For the majority of leagues, the fantasy football playoffs start this week. Some are lucky enough to have a bye in the first round while others will be clawing their way to find any edge they can to move on.
Even though teams may be out of the playoffs, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t use the waiver wire. Every team should be keeping tabs on waiver-wire targets because that’s the best way to stay in touch with fantasy football over the last few weeks, which is where some players emerge for next season.
The bye weeks are over so we don’t have to deal with that anymore. The waiver wire will continue to be a crucial tool for fantasy managers over these last three weeks.
We’ll be taking a look at players rostered in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!
Without further ado, here are 11 players to target on the waiver wire in Week 15:
QB Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Rostered: 38%
My top streaming quarterback for Week 15, Tagovailoa will be coming off the bye week to draw the New York Jets. While this is a favorable matchup for running backs, Tua will be in a position to provide plenty of fantasy points. No defense has allowed more fantasy points to quarterbacks over the last eight weeks. In that span, they’ve allowed six finishes inside the top-10 with four of those weekly finishes coming inside the top-five. A big day should be coming for Tua.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Rostered: 41.7%
Also coming off the bye week, Stevenson may find it difficult to run against a stout Colts defense in Week 15. But he should be rostered, regardless. The rookie back is coming off a game with 24 carries against the Bills in a windy matchup. He will see plenty of usage along with Damien Harris, who continues to battle injuries. Harris hasn’t played more than 40% of snaps in a game since Week 8. Stevenson is a deeper FLEX play with Harris in but his upside becomes extremely valuable if Harris misses time.
RB D’Ernest Johnson, Cleveland Browns
Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Rostered: 22.1%
Following the news that Kareem Hunt is likely to be week-to-week with an ankle injury he suffered in Week 14, Johnson will step into that role behind starter Nick Chubb. It may not amount to a whole lot in terms of fantasy points but we know Kevin Stefanski likes to use multiple backs. And if Chubb ever goes down again, you have yourself an RB1.
RB Boston Scott, Philadelphia Eagles
AP Photo/Steve Luciano
Rostered: 17.9%
The Eagles are coming out of their bye week so it isn’t clear what the injury updates will look like. That said, the last time we saw the Eagles play, starter Miles Sanders suffered an ankle injury in Week 13 against the Giants so it isn’t clear if he will be ready. If Sanders can’t go, Scott should be added off of waivers given the opportunity he will have in one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL.
RB Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks
Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Rostered: 8.9%
One of the biggest winners from the week was Penny, who took over the battered Seahawks backfield. With Adrian Peterson ruled out for the game, Penny got the lion’s share of touches in the backfield. He took 16 carries for 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His 64% running back rush share tied a career high. With that kind of workload, Penny should be added off of waivers.
RB Justin Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers
PIC
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Rostered: 0.4%
This goes for Joshua Kelley as well. Both players should be viewed as precautionary adds because of the ankle injury that Austin Ekeler suffered in Week 14. While head coach Brandon Staley said Ekeler is “fine” and could have returned in the blowout over the Giants, the Chargers have a short week turnaround against the Chiefs on Thursday night. Ankle injuries can be tricky and while we should hope that Ekeler does play, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to add his backups. I prefer Jackson because he would likely see the receiving work while Kelley could be used more in an early-down fashion.
WR Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Rostered: 45.2%
While the Falcons offense has been shoddy for most of the season, Gage has been usable for the better part of the last two months. Though he finished as WR46 in Week 14, he led the offense with 64 receiving yards and was tied for the team lead with six targets against the Panthers. Gage has seen at least a 22% target share in five of his last six games. In a time when FLEX players are needed, Gage has been emerging as a solid option.
WR Jamison Crowder, New York Jets
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Rostered: 33.7%
Rostering players on the Jets roster is always a good exercise if you find yourself in a situation where you need to throw up. But we can’t ignore volume and opportunity. With Elijah Moore and Corey Davis on the injured reserve list, Crowder becomes the top dog in the passing game. He registered six targets in Week 14 and should be in line for more work against a Dolphins defense that allowed 44 fantasy points to the Jets in Week 11.
WR A.J. Green, Arizona Cardinals
PIC
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Rostered: 27.9%
Fortunately, the injury to DeAndre Hopkins doesn’t seem to be serious. That said, Green shouldn’t be as available as he is in ESPN leagues. He has been a bit more inconsistent over the last month but he showed in Week 14 why he has the upside to be a strong FLEX play. Green led the Cardinals on Monday night with 102 receiving yards on the back of seven receptions and 10 targets. He has a 16% target share in four of the last five games he has played in, which is significant considering how often the Cardinals throw the ball. Green has a very favorable playoff schedule with the Lions, Colts and Cowboys on tap for the next three weeks.
WR Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens
Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Rostered: 24.1%
If you’ve been reading my work this season, you already know I’m a big fan of Bateman. Even in a run-heavy offense of the Ravens without starter Lamar Jackson, Bateman flashed why he was a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. The rookie took seven receptions for 103 yards—both career-highs—on eight targets. He put up a dud in Week 13 so I get it if you’re feeling burned, but he has the talent to be a solid FLEX option down the stretch if this game is the one that jump-starts it for him.
Miami Dolphins D/ST
Syndication: Palm Beach Post
Rostered: 43.9%
The Dolphins will be my top streaming defense for the week coming out of their bye. They get to host the New York Jets this week. The Jets have been better against opposing defenses but have allowed two top-12 finishes over their last five games. Opposing defenses have scored no fewer than 5.0 fantasy points in a game over that span while the Dolphins defense has four finishes inside the top-10 in their last five games.
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