Aaron's Week 16 Playoff Waiver Wire Picks
Every Tuesday, I will be bringing to light the best potential waiver wire additions across fantasy football. Let’s begin with some basic principles for each article and some of the qualifiers that will be used each week. First off, the minimum rostered percentage threshold that I will be using is 50%, so any player that is rostered in ESPN leagues above that percentage will not be written about (until near the end of the season when it gets harder to wade through the constantly thinning waiver wire.) Second, not all waiver wire additions are created equal and all are dependent on the roster you have. Each week I will be writing about players and the potential they bring to your fantasy roster, but I obviously don’t know who is on your team or what you may need in terms of roster construction. If I say a quarterback is the top waiver wire addition for the week, and you have Patrick Mahomes, that doesn’t mean you need to add that player to your team while dropping a potentially valuable player in order to do so. Third, I will frequently be using the abbreviation FAAB, which refers to Free Agent Acquisition Budget. This refers to the potential amount you might spend to acquire someone off the waiver wire if your league has that as a part of their system.
Tyler Allgeier- Running Back, ATL
ESPN Roster Percentage- 33.5%
Coming off of the bye, the Atlanta Falcons stuck to their usual game plan of running the ball, and the beneficiary of the time off appears to be Tyler Allgeier. Allgeier had 17 carries for 139 rushing yards and 1 TD, and despite his lack of involvement in the passing game, looks to be the lead back. Allgeier and Cordarelle Patterson were a 50-50 split in terms of total snaps, but Allgeier led the way with rushing snaps and attempts with Patterson having more involvement in the passing game. The Falcons have shown us throughout the year that they want to run the ball no matter who is in the backfield or who is behind center at quarterback. With Caleb Huntley hitting the IR this week, it will likely be just a 2-man backfield. I like the odds of Allgeier being the leading man.
Chigoziem Okonkwo- Tight End, TEN
ESPN Roster Percentage- 14.8%
The tight end market continues to be a hellscape and one way out has appeared in Chigoziem Okonkwo. The Titans tight end has put up three straight weeks of double digit fantasy points and has been the only consistent pass catcher during that span. With the Ryan Tannehill ankle injury it does scare me a little bit but he is still a necessary add if Tannehill suits up in Week 16. Okonkwo has shown enough to be a starting option regardless of who’s under center for their game against the Texans.