December 12, 2017

Nick Mariano's week 15 fantasy football waiver wire pickups, adds and sleepers for the 2017 NFL season. Running backs (RBs), wide receivers (WRs), quarterbacks (QBs) and tight ends (TEs).

Week 14 saw the carnage start up once again, as Alvin Kamara went down on Thursday night before a myriad of injuries on Sunday saw an MVP frontrunner in Carson Wentz go down with a feared ACL injury. These were not the only injuries, though they were the biggest.

Josh McCown stunk and then exited with a broken left hand. That dashes some streamer hopes down the road, but also severely hurts Robby Anderson, Jermaine Kearse, Austin Seferian-Jenkins (though he's been invisible,) and so on. Tom Savage and Nathan Peterman were both desperation-only streams, but both still starting QBs that also left their games and entered the concussion protocol. Amari Cooper couldn’t last through a leg injury. Le'Veon Bell terrified everyone with a knee scare, but he ended up doing alright, I suppose. If you survived the minefield, then let’s press on.

Below are my Week 15 waiver wire pickups, or free agents to consider adding to your fantasy football teams. Only you know how aggressive you'll need to be with FAAB given your leaguemates, so use the recommendations as a proportional springboard. I provide information on players that are owned in roughly 35% of Yahoo leagues or less so that you can make an educated decision about who to add to your squad.

Running Backs - Week 15 Waiver Wire

Kerwynn Williams (RB, ARI) - 15% owned (15% FAAB)

Arizona found themselves on the winning end of a low-scoring affair with the 12-7 victory, so it’s not surprising that Williams didn’t find the end zone here. What he did do was rack up a season-high 20 carries for 73 yards with a 15-yard reception mixed in, which is in line with expectations for him. Unimpressive volume. Anyone who gets over 16 touches per week needs to be added, no matter how mediocre the talent. Week 15’s date with Washington should see him back at it again with Adrian Peterson on the mend.

Rod Smith (RB, DAL) - 13% owned (15% FAAB in PPR)

Smith is still a running back despite the bulk of his fantastic game coming through the air. Channeling the old Broncos receiver by the same name, Rod rode an 81-yard TD to a 5-115-1 receiving line alongside a very healthy 47 rushing yards on just six totes.

Alfred Morris was the starter and doubled Smith’s 11 touches, but Smith has now scored in three straight games and is a clear second-half hammer for Dallas to deploy whether they’re up or down by multiple scores. Week 15 against Oakland’s poor defense could see the former scenario come into play, just as Sunday against the Giants did.

Wayne Gallman (RB, NYG) - 3% owned (10% FAAB)

Gallman came back from the shadows of East Rutherford to tally 99 total yards (59 rushing, 40 receiving) thanks to 11 carries and seven receptions against Dallas. Orleans Darkwa put the pigskin on the ground on the Giants’ first offensive play, and Tom Coughlin stormed in from Jacksonville and benched him for a bit.

Darkwa would draw a goal-line carry later but was stuffed. Gallman’s 37 snaps would lead the team (Shane Vereen: 24, Darkwa: 19) as he collected nine targets in the passing game on top of his ~5.5 YPC figure, with the receiving usage looming large heading into a date with Philadelphia -- who should still score a ton despite Wentz’s status.

J.D. McKissic (RB, SEA) - 18% owned (6% FAAB in PPR)

Normally, I’d avoid a guy like McKissic because Pete Carroll seems to have made it clear that he won’t overuse J.D. That said, McKissic still outsnapped Mike Davis 31-to-30, catching five balls for 20 yards and rushing it three times for 15 more yards. 35 total yards isn’t fun but five catches and plenty of snaps will play in PPR formats. The Seahawks won’t find themselves in negative gamescripts often, but Week 15 could hold a similar story if their defense can’t find an answer for a Rams team that may get Robert Woods back.

Wide Receivers - Week 15 Waiver Wire

Corey Coleman (WR, CLE) - 28% owned (15% FAAB)

All eyes were on Josh Gordon heading into a plus matchup with the Packers on Sunday, but Coleman proved that there was room in town for both of them after a target-less Week 13 saw Corey dropped in over 10 percent of leagues. He would catch five balls for 62 yards and a touchdown in the near-victory, and while Cleveland’s opponent gets much tougher in Week 15 (Baltimore,) Coleman has now failed to eclipse 60 yards or score a TD in one of five healthy games this season. They’ll need him.

Dede Westbrook (WR, JAX) - 29% owned (12% FAAB)

Westbrook delivered once again with a 5-81-1 line against a struggling Seattle defense in Week 14, as he’s now caught at least five balls in each of his last three games. He’s also averaging nine targets in that span, but it’s been totals of 10, 9, and 8 that have us enticed. As long as Allen Hurns is out, he looks to be a lock for at least 6-7 targets per game with a lovely stretch (HOU, @SF, @TEN) to wrap up the season.

Kendall Wright (WR, CHI) - 4% owned (10% FAAB in PPR)

Wright’s 11 Week 14 targets matched his total target count from his previous three games combined -- a span where he caught just two balls in each game for between 15-25 yards. You’re not getting a healthy floor out of any receiver in this run-first offense, but Wright reminded us all of his potential with a 10-catch, 107-yard day against an ailing Cincy secondary. He’ll face a Detroit defense that’s been much more vulnerable of late next week, making him a decent flex play in PPR formats.

Damiere Byrd (WR, CAR) - 0% owned (1% FAAB)

Byrd shined this preseason, but never got off the ground in the early going before a broken arm in Week 4 sent him to the IR. He’s back now, though, and Carolina is looking for another receiver alongside Devin Funchess thanks to Kelvin Benjamin’s trade and Curtis Samuel’s injury.

Byrd didn’t do anything special in Week 14, but he caught all five of his targets for 37 yards as a reliable outlet and should be able to stake a claim to playing time over Russell Shepard, Kaelin Clay, or Brenton Bersin. Week 15’s date with Green Bay’s exposed secondary could yield a coming-out party for the rookie.

Chris Godwin (WR, TB) - 0% owned (1% FAAB)

We spoke of Godwin in redraft circles back in Week 10 when Mike Evans was suspended for a game, and he turned in a solid 5-68-0 line on 10 targets. Well, Godwin duplicated that exact line on just six targets in Week 14 despite Evans being active.

Well, his fantasy owners probably feel he hasn’t been active in eons, but you get the point. The Bucs are unlikely to be playing with a strong lead this season, and they may be looking to integrate their young receiver more as this lost season wraps up. It’s a longshot outside of dynasty leagues, but there’s movement to this needle.

Tight Ends - Week 15 Waiver Wire

Trey Burton (TE, PHI) - 8% owned (15% FAAB)

The last time Zach Ertz missed a game, we saw Burton swoop in with a 2-41-1 line back in Week 9. All he did as an encore in Week 14 was drop a 5-71-2 present into the laps of all who streamed him thanks to an incredible 43-point showing from Philadelphia.

We’re all waiting on the results of Carson Wentz’s knee MRI, but Ertz also hasn’t been cleared for game action, only practice, so Burton could have another week in the sun against a Giants defense that may not know tight ends exist at all. Even if Nick Foles is throwing it to him, you’ll want Burton in your lineup if Ertz is out.

Jesse James (TE, PIT) - 12% owned (8% FAAB)

It isn’t every day where you see a team ball out for over 500 yards of passing offense, but Pittsburgh did just that on Sunday night in a crazy 39-38 victory over Baltimore. Alongside Antonio Brown sticking it to my team in my hometown league’s playoffs, James would catch 10-of-12 targets for 97 yards in true plodding fashion.

To be honest, I was more impressed with Vance McDonald (0% owned) early on -- he’d finish with a 4-52-0 line on six targets -- but he would suffer a shoulder injury and wouldn't return to the game. This was Vance’s first game back from an ankle injury as well, though that looked fine, but for now James is the add here heading into a Week 15 game against the Patriots. I think JuJu Smith-Schuster returning over the middle of the field takes away from James, but he'll still be a useful outlet in a game they’ll likely need to score 30-plus in to earn the W. Those in very deep waters can throw a preemptive buck at Dancin’ Vance, in case the shoulder injury turns out to be short term.

Adam Shaheen (TE, CHI) - 1% owned (2% FAAB)

Shaheen had posted a lovely 4-41-1 line three weeks ago against Detroit before disappearing over the next two games, tallying just one one-yard catch in that span. Well, he came back onto the scene with four catches for 44 yards and a score as Chicago set a season-high with 33 points on Sunday.

He saw multiple looks in the red zone and it looked like Chicago truly accepted they had a sizeable asset to target on a short field. His volatility is no bueno, but a rematch with the same Detroit team that put him on the map in the first place next week makes him a decent dart throw.

Garrett Celek (TE, SF) - 0% owned (1% FAAB)

Celek isn’t the fastest guy out there, but he still had two fantastic catches that resulted in 67 total yards and a touchdown from Jimmy Garoppolo against the Texans on Sunday. San Francisco’s offense is far from a juggernaut, but Jimmy G makes them serviceable against subpar defenses, and it just so happens that the Niners play the Titans next week.

Now, Tennessee can play the run (14th in rush DVOA entering Week 14,) but stink against the pass (25th in pass DVOA,) and had been beaten by Jesse James (5-21-1), Jack Doyle (7-94-0) and Stephen Anderson (5-79-1) in the previous three weeks. They allowed a combined 5-54-0 line to Arizona’s three TEs despite Blaine Gabbert looking terrible, so Celek could have sneaky value here.

Quarterbacks - Week 15 Streamers

Nick Foles (QB, PHI) - 1% owned (15% FAAB)

Foles would enter Philadelphia’s shootout with the Los Angeles Rams with 13:57 left in the fourth quarter after Carson Wentz suffered an ugly knee injury (he threw a TD before exiting, because Wentz), and my fellow Nick would complete 6-of-10 throws for 42 yards. He clearly had some timing issues with receivers, but this is a backup who can certainly ball inheriting the keys to a great offense. Yes, Wentz makes the offense extraordinary, but this is still a great offense with many weapons. Foles and the Eagles will take on the scrappy yet flailing Giants next week, making Foles a prime target for Wentz owners and streamers alike.

Preferred streamer order (<50% owned guys): Nick Foles @NYG (1% owned), Blake Bortles vs. HOU (34% owned), Jimmy Garoppolo vs. TEN (20% owned), Joe Flacco @CLE (14% owned), Mitch Trubisky @DET (5% owned), Trevor Siemian @IND (7% owned), Jacoby Brissett vs. DEN (14% owned), Jay Cutler @BUF (14% owned), Blaine Gabbert @WAS (4% owned), DeShone Kizer vs. BAL (4% owned).

Early Defensive Streaming Candidates

• NO (vs. NYJ) - 37% owned
• ATL (@TB) - 18% owned
• MIA (@BUF) - 7% owned

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Analysis