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Week 16 fantasy football waiver wire pickups to make

Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Mike Boone (23) looks on before the start of a game against the Washington Redskins at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

It’s time for the Week 15 fantasy football waiver wire. Fantasy waivers can often make or break your season. Making the right decision on which players to add and drop is crucial, so we have you set up with a deep list of potential waiver wire adds for Week 16.

Remember, we cast a wide net every week in our waiver wire advice. Below you’ll see recommendations for shallow, regular, and deep leagues. Players are listed in order of priority and the suggested auction budget percentage is in parentheses.

Keep in mind that some leagues may be more aggressive or conservative in terms of bidding, so know your league tendencies. Regardless of the size of your league, it’s suggested that you work your way down the list and prioritize the top players in your waiver claims for this week.

And don’t forget to check out the PFF fantasy football rankings, fantasy football projections, and our fantasy football matchup charts.

Shallow leagues (8-10 teams)

Quarterback

Ryan Fitzpatrick, MIA (1-3%) — You likely don't need a quarterback if you made it to your fantasy football championship game, but Fitzpatrick was the No. 6 fantasy signal-caller last week and gets a cake matchup against the Bengals.

Running back

Mike Boone, MIN (50-100%) — This is a tricky situation given the injury to Dalvin Cook. The Vikings have not clinched a playoff spot yet, but could do so on Saturday night with a 49ers win over the Rams. If that happens, Minnesota will have no reason to rush Cook back out on the field. Alexander Mattison is dealing with an ankle injury that had the looks of a high ankle sprain, and he looks extremely unlikely to play. So given all of this information, Boone is very likely to get the start Monday night and is worth spending the rest of your FAAB budget on this week.

Wide receiver

Breshad Perriman, TB (50-100%) — With Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Scotty Miller all injured, Perriman offers big-time appeal in the pass-happy Bucs offense. Other than Mike Boone, he's the top waiver add of the week.

Tight end

Tyler Higbee, LA (50-100%) — Higbee has 100-plus yards in each of his last three games and is still available in over 30% of leagues.

O.J. Howard, TB (25-50%) — If Higbee is already scooped up, Howard is the next best thing this week. With Tampa decimated at wideout, Howard figures to see a healthy workload this week.

Regular leagues (12 teams)

Quarterback

Gardner Minshew, JAX (1%) — The wheels have almost completely come off in Jacksonville, so tread lightly here. But Minshew does have a favorable matchup.

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