in both of those performances as well
• The Commanders are still in the playoff chase which means they’re going to be passing it a lot to win out
• Their next game is against San Francisco who ranks as the 22nd-best pass defense in fantasy
• Terry McLaurin is still healthy as well so Dotson won’t be seeing the top corner against him in most cases

DJ Chark, Detroit Lions vs. CAR (ESPN Roster Percentage – 30.6%)

• Jaycee Horn is a fantastic corner for the Carolina Panthers, which will limit Amon-Ra St. Brown
• The other secondary members for the Panthers are not so great, which is where Chark and the other Lions receivers can benefit
• Chark had a down week against the Jets last week, but expect him to have a rebound game this week
  • Prior to last week, Chark had been averaging about four receptions and 69 receiving yards through the past three weeks
• While Jameson Williams could also potentially blow up this week, expect Chark to be a reliable option compared to the home run threat Williams

Waiver Wire Week 16 Tight Ends

Noah Fant, Seattle Seahawks vs. KC (ESPN Roster Percentage – 38.6%)

• With Tyler Lockett out at least this week, the rest of the pass-catchers in Seattle’s offense have to step up
• The depth options for the Seahawks at the receiver position don’t exactly scare opposing defenses, but Fant is a dangerous threat for sure
• He’s been getting involved in the offense more lately, even when Lockett was in the fold
  • Fant has scored a touchdown in two of his last three games and has 12 targets and nine receptions total in that same span
• He should see an increase in targets, which could lead to more yards but Fant is still touchdown dependent
  • Fant scored a garbage touchdown late against San Francisco last week, which is something he can easily do against Kansas City this week

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints vs. CLE (ESPN Roster Percentage – 15.6%)

• At this point, you gotta take what you can get
• Johnson burned me with his back to back zero point performances before the Saints bye week
• However, before that, he had three straight 10+ point performances
• Now with a 20-point performance, if you’re hurting for a tight end, the bust might happen but when he booms, he really booms so it’s worth the risk

Waiver Wire Week 16 Defenses/Special Teams

Cleveland Browns vs. NO (ESPN Roster Percentage – 24.5%)

• They’ve posted double-digit points in two of the last three games
• They play New Orleans and Washington next
• Both are teams that have the potential to put up a lot of points but also can be very turnover prone

Tennessee Titans vs. HOU (ESPN Roster Percentage – 27.1%)

• Tennessee is on a four-game losing streak and is in danger of losing their lead in the AFC South
  • Jacksonville is right on their tail as they’ve won three of their last four games to now only be one game back of the Titans
    • One of those games was against Tennessee so they currently own a tiebreaker against them
• What all that means is that the Titans are in a spot where they need to get on a winning streak if they want to play in the postseason
• They get a divisional contest against the Texans this week, which should be a great chance to get back on track
  • Texans score the third-fewest points in the NFL and have turned the ball over 23 times which is the second most in the league

Waiver Wire Week 16 Kickers

Jason Sanders, Miami Dolphins vs. GB (ESPN Roster Percentage – 8.2%)

• If he can score 12 points in that weather, he’s gonna be just fine at home
• The Dolphins play two of their next three at home and none of the defenses they’re playing scared you
• The Packers, Patriots, and Jets are next on the docket
• The Fins know they basically have to win out to make the playoffs so their offense should be firing on all cylinders

Riley Patterson, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. NYJ (ESPN Roster Percentage – 3.3%)

• Patterson has been averaging close to 10 points per game in the past four games for the Jaguars
• The Jaguars offense has been looking great since coming off the BYE week in Week 11 and this leads to lots of field goal chances for Patterson
• Playing the Jets this week, there could be chances the Jets stop the Jaguars defense from scoring touchdowns and settling for field goals
• All signs point towards Patterson having a good week on Thursday Night Football