Each day during the week we'll update our original waiver wire article with a handful of new players. Be sure to keep an eye on our NFL injury report and the latest fantasy football news. For player usage updates and roster context, check out RotoWire's NFL depth charts, and don't miss the weekly projections to see how this week's matchups shape up.
Tuesday Update
Luther Burden, WR, Bears - In the wake of Green Bay's catastrophic injury-riddled Sunday, basically all members of Chicago's offense get a dramatic boost this week, including Burden, who stepped in for Rome Odunze (foot) in the win against the Browns. I'd be surprised if Odunze is available on a short week after aggravating the injury minutes before kickoff, so Burden becomes arguably the team's most volume-dependent pass catcher. Of course, he's also dealing with an ankle injury, but coach Ben Johnson didn't seem to suggest the issue would persist into Week 16.
Colby Parkinson, TE, Rams - I poo-poo'd my co-host Jake Letarski on the Monday waiver wire podcast, when he mentioned Parkinson, but I have to admit that I was wrong. Everyone will point to Parkinson getting a significant red-zone bump in the expected absence of Davante Adams (hamstring), and while I begrudgingly agreed at the time, I thought it was simply because Los Angeles is so good at using play action to boot tight ends to open spots. But this is exactly how you'd replace Adams in the red zone, and to have Parkinson be the trusted option for Matthew Stafford in this sort of capacity means a ton. Besides that, the 26-year-old has been getting a bunch more designed looks lately seeing at least four targets in five of the last six games. It's nerve wracking to play Parkinson with the fantasy postseason on the line against this fearsome Seattle defense on a short week, but he's safer than a host of other players like Jake Ferguson, Dalton Kincaid, Theo Johnson and Mark Andrews, but with an equally high ceiling to boot.
Monday Update
What a frustratingly brutal week for injuries. Hopefully everyone avoided the land mines, unlike my Packers, and advance in the fantasy postseason. Thankfully, a handful of waiver options emerged from the malaise that I wouldn't "hate" if I had to play this week. That said, I'm very much of the opinion that says stick to the players who got you to this point.
For the audio and video component of the article, I also went through a fully developed list on the RotoWire YouTube channel that you can view below.
Quarterback
C.J. Stroud, Texans - I've talked about him at ad nauseum at this point. Once again easily in QB1 territory this week, and the obvious fill in if you're missing Patrick Mahomes (knee).
J.J. McCarthy, Vikings - Dare I say it, but the second-year quarterback seems to have finally found his stride. I still don't think the actual quarterback play is pretty, and there's zero chance I'm willing to entirely overreact to a great performance against a miserable pass defense, but McCarthy was unquestionably one of the worst quarterbacks of the last two decades in his first four starts, but he seems to have found a bit of life lately. More important, he gets another cupcake matchup against an equally miserable Giants defense this week. I'd play McCarthy over guys like Marcus Mariota, Cam Ward, Bryce Young and Aaron Rodgers in Week 16.
Running Back
Jawhar Jordan, Texans - With Nick Chubb (ribs) inactive, Woody Marks was primed for a monster game only to leave late in the first half with an ankle injury. Evidently the rookie could have come back in the game had it been close, but like we mentioned last week with Jaylen Wright and De'Von Achane last, I'm done trusting teams to be truthful. Whomever gets the lion's share of the workload in Houston should be in pole position for a solid outing given Las Vegas' total collapse as a franchise.
Malik Davis, Cowboys - Full disclosure, I needed Javonte Williams to get about 10 points Sunday night to help me advance in the fantasy playoffs of one league. I was in a great spot to have that happen following the opening touchdown, only for him to miss basically the entire half with what appeared to be a shoulder injury of some sort. It truly felt like yet another obvious example of the Bartel Jinx, A) because I needed Williams to just get the most floor of outcomes and B) because I had entirely forgot about Davis when discussing some of the obvious "plan B" backfields in past waiver articles. Maybe I'm just projecting my cynical nature, but had Davis not suffered a concussion in the waning moments of the first half, I wonder if the Cowboys would have played Williams to the extent they did in the second half. The veteran back saw few snaps as a pass catcher or blocker, yielding almost all of those to fullback Hunter Luepke, and while Williams looked effective running the ball, it felt like he was really just bracing his shoulder for contact more than looking to make moves in space. Obviously Davis' availability following a concussion is noteworthy, but it's just a reminder that I prefer to weaponize my bench with a bunch of these types of guys, players who immediately jump into fantasy relevant spots upon injury as opposed to holding onto a bunch of WR4 types.
Michael Carter, Cardinals - With Trey Benson (knee) officially done for the season, Bam Knight's severe ankle sprain, which required him to be carted off the field, opens the Arizona backfield to Carter and Emari Demercado. The former tallied 18 touches compared to the latter's three, and Carter also had a massive 50-to-7 offensive snap count spread over Demercado as well. In PPR formats you could make an argument Carter is the top overall pickup just given how poorly Arizona's defense has played, therefore effectively guaranteeing a solid floor as a pass catcher.
Audric Estime, Saints - Devin Neal left Week 15's win over the Panthers with a hamstring injury, opening the door for Estime to earn a slight jump in playing time over Evan Hull, who had been the presumed backup. Alvin Kamara (knee/ankle) could still technically return and perhaps Neal's injury will force New Orleans' hand so to speak, but Estime has had some opportunities to be a plodding ballcarrier back in Denver, and he probably partners well with Hull who can be traditionally the team's pass-catching back. I'm nervous to recommend one Saint over the either because this could be a true split backfield if Neal is unavailable, but it all might be a moot point if Kamara is pushed back into the lineup by New Orleans' front office.
Wide Receiver
Andrei Iosivas, Bengals - It was an incredibly disappointing day for Iosivas with Tee Higgins (concussion) absent, but I suspect it will get better against Miami's secondary in Week 16. I'm probably putting the cart before the horse, but I'd be a bit surprised if Higgins returns at all this season after suffering his second concussion in three weeks.
Adonai Mitchell, Jets - I'm loathe to rely on Brady Cook with my fantasy life at stake, but I've always contended that even the worst quarterback play can usually create at minimum one valuable fantasy wide receiver. I'd have assumed it would be John Metchie given how he operates from the slot, but Mitchell might just be too explosive of an athlete to ignore from New York's perspective. New Orleans has quietly been a much better defense against the pass in the second half of the season, so this is far from a sure play, but I've always believed in Mitchell as a player, and he's gotten the most out of his opportunities as New York's No. 1 target.
Matthew Golden, Packers - The yearly Packers-related depression crushed me Sunday, obviously brought on by the significant injury to Micah Parsons (knee), but also Christian Watson (chest) leaving the game just a handful of plays prior. Watson reportedly could be available Week 16, but lost in the cataclysmic news from yesterday, Jayden Reed also suffered an injury late in the game. Green Bay will have to win with its offense, and especially if Watson is out, Jordan Love will need to threaten the deep pass with Golden. The Packers play Saturday night, so fantasy managers will get a bit of an advanced notice on the status of everyone before lineups lock.
Tight End
Colston Loveland, Bears - It's an incredibly bleak list of TE options if you're trying to stream the position. The likes of Mark Andrews and Hunter Henry have been disappointing certainly, but there are few options to remedy that. If you're effectively hoping for a touchdown anyway, why not turn to Loveland, who is only rostered in 34 percent of Yahoo leagues as of Sunday. The rookie has at least 40 receiving yards or a touchdown in six of the last seven games and gets a Green Bay defense that will be completely vulnerable without Micah Parsons (knee) around to bail them out.
