As we roll into the second round of the fantasy football playoffs, waiver wire pickups are more vital than ever. Maybe you don't necessarily need to pick someone up to immediately put into your lineup, but keeping potential difference-makers away from your opponents could be just as important. Looking ahead to Week 15, there aren't many obvious, must-have pickups, but with at least one potential starting QB (Jalen Hurts) and RB (DeAndre Washington), plus a ton of WR3s (Russell Gage, Nelson Agholor, Lynn Bowden, Keke Coutee, Tim Patrick), playing defense with one or two of your free agent moves and FAAB bids is a smart strategy.
As we do every week, let's break down the top pickups and project how much of your FAAB budget you should bid on them. Again, if you have excess money and are in desperate need at a certain position, you should be willing to go over the projected bid amounts.
DOMINATE YOUR LEAGUE: Get the Fantasy Alarm NFL Season Pass!
Week 15 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire QB pickups
Jalen Hurts (PHI). Well, this is an obvious one. After an impressive game against the Saints, Hurts has already been named the starter for next week’s game against the Cardinals. The passing numbers likely won’t impress you too much, but he possesses value through his legs. Of course, you can't expect 100-plus rushing yards each week, and the Cardinals defense is quietly playing much better. Believe it or not, they’ve only allowed one passing touchdown in their past three games and just 580 total passing yards in that span. You still have to feel good about Hurts since Arizona doesn’t have a ton of tape on how to properly scheme for him, but you can also expect the Cardinals defense to be included as a streamer this week. Proj. FAAB Bid: 8%
Baker Mayfield (CLE). Since emerging from three straight games in awful weather, Mayfield’s performed much better, and surprisingly he’s still available in a good amount of leagues. If you’ve made it this far and are still alive, it’s likely you have a quarterback you feel better about, but give Mayfield some consideration. He has back-to-back games with 300-plus passing yards and seven total touchdowns in his past two games. The Browns visit the Meadowlands the next two weeks, as they’ll play the Giants and Jets. The Giants have a decent defense, but these are still a pair of matchups that need to be looked at if you’re desperate for a streamer. Proj. FAAB Bid: 6-7%
WEEK 15 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 15 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire RB pickups
The Miami Dolphins Backfield. There’s a lot of ground to cover here, so we’ll just encumber them all in one section because nobody’s a sure thing. The Dolphins were without Myles Gaskin (COVID), Matt Breida (COVID), and Salvon Ahmed (shoulder) on Sunday, and for the second time this year, Washington saw 15 touches (52 total yards). Miami plays New England this week, and they were torched by 186 rushing yards against the Rams, so Miami's rushing outlook really depends which defense shows up for New England. In three of its past six games, it's allowed at least 115 rushing yards, but in the other three games they allowed 70 or fewer. I’m not optimistic about Washington, but if you’re in a bind, I understand the need to start him. Lynn Bowden, who's eligible at both RB and WR in most leagues, had a big game last week (7 catches, 82 yards), but that was almost by necessity. Jakeem Grant (hamstring) and DeVante Parker (leg) both left the game with injuries, as did Mike Gesicki (shoulder) after two touchdowns. Do not assume Bowden's workload will become the norm. The Dolphins were down 30-10 heading into the fourth quarter, so they abandoned the run and had to make use of every potential pass-catcher they had. But if you need a home run, he’s probably the play over Washington. Proj. FAAB Bid: 12-13% for Washington, 7-8% for Bowden
Philip Lindsay (DEN). You have to like the opportunity, but Lindsay’s knee is really dogging him lately. He has 34 rushing attempts in his past three games for a total of 70 yards. His value depends on Melvin Gordon’s availability, as he left with a shoulder injury on Sunday. The Broncos have a short-ish turnaround since they play Buffalo on Saturday night. The Bills have allowed a rushing touchdown to a running back in nine games this season. Lately they’ve been a little better stuffing the run, so even if the opportunity is there for Lindsay, this isn’t a lock by any means. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10%
Gus Edwards (BAL). One thing is pretty clear: Gus the Bus isn’t going anywhere. Is he getting a workload you can feel confident in? No, but he’s in that range of seven-to-10 touches each week, and he has six touchdowns in his past eight games after scoring two against the Browns. The risk is still there, but in deep-league formats, he might have a decent floor given his ability and opportunity to find the end zone. Baltimore hosts Jacksonville next week, and it’s certainly realistic enough that Lamar Jackson, JK Dobbins, and Edwards each find the end zone, similar to Monday night. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7%
Trayveon Williaims (CIN). Let’s hope it doesn’t come to this, but Williams is worth mentioning. Worth adding? I highly doubt it, but he had 15 touches last week after the Bengals benched Giovani Bernard. It didn’t make a ton of sense, but at this point in 2020, I’m tired of looking for explanations. You can easily see the Bengals going back to Bernard. In fact, they may have to this week against Pittsburgh. If Cincinnati falls behind (which they likely will against a Steelers team coming off two straight losses), then Bernard may get more action in the passing game over Williams and Samaje Perine. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-3%
WEEK 15 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 15 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire WR pickups
Russell Gage (ATL). I’m a little undecided on which wide receiver I like most this week, but I think I’m settling on Gage. He has double-digit points in PPR formats in three of his past four games with 32 targets in that span. He’s only found the end zone once over that stretch, but if I’m projecting pass attempts for Matt Ryan and the Dirty Birds over the next couple weeks, there could be plenty to go around, especially if Julio Jones (hamstring) misses more time. The Falcons finish the season against the Bucs, Chiefs, and then the Bucs again. If Jones is out again on Sunday, get some Gage in your life. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10-12%
Nelson Agholor (LV). Agholor is good for a dropped pass every week, but he’s also getting peppered with targets. He has 35 in his past four games and found the end zone against the Colts for the seventh time this season. The Raiders have a short turnaround with a game Thursday night against the Chargers. Ultimately, I’m a little nervous about Derek Carr and his turnover surge lately. However, I still like the targets getting thrown Agholor’s way, and he’s available in a lot of formats. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10%
Rashard Higgins (CLE). I’m not the biggest fan of Higgins, but the production over the past two games has been there. Over the past two weeks, he has a dozen catches on 19 targets and he’s scored in each game. He also didn't get many chances on Monday after fumbling on two straight catches, then dropping the next target thrown his way. But the Browns can't afford to bench him, so there’s a solid argument for Higgins over Agholor, especially considering Agholor’s propensity to drop passes. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10%
Tim Patrick (DEN) Oh, would you look at that? Patrick found the end zone again. He’s a big target that Drew Lock loves to look at in the end zone. If you take away the game where Denver didn’t have an actual quarterback under center, Patrick now has double-digit fantasy points in PPR formats in eight of his past nine games. That’s a pretty decent floor. Denver will host Buffalo Saturday night, and the Bills are somewhat ho-hum against wide receivers. Assuming Buffalo has a comfortable lead, Denver may have to throw the ball often because I’m not confident they’ll generate much offense on the ground. Proj. FAAB Bid: 8-10%
Keke Coutee (HOU). Coutee saw just three targets last week, but he caught them all and found the end zone. Coutee has played in three games against the Colts and is averaging roughly seven catches on nine targets for 90 yards or so. Just two weeks ago he had eight catches for 141 yards, so we can go back to utilizing Coutee in another good spot. If Brandin Cooks (foot, back) can return, that could help Coutee even more. Proj. FAAB Bid: 8-10%
Keelan Cole (JAX). It’s a revolving door at WR1 in Jacksonville depending on who is at quarterback. Based on last season you’d think it would be DJ Chark, but Collin Johnson has looked good of late and even Laviska Shenault flashed upside on Sunday. But I’m going to recommend Cole now that Gardner Minshew is going to start next week. When Minshew took over under center, Cole led the team with seven targets. Chark saw five, Shenault had four, and Johnson had two. It’s a tough matchup next week on the road in Baltimore and you’re likely only playing him at the flex in deep leagues, but with Minshew under center we have enough of a sample size to know he’ll look Cole’s way. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7-8%
Chad Hansen (HOU). So, Hansen was reverted back to the practice squad, but this could easily be a formality. They’re still thin at wide receiver and it’s possible they promote him back to the active roster. That being said, don’t go bananas with the FAAB bid either way. Still, something should be said for a player with 12 catches on 14 targets for 157 yards in just two games. Keke Coutee is probably the preferred target, but Hansen made the most of his opportunity the past two weeks and could be promoted to the active roster again this week. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2%
WEEK 15 FANTASY: Top pickups
Week 15 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire TE pickups
Irv Smith (MIN). Smith doesn't offer a safe floor, but he has a high ceiling, as we saw last week. He caught all four of his targets for 63 yards and a touchdown. In Week 15, the Vikings host the Bears, who are awful against tight ends. Chicago has allowed a tight end to score in eight games this season, so Smith is a great streaming option in Week 15 if Kyle Rudolph (foot) is inactive again. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-6%
Gerald Everett (LAR). Here’s a bit of an off-the-board recommendation. Everett’s matchup this week against the Jets is phenomenal. They rank last against tight ends in touchdowns allowed (12). Of course, this means good things for Tyler Higbee, as well, but maybe Everett can get five or six targets and find the end zone for you on Sunday. Not sexy, but it has teeth. FAAB Bid: 3-4%
Week 15 Fantasy Football FAAB targets: Waiver wire D/ST pickups
Cleveland Browns. This could be your D/ST over the final two games of the season. The Browns get the Giants and the Jets, two of the best matchups available to defenses. Daniel Jones is good for almost a turnover each week, and the Giants just allowed the Cardinals to collect eight sacks. If you have FAAB left and you’re in the semifinals, you can throw some money here and not have to worry about a D/ST over the final two weeks. This is the best option out there with double-digit upside for each matchup.
New England Patriots. Remember how the narrative used to be that the Dolphins would always show up to face the Patriots because it was a divisional game? Well, now the script is flipped. The Dolphins are trending in the right direction for the playoffs and it’s New England on the outside looking in, but this is still a good opportunity to stream a D/ST. Remember what Bill Belichick did to Justin Herbert a couple weeks ago? New England shut the Chargers out and forced four turnovers. It was a clinic by the defense and special teams. Herbert’s easily been more impressive than Tagovailoa, so I’m expecting another impressive defensive performance from New England against a rookie quarterback.
Arizona Cardinals. I alluded to the Cardinals earlier in the article, and I certainly do think they’re a D/ST worth streaming. But you should definitely target the Browns or Patriots over them. Arizona turned in a strong performance against the Giants on Sunday and now has six forced turnovers over its past three games. Jalen Hurts has shown he can run the ball, so this is a test for Arizona with minimal tape on Hurts at the NFL level. Tread carefully. If you don’t like the Cardinals this week and you don’t land the Browns or Patriots, then consider the Vikings, but I will not be playing them in my leagues. They shut down the Bears a couple weeks ago, but the Bears offense has found new life with Mitchell Trubisky, and David Montgomery has been turning it up, as well. The Vikings are in the discussion as a streamer, but I’d much rather pay up for Cleveland or New England.
Proj. FAAB Bids: <1%