For most, Week 16 of the NFL season signals the week of their league championship matchup.  This season has been unlike any other with the number of injuries to star players that the league has seen. But with these injuries new players have emerged into fantasy relevance and are likely going to be a key reason to a fantasy title.  Without further hesitation let’s take a look at the top players added heading into Week 16 of the fantasy football season.

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins, WSH – This one is not too surprising seeing as Cousins is coming off a game where he threw for four touchdowns and ran for another.  The one big question mark for Week 16 has to do with Cousins' home/road splits as he has been a phenomenal player at home and just dreadful on the road.  In Week 16 the Redskins travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in an important division matchup and while Cousins has been horrid on the road, he does get to face an Eagles secondary that has been just as bad against opposing quarterbacks regardless of the venue this season.

Teddy Bridgewater, MIN – Bridgewater is coming off a four-touchdown performance against the Bears in Week 15 and now gets to welcome in the New York Giants to Minnesota who boats a secondary that ranks among the league’s worst this season.  The Vikings' offense is far from pass heavy and the four-touchdown game in Week 15 was just the second time this season where Bridgewater has thrown multiple touchdowns.  The upside for Bridgewater is rather low but there is also a solid floor level of production that owners can expect.

Running Backs

Christine Michael, SEA – Michael has made this list a few times this season but as a member of the Cowboys. In each instance the Cowboys never gave Michael a chance to be their lead back and he was eventually let go and resigned by the Seahawks who traded him earlier in the year.  Injuries to Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Rawls had left the Seahawks bare at the RB position and Michael, having spent the previous few seasons in Seattle, knows the offense and was a perfect fit to take over the starting role.  In Week 15 he carried the ball 16 times for 84 yards against the Browns and in Week 16 he will get to face a Rams defense that has been much better against the pass than the run this season.

Karlos Williams, BUF – Williams is expected to be the Bills starting running back on Sunday when they face the Cowboys after LeSean McCoy tore his MCL in Week 15.  Williams has started in place of the injured McCoy earlier this season and he excelled in the Bills' run-first offense.  Williams is a bit more of a bruising back than the shifty LeSean McCoy but that should have little impact on the game plan.  The Bills will also use Mike Gillislee to spell Williams on passing downs but barring an injury or an early fumble the majority of the touches should go to Williams.

Wide Receivers

Markus Wheaton, PIT – Wheaton is the Steelers' No.3 receiver, but in an offense that is as pass heavy as Pittsburgh's he has been getting plenty of action over the last four weeks having caught 22 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns.  A favorable matchup against the Ravens is on the schedule in Week 16 which has many owners expecting a high scoring blowout win for the Steelers and a lot of points for their receiving corps.

Rueben Randle, NYG- The suspension of Odell Beckham has bumped Randle up to the Giants' No. 1 receiver and thus his fantasy value increases immensely.  In Week 16 the Giants are on the road against a tough Vikings secondary, but if they have any hope of winning it will have to be through the air.  Randle has had a nice season as the Giants' No. 2 receiver, catching 51 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns.  Hakeem Nicks and Dwayne Harris should move up to the No. 2 and No. 3 receiving spots with Beckham out.

Tight Ends

Zach Ertz, PHI – Ertz is coming off two big games against Buffalo and Arizona where he combined to catch 13 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown.  The production has been inconsistent for Ertz this season but some of that can be blamed on the struggles at the quarterback position.  With his chemistry seemingly improved with quarterback Sam Bradford he could turn out to be a solid No. 2 target in the Eagles' passing attack behind Jordan Matthews given his size and speed mismatch against linebackers and defensive backs.

Zach Miller, CHI – Miller continues to play a solid role in the Bears' offense and has now caught 11 passes on 12 targets for 142 yards and a touchdown over the past two weeks.  With Alshon Jeffery questionable for Sunday as he deals with a balky hamstring, Miller finds himself as one of Jay Cutler’s remaining healthy receiving options which should boost his value against the Buccaneers in Week 16.