Fantasy Football Week 16 Waiver Wire: Clyde Edwards-Helaire And More Top Free Agents

The fantasy football playoffs are in full swing with Week 16 of the 2023 NFL season rapidly approaching. Most leagues are now entering the semifinals, making it more important than ever for managers still in the title hunt to field the best possible starting lineup.

That will be easier said than done after a rash of injuries struck in Week 15. Notable fantasy contributors like Ja'Marr Chase, Michael Pittman Jr., Trevor Lawrence, Keaton Mitchell and Jayden Reed all exited their respective contests this past week with various ailments. While Mitchell is the only one who has been officially ruled out, managers will need to stay vigilant for updates and have insurance options in place.

With that in mind, here are five of the top waiver-wire pickups for Week 16. All suggestions are rostered in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! leagues.

Fantasy points and rankings are based on FantasyPros.com PPR data.

Gardner Minshew has been a serviceable quarterback streaming option since replacing injured Indianapolis Colts rookie Anthony Richardson as the starter in Week 5, but he's failed to consistently finish among the top-12 fantasy options at his position. That changed in Week 15 when he threw for 215 yards and tossed a trio of touchdowns in a convincing 30-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Minshew's 20.6-point outing—just his second 20-plus point performance of 2023—made him the fifth-highest scoring signal-caller of the week.

Minshew has a great opportunity to build on this showing in Week 16. The Colts have a great matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, a team that has been vulnerable to opposing passers this season. Atlanta's defense has allowed even middling signal-callers to rack up plenty of scores against them, conceding several to the likes of Will Levis (four total touchdowns), Josh Dobbs (three) and Baker Mayfield (three) over the past two months.

With Indianapolis' running back platoon banged up—Zack Moss joined starter Jonathan Taylor on the sidelines this weekend—and potentially left to lean on journeyman Trey Sermon to shoulder the rushing load, Minshew could be in line for one of his best games of the year. It could be tough if Michael Pittman Jr. isn't in the mix after the star wideout suffered a concussion, but Minshew still managed to thrive on Saturday despite his top pass-catcher missing the entire second half.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire is making the most of what might be his last chance to revive a disappointing career. The 2020 first-round pick had been demoted and was sparsely utilized following the rise of unheralded 2022 seventh-rounder Isiah Pacheco, but he's getting an opportunity to show he still be a useful contributor in wake of the starter's injury.

In a Week 15 showdown against the lowly New England Patriots, CEH drew his second successive start and had his best game of the season. Although he didn't make much of an impact on the ground—just 37 yards on 13 carries—Edwards-Helaire reeled in all four of his targets for 64 yards and a touchdown. That was good for 20.1 fantasy points and a No. 8 finish at the RB position, his first top-10 showing since Week 4 of last season.

While CEH still must prove he can consistently contribute after struggling in Week 14—a mere 39 yards on 11 totes while catching two of four targets for 29 yards in a loss to the Buffalo Bills—he'll have a fantastic opportunity to build momentum when the Chiefs take on the rival Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16.

With the Raiders giving up nearly 125 yards per game on the ground and allowing 12 rushing touchdowns this year, CEH can be trusted as an RB2 for this matchup.

Tyler Boyd has been off the fantasy radar for much of the 2023 campaign, having yet to log a finish better than No. 10 and failing to place inside the top 40 in any of the past five games. Despite these struggles, the Cincinnati Bengals wideout may be one of the better waiver-wire pickups available to managers in need of WR help for Week 16.

Boyd didn't do much of note last week when he caught just two of his five targets for 53 yards, but he should be one of the main beneficiaries of a potential Ja'Marr Chase absence. The superstar wideout left Week 15's win over the Minnesota Vikings with a shoulder injury. Head coach Zac Taylor noted Chase suffered an AC joint sprain and is currently day-to-day as the team prepares for a Saturday clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Managers should place a claim on Boyd now and keep an ear out for updates on Chase's status leading up to the weekend. If Chase can't go or is limited, Boyd immediately slots in as a startable fantasy receiver. Pittsburgh's defense has been vulnerable to opposing wideouts, giving up over 225 yards per game through the air and allowing 20 total passing touchdowns this season.

Noah Brown was one of the NFL's most productive receivers during the first half of November, posting a No. 2 and No. 7 finish in Weeks 9 and 10, respectively. He became a hot waiver-wire commodity because of that breakout stretch, but he had failed to move the needle in the month that followed. The veteran missed two games with injury and didn't record a single catch in two games after returning, but he finally showed signs of life during a pivotal Week 15 matchup.

Brown took on an elevated role in a Houston Texans receiving corps missing both Nico Collins and Tank Dell and answered the call. He secured eight of his 11 looks and converted those catches into 82 yards and a touchdown. His performance was especially impressive given journeyman Case Keenum was making his first start in nearly two years while filling in for injured rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.

It remains to be seen if Stroud will be able to clear the league's concussion protocol in time for a Week 16 meeting with the Cleveland Browns, but Brown should be able to thrive regardless of which quarterback lines up under center. He may not get as many looks if Collins returns from the calf injury that kept him sidelined this weekend, but Brown should ultimately see enough volume to earn a spot in your starting fantasy lineup as a WR3 or flex play.

Hunter Henry seems to be intent on finishing the 2023 season on the same high note he started it on. While the New England Patriots tight end surprisingly began the year as one of the top fantasy tight ends—notching a No. 1 and No. 2 finish over the first two weeks—he failed to place inside the top 10 in any of the following 10 games. Henry finally began to re-emerge in Week 14 when he caught all three of his targets for 40 yards and a pair of scores, finishing as the week's No. 4 TE.

Henry had his most productive outing of the year against the Kansas City Chiefs, converting his nine targets into seven catches for 66 yards, all season-best marks for the 29-year-old. While he only scored one touchdown, his 19.6 fantasy points were the most he's put up since Week 5 of the 2021 season and good for a second successive No. 4 finish.

There's a great chance Henry continues his late-season surge when the Patriots visit the Denver Broncos in Week 16. Denver's defense has given up the most fantasy points to the tight end position this season and just allowed Sam LaPorta to eviscerate them with three touchdowns over the weekend. Be sure to get Henry in your lineup for this juicy matchup, as there simply won't be a better streaming option available in most leagues.