Fantasy Football: Players to Stash Entering Week 16

If you're consistently a step ahead of the competition in your fantasy football league, it can help you win a title, and this weekly piece will aim to help you stay ahead of the pack.

The goal here is to help you identify players who could be hot waiver adds down the road as well as to point out week-ahead pickups who could prove useful.

Here are some players to consider adding now and stashing on your bench for the future.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Fantasy Football Stash Candidates for Week 16

Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Eagles

If anything were to happen to Saquon Barkley, Kenneth Gainwell could be a league-winner.

Over the Philadelphia Eagles' last five games, there's been only one running back snap taken by anyone other than Gainwell or Barkley, so if Barkley ever misses a game, Gainwell would likely handle a hefty workload. We saw this play out some last week as Barkley missed a little time in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it resulted in Gainwell logging his highest snap rate (39%) since Week 4.

While Gainwell offers zero standalone value, he's a savvy pickup who could pay off in a big way if Barkley misses time. That's exactly the type of stashes I want to invest in at this time of the season.

Spencer Rattler, QB, Saints

In superflex leagues, Spencer Rattler makes some sense as a bench stash.

After coming off the bench and nearly bringing the New Orleans Saints back against the Washington Commanders, throwing for 135 yards and a score, Rattler likely has a good chance to start the rest of the way.

In Week 16, the Saints have a brutal Monday night matchup at the Green Bay Packers. No thanks. But in Week 17, the Saints are at home against the Las Vegas Raiders. I can stomach that.

Rattler offers some rushing ability-- 15.3 rushing yards per game this season -- and could be a decent QB2 in championship week thanks to the matchup with Vegas, a defense that ranks 28th versus the pass, according to numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics.

If you're in a superflex league and need QB help, he's a solid add.

Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST

The Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST has a really difficult matchup this week at the Baltimore Ravens, and it might result in them getting dropped in some leagues as fantasy managers opt to stream a defense rather than use the Steelers at Baltimore.

Looking ahead to Week 17, the Steelers are at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. Obviously, KC isn't an offense we usually look to pick on. However, they may be without Patrick Mahomes.

Mahomes is reportedly dealing with a high-ankle sprain. That's normally a multi-week injury, and it's looking like Mahomes may be out this week. The NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook are pointing to a Mahomes absence as the Houston Texans are a road favorite Saturday at Arrowhead (as of Tuesday).

Given Mahomes' importance to Kansas City and with the playoffs right around the corner, it wouldn't surprise me if Mahomes sat in Week 17, too, especially with KC having to deal with a Saturday-to-Wednesday turnaround for the Christmas Day Steelers game.

If we get Mahomes-less KC offense on the road at Pittsburgh, it'll put the Steelers D/ST in a good spot, and you might be able to pick them up this week.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.