Pick ‘Em Up: Week 15 Waiver Wire

Welcome to the playoffs! It has been a hard-fought battle, and it’s still not over. Pat yourself on the back, but use your other hand to set your waivers! I always like to address an elephant in the fantasy community in this edition of my Waiver Wire article: Should non-playoff teams make pickups after Week 14? The answer is: It depends. Are they playing for ANYTHING? Money? Draft seeding? Avoiding a last-place punishment? If there is literally anything at stake, then it should be business as usual, with all teams allowed to go after any player. If Week 15 marks the end for half your league 1. Fix that. 2. They should sit on their hands. With all of that said, here are the best options on the Week 15 Waiver Wire.

Pro Tip: For the last time, remember the bye weeks. The final byes were the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders last week. Because of depth issues, managers may have to drop players that they usually wouldn’t. Check waivers for players from those teams that shouldn’t be available.

Quick Note: All players listed are available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues. While not everyone plays on ESPN, studies show most do. So, if they’re available there, they’re likely available on your Week 15 Waiver Wire. Pick ‘Em Up!

Week 15 Waiver Wire

Quarterbacks

Normally, I don’t advocate blowing FAAB on QBs. There is always plenty to choose from in free agency after waivers, and you should just stream the position. This list will usually be small, but if you’re desperate, this is who I would prioritize this week.

Matthew Stafford (66% Available)

Stafford has turned back the clock over the last month. Since Week 12, he has been the QB3 in fantasy football and had a great Week 14 against a tough Baltimore team. With games against Washington, New Orleans, and the NY Giants in the fantasy playoffs, streamers should latch on to Stafford for their championship run.

Jake Browning (70% Available)

What a pleasant surprise Browning has been for Cincinnati. In four games in relief of Joe Burrow, Browning is averaging out to be the QB8 in fantasy. The schedule isn’t quite as easy as Stafford’s, but a Week 15 date with Minnesota could pay off.

Running Backs

Chase Brown (98% Available)

The Bengals are well represented in this article, with Brown finally breaking out last in the season. He has looked good in each of his last two games and scored 19 fantasy points in Week 14. The Bengals’ schedule is a bit better for RBs than their QB, and while Brown is still backing up Joe Mixon, he looks much more explosive. Don’t be surprised when he gets more involved in December.

Tyjae Spears (62% Available)

Spears seems to have taken over the passing downs in Tennessee, with 14 targets over the last two weeks. Targets tend to lead to fantasy value, even in a backup role to Derrick Henry.

Ty Chandler (76% Available) / Keaton Mitchell (65% Available)

Same story for both of these RBs: They haven’t done anything big…YET. Both of these backs are close to taking over starting roles in the most crucial time of the fantasy season, and you want them on your bench at the very least.

Kareem Hunt (52% Available)

Hunt is sliding back into a 1B role in Cleveland. It’s not his typical passing-down role, but a short-yardage scorer instead. Since Week 6, he has been a top-30 running back.

Rico Dowdle (91% Available)

Dowdle has been hit-or-miss but is the clear backup to Tony Pollard, and every Pollard manager should have him rostered as an insurance policy.

If you missed our new Monday Hangxiety show, you missed a great time! Josh and Ryan recapped Sunday’s action, and we will let you know whether it’s time to panic or Chill TF Out! We’ll be live every Monday at 11 AM EST. Check out this week’s episode now!

Wide Receivers

Parker Washington (97% Available)

Two games in relief of Christian Kirk, two touchdowns. Parker took a backseat to Zay Jones volume-wise in Week 14 but still caught two balls and found the endzone. The kid is worth a look as a high-upside Flex play in the fantasy playoffs.

Odell Beckham (50% Available)

Beckham had a great first half but slowed down and ceded work to Zay Flowers after halftime last week. Still, he had 10 targets and 19 fantasy points, finishing as the WR9 on the week. As the Ravens figure out who they are without Mark Andrews, Beckham feels like a safe WR2 to end the season.

Jayden Reed (50% Available)

Reed seems to have moved ahead of Romeo Doubs in fantasy value. It was an UGLY Week 14, but eight receptions and a rushing TD, further evidence of his value in the redzone, made Reed a top-5 fantasy play.

Curtis Samuel (58% Available)

Samuel was getting hot heading into his Week 14 bye. Over his last two games, he’s played like a top-20 WR and can be considered a Flex option in a Washington offense that will throw plenty.

Jonathan Mingo (85% Available)

You have no idea how close Mingo came to becoming a waiver darling in Week 14. Bryce Young missed him wide-open on two consecutive deep balls that would have certainly landed the rookie a TD. Instead, we get another middling week, but these two are going to get on the same page soon, and Mingo is worth a flyer.

Tight Ends

Much like QB, I don’t usually recommend blowing any waiver priority or FAAB on a tight end, either. You can generally wait until Wednesday and play the streaming game. However, sometimes, players should be rostered due to a late-season breakout. These are those players.

Isaiah Likely (54% Available)

I have no idea how Likely survived on over 50% of waivers, but now you’ll have to pay a premium for him. Coming off a 19-point TE3 finish, he is worth every last drop of FAAB for those looking for a championship TE.

Tanner Hudson and Davis Allen (at least 95% Available)

Both of these kids are more likely Streaming options, but if you want to gamble and get ahead of the curve, they are interesting. Hudson seems to have chemistry with Browning and has been the TE14 over the last six games. Allen came out of nowhere last week with Tyler Higbee hurt but looked in step with Matthew Stafford. If I’m choosing between the two, I’m going Hudson, but if Allen is named the starter, he could surprise.

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Be sure you’re following Ryan on Twitter! Also, you can find our Week 15 rankings here and the rest of our Week 15 content here!