Tighten up your squard with our top waiver wire options along with QB, TE and defense streaming recommendations for what is most likely your fantasy league's semifinals.
Fantasy-relevant running backs had remained relatively healthy for most of the season — that is, until Week 15. Just in time for the fantasy football playoffs, there are several injury situations to sift through on waivers, and it’s critical to restock your starting lineup ahead of what is most likely your league’s semifinals week. Quarterback, tight end and defense streamers are also detailed below for the upcoming week, along with our updated handcuff rankings.
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 15
RB Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Nick Chubb’s return from a severe knee injury was short-lived, as he broke his foot in Week 15. Ford (43% rostered on Sleeper) was inconsistent for fantasy purposes early in the year as the starter, though that was with Deshaun Watson at quarterback.
Assuming Jameis Winston is at the helm, Ford should be a fantasy RB2-type with 9-12 carries per game and a healthy pass-game role. If you missed out on the Isaac Guerendo sweepstakes, Ford is a solid player on whom to empty your FAAB cartridge. The Bengals (Week 16) and Dolphins (Week 17) are two decent fantasy matchups to close out the fantasy season.
RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara could very well miss at least Week 16 with a groin injury, and Miller is the next man up in New Orleans. Miller (16% rostered) is an impressive size-speed back who is still a relative unknown as a pass-catcher at the NFL level.
The Saints’ offense doesn’t offer much touchdown upside, but Miller should rack up enough touches to enter the fringe fantasy RB2 conversation against the Packers in Week 16. The Raiders in Week 17 are a much tastier matchup, should Kamara miss the remainder of the fantasy playoffs.
If Miller would immediately slot in as your RB2 for Week 16, you can spend the rest of your FAAB on him. Otherwise, 30-35% is recommended, especially when factoring in the slight chance Kamara suits up this week.
RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Spears is listed below both Ford and Miller, because there appears to be a stronger chance Tony Pollard (ankle) plays in Week 16. Pollard was forced out of Week 15 action, and while Spears only carried four times for five yards and TD, he did his fantasy damage in the receiving game. Six catches for 87 yards and another TD capped a 27-point PPR day for the Tulane product.
For Week 16, Spears (47% rostered) would be a mid-range fantasy RB2 in an above average matchup against the Colts, should Pollard miss out. Because this is the second-to-last waiver wire run, desperate fantasy managers can drain their FAAB on Spears, hoping Pollard doesn’t return this week.
WR Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield ranks fourth in passing yards (3,617) and third in passing touchdowns (32), and the rookie McMillan is the clear WR2 in one of the NFL’s best passing attacks.
McMillan (15% rostered) caught four passes for 49 yards and two TDs in Week 14, then followed that career-best performance up with five catches for 75 yards and another TD in Week 15. That’s more than 20 fantasy points per game during that span, and the next two matchups (Cowboys and Panthers) could provide more opportunity for fantasy WR3 (or better) production.
Spend the rest of your FAAB on McMillan if he’d slot into your Week 16 starting lineup. He will probably sit around WR35-WR40 for Week 16.
RBs Alexander Mattison & Ameer Abdullah, Las Vegas Raiders
Mattison (45% rostered) is once again atop the Raiders depth chart, now that Sincere McCormick has an ankle injury. The Raiders are generally an offense to tread lightly on, but their next two matchups are against the Jaguars and Saints – both top-eight matchups for fantasy backs. The Raiders should be able to keep both these games relatively close, so Mattison could be fed 15 carries per game.
Abdullah (20% rostered) is a PPR-only option for the deepest of leagues, since he’s capped at 8-10 touches each week. Mattison is a 15-20% FAAB type, since he’s nothing more than a part of the fantasy RB3 conversation. Abdullah is worth a 5-10% bid in deep PPR leagues.
Streamer SZN: QBs, TEs and D/STs for Week 16
If you’re in the streaming market, there are a few sneaky good QB, TE and D/ST options to help you get to your fantasy championship:
Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns
He was benched in Week 15 after tossing three interceptions, and there’s a chance he won’t start this upcoming Sunday against the Bengals; however, assuming Winston is in the saddle, he is the premier Week 16 streamer in what should be a high-scoring affair with Joe Burrow and a weak Bengals defensive secondary.
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Rodgers has averaged nearly 24 fantasy points over his past two starts, and he could keep the momentum going against the Rams in a potential shootout.
Cooper Rush, Dallas Cowboys
Rush has at least 17 fantasy points in three of his past five starts, and he draws a plus matchup against the Buccaneers at home.
Mac Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Raiders recently lost star defensive end Maxx Crosby for the season (ankle surgery) and will also have just six days of rest after playing on Monday night. Turning to him in a fantasy semifinal is not for the faint-hearted, but Jones has thrown for at least 235 yards and two touchdowns in two of his past three.
Carson Wentz, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes likely misses Week 16 with a high ankle sprain, and Wentz would then get a moderately favorable matchup with the Texans. In a spot start for the Rams last year, Wentz threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns. However, he did manage to scramble a ridiculous 17 times for 56 yards and another score. Wentz is the streamer for deep league fantasy managers with a high risk tolerance.
Tight Ends
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
With Evan Engram done for the year (shoulder surgery), last year’s second-round pick did more than enough in the starting role. Against the Jets in Week 15, Strange caught 11 of his 12 targets for 73 yards. The Raiders (Week 16) will be coming off just six days' rest, and they’ve been a defense to target for tight ends all season.
Stone Smartt, Los Angeles Chargers
Thursday night’s Week 16 matchup against the Broncos is a difficult one, but Smartt did bring in five of his six targets for 50 yards in Week 15. Will Dissly should miss at least one more game, and Smartt provides a solid floor at the position.
Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
He caught eight of 10 targets for 59 yards last week and now faces a Colts defense that’s struggled against tight ends all season.
Defense/Special Teams
Colts D/ST
The Colts have two delectable matchups on tap, with the Titans in Week 16 and the Giants in Week 17. Like the Ravens last week, the Colts are this week’s defense to pay up for — think 20-30% of your FAAB, if needed.
Packers D/ST
The Packers host a Saints team that mixed in both Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener at quarterback last week. Expect several turnovers and sacks.
Texans D/ST
Wentz is a big unknown, and the Texans’ defense has generally played well all season.
Bengals D/ST
The Bengals are not a very talented unit, but they face the Browns, who have continued to turn the ball over at an alarming rate on offense.
Falcons D/ST
One of the NFL’s worst defenses finally has its day, as the Falcons face the disastrous Giants offense a week after handling another anemic unit in the Raiders.
Jaguars D/ST
The Jaguars are not a particularly great defense, but they do face that putrid Raiders offense, which will be playing on a short, six-day week after Monday night.
Next Handcuffs Up: Top Backup RBs to Target
As the fantasy season winds down, managers should be loading their bench with one-injury-away backup running backs. For those with Zach Charbonnet, it’s paid off handsomely the past two weeks. While he’s no longer available in most competitive leagues (83% rostered), the 10 names below can still be targeted in most leagues and are listed in order of preference. These backs would all slot in as fantasy RB2s (or higher) if the starter were to go down:
- Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
- Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
- Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
- Cam Akers, Minnesota Vikings
- Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles
- Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
- Emanuel Wilson, Green Bay Packers
- Khalil Herbert, Cincinnati Bengals
- Devin Singletary, New York Giants
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