Fantasy Football Week 16 Quarterback and Tight End FAAB: J.J. McCarthy, Darren Waller, and More

If you are still alive in your fantasy football playoffs, then you're probably not looking for starters on the waiver wire. While your bench can always use tweaking, teams with a real shot at the end generally have strong starters.

The biggest issue comes if you sustain a major injury (which we'll talk about below). Injuries can happen at any time, and when they do, owners are left scrambling. When your quarterback is hurt in Week 1, you have plenty of time to find a new player. When it happens in Week 15, options are seriously limited.

Let's look at FAAB bid ranges for some of the hottest QB and TE names on the waiver wire as we head into Week 16. Your numbers might be a little different depending on your roster needs and remaining budget, but this is a good baseline to start from. All bids are based on a $100 budget.

Use FantasySP's waiver wire tool to find the players who are being added to fantasy rosters most often each week!

Quarterback

J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

We know McCarthy's floor. We've seen how bad it can get when he's struggling; 87 passing yards on 19 attempts with two interceptions and five sacks against the Packers right before Thanksgiving showed where he can fall with a bad matchup.

The past two weeks have gone very well, though, as McCarthy combined for 413 passing yards on 8.8 per attempt with five touchdowns, one interception, 34 rushing yards, and a rushing TD. He topped 20 fantasy points in both games, and he ranks as QB5 over the past two weeks prior to Monday's game.

We're missing one important note: Washington and Dallas, McCarthy's opponents in those two games, are two of the worst pass defenses in football, both ranking in the top six in most yards per pass attempt allowed and fantasy points given up to quarterbacks. McCarthy and the Vikings took advantage of two brutal defenses to post strong numbers.

The good news is that the next two games are very good matchups against the Giants and Lions, the latter of which joins the Commanders and Cowboys in the top six in allowing passing efficiency and fantasy points. Week 18 is another brutal matchup against Green Bay, but most fantasy leagues finish in Week 17, so that game won't matter.

There's still a low ceiling here; you can probably find a better option. If you lost Patrick Mahomes in a deep league or are just strapped for a streamer, McCarthy has a chance to reach the top 10 in each of the next two weeks, the semifinal and final in many fantasy tournaments. It's a risky path, but bold, desperate owners could be rewarded.

Conservative Bid: $1-3

Need Bid: $6-11

Desperation Bid: The rest of your budget

Gardner Minshew, Kansas City Chiefs

Speaking of Mahomes, KC's star quarterback is out for the year with a torn ACL, leaving Minshew in charge of the most successful team of the past half-decade. The Chiefs' playoff chances are also officially over, so things are going to look weird over the next three weeks.

Mahomes is still fantasy QB2 until a few guys pass him next week, so you might be thinking that Minshew could find some of that magic and be a successful fantasy player himself. In one of the most obvious statements I could make, though, Minshew isn't Mahomes.

This team is underwhelming; there's a reason they are out of the postseason race. Rashee Rice is a fine top option, and Travis Kelce is still a good contributor as he slows down, but the rest of the offense leaves more to be desired, particularly with an injured offensive line. Things aren't set up for Minshew to easily step in and excel.

The matchup this week against Tennessee is a positive one, so Minshew has some low-level streaming value, but I don't want to trust him if I'm still in the hunt for a fantasy championship. He follows that up with a brutal game against Denver then a middling matchup against the Raiders in Week 18, so Minshew would be a one-week option.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1-3

Desperation Bid: $4-6

Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

No one will confuse Shough for a high-level player as a rookie, but he has now put up three straight fantasy performances over 18 points, ranking as QB8 over those three weeks.

Like McCarthy, Shough has done this damage against an easier schedule, as the Dolphins, Bucs, and Panthers are all in the top 10 in most yards per pass attempt allowed, though their fantasy performances are mixed. It's not a coincidence that Shough's best games have come in this stretch.

The matchups are going to stay friendly the rest of the way. The Jets, Titans, and Falcons (the order in which New Orleans faces them) are all worse than average in terms of yards per pass attempt allowed and fantasy points given up to quarterbacks. Shough will have streaming value each week.

Like with the others, though, do you really want to count on Shough putting up big games while you are fighting for your league's trophy? There's a low floor, and Shough isn't surrounded by high-level talent. It's fine to look at him as a streamer if you are in the consolation bracket or if you find yourself in desperation mode, but I'd implore you to find a higher ceiling if possible.

Conservative Bid: $1-5

Need Bid: $6-11

Desperation Bid: The rest of your budget

Tight End

Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid is generally seen as the top tight end in Buffalo. Despite missing four games, Kincaid has more targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns than Knox, who has played every game.

Rookie Jackson Hawes has also been on the field often as the third option, so there aren't always a lot of targets to go around, leaving Knox with a lower floor and ceiling than many other TEs (including Kincaid). Knox is coming off two good games with Kincaid in the lineup, though, first catching six passes for 93 yards against Cincinnati in Week 14 then three for 37 and two touchdowns on Sunday against New England.

Most likely, Knox will revert to putting up modest numbers. He is averaging two receptions and 25.2 yards per game with three scores, so these past two weeks are far out of line with what we would usually expect. The last few weeks have been fun, but that's probably the best that Knox will look all year.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams

It's a weekly thing now; how can I keep denying him? Parkinson was on a streak of putting up modest stats but getting into the end zone, making him a good fantasy player. Every week, I listed Parkinson here but said that he will probably stop scoring touchdowns and will fall into fantasy anonymity.

Well, Parkinson caught five passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions on Sunday, his best game in this streak. I'm having a hard time finding reasons to tell you to continue ignoring Parkinson.

The tight end is third on the Rams behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams in targets, receptions, and yards, and he's tied for second with six touchdowns. Adams suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday and is unlikely to play on Thursday night against the Seahawks, so Parkinson might get even more looks his direction, particularly given the matchup.

Seattle is great against the pass but has been gashed by tight ends all season, so Parkinson has a great outlook this week. Atlanta in Week 17 has been very tough on TEs, but Week 18 against the Cardinals is another fantastic matchup if your league extends to the final week. There will be chances to use Parkinson the rest of the way.

Conservative Bid: $3-6

Need Bid: $8-11

Desperation Bid: The rest of your budget

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Schultz is owned in about half of leagues, so he's not as much of a waiver guy as the others, but there's still enough availability that he could be an option. Schultz is second on the team in targets and receiving yards behind Nico Collins, and the tight end       actually leads the team with 70 receptions, though with only two touchdowns, which hurts his fantasy value.

Schultz had one of his best games of the season on Sunday, catching eight passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. That was a fantastic matchup against the Cardinals, and his other good game (nine receptions for 98 yards) was another top-line matchup against the Seahawks; Schultz has taken advantage of the worst tight end defenses.

Houston's remaining opponents are the Raiders, Chargers, and Colts. Vegas and LA are tough tight end matchups, so the next two weeks aren't a great time to look at Schultz. While Dallas Goedert had six catches or 70 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday against the Raiders, Travis Kelce is the only other TE to reach 50 yards against them this season, so Schultz isn't likely to have much success.

You can find a better option the rest of the way than Schultz. While he is fine, the matchups are against him during the most important fantasy weeks, so I have to recommend looking elsewhere.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1-3

Desperation Bid: $4-6

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins

We'll just touch on Waller quickly: I had this whole article finished, then Waller caught seven passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns on Monday Night Football, forcing his inclusion. In just seven games, Waller has twice had at least five receptions, twice topped 60 yards, and twice scored two touchdowns.

The matchup this week against the Bengals is phenomenal. Cincinnati has given up the second-most yards per pass attempt and by far the most fantasy points to tight ends, giving Waller the best matchup of the week.

He follows that up with another good matchup against the Bucs next week before finishing with a tougher game against the Patriots; Waller has fantasy intrigue the next two weeks. Anyone in need of a tight end can find a super-high ceiling in Week 16.

Conservative Bid: $6-11

Need Bid: The rest of your budget

Desperation Bid: The rest of your budget