Having a good fantasy draft sets a team up really well, but most of the time to win a fantasy football league, acquisitions need to be made during the season. Each week there are several players worth exploring on the waiver wire. Here are five players to add in fantasy football week 16.
Jalen Hurts was on this list last week and he delivered. He scored 37 fantasy points in standard-scoring leagues, with 338 passing yards, 63 rushing yards and four total touchdowns against the Cardinals. After having 18 points in his first career start against the Saints, Hurts is well on his way to being a good fantasy quarterback for the long term.
With two good starts against the Saints and the Cardinals, Hurts gets an even easier matchup against the Cowboys this week. It’s not often that a quarterback is on these lists, but it is even rarer that one should be started in fantasy. Hurts fits that bill for a lot of people. He is owned in 33.1 percent of ESPN leagues.
Tony Pollard (Photo via fanduel.com)
Ezekiel Elliot was a surprise scratch from the lineup in week 15 with a calf injury. Pollard stepped in and produced for the Cowboys. He finished the game with 69 rushing yards, 63 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the game. All season long, Pollard has been productive when given enough work.
It is worth monitoring Elliot’s status this week, but the Cowboys aren’t real Super Bowl contenders, so they should be cautious with him. Pollard should be added in the meantime and can be started if Elliot is out for this week. He is owned in 34.9 percent of ESPN leagues.
The Dolphins have had plenty of injuries in the backfield, which allowed Ahmed to get on the field. He then got injured, but returned in week 15. Ahmed rushed 23 times for 122 yards and a touchdown in the Dolphins’ win over New England.
If Ahmed is listed as the top running back on the depth chart for this game, he is worth picking up. In both games that he has had over 20 carries, he has had 14 and 20 points respectively in standard-scoring leagues. Ahmed is available in over 75 percent of ESPN leagues.
Since Will Fuller has been out, Coutee has been featured more in the offense. Against the Colts, he had five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, but he did fumble dropping his point total down to nine for standard-scoring leagues. In the last three weeks, Coutee has scored 14, six and nine points respectively.
For the last two weeks of the season, the Texans play the Bengals and the Titans. They should be able to utilize Coutee well against those two teams, as Cincinnati is one of the worst teams in the league and the Titans’ pass defense has not been great. Coutee is owned in 30.8 percent of ESPN leagues.
Julio Jones has not been able to play over the last few weeks and Gage has stepped up. Against the Buccaneers in week 15, he had five catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. Over the last three weeks, he has had 11, 13 and 12 points respectively.
With the Falcons out of the playoffs, they will likely hold Jones out of the last two games of the season unless he is totally healthy. Gage will get his opportunities in the last two weeks. He is owned in 21.3 percent of ESPN leagues.
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