Waiver Wire Analysis: Week 16

Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season saw several key fantasy players leave due to injury, including Ja’Marr Chase, Michael Pittman, and Zack Moss, and several more were unable to suit up (Isiah Pacheco, Josh Jacobs, Jonathan Taylor, etc.). How do we navigate these murky injury situations to best position our fantasy teams in advance of the NFL playoffs? This week’s Waiver Wire Analysis has you covered.

Before we dive in, I wanted to provide a quick strategy note relating to FAAB recommendations. At this point of the fantasy season, FAAB recommendations need to be highly specific to your individual leagues, making it difficult to provide broad guidance. For instance, you should be aware of how much FAAB your opponents have left, whether or not your league allows eliminated teams to make waiver claims, whether your league allows $0 bids, whether your opponent is desperate for a spot starter and at what position, and more. Thus, more than ever, you should customize your FAAB bids based on your team and league circumstance, rather than blindly following the recommendations I have put forth in the article. As a reminder, I am available in the ETR Discord weekly for “office hours” where I can answer league-specific questions.

Top 10 Home-League Waiver Targets

Zamir White

Rostership: 7% ESPN

FAAB Recommendation: 40-70%

With Josh Jacobs (quad) sidelined, second-year back Zamir White stepped into a clear starting role for the Raiders against the hapless Chargers. White finished the day with 17 carries for 69 yards and a TD, to go along with three catches for 16 yards. In addition to his strong fantasy production, White’s underlying usage was promising, as he handled 70% of snaps, 65% of rush attempts, and a surprisingly high 10% target share on 59% routes run. It’s nice to see that White has some passing-game role, reducing his odds of being completely game script-dependent in a tougher matchup, like the Raiders’ upcoming Week 16 battle with the Kansas City Chiefs.

As of this writing, it is unclear whether Jacobs will be cleared to play in Week 16. Given the Raiders’ extremely slim playoff hopes (1%, according to Sumer Sports) and Jacobs’ impending free agency, I find it unlikely he suits up. With no other clear RB spot starts available on waivers due to other murky injury situations, this makes White my preferred waiver-wire option at RB in Week 16. The only plausibly available option I would prefer is Ty Chandler, though I assume ETR subscribers would have pounced on him if he was available in any of their leagues.

Noah Brown