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NFL Week 16 fantasy football waiver wire targets

2TBN9NJ Houston Texans wide receiver Noah Brown (85) in action against Denver Broncos during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec 3, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)

Add Derek Carr: The New Orleans Saints’ starting quarterback threw three touchdowns without his top two wide receivers, and his matchups are even better in the next two weeks.

• Add Tyler Allgeier: The Atlanta Falcons’ backup running back ran the ball 14 times this week and could see double-digit carries in each of the next two games, as well.

Add Noah Brown: The Houston Texans’ veteran receiver caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans. Houston plays Tennessee again in Week 17.

Estimated Reading Time: 17 minutes


Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season is just about in the books. Here are the players you should be targeting in your fantasy football leagues, including targets in smaller leagues and deeper leagues, as well as players to avoid.

Jump to a position group:

QB | RB | WR | TE

WR:CB Matchup Chart


Quarterback

Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (Rostered in 21.6% of leagues on ESPN)

Carr completed 23 of his 28 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns in the Saints' victory over the New York Giants.

  • He accomplished this despite not having his top two wide receivers, Chris Olave and Michael Thomas. Both players could be back in the lineup as early as this week.
  • Carr had a stretch of four weeks where he was consistently a top-13 fantasy quarterback, but he has been dealing with injuries over the past few weeks. He didn’t show up on the injury report this past week.
  • The Saints play the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night. The Rams have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
  • New Orleans plays the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17. They’ve allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
  • This makes Carr the best option for fantasy managers who are looking for a quarterback in either week. There is a chance Carr can be a top-10 fantasy quarterback in both games.

Nick Mullens, Minnesota Vikings (6.2%)

Mullens completed 26 of his 33 passes for 303 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Vikings’ overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

  • Kirk Cousins was a top-12 fantasy quarterback in five of seven games with the Vikings. Joshua Dobbs was a top-12 fantasy quarterback in three of five games.
  • The Minnesota job is attractive for fantasy football purposes because of Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison.
  • The Vikings will be fighting for their playoff lives, so while some of the teams at the top might think about resting some players and some at the bottom might be playing younger players, Mullens is relatively safe as long as he doesn’t get benched.
  • The Vikings play the Detroit Lions next week. Detroit has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
  • This makes him the best option next week among quarterbacks widely available.

Tommy DeVito, New York Giants (8.1%)

DeVito completed 20 of his 34 passes for 177 yards in Week 15 but was held without a touchdown.

  • He was also the Giants’ leading rusher, recording 36 yards on four carries.
  • DeVito had finished as at least a top-20 fantasy quarterback in each of his five previous games. However, he was a top-12 quarterback in only one outing.
  • Most other quarterbacks available in 90% of fantasy leagues have average or bad matchups over the next two weeks.
  • DeVito has the best shot of reaching the top 12 in Week 17 among those quarterbacks and also has a good matchup next week.
  • The Giants play the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams over the next two weeks. Both are top-seven teams at allowing fantasy points to quarterbacks.


Running Back

Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons (37.8%)

Allgeier received a sharp increase in snaps and opportunities this past week.

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