Fantasy Football: Top 5 Waiver-Wire Acquisitions of the 2016 Season

Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins

Jay Ajayi had earned very little respect from his own team, let alone the fantasy industry. The Dolphins tried to sign C.J. Anderson after losing Lamar Miller in the offseason, but settled for injury-prone Arian Foster.

Foster began 2016 as the starter, but got carries in only four games and carried the ball just 22 times for 55 yards before retiring.

Still, when Foster was hurt, the Dolphins went to a committee backfield before realizing Ajayi was their best option. He didn't lead the team in carries until Week 5, when he ran for 42 yards and 1 touchdown on 13 attempts against Tennessee.

Miami finally gave him a full workload in Week 6 and he busted loose for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries against a normally stout Pittsburgh run defense. Before it could be written up as a fluke, he backed it up with another 200-yard rushing game in Week 7 (214 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo).

Ajayi was the Dolphins' top back for the rest of the season, averaging 19.5 carries and 81.8 rushing yards along with 11.3 receiving yards, and he finished fourth in rushing with 1,272 yards while also adding 8 touchdowns.

His rushing numbers dipped late in the season partly because Miami had three starting offensive linemen injured, but he capped a standout fantasy campaign with another 206 rushing yards and 1 touchdown against Buffalo in Week 16. He certainly carried some of his fantasy owners to championships with that well-timed performance.

Considering his playing time was limited through the first four games, it's remarkable that he finished as the 11th-best running back in both standard and PPR leagues.