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John Johnson's five favorite fantasy football playoffs waiver wire stashes for Weeks 15-17 of the 2025 NFL season. His favorite pickups with favorable matchups include Kayshon Boutte, Isaiah Likely, J.J. McCarthy, more.
You might not have star players who have easy playoff schedules on your roster. That can be a tough situation to deal with, but you can at least work the waiver wire and free-agent pickups, and stash players with upside and nice schedules.
Fantasy football is inherently unpredictable, but by its nature, players tend to score more points on weaker defenses on average. Exploiting the fact that this can make previously fantasy-irrelevant players actually startable is a nice way to get an edge.
This especially applies in deeper leagues with longer benches, where you can fit more players. In leagues with shallow benches, things are more difficult. But if you have space to stash players, read on -- let's dive into five intriguing fantasy playoff stashes with soft schedules down the stretch!
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Emmanuel Wilson, RB, Green Bay Packers
This really only applies as a handcuff situation. Packers running back Josh Jacobs has played through a boatload of injuries throughout his career and has already been listed on his team's injury report multiple times this season. The role he has is very valuable.
The Packers are a very run-heavy team, and it makes sense that head coach Matt LaFleur doesn't want to pass the ball heavily. Packers quarterback Jordan Love's performances in his last two games are a bit more indicative of how he is as a player when he isn't being carried by elite tight end Tucker Kraft (knee), who's out for the season.
Philly brings the pressure to force the fumble and they recover!
PHIvsGB on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/hZsgtvFZ5s— NFL (@NFL) November 11, 2025
Kraft has proven his worth to the offense because it's completely collapsed in his absence. He was an elite mismatch weapon with probably-best-in-the-league run-after-catch ability, and now he's gone. So if Jacobs were to go down with an injury, Wilson would be the next man up.
And he'd genuinely be startable in 12-team fantasy leagues. The Packers don't have good red zone passing weapons. While WR Romeo Doubs (chest) has been effective at the goal line this year, that was largely driven by poor pass defenses the Packers faced. Wilson is a nice handcuff stash if you have Jacobs.
Games against the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens in the final two games of the fantasy playoffs should prove to be good matchups for Wilson if he gets the starting nod.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
McCarthy's rocky first NFL season most recently culminated with a turnover-ridden performance against the Baltimore Ravens. He's still a rookie, so he needs more time to learn, and the offensive line has gradually been getting healthier, too.
After this week's game, he's rostered in under 50 percent of leagues. It might be easy to forget just how good the Vikings' situation is for a QB, but when their OL is at full strength, the pass-catching corps is elite. Wide receivers Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor, and tight end T.J. Hockenson form a fantastic group of WRs and TEs.
— kase media 📸 (@vsvmedia) November 10, 2025
McCarthy's certainly been inconsistent and sack-prone, but he has a strong arm, great rushing upside, and an elite offensive head coach in Kevin O'Connell to lean on. We could see him really put it together at the end of his first season of playing, and that could mean big fantasy points in the fantasy playoffs.
The Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Detroit Lions are the Vikings' opponents in the fantasy playoffs. They all have extremely weak pass defenses against which he could really thrive.
Kayshon Boutte, WR, New England Patriots
Boutte (hamstring) is set to miss his second game in a row with a hamstring injury, so he's understandably being dropped in many leagues. Fantasy managers could be more apt to drop him, considering the "breakout" performance of rookie WR Kyle Williams in Week 10.
It makes sense that Williams could get more involved, but the Patriots' playoff schedule is incredibly juicy, and Boutte's been more involved in the offense than Williams has, by a wide margin. Contests against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16 and the New York Jets in Week 17 are very positive for Patriots WRs.
Kayshon Boutte fingertip grab for a 39-yard touchdown!
NEvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/3Ia00yOPjX
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025
A reliable big-play threat against some defenses that allow quite a few big plays in the passing game is upside you want to lean into for your bench or in deeper leagues down the stretch. Boutte makes a lot of sense as a free-agent pickup ahead of Week 11.
Isaiah Likely, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Likely (hip) is yet another handcuff play to grab. The tight end position is one of the most difficult in which to find upside in fantasy football. There aren't many TEs that have the potential to post multiple games with 20 or more PPR fantasy points -- Likely is one of them, as long as fellow Ravens TE Mark Andrews isn't playing.
When Andrews, Likely, and Baltimore's third-string tight end, Charlie Kolar, are all playing, the targets are distributed in an ugly committee-style fashion. But those targets have heavily consolidated on Likely in the past when Andrews has been hurt, to great effect.
The chemistry between Lamar Jackson and Isaiah Likely will ensure the Baltimore Ravens remain set at tight end for years to come! pic.twitter.com/q7ITVAggim
— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) November 8, 2025
Andrews missed every game from Week 12 onwards in the 2023 season. Likely went on a tear, scoring 19.3, 18.0, 8.6, and 18.2 PPR fantasy points from Week 14 to Week 17. Those are must-start fantasy TE numbers. And Baltimore will face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15.
They're on pace to smash the record for most points allowed to opposing tight ends in NFL history. A matchup with the New England Patriots in Week 16 at home is also quite favorable. Likely is an intriguing stash in deep leagues and a must-add in case of an injury to starting tight end Mark Andrews.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
Tagovailoa's 2025 season hasn't inspired much confidence in fantasy football managers. But in 2QB leagues, it might be worth making a move for him toward the end of the season -- his fantasy playoff schedule is elite, with games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tagovailoa has just two games with 20 or more PPR fantasy points this season, at least in leagues where passing touchdowns count for four points. He has just four games with 15.0 or more points. But even middling quarterbacks can play lights out in elite matchups. Just look at Las Vegas Raiders QB Geno Smith against the Jacksonville Jaguars' awful pass defense in Week 9.
🎥 Tua Tagovailoa dropped in the BUCKET for Jaylen Waddle, who showed great concentration to coral it. 🐧 (@NFL) #PhinsUp https://t.co/qS9chm6XPU pic.twitter.com/PMXm2jgH6r
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) November 9, 2025
Tagovailoa will likely have one of his better receiving weapons back, too -- tight end Darren Waller (pectoral) is expected to return this season, and that should be a big boost to an offense that loves using its tight ends heavily. Tagovailoa is one of the sneakier waiver adds to actually be startable in 2QB leagues in the playoffs, and a nice trade target you can acquire for cheap.
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