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Week 16 IDP waiver wire

It’s fantasy championship week for many of you, so best of luck.

If you are playing a Week 17 championship game — something only 2015 Odell Beckham Jr. owners like — you really need to bug your league Commish to get on top of things and switch it up. Nothing is more annoying than having the roster of studs you careful selected and managed during the year spend your championship week riding the pine because NFL teams are protecting their studs for the NFL playoffs.

If you are facing some IDP issues, here are some players who are worth plugging and playing this week.

Pass Rushers

Although his more high-profile teammate, Greg Hardy, hasn’t been quite the fantasy force that was hoped, DeMarcus Lawrence has been a decent fantasy asset over the last three weeks. Lawrence actually leads all defensive lineman in scoring since Week 13 with an average of 17.5 ppg thanks to four sacks and seven tackles for a loss. The Cowboys opponent in Week 16, the Bills, have been a top-10 matchup for defensive lineman, so Lawrence is worth adding if you’re looking for an in-form end with a decent matchup.

There was a moment mid-season where Jabaal Sheard was gaining some traction and his fantasy stock was trending up, but he wasn’t able to capitalize and seize more than a situational passing rushing role in the Patriots defense. That has remained the case, with Sheard playing approximately two-thirds of defensive snaps in each game over the last five weeks. He’s making the most of his opportunities though, grading out at +27.1 (fourth best grade for a 4-3 defensive end) without a single negatively graded game, registering seven sacks, four hits and 34 hurries. His Week 16 matchup, the Jets have been a tough matchup from a fantasy perspective over the entire season, but it’s not impossible to return a decent score against them. The aforementioned DeMarcus Lawrence’s 20.8 points last week came against the Jets, while Robert Ayers (17.5 pts) and Jason Pierre-Paul (15.8 pts) were both DE1 scores in Week 13 when facing the Jets. Week 12 saw Olivier Vernon overcome the matchup to score 11.8 points and also be a DE1. Sheard is no guarantee for a big week, but there are worse players you could take a punt on in Fantasy Championship week.

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Ross Miles is a Lead Writer for Pro Football Focus Fantasy. Follow him on Twitter – @RossMilesNFL
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