Waiver Wire Week 15
Congratulations! If you are reading this, that means that you most likely advanced to the next round of your fantasy playoffs. Below are the top waiver wire options heading into Week 15 and as always the players listed are less than 60% owned, so they should be available in most leagues. Let’s get to it!
Quarterback 40.1% owned
In one of my very first articles for Gridiron Experts, I stated that the Titans would be better off with Tannehill at Quarterback over Mariota. But boy I did not expect Tannehill to be this good. He has thrown for at least 2 touchdowns in six of his last seven games, most recently annihilating the Oakland Raiders for 391 yards, three touchdowns, and 19 rushing yards. AJ Brown has been sensational and is looking like the Titans’ new number one receiver after years of disappointment from Corey Davis. Next up, is a very beatable Houston Texans defense where Tannehill will once again flirt with Top 10 numbers.
Running Back 23.7% owned
We may be looking at the Niner’s new starting running back in Raheem Mostert. He out-touched all other backs and rewarded Shanahan’s vote of confidence with 109 total yards and two touchdowns. He has scored in three straight games and just last week had 146 yards rushing against a stout Baltimore defense. Mostert is proving to be far more than just a special teamer and is well on his way to finishing the season as the top ball carrier as a result. Next week he gets a middle of the road matchup against the Falcons and should easily fill in as a high upside flex option moving forward.
Running Back 10.8% owned
Laird gained some steam a few weeks back within the fantasy community but never really delivered. It took an injury to then starter Kalen Ballage for Laird to finally get his chance and show us what he can do. He isn’t the best runner, we know this, but his receiving chops are what makes him valuable, more so in PPR leagues than standard. Laird has seen 25 carries to go along with eight receptions in the past two weeks. That volume alone makes him intriguing as a flex play in PPR leagues moving forward, starting with a cake matchup next week against the New York Giants.
Wide Receiver 31.3% owned
Brown has seen himself in my articles multiple times, all the way back to Week 1. The reason being is that he wasn’t very consistent, so he would have one great game followed by three mediocre games. Well, now that has changed, as he has gone over 130 yards receiving in two of his last three games, totaling three touchdowns in that same span. Brown is here to stay as a WR3 moving forward and as I stated earlier, he gets a very beatable Houston Texans secondary next week. He and Tannehill seem to have developed a solid connection and their chemistry is only growing.
Wide Receiver 30.7% owned
With TY Hilton out, Pascal has thrived as the number one passing option for the Indianapolis Colts and with no end in sight to the Hilton injury debacle, he looks set to hold that position for the rest of the season. The past two weeks, he has played in 100% of the snaps and has seen 19 targets, catching 12 of them for 183 yards and one touchdown. The next two weeks Pascal and the Colts face the Saints and Panthers who are both at the latter end of the league when it comes to fantasy points allowed to wide receivers, standing 22nd and 23rd respectively as of last week. Being on the field for every single snap two weeks in a row and seeing that many targets, Pascal is set up to close out the season as a solid WR3 in all leagues.
Wide Receiver 0% owned
Bruce Arians said that it is a very real possibility that Mike Evans misses the rest of the season with a hamstring issue. This leaves the door open for the uber-athletic Justin Watson to finally show us what he can do after being a popular sleeper in the Dynasty world since he was drafted. Standing at 6’2 215 pounds with 4.4 wheels and a 91st percentile SPARQ athlete, Watson is a seamless replacement for the big and physical Mike Evans. While Breshad Perriman may also be the guy who benefits, my money is on Arians seeing what he has in his young receiver over a career journeyman like Perriman.
Tight End 11.4% owned
With Gerald Everett out, Tyler Higbee has enjoyed back to back seven-catch 100-yard games with a touchdown in the past two weeks. He has been on the field for over 90% of the snaps over that same two-game span and will continue to be heavily involved for as long as Everett is out. I’m convinced that even if Everett does return, Higbee will still be the guy. He has been that good and is a worthwhile TE1 moving forward.
Tight End 0.7% owned
This could end up being null and void as Coach Harbaugh has stated that Mark Andrews’s injury is minor and he has a shot at playing Thursday, but if not, Hurst will be a nice fill-in option if you are an Andrews owner. Nick Boyle nearly doubled Hurst’s snap percentage this week but that’s mainly because he is the superior blocker. Hurst is as risky as it gets at Tight End because he is big play and touchdown-dependent, but if Andrews happens to miss, he will be the primary pass-catching option at Tight End over Boyle.
Quick Hits
- Calvin Ridley was just ruled out for the year with an abdominal injury which opens the door for Russel Gage to step into a near every-down role moving forward. Gage will be a fine WR3 in the fantasy playoffs, especially with Richard Sherman looking doubtful for next week’s matchup against the Niners.
- Ian Thomas was one of my favorite sleepers for Dynasty players and he showed us why this week in place of the injured Greg Olsen. He will be a Top 8 TE for years to come once Olsen finally hangs ’em up and will flirt with TE1 value for the rest of this year as long as Olsen is out.
- Allen Hurns and Isaiah Ford will look to benefit if Devante Parker is forced to miss next week against the Giants with a concussion. Let it be noted that Ford did lead the team in targets and not Hurns. Keep an eye on the situation.
- Derrius Guice just can’t seem to stay healthy… it’s truly ashamed. His latest injury opens the door for Adrian Peterson to be a workhorse back once again and he should be looking at 20+ touches on a weekly basis once again.
Brandon aka @Doublehfantasy1 has been playing fantasy football (and winning championships) since 2002. He has a special place in his heart for larger leagues and lives by the motto, “If you’re in a 10 team league, first thing you should do as commissioner is add more people”. Brandon is dedicated to providing deeper analysis on players after years of seeing useless vanilla takes all over the mainstream fantasy world for years. Brandon is a life long South Jersey resident but the only thing he loves more than a good beer is the Buccaneers. Go Bucs!
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