Weekly Hail Mary: Week 16
Each week, HMF will provide you with at least one “Hail Mary” at RB, WR, and TE - a guy who is not generally regarded as a starter for the week, but who has the potential to pay off big. These are lottery tickets that are not likely to hit, but if they do, you’ll be thrilled, as you can likely grab them for free off your waiver wire. We only focus on players who are available in at least one-third of Yahoo! leagues.
In other words, if you’re desperate, we’re giving you a prayer. The Hail Marys for Week 16:
Running Backs
Kalen Ballage, Dolphins (2% owned). The NFL’s last true Ironman, Frank Gore, has finally succumbed to the injury bug and is out for the season. Stepping in for him was Ballage - not Kenyan Drake - and he had 120 yards rushing on 12 totes, along with a score. He’ll be involved moving forward, but faces a tough task with the Jaguars defense on tap in Week 16.
Keith Ford, Bills (0%). With Marcus Murphy dislocating his elbow on Sunday, he could be the last man standing in Buffalo. He got 15 touches in their most recent game, and they face a soft Patriots defense this week. Buyer beware, though. If either LeSean McCoy or Chris Ivory return this week, Ford’s value becomes practically nonexistent.
Elijah McGuire, Jets (33%). He becomes the horse for Gang Green with Isaiah Crowell on the shelf. He has gotten 20+ touches in back to back weeks, and has a touchdown in each. That’s great value from the waiver wire.
Jamaal Williams, Packers (20%). He’s not an inspiring talent, but he has the backfield all to himself with Ty Montgomery now a Raven and Aaron Jones nursing a knee injury. He had nearly 100 yards from scrimmage and a score on Sunday in relief of Jones, and up next he gets the Jets, who give up over 125 rushing yards per game.
Wide Receivers
Robby Anderson, Jets (27%). Speaking of the J-E-T-S, how many times does HMF have to recommend Robby Anderson before he gets picked up? He has touchdowns in back to back weeks and is operating as New York’s clear number one wideout now that he’s healthy again. He goes up against a soft Packers secondary in the championship round.
Daeshon Hamilton, Broncos (22%). The Broncos’ new slot receiver is getting peppered with targets - 21 over the past two weeks, with seven catches in each of those contests. This is a guy who has a safe PPR floor and a relatively decent ceiling.
John Ross, Bengals (9%). The only girl at the bar, and all that jazz. A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd are done for the year, making Ross Cincinnati’s de facto #1 wideout. He put up a stinker on Sunday, but he still has a touchdown in four of his last six.
Trent Sherfield, Cardinals (0%). Only for the truly desperate. Sherfield is operating as Arizona’s number one receiver on the perimeter, but that’s like being the prettiest girl with a mustache. It’s not really a positive. Still, Sherfield gets a beatable Rams secondary in Week 16, and he has had modest production over the last two weeks. A super deep dart throw, but hey, sometimes volume is all it takes for production. The dude is getting snaps.
Tight Ends
Gerald Everett (19%). He has seven targets in each of the past two weeks. You could certainly do worse, especially considering he plays for an offense orchestrated by the best young mind in the game. He’s bound to get some red zone looks once the Rams get back on track.
Chris Herndon, Jets (12%). Look, tight end is awful this year, but it’s apparently a Jets-themed week. He has 50 or more yards receiving in two of his last four games, which is close to the best you can ask for coming off the waiver wire. We’re picking at scraps here. Tight end is bad.
HONORABLE MENTION: Ian Thomas, Panthers (41%). He barely misses out on eligibility for our weekly list, but he’s still worth a look to see if he’s available in your league. He has been quite usable since Greg Olsen went down with a season ending injury. He wasn’t great against New Orleans on Monday night, but New Orleans is better than you might expect against tight ends. He gets a Falcons defense this week that is much softer against the tight end.