Fantasy football waiver wire: Set your roster up for a playoff run
Welcome to the fortunate few fantasy managers who’ve survived the season and are set to participate in the playoffs.
Roster management becomes slightly different in the postseason, with the primary focus centered on surviving and advancing. But at the same time, you want to make sure your flanks are covered so that a major injury doesn’t completely derail your title chances.
For example, we recommended Blake Corum last week as our top pick. Although Kyren Williams is still the Rams’ starting running back, Corum has been seeing more work lately. In Week 14, he rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries. Even so, Corum is still only rostered in one-third of Yahoo leagues.
Which players can help you on the road to a fantasy league championship? Let’s take a look.
Fantasy football players to add for Week 15
Due to the wide variance in types of leagues and individual team needs, the players listed here include their availability rates in Yahoo leagues, which may or may not match rates on other platforms. Since the fantasy playoffs begin this week in most leagues, the bar for picking up players is considerably higher with fewer teams in the mix. Spend whatever you must to get the players you need.
RB Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon, Miami Dolphins (3%, 8% rostered)
The biggest health concern for fantasy managers last week came when the Dolphins’ De’Von Achane exited early with a rib injury and didn’t return. Taking over as the lead back, Wright logged 24 carries for 107 yards. He also scored a short-yardage touchdown, which came before Achane’s injury. Gordon, a reliable backup all season, also got into the end zone − but he only saw five carries for 17 yards. Wright would be the top priority if Achane is limited going forward since he outsnapped Gordon 32-16 vs. the Jets. (Recommended FAAB bids: Wright 80%, Gordon 40%)
TE Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns (40% rostered)
If you need a tight end this week, Fannin is your guy. QB Shedeur Sanders seems to look his way constantly, and he responded on Sunday with a career-high eight catches for 144 yards. He also reached the end zone for the second week in a row. Veteran tight end David Njoku also scored, but he left the game with a knee injury on the play and didn’t return. (FAAB bid: 65%)
RB Bam Knight and Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals (38%, 6% rostered)
The ‘… Trey Benson is coming back’ trope is wearing thin. If Benson is not activated off IR this week, he’ll be ineligible to play the rest of the season. Knight has been the most productive back in Benson’s absence, but the difference between him and Carter hasn’t been that great lately − mostly because of the success QB Jacoby Brissett has enjoyed throwing the ball. This week’s matchup against the Houston Texans is horrible, but Atlanta and Cincinnati await if you advance. (FAAB bids: Knight 30%, Carter 25%)
WR Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys (1% rostered)
With CeeDee Lamb exiting in the third quarter with concussion symptoms, Flournoy stepped forward on Thursday as Dak Prescott’s top target against the Lions. He hauled in nine of his 13 targets for 115 yards and also scored a touchdown. Lamb will have an extra few days to recover and should be back against the Vikings, but Flournoy is still a great insurance policy with the Cowboys so reliant on their passing game. (FAAB bid: 25%)
WR Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit Lions (12% rostered)
Not going to say his performance has been electric, but the Lions have been quite innovative in getting the ball to their opportunistic rookie. TeSlaa hauled in yet another touchdown on Thursday night vs. Dallas, giving him a total of four on the season − on only eight receptions. He didn’t see as much action as expected with star WR Amon-Ra St. Brown shaking off an ankle injury to play almost a full game. Even so, you could say TeSlaa is definitely a plug-and-play receiver should anything happen to St. Brown or Jameson Williams in this high-powered Lions offense. (FAAB bid: 25%)
WR Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears (17% rostered)
It can take time for some rookie wide receivers to find their niche. That could very well be the case for Burden, who led the Bears with six targets and 67 yards on Sunday. His production, however, has been steady, if unspectacular. If you feel comfortable betting on upside, he’s shown more lately than either Rome Odunze or D.J. Moore. (FAAB bid: 20%)
WR Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks (52% rostered)
Shaheed is little above the standard 50% threshold we use for waiver wire eligibility, but we’ll include him for shallow-league purposes. On Sunday, he scored his first touchdown since being acquired by the Seahawks, but it came on a kickoff return, not a pass from QB San Darnold. There’s always a possibility he can take another return to the house, but what was even more encouraging was his involvement in the offense. Shaheed caught four of five targets for 67 yards at Atlanta, by far his best effort with his new club. (FAAB bid: 20%)
WR Marvin Mims, Denver Broncos (13% rostered)
Mims also performs double duty as a kick returner and he took a punt back for a score on Sunday against the Raiders. However, he seems to be a bit further down the Broncos’ pecking order as a wideout than Shaheed is in Seattle. He hasn’t seen more than two targets since Week 7, having been passed on the depth chart by rookie Pat Bryant (3% rostered). (FAAB bid: 10%)
TE Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans (47% rostered)
A secondary tight end addition for the playoff run, Schultz didn’t do much on the stat sheet Sunday night. But a three-catch, 22-yard performance could have been much better if his red-zone touchdown reception wasn’t nullified by a penalty. Before that, Schultz had surpassed 50 receiving yards in six of his previous eight games. A matchup vs. the Cardinals this week should be more to his liking. (FAAB bid: 10%)
Quarterbacks to stream in Week 15
Let’s face it, you’re in pretty big trouble if you’re getting your starting quarterback in a playoff game off the waiver wire. But injuries do happen and we saw Daniel Jones, Jayden Daniels and Geno Smith exit early this past Sunday.
QB Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints (8% rostered)
He only had 144 passing yards on Sunday vs. Tampa Bay, but he did score a pair of rushing touchdowns. He faces the Panthers and Jets at home, then is at Tennessee in Week 17.
QB J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings (30% rostered)
Finally, McCarthy put up a decent game with three TD passes, albeit against a terrible opponent. However, that will be the case for each of the next three weeks as he goes up against the Cowboys, Giants and Colts − all ranked in the bottom-7 in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.
QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (42% rostered)
Stroud had a nice first half and a dismal second half in Kansas City. But like McCarthy with Justin Jefferson, he has a top-tier wideout in Nico Collins, who can make plays all over the field. He has decent home matchups vs. the Cardinals and Raiders before a dangerous road date at the Chargers on championship week.
