As Red Sox radio broadcasting legend Joe Castiglione always yells, "Can you believe it?" Just one week separates the majority of us from the fantasy football playoffs, so there has never been a more important time for us to be prepared for the weeks ahead. Our Week 15 waiver wire watchlist will pinpoint the players at each position who we believe will yield the greatest value, both next week and for the remainder of the fantasy playoffs.
Yours truly has highlighted studs before their breakouts all season, a big reason why most of my fantasy teams have enjoyed strong campaigns despite myriad injuries. Our watchlist has pointed readers in the direction of C.J. Stroud, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, and countless other elite producers when they were all under 50-percent rostered. Now, those guys look like league-winners — not bad for speculative adds that cost $0 in FAAB and didn't use up a waiver priority.
We've been telling you all year: make the most of your open roster spots, or one of your opponents will. Try to anticipate who will be Week 15's top pickups after strong performances this weekend. Be proactive about your bye weeks and bad matchups by choosing your upcoming streamers now. By adding potential boom players as free agents before their breakouts, you find solid production without burning a valuable waiver claim or FAAB money.
WEEK 14 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start-sit
One big positive: No more bye weeks for the remainder of the season. However, many fantasy owners still find themselves battling the ubiquitous injury bug. If you're in that camp, it's smart to plan ahead and get your first streaming choices for the following weekend, before the masses clamor to the wire. Our waiver-wire watchlist helps you think about the future while the rest of your league is thinking about the present.
Some shallower leagues don't feature enough roster spots to really take advantage of "planning ahead" — but for those in leagues that do, our week-ahead watchlist will continue to be as helpful the rest of the way as it's been all season. Even though you won't pick up most (or in some cases, all) of these players, it's at least worth watching their snap counts and target shares to file away for later.
WEEK 14 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Watchlist
Reminder: This list was put together in the lead-in to Week 14, looking forward to the players who could be popular waiver wire targets ahead of Week 15. If you have a roster spot to play with, these are free agent options you could grab early to beat the waiver buzz.
All these players are below 50 percent ownership on Yahoo unless otherwise specified.
Week 15 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: QB
WEEK 15 BYES: NONE
Aidan O'Connell, Raiders vs. Chargers in Week 15 (5 percent rostered)
We're going to be honest with you here: the streaming options suck at QB this week and next week. Luckily, there are only two teams on bye this week and none for the rest of the season, but if you're truly in dire straights and need to pivot, O'Connell has the best matchup of the limited bunch. The Chargers have surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to QBs this season, and both Jared Goff and Jordan Love have thrown for 320-plus yards and two TDs against them over the past month. AOC won't sniff those kinds of numbers unless he sells his soul between now and Week 15, but we could see him giving you 15-17 fantasy points if you're in a pinch.
MORE POTENTIAL WEEK 15 QB STREAMS (it's not great): Josh Dobbs, Vikings at Bengals (47%); Derek Carr, Saints vs. Giants (43%); Aaron Rodgers, Jets @ Dolphins (21%); Will Levis, Titans vs. Texans (18%); Joe Flacco (5%) or Dorian Thompson-Robinson (3%), Browns vs. Bears
WEEK 14 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 15 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: RB
WEEK 15 BYES: NONE
Tyjae Spears, Titans (46 percent rostered)
Derrick Henry got his bell rung last week against the Colts, but Mike Vrabel says his two-time rushing champ is not currently in the NFL's concussion protocol. Still, it makes sense to roster King Henry's heir to the throne, as Spears has been quite good when given opportunities this season. He's averaging a solid 5.0 yards per carry, he has caught three or more passes in seven of Tennessee's past 10 games, and he finished with 88 all-purpose yards last week. At the very least, stash the dude on your bench and enjoy the results if Henry misses any time during the fantasy postseason.
Chase Brown, Bengals (6%)
Brown came out of nowhere to help propel Cincinnati past the Jaguars on Monday Night Football, spelling Joe Mixon for 11 snaps and turning nine carries into 61 yards (6.0 YPC). We're not certain the rookie will maintain a dependable rest-of-season role — he only had five career touches before Week 13 — but if Mixon gets hurt, Brown could be a sneaky fantasy playoffs x-factor. We would much rather stash Brown than a third QB, defense, or tight end.
MORE POTENTIAL RB PICKUPS: D'Onta Foreman (37%) and Roschon Johnson (24%), Bears; Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles (34%); Elijah Mitchell, 49ers (17%); Jamaal Williams, Saints (16%); Joshua Kelley, Chargers (14%); Rico Dowdile, Cowboys (10%)
WEEK 14 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 15 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: WR
WEEK 15 BYES: NONE
Noah Brown, Texans (49 percent rostered)
With electric rookie wideout Tank Dell (ankle) hitting the IR (devastating news for three of my fantasy squads) Brown automatically launches into an elevated role in C.J. Stroud's pass-heavy offense. Dalton Schultz (hamstring) has also been battling injuries for DeMeco Ryans' squad, so we're plugging and playing Brown in plus matchups the rest of the way. Week 14 against the Jets might not qualify as a plus matchup — Gang Green has given up the fewest fantasy points to wideouts this season — but meetings with the Titans in Week 15 and 17 seem as extra-juicy as my venison steaks!
Elijah Moore, Browns (47%)
Moore has great chemistry with current QB and former Jets teammate Joe Flacco, so we're adding him in 12-team PPR leagues wherever we can. Moore has seen at least seven targets and 43 receiving yards in four consecutive weeks, and his volume has only increased over the past two games (21 combined targets and seven total catches for 210 yards). He won't always be a start, but he's absolutely worth a stash in case his production continues to increase.
Joshua Palmer, Chargers (IR-eligible, 30%)
Palmer (knee) is eligible to come off the IR any time and the Chargers recently opened his 21-day practice window -- facts that 70 percent of fantasy land seems oblivious to at the current moment. Justin Herbert needs all the pass-catching help he can get in L.A., so be sure to stash Palmer if you have an open IR spot and reap the rewards once he's active.
MORE POTENTIAL WR STASHES: Rashid Shaheed, Saints (42%); Odell Beckham Jr., Ravens (40%); Curtis Samuel, Commanders (36%); Zay Jones, Jaguars (25%); Tutu Atwell, Rams (24%); K.J. Osborn, Vikings (17%); Jonathan Mingo, Panthers (15%); Michael Wilson, Cardinals (7%)
Week 15 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: TE
WEEK 15 BYES: NONE
Isaiah Likely, Ravens at Jaguars in Week 15 (46 percent rostered)
Likely cracked this list for the second consecutive week, not just because his name unlocks seemingly unlimited pun opportunities but also because he knows the Ravens' system and almost always yields a high fantasy floor as the fill-in for Mark Andrews. You can chalk him up for four catches and 40 yards basically every week, maybe more against a Jags' D that has served up the ninth-most receiving yards to tight ends.
Gerald Everett, Chargers at Raiders (41%)
Hey — another repeat! What can we say, the TE stream opportunities are not exactly abundant, and Everett remains one of the more talented options of the guys owned in under 50 percent of leagues. With the Bolts' pass-catching corps annihilated by the injury bug this season, Josh Herbert has looked his veteran tight end's way nine times over the past two weeks. The result? Eight catches for 87 yards and a TD. Los Angeles draws the Broncos this week and the Raiders next week, so the stream value is more than plentiful.
MORE POTENTIAL WEEK 15 TE STREAMS (last resorts): Chig Okonkwo, Titans vs. Texans (33%); Cade Otton, Buccaneers at Packers (38%); Brevin Jordan, Texans at Titans (13%)
Week 15 fantasy defense streamers and sleepers
WEEK 15 BYES: NONE
Atlanta Falcons at Panthers in Week 15 (37%)
The Falcons have been halfway decent this season, and the Panthers have reached new organizational lows. The adage "stream whoever plays Carolina: definitely applies here.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Steelers (37%)
The Colts have quietly excelled over the past month, especially in fantasy leagues that reward three-and-outs and turnover return yards. Whether it's Kenny Pickett (ankle) or Mitch Trubisky under center, Pittsburgh's offense will be abysmal.
Los Angeles Chargers at Raiders (40%)
The Chargers aren't very good without Joey Bosa (foot), but we trust their floor and ceiling against Aiden O'Connell and the Raiders.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Vikings (26%)
Lou Anarumo has transformed the Cincinnati defense, so much so that we trust it even with Justin Jefferson back for the Vikings. We wouldn't put the Bengals at the top of the streaming line, but they're at least worth a look if your regular D/ST has an even more difficult matchup.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Commanders (23%)
You had me at "Aaron Donald vs. Sam Howell." Nobody gets sacked or turns the ball over more than Howell.
Minnesota Vikings @ Bengals (18%)
The Vikings have put up a handful of double-digit D/ST performances, and with Joe Burrow out, the upside seems pretty decent here. Fire up the Purple if you're in dire straights.
