Fantasy football waiver wire: Best wide receivers available in Week 16

It’s the moment of truth. Week 16 marks Championship Week in fantasy football, with league trophies and bragging rights up for grabs across the nation. Whether you made it this far, or are stuck in a consolation playoff system (or still playing into Week 17 for some reason), it’s important to still monitor the waiver wire.

The football world held its breath once again in Week 15, when superstar Antonio Brown went down with a gruesome-looking injury. Yet another transcendent talent suffering a major injury is the last thing this season needed. Remarkably, Brown avoided anything major — he has a torn calf muscle and will miss Week 16, but should be back for the playoffs.

That’s a major relief, because a postseason without Antonio Brown will be too much too handle. He can be dropped in regular fantasy leagues, but Brown remains one of the best assets in dynasty football.

Elsewhere, Marqise Lee sprained his ankle and will probably sit out the last two games, with the playoff-bound Jacksonville Jaguars having no need to rush him. Davante Adams suffered yet another concussion and should be shut down. And Keenan Allen got carted off with a back injury, making him questionable for this week.

With all the injury news, owners should be hitting the waiver wire hard this week. Here are the top receiving options.

Honestly, it’s slim pickings for receivers this week, so I’m cheating with a couple of guys just over the 50-percent threshold. Bryant should obviously have a bigger role with Brown out, and he has a chance to reward owners at the end after a largely disappointing season. Bryant will be on the WR3 radar against the Houston Texans.

The return of Aaron Rodgers didn’t quite follow the script — he threw three interceptions in a loss that pushed the Packers further out of playoff contention. However, Cobb did benefit from Rodgers under center, grabbing seven catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. He was the most reliable receiver in a game where Jordy Nelson disappeared again. With 15 catches in his last two games, Cobb is shaping up as a nice PPR option down the stretch. His fantasy value depends on whether he can avoid Xavier Rhodes in next week’s game with the Minnesota Vikings.

Westbrook was surprisingly quiet even after Lee exited with his ankle injury, taking a backseat to Keelan Cole and Jaydon Mickens. He finished with just 21 yards on two catches. It was a disappointing performance, but there are reasons to believe Westbrook will bounce back. Lee is likely out until the playoffs and Allen Hurns is still on the shelf, which could make Westbrook the de facto No. 1 receiver. He gets a good spot with the San Francisco 49ers this week.

Wallace was having a nice late-season revival even before the Ravens lost Jeremy Maclin to a knee injury. He continued this trend with six catches for 89 yards on Sunday, the third straight game he’s cleared at least 70 yards. With the Ravens slowly but surely finding their downfield passing game again, Wallace has re-emerged as a quality WR3. That will be his ceiling when Baltimore faces the Indianapolis Colts.