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Who Should I Drop for Week 15? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jayden Daniels, Daniel Jones, Zach Ertz, Geno Smith, Cade Otton, Kyle Pitts Sr., Nick Chubb, Keaton Mitchell, Matthew Golden, Alvin Kamara.
Who Should I Drop? Who Should I Keep? Some of the most common Week 13 fantasy football cut candidates involve players like Jayden Daniels, Daniel Jones, Zach Ertz, Geno Smith, Cade Otton, Kyle Pitts Sr., Nick Chubb, Keaton Mitchell, Matthew Golden, Alvin Kamara. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make the right waiver wire decisions and winning moves for Week 15. Once you decide who to drop, find your optimal fantasy football pickups for Week 15 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool helps make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to add... all free!
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Fantasy Football Drop Candidates
Read about fantasy football players to consider dropping for Week 15:
Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said that doctors examined quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) on Monday and said there are no long-term concerns after he aggravated his dislocated left elbow in the Week 14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, according to John Keim of ESPN.
Daniels has soreness in his elbow, but there is no update yet as to whether the second-year signal-caller will be available to play in Week 15 against the division-rival New York Giants. Quinn said after Sunday's loss that the 24-year-old Daniels could have gone back into the game, but he decided to leave him out in a blowout.
It's fair to wonder why the Commanders would even risk playing Daniels while they are well out of playoff contention. Daniels went 9-for-20 passing for 78 yards, no touchdowns, and a pick in his first game since Week 9, adding 16 rushing yards on four carries. Veteran Marcus Mariota would start this weekend if the Commanders decide Daniels needs more time off.
Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts
An MRI on Monday officially confirmed that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (Achilles) has torn his Achilles and will miss the rest of the season. Jones suffered the non-contact injury in the first quarter of a Week 14 loss to the Jaguars and was replaced by 6th-round rookie Riley Leonard.
Anthony Richardson Sr. (eye) remains on IR and has not been cleared for football activities after a Week 6 pregame incident with a resistance band fractured his orbital bone, requiring surgery. Heading into Sunday, the only other quarterback in the building was practice squad veteran Brett Rypien, so the team is expected to add additional depth before a Week 15 matchup with the Seahawks. Playing over 75% of the Colts' offensive snaps on Sunday, Leonard threw for 145 yards, zero touchdowns, and an interception, while adding five yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground.
With an unenviable schedule against the Seahawks, 49ers, and Jaguars, pass catchers Alec Pierce, Michael Pittman Jr., and Tyler Warren suddenly become less appealing plays for the fantasy playoffs, while Jonathan Taylor will likely be tasked with handling an even larger workload down the stretch.
Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders
An MRI exam on Monday confirmed that Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (knee) suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the Week 14 shutout loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It's tough news for the 35-year-old veteran, who will finish his 13th year in the NFL with 50 receptions on 72 targets for 504 yards and four touchdowns in 13 starts in his second year with the Commanders.
Fantasy managers can safely drop Ertz now. Ben Sinnott will be the best bet for most of the targets as the team's top pass-catching TE with Ertz done for the year, although he will be sharing snaps with John Bates and Colson Yankoff.
At best, Sinnott will be a low-end TE2 streamer for fantasy managers in deeper leagues in Week 15 when Washington battles the division-rival New York Giants on the road.
Geno Smith, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
At this point, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the struggling Raiders give backup Kenny Pickett his first start of the year against his former team. Smith has been a bust in his first year in Vegas, completing 67% of his passes for 2,648 yards and 16 touchdowns. He leads the league in interceptions (16) and sacks taken (49).
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton (knee) was listed as a non-participant for the team's walkthrough practice on Monday, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Otton didn't appear to get hurt in Sunday's upset loss to the New Orleans Saints, but his Week 15 status is worth watching over the next two days before a Thursday night showdown against the division-rival Atlanta Falcons.
Otton caught three of his four targets for 19 yards on Sunday. The 26-year-old hasn't gone over 30 receiving yards in a game since a season-high 82-yard performance in the loss to the New England Patriots on Nov. 9.
He also has yet to score in 2025. Otton has two more chances to return to practice, but even if he's active, he'll be more of a TE2 option for fantasy managers against Atlanta, especially if receivers Mike Evans (collarbone) and Jalen McMillan (neck) are able to return.
Kyle Pitts Sr., TE, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. (knee) is on the team's Week 15 injury report and was listed as limited for Monday's estimated practice, according to Tori McElhaney of AtlantaFalcons.com. Pitts looked fine in the team's Week 14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, catching six of his 10 targets for a season-high 90 yards while playing 92% of the offensive snaps.
The Falcons are likely just giving the 25-year-old a little rest going into Thursday's divisional clash against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pitts' 10 targets on Sunday matched a season high, and he's had 13 catches on 18 targets for 172 yards the last two weeks with top wideout Drake London (knee) sidelined with a PCL sprain.
If London misses a third straight game this week, Pitts will once again have more upside as a TE1 for fantasy managers. In the Week 1 loss to Tampa, Pitts had seven catches on eight targets for 59 yards.
Nick Chubb, RB, Houston Texans
Houston Texans running back Nick Chubb (rib) could be in danger of missing the team's Week 15 contest against the Arizona Cardinals after he suffered a rib injury in Sunday night's win over the Kansas City Chiefs. "Woody Marks has done a nice job. He's handled himself very well, taking care of his body.
It's hard being an RB in this league. We'll see where Chubb (rib) ends up this week and if he can get back out there for us," head coach DeMeco Ryans said on Monday. Chubb injured his rib in the second quarter and never returned. The rookie Marks has already taken over Houston's backfield, and he had a career-high 26 rushing attempts in the 20-10 win in KC, going for 68 yards while adding two catches for eight yards and a touchdown.
Marks should see another heavy RB1-type workload against Arizona on Sunday, regardless of whether Chubb is active. Chubb hasn't had double-digit carries in a game since Nov. 2.
Keaton Mitchell, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell (knee) left Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a knee injury, but his MRI results came back clean, and his knee injury is considered minor, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports. It's positive news for the speedy running back, and it seems he will avoid missing any time.
Mitchell was in the midst of his best game of the season before leaving on Sunday, posting six carries for 76 yards, including a 55-yard rush. With Justice Hill (neck) on Injured Reserve, the 23-year-old has seen his opportunities increase behind Derrick Henry, though Rasheen Ali continues to be used on passing downs as well.
The speedster, Keaton Mitchell, remains one of the higher upside handcuff options in fantasy football and should be stashed on benches just in case.
Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers
ESPN's Rob Demovsky writes that Green Bay Packers rookie first-round wide receiver Matthew Golden (wrist) was limited by his wrist injury in the Week 14 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) was also limited, allowing Bo Melton to step into the No. 4 receiver role.
Melton's only catch of the game was a big 45-yard touchdown. The 22-year-old Golden returned to action on Sunday and disappointed, failing to haul in his only target while playing just five offensive snaps. The Texas product had missed the previous two games with shoulder and wrist injuries.
Golden should have a bigger role in a Week 15 matchup on the road against the 11-2 Denver Broncos, but fantasy managers just cannot trust him in a tough matchup while being buried in a crowded receiving corps that just got Jayden Reed back from Injured Reserve.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire instead? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here.
Week 15 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on finding replacements for specific players like Jayden Daniels, Daniel Jones, Zach Ertz, Geno Smith, Cade Otton, Kyle Pitts Sr., Nick Chubb, Keaton Mitchell, Matthew Golden, Alvin Kamara.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2025. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Once you decide who to drop, find your optimal fantasy football waiver wire replacements. Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for Week 15 for Jayden Daniels, Daniel Jones, Zach Ertz, Geno Smith, Cade Otton, Kyle Pitts Sr., Nick Chubb, Keaton Mitchell, Matthew Golden, Alvin Kamara:
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