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Jackson Sparks' deeper-league waiver wire sleepers for Week 15 (2024). His top free-agent sleepers for 14-team fantasy football leagues or deeper.
The time has finally arrived. Fantasy managers are set to compete in the fantasy football playoffs, and in deep setups, finding streamers and stashes on the waiver wire remains important. Needless to say, the waiver wire seems barren at this point in the season, but that doesn't mean you should stop searching for the top available options. With just a few weeks of the regular season remaining, many of these suggestions below will be pure streaming targets.
Waiver wire pickups are often obvious in 10- or 12-team leagues, but if you're in a league with a ton of roster spots or 14-plus teams, it becomes trickier to know who to submit a waiver claim for or bid on. In this article, we'll cover those deeper waiver wire adds for Week 15.
We won't cover chalk pickups for shallower leagues like Braelon Allen. Instead, we'll only mention players who are under 40% rostered in Yahoo! leagues, except for a few players narrowly over that mark. Here are the top deeper-league waiver wire targets for Week 15, including Isaiah Davis, Jaylen Wright, Quentin Johnston, Jalen McMillan, Grant Calcaterra, Bryce Young, and more.
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Running Back Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues
Patrick Taylor Jr. could be the chalkiest waiver wire option of the week, but it sounds like Isaac Guerendo (foot) isn't seriously injured. That said, the 49ers are on a short week as they look toward a matchup with the Rams on Thursday Night Football, so there's at least a small chance Guerendo could be inactive or at least limited. Taylor is next in line in the valuable RB role in Kyle Shanahan's offense.
Isaiah Davis produced 67 yards and a touchdown on 13 touches in the absence of Breece Hall (knee). Braelon Allen saw 15 touches, so while Allen is the "sexier" waiver wire add, Davis arguably has just as much value. That said, if Hall returns in Week 15, Davis likely isn't worth starting.
.@z4days for SIX!!! 🙌#NYJvsMIA on CBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/0QQuc3Jceh
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 8, 2024
Jaylen Wright produced just 13 total yards on four touches against the Dolphins with Raheem Mostert (shoulder) sidelined. The rookie speedster can't be trusted in lineups yet, but you'll wish you had picked him up if something happens to underside De'Von Achane over the next couple of weeks.
Tyler Allgeier turned seven carries into 63 yards and a touchdown in the blowout loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Like many of the others on this list, his best value is as a late-season handcuff stash. He could have a game like Zach Charbonnet produced in the absence of Kenneth Walker III (ankle/calf) if Bijan Robinson is forced to miss either of the next three games. He can also be utilized as a touchdown-or-bust low-end flex option.
Jaleel McLaughlin was off in Week 14, but his Week 13 performance and usage are promising for the fantasy football playoff push. The second-year back rushed 14 times for 84 yards and caught one pass. It's hard to trust any of the Denver running backs, but he's worth a potential stash if you need help at RB.
Kendre Miller returned from a stint on the IR list in Week 14 and found the end zone in the win over the New York Giants. The sophomore out of TCU earned 10 carries and saw one target. With the season reaching its endpoint, don't be surprised if the organization wants to see more out of its 2023 third-round pick.
Sean Tucker was given just three touches in Week 14 despite Bucky Irving (back) leaving the game. However, he flashed once again with a 37-yard run. If Irving has to miss time during the fantasy football playoffs, we could see a committee in Tampa Bay with Tucker and Rachaad White.
Trey Benson remains the clear backup in Arizona. However, James Conner has never gone a season without missing at least one game, so Benson is well worth stashing over fringe WR and TE options.
Israel Abanikanda appears to be the 49ers RB3. If Isaac Guerendo is good to go, he likely has no fantasy value. But if the rookie back is forced to miss time, Abanikanda is now the handcuff to stash in San Fran.
Kenny McIntosh sits behind Zach Charbonnet on the Seattle depth chart as long as Kenneth Walker III sits out.
Other Handcuff Stashes: Cam Akers, Kenneth Gainwell, Kimani Vidal, Khalil Herbert, Justice Hill, Jerome Ford, Antonio Gibson, Tyjae Spears
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues
Quentin Johnston hauled in his seventh touchdown of the season in Sunday night's loss to Kansas City. He also saw seven targets in the absence of Ladd McConkey (shoulder/knee). Johnston is a solid streaming option against the horrendous Buccaneers secondary in Week 15 whether McConkey plays or not, but he's a fringe must-flex option in deep leagues if the Georgia rookie misses another game.
3rd and 16 is no problem for Herbert to Johnston 🎯
📺: #LACvsKC on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/dNGJCTgotP— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2024
Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman have both seen their production spike with Jameis Winston under center. Tillman could return from a two-game absence to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Jerry Jeudy and these two wideouts will be on the fantasy radar for the rest of the season.
Ray-Ray McCloud III has earned a career-high 72 targets so far in 2024. The 28-year-old caught eight of his 11 targets for 98 yards last week, and he draws a neutral matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first round of the fantasy football playoffs.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine's Linsanity run came to an end in the ugly loss to Jacksonville. The 27-year-old reached the end zone in six of his prior seven games, but many were let down by finally starting him. That said, he's headed into another juicy matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who have surrendered the 11th-most fantasy points per game to WRs.
Wan'Dale Robinson has cooled off mightily after a strong start to the season. However, it's tough to ignore his 11 targets in Week 14, especially when he's headed into a matchup with the second-friendliest defense for fantasy wide receivers (Ravens) in Week 15.
Jalen McMillan finally produced a big day after everyone dropped him from fantasy rosters. The rookie third-rounder caught four passes for 59 yards and found the end zone twice against the Raiders. A tough matchup against the Chargers lies ahead in Week 15, but he faces the Cowboys and Panthers in Week 16 and 17, respectively.
Allen Lazard caught his lone target for 18 yards in his return from injured reserve last week. He's clearly behind Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson in the target pecking order, but he makes the list this week due to a favorable matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Consider flexing him in deep leagues if you're down bad heading into Round 1.
Mack Hollins now has five receiving touchdowns after securing one in the shootout against the Los Angeles Rams. If Keon Coleman cannot return to action to face the Lions in Week 15, Hollins has the chance to put up another productive day in another potential shootout.
Josh Allen drops a DIME to Mack Hollins and we have a 3-point game in LA 😳
📺: #BUFvsLAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/0PJkHHql0o— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2024
Noah Brown has been far from a consistent fantasy producer in his first year with Washington. However, he secured nine of his 14 targets for 98 yards over the last two weeks and faces a weak New Orleans secondary on Sunday.
Xavier Legette had a critical drop that could have cemented an upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles, but he remains on the fantasy football radar after commanding eight targets last week. Bryce Young has looked much better since being benched for Andy Dalton early in the 2024 campaign.
Tim Patrick caught his first touchdown since 2021 in the Thursday night win over the Green Bay Packers, and then he caught another. With Detroit's defense dealing with a ton of injuries, expect its passing volume to go up on offense. This could lead to another spike a week or two from the former Denver Bronco.
Mike Williams and Calvin Austin III each earned four targets in the absence of George Pickens (hamstring) in the win over the Cleveland Browns. Pickens is dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, so don't rule him missing another game out.
Tight End Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues
Zach Ertz does not have a favorable fantasy playoff schedule, but he's arguably the top overall tight end available in most leagues. Sometimes, that matters more than matchups.
Hunter Henry has earned at least eight targets in five of his last seven games, which is borderline elite usage at tight end. Drake Maye could catch fire coming out of his first bye week, so Henry is a must-add in deep PPR setups.
Grant Calcaterra is the lead tight end in Philly following Dallas Goedert (knee) being placed on injured reserve. The 26-year-old hauled in all three of his targets for 16 yards and a score against the Panthers and will face suspect secondaries against the Commanders and Cowboys in Weeks 16 and 17, respectively.
🚨 FIRST NFL TOUCHDOWN GRANT CALCATERRA 🚨
@grcalcaterra | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/5q3d1Jh4v0— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 8, 2024
Tyler Conklin is a low-end streaming option for desperate fantasy managers against the Jaguars, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to TEs.
Quarterback Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues/Superflex Leagues
Aaron Rodgers posted his first 300-yard performance since 2021 last week and is set to play the most favorable defense for fantasy quarterbacks in Week 15 (Jaguars). Fire him up as a streaming option.
Aaron Rodgers finds Davante Adams in the end zone for the 79th (!!!) time
They pass Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown for 4th most by any QB-WR duo in NFL history including playoffs. pic.twitter.com/mF1dwdd1iv
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 8, 2024
Jameis Winston has a spike-week upside in all matchups due to his gunslinging play style. He should likely be benched against the Chiefs in Week 15, but he's set for a huge day against the Bengals in Week 16.
Bryce Young has looked impressive since returning from his benching. He has finished inside the top 20 weekly quarterbacks in each of the last four weeks, so fantasy managers can roll the dice on him in Week 15 in a matchup with the struggling Dallas stop unit.
Desmond Ridder did not have a good career with the Atlanta Falcons, but fantasy managers in two-QB and Superflex leagues know any starter has value. He's trending toward starting against his former team on Monday Night Football this week.
Michael Penix Jr. probably won't take the starting job from Kirk Cousins, but what if he does? Cousins has thrown no touchdowns to eight interceptions over his last four games, and Penix is waiting in the wings. Stash him if you have a roster spot to fill in two-QB or Superflex setups.
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