NFL Fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 16

TE Waiver Wire Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 15

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (24 percent rostered)

Hunter Henry’s recent resurgence has coincided with the Patriots electing to start Bailey Zappe over Mac Jones. Over the past two games (with Zappe as the starter), Henry has caught 10 passes for 106 yards and three touchdowns. In that span, Henry has scored at least 19 fantasy points in both games, only trailing Browns tight end David Njoku and Jaguars tight end Evan Engram for the most fantasy points scored by a tight end during this time.

Henry is a near-every-down player who has become a reliable target in the middle of the field for Zappe as a young quarterback who lacks dynamic pass-catchers and is still struggling to see the field well against opposing NFL defenses at times.

The Patriots will be underdogs in every game they play from this point forward to the end of the season, meaning Zappe will have to continue targeting Henry as they try to keep up with opposing offenses like the Broncos and Bills over the next two weeks.

Henry makes for a reasonable addition for fantasy managers who are streaming the tight end position. 

Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans (34 percent rostered)

Chigoziem Okonkwo entered the 2023 fantasy football as a sleeper candidate after showcasing glimpses of his athletic prowess and pass-catching ability down the stretch of the 2022 season. While that hasn’t been the case throughout the season, Okonkwo has been starting to come alive in recent weeks, averaging 8.5 PPR points per game over the past four weeks.

Okonkwo has had at least three receptions and 36 yards in all four games over that stretch, seeing 5-plus targets in three of those games. While these may not be eye-popping numbers, they’re serviceable, which is more than most tight ends can say for themselves from a fantasy football perspective.

It is important to note that rookie quarterback Will Levis has been the starting quarterback during Okonkwo’s recent stretch because his status for Week 16 is in jeopardy, which could force quarterback Ryan Tannehill to reclaim his role as the starter.

Some of Okonkwo’s best performances in 2022 came with Tannehill under center, so his presence shouldn’t be enough to move Okonkwo down the ranks. Okonkwo is worthy of a speculative add for fantasy managers in need of tight end help.