With the start of the fantasy playoffs upon us, every waiver decision could be the difference between moving on and elimination. All of these players are available in at least 50% of Sleeper leagues.
The bye weeks are finally over, and for many of us, the first round of the fantasy football playoffs is already here. That means there’s no margin for error when it comes to filling the holes on your roster via the waiver wire. Along with several strong running back options this week, we highlight several viable quarterback and defense options on the wire if you need upside or streaming help in Week 15.
As always, you’ll find several top waiver options in this weekly feature, along with FAAB suggestions. Generally, players listed here will be available in at least 50% of Sleeper leagues.
Top Waiver Wire Additions After Week 14
RB Patrick Taylor, San Francisco 49ers
Speedy rookie Isaac Guerendo was the hot waiver add last week in light of injuries to Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason, and he delivered for fantasy managers with 78 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards, two touchdowns and nearly 27 PPR fantasy points – until exiting with a mild foot sprain.
Taylor (8% rostered on Sleeper) is the next man up should Guerendo be ruled out for Thursday night vs. the Rams. Mason and Guerendo both provided fantasy RB1 value in spot starts this season, which is why prioritizing Taylor on waivers is a risk worth taking despite the uncertainty surrounding Guerendo’s status.
A 20-40% FAAB bid on Taylor is warranted, and you can simply empty the tank on him in deeper leagues.
RB Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars
In Bigsby’s second week back from an ankle injury, he once again overtook the Jaguars backfield. He out-carried Travis Etienne by a massive 18-4 margin and scored the team’s lone rushing touchdown. Etienne did significantly out-gain Bigsby in the receiving game, but it’s worth noting that Etienne was only slightly more involved when looking at their routes run in the passing game (15-10).
Bigsby is 49% rostered on Sleeper, and he’s worth a 20-30% FAAB bid if you’re reeling from the recent running back injuries. Bigsby doesn’t have the Week 15 fantasy upside of Taylor, but you at least spare yourself the headache of monitoring Guerendo’s injury status.
RB Sincere McCormick, Las Vegas Raiders
With both Alexander Mattison and Zamir White sidelined again, McCormick took on an even larger share of the workload than he did in Week 13. This past Sunday, McCormick handled 15 of the 16 running back carries for 78 yards. Perhaps more surprising – and encouraging for his fantasy prospects – was that he out-targeted Ameer Abdullah 3-2 against the Buccaneers.
Week 15 presents a difficult matchup against a stout Falcons run defense, but McCormick may have done enough to keep the starting running back job, no matter which Raiders backs are healthy on Monday night. McCormick (18% rostered) is worth a 10-20% FAAB bid in case he’s the Raiders starter the rest of the season.
WR Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns
Moore (and the entire Browns offense) struggled against the Steelers in Week 14, but he has still reached 16 PPR fantasy points in three of six games playing with Jameis Winston. On paper, a Week 15 matchup against the Chiefs is daunting, but their defense has actually struggled to defend slot receivers like Moore.
He’s rostered in just 38% of Sleeper leagues and you probably only need a 8-12% FAAB bid for Moore if you need WR3 or FLEX help. Week 16 against the Bengals would be another opportunity for Moore to provide top-36 fantasy potential.
RB Isaiah Davis, New York Jets
Davis (14% rostered) was in a true 50-50 committee with fellow rookie Braelon Allen in Week 14. Allen had 11 carries for 43 yards, while Davis performed similarly, with 10 carries, 40 rushing yards and the team’s rushing touchdown. In the passing game, Davis out-targeted Allen 6-5, though Allen did have slightly more receiving production. It’s hard to see the pass game usage sustaining at this level, as Rodgers threw 39 times for a season-high 339 yards against Miami.
Think of both Allen and Davis as flex options should Breece Hall miss another week. Davis has a little more upside, as he immediately forced the even timeshare after Allen had been ahead in the pecking order all season. A 10-20% FAAB bid on Davis is warranted, but just know that Hall’s return would render Davis droppable again.
TE Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
His rostership dropped to 45% with the team’s Week 14 bye, but Henry did have at least eight targets in four of his past five games. Overall, Henry has averaged more than 11 PPR fantasy points per game since Drake Maye took over as the team’s starter in Week 6.
RB Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers
The rookie saw a near 50-50 split with Gus Edwards in Week 14, as Vidal handled eight carries and one target to Edwards’ 10 carries. Vidal shouldn’t be started in Week 15, but there’s at least some chance he can continue to siphon more work away from the veteran, plodding Edwards.
There is a slim chance Vidal forces a 60-40 or 70-30 touch split this upcoming week, in which case he’d be fantasy relevant in Weeks 16 and 17. Vidal (on just 19% of Sleeper teams) should be rostered ahead of receivers like Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (48%) and Demarcus Robinson (27%). Consider a 5% FAAB bid on Vidal.
WR Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The rookie came alive with a season-high 59 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Week 14. His rookie year has been marred by injuries, but McMillan did out-target veteran Mike Evans 7-5 against the Raiders. Each year, we see a couple rookie receivers step up their involvement during the final month of the season, and the Buccaneers’ schedule is favorable (Chargers, Cowboys, Panthers). Drop 5% of your FAAB on McMillan if you need potential upside at receiver.
WR Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers
The first-round rookie quietly has eight targets now in back-to-back games, and Bryce Young is playing the best football of his young career. Week 17 against the Buccaneers’ porous secondary could be a legitimate top-30 fantasy spot for Legette, though he may put it all together in Week 15 against a Cowboys team that will have a quick six-day turnaround after another deflating loss. A 2-3% FAAB bid on Legette (50% rostered) should get the job done.
TE Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr is out for the next couple weeks (at least) with a fractured hand, so the QB play will be spotty for the Saints; however, this passing game is primarily down to veteran field-stretcher Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Johnson. His ceiling is low because of the offensive environment, but Johnson should provide a reasonable weekly floor. He’s a 5% FAAB sprinkle guy, like Vidal.
Streamer SZN: QBs and D/STs for Week 15
If you’re in the streaming market, there are a few sneaky good QB and D/ST options to help you stay afloat during the first round of the playoffs:
Quarterbacks
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Rodgers is coming off his first 300-yard passing game since 2021. He now faces a Jaguars defense that has been consistently lit up this year.
Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns
The Chiefs are a reasonably tough matchup, but Winston is the one QB on this list capable of 350 yards and 25-30 fantasy points on any given Sunday. Just be aware of the low floor.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Maye is the high-floor streaming option this week, as he has averaged 42 rushing yards per game as a starter.
Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
It’s been ugly recently for Cousins, who has no touchdowns and eight interceptions over his past four games. That said, the Raiders are a plus matchup, and the Falcons are motivated, with their playoff hopes dwindling quickly.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
The second-year signal caller had at least 263 passing yards in back-to-back weeks before playing reasonably well against the NFL’s best overall defense in Week 14 (Eagles). In deep leagues, Young may be the only guy on this list who’s available.
Defense/Special Teams
Ravens D/ST
The Ravens travel to New York to face the Giants, and they have 20 fantasy points upside as a defensive unit. A 20-25% FAAB bid on the Ravens is more than reasonable if you still have the majority of your budget remaining.
Commanders D/ST
Fresh off their Week 14 bye, the Commanders face a Saints team likely trotting out backup quarterback Jake Haener and a concerning lack of offensive weapons to target.
Jets D/ST
A good Jets defense takes on Mac Jones and the Jaguars. Need we say more?
Bengals D/ST
Even the Jaguars defense delivered nine fantasy points against the Titans last week. Continue trotting out defenses facing Will Levis.
Cardinals D/ST
Maye is a solid fantasy option because of his rushing, but the Cardinals are still a decent defensive play here. Before struggling against the Seahawks last week, the Cardinals had averaged five sacks per game over their previous four contests.
Cowboys D/ST
They’re coming off just six days rest against Bryce Young and a Panthers team that’s playing surprisingly well. But Micah Parsons and that pass rush are always capable of a disruptive effort. There is a low fantasy floor here, though.
Next Handcuffs Up: Top Backup RBs to Target
We’d been saying for a couple weeks that teams alive for the fantasy playoffs should have been stockpiling one-injury-away backup running backs for their bench. If you did so and took precautions with Zach Charbonnet, it paid off in a big way. Week 14’s overall RB1 (38.3 PPR points) previously headlined this section, but he’s no longer available in most competitive leagues (rostered in 75% across Sleeper).
The 10 names below, however, can and should still be targeted and are listed in order of preference. They all have immediate fantasy RB1 potential should the starters ahead of them suffer an injury:
- Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
- Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
- Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
- Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills
- Cam Akers, Minnesota Vikings
- Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles
- Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals
- Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
- Khalil Herbert, Cincinnati Bengals
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