Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 16

December 22, 2020

Justin Carter's fantasy football wide receiver waiver wire pickups for Week 16 of the 2020 NFL season. These are free agent WRs to add, stream and stash.

It's fantasy championship week, y'all!

Apologies to those of you who play in Week 17, but the entire focus of this article is going to be on which guys who are still on the wire and rostered in under half of all leagues will have a chance to help you out in Week 16. If a guy isn't a feasible start in some league type, we're not talking about him.

So, let's talk waiver wire options at wide receiver. Not all options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster. Check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 15 for help at all the skill positions.

Keke Coutee, Houston Texans

41% rostered

Coutee had five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown on Sunday while being targeted seven times, and he almost had another touchdown but fumbled near the goal line.

Coutee has touchdowns in three of the last five games, and while he's not going to post another 141-yard game, he's probably the best option in this receiving corps right now. He's a low-end WR3 play against the Bengals in Week 16.

Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers

32% rostered

Lazard had 56 yards -- his most since returning to the lineup -- on five receptions. He was targeted six times. It's hard to know exactly what to think of Lazard right now, but next week's game against the Titans should offer the Packers plenty of chances to rack up the yardages and points. Lazard should benefit from that as Aaron Rodgers's No. 2 receiver, making him a WR4 play, albeit a risky one.

Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots

31% rostered

I mean, I don't know if I want to trust Meyers with a title on the line, but he was targeted 10 times this week, catching seven of them for 111 yards. With the Patriots out of the playoff hunt, there's no reason to bring Julian Edelman back, so Meyers should remain the top option for Cam Newton. Explosions like this one aren't the norm for Meyers, but if you're going to trust a Pats wideout as a WR4 option, it should be Meyers.

Lynn Bowden Jr., Miami Dolphins

27% rostered

Add Bowden everywhere, because if the Dolphins have the same injury luck next week that they did this week -- DaVante Parker, Jakeem Grant, and Mike Gesicki were all out -- then Bowden will have a sizable role and low-end WR2 upside in PPR leagues. He was targeted seven times this week, catching six passes for 37 yards, so nothing hugely exciting, but he's been productive for the past few weeks and is available in most leagues.

Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons

24% rostered

I know Julio Jones is technically not done for the year, but maybe we should attack the waiver wire like he is. Jones has missed consecutive games, and that span has seen Gage catch five passes for 82 yards against the Chargers, followed by five for 68 and a touchdown this week against the Buccaneers. Next week's Chiefs matchup isn't an easy one, but if Gage is still playing the same role he did this week, he becomes a very intriguing WR3 play.

Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears

10% rostered

The Bears are passing the ball well again, and all it took was a return to Mitch Trubisky!

Darnell Mooney had five targets, the same as Allen Robinson. He caught four for 49 yards and a touchdown, plus added a 16-yard carry. Mooney has a really intriguing Week 16 game against the Jaguars on the horizon, and fantasy managers who are dealing with a lot of injuries but have managed to sneak their way to the title game could do worse than Mooney as an upside WR4 play.

Greg Ward Jr., Philadelphia Eagles

3% rostered

Jalen Reagor might be the better option, but I think in leagues where Reagor is available, you have better options to pick up. But if you're playing in a league with some really deep rosters and need a WR5 play who you can plug in, Ward is interesting, mainly because he caught two touchdowns this week. The yardage hasn't been there with Jalen Hurts at quarterback, but Hurts does seem to like targeting Ward in the red zone, which is something we can't completely ignore.

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