Week 16 fantasy football waiver wire must-adds

There were plenty of letdowns and injuries to go around in Week 15 of the NFL season. Every Tuesday, we will dive into a handful of the top fantasy football pickups available that week and why they could be of value for fantasy owners looking to give their teams an extra boost.

Here are the top waiver-wire adds for Week 16 as teams prepare for the playoffs:

1. Ty Chandler, RB, Minnesota Vikings (rostered in 28% of fantasy leagues)

The Vikings have had just one 100-yard rushing game this season, and it belongs to Chandler in last week’s 27-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Alexander Mattison isn’t the answer as the Vikings No. 1 RB, so why not use the last three games to see if Chandler can fill the role?

The 24-year-old North Carolina alum has been targeted three or more times in three of the last four games and he’s had double-digit carries in four of the last five as well. While rushing for 132 yards may not be feasible every week, Chandler could certainly see plenty of touches this week against Detroit.

2. Josh Palmer, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (rostered in 12% of fantasy leagues)

Palmer had his second-best game of the year in Thursday’s 63-21 thrashing at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders. He caught all four of his targets for 113 yards and a touchdown, and he could step into L.A.’s No. 1 WR role if Keenan Allen can’t go.

Even if Allen is healthy, Palmer has done enough this season to earn a larger target share in L.A.’s three remaining games. The Chargers have had almost no run game this season, so there’s a high chance they’ll continue throwing the ball a lot. If true, Palmer should see plenty of balls thrown his way.

3. Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers (rostered in 7% of fantasy leagues)

Wicks had a career-high six receptions and 97 yards in a losing effort against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the weekend, but he’s been steadily emerging as one of Jordan Love’s go-to targets this season, even with a crowded receiver room that also features Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed.

At 6-8, the Packers playoff hopes are slim, and now is the perfect time to see if a player like Wicks is someone they can build their offense around, which would free them up to trade Doubs or Watson in the offseason for added help elsewhere. Expect Wicks to see a steady stream of targets again this week against the third-ranked Carolina Panthers pass defense.

4. Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans (rostered in 15% of fantasy leagues)

With the Titans officially eliminated from the playoffs and running back Derrick Henry sounding like he’s not returning next season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Spears’ touches spike tremendously over the last three weeks. If Henry is gone after the year, Tennessee might look at Weeks 16-18 as an audition of sorts for Spears as the No. 1 RB next season.

The rookie tailback has had 10 or more touches each of the last three weeks, and he’s been a regular on third down and late-game passing-down situations in place of Henry. Getting 10-12 carries and five or more targets as a receiver isn’t out of the question for Spears this week against Seattle.

5. Nick Mullens, QB, Minnesota Vikings (rostered in 1% of fantasy leagues)

Despite throwing two interceptions, Mullens had a really solid game in his first start of 2023, throwing for 303 yards and two touchdowns while completing 78.8% of his passes. Though he’s a journeyman career backup, Mullens usually puts up big numbers in his starts, averaging 265 yards passing per game with 22 touchdowns in 16 starts with the 49ers in 2018 and 2020.

If you can live with the occasional turnover from Mullens, he could be worth an add for a team desperate to find a starting QB capable of also putting up some fantasy points, which Mullens will likely do throwing to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.