Week 15 of the NFL regular season is in the books, and fantasy owners are looking for temporary replacements heading toward their playoff push. We bring you our weekly list of players who might be potential waiver wire busts or who have downside. Some of these players may appear in our waiver wire suggestions, but this list is designed to point out factors that could impact or limit their production.
Fantasy football waiver wire advice, Week 16: Hot players with potential downside
It’s Week 16 and fantasy owners with bye week mania may be looking to add replacements to their rosters. There are many players who are hot on the waiver wire lists who could have some potential downside. We bring you the top-five list here.
QB Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins (11 percent owned)
There have been a number of additions for Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins who recently took over for Robert Griffin III. Unless you are taking a flier against a possible injury, this is a risky move. In his first start, Cousins threw for 384 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. While not a bad stat line, this was against a very bad Atlanta Falcons defense. The matchups remain favorable with Dallas and then New York Giants but surely you have better options if you are in the playoffs.
RB Matt Asiata, Minnesota Vikings (seven percent owned)
Minnesota Vikings running back Matt Asiata got the call Sunday with both Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart out with injuries. He fed on a leaky Philadelphia Eagles defense with thirty carries for 51 yards and three touchdowns. However, he only averaged 1.7 yards per carry and will get relegated back to the bench if either Peterson or Gerhart can go in Week 16.
TE Tim Wright, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (15 percent owned)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end/wide receiver Tim Wright has been streaky this year, putting up good numbers early on and then crashing back to earth. In Week 15, he caught seven passes on nine targets for 82 yards and a touchdown which is his best stat line of the year. He does have two scores in the past two weeks. However, under rookie quarterback Mike Glennon, he is averaging only 34.7 yards per game and has only four touchdowns. He is a risky playoff play.
WR Greg Jennings, Minnesota Vikings (60 percent owned)
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings finally got going in Week 15 under Matt Cassel but let's not forget it was against a very porous Philadelphia defense. Jennings was Cassel's favorite target and got thirteen looks in the game, catching eleven passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. This was his best game since Week 4. Rookie sensation Cordarrelle Patterson was next with just six targets. The Vikings will face the Cincinnati Bengals at home in Week 16. The Bengals are giving up the eleventh least fantasy points to wide receivers.
WR Andre Caldwell, Denver Broncos (one percent owned)
Denver Broncos wide receiver Andre Caldwell stepped up with Wes Welker out and caught six passes for 59 yards and two touchdowns. Caldwell led the team with ten targets, with tight end Julius Thomas next with eight. It was a worthy effort by the six year backup, but Wes Welker should be back in Week 16 and Caldwell's playing time should disappear. It's too difficult to trust his production during crunch playoff time as Caldwell hasn't scored since week 1.
