RADIO
Welcome to Week 15 everyone. If you're still alive in your fantasy league, you're likely staring down a semi-final matchup this weekend. While we wouldn't recommend straying from the studs that got you into the playoffs, you might have a need to dig dipper.
If you own Joe Mixon (concussion) or are in need of a running back, Bengals backup Giovani Bernard (57% owned) could once again post RB2 numbers in PPR leagues in Week 15. He needs to be owned everywhere. Also, take another glance to see if Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (collarbone) is still out there. There's a chance he's back to face the Panthers, and he may be a better option than your current fantasy signal caller. Rodgers is owned in just 81% of Yahoo leagues.
Each FAAB auction price recommendation will be based on a $100 FAAB budget, and all players listed have less than 50 percent ownership on Yahoo.
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FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Running Backs
Jonathan Stewart (CAR) - $10-15 (38% owned)
The veteran back hasn't been fantasy relevant for much of the season, but the last three weeks have been a different story, mainly because Stewart is finding paydirt. The 30-year-old has five touchdowns in the last three games, and all six of his rushing scores this year have come in the last six games.
Rookie Christian McCaffrey remains the more dynamic weapon in the backfield, but Stewart is finding success along the goal line and could be in for another score in Week 15 when he faces the Packers, who allow the fifth most fantasy points per game (25.1) to opposing running backs.
Temper expectations, though, as Stewart is still only averaging 3.5 yards per carry in 2017, and aside from his 60-yard scamper last Sunday, he's mostly cashing in on the goal line. He's a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex on the rise.
Marlon Mack (IND) - $5-10 (21% owned)
The rookie has remained mostly a non-factor in both real life and fantasy in 2017 behind veteran Frank Gore, rushing for 3.9 yards per carry and just three scores (two on the ground). He also has seen double-digit carries just twice this year and not since Oct. 29 against the Bengals.
Gore had a whopping 36 attempts in the snow game in Week 14, though, and may need to be spelled much more often by Mack on a short week Thursday against the Broncos. After stuffing the run consistently to begin the year, Denver's defense hasn't been as strong up front lately, either.
Rod Smith (DAL) - $5-10 (13% owned)
Smith had by far the best game of his career in Week 14, rushing six times for 47 yards and a touchdown and adding five catches for an additional 115 yards and a score. The highlight of his day was an 81-yard catch and run for a touchdown to help defeat the Giants.
The third-year back remains second fiddle to Alfred Morris with Ezekiel Elliott still suspended, but Smith has now scored four touchdowns in his last three games and remains a deep league PPR flex option, especially in another nice matchup this weekend against the Raiders defense.
Wayne Gallman (NYG) - $5-10 (3% owned)
With New York's season going nowhere after they just fired head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese, it might be time for the interim coaching staff to give Gallman more opportunities to close out his rookie season.
That may have started in Week 14, as Gallman led the team with a season-high 12 carries for 59 yards. He also recorded a season-high seven catches for 40 yards as Orleans Darkwa took more of a back seat. Expect a bit more volume for Gallman to close out the year, but he faces a tough draw in the Eagles in Week 15.
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Wide Receivers
Randall Cobb (GB) - $5-10 (50% owned)
Since his career year in 2014 with 1,287 yards and 91 catches, Cobb has mainly been a headache for fantasy owners. He did have an efficient eight catches on eight targets in Week 14, but he accumulated just 39 yards and sports a 9.8 yard-per-catch average in 2017. It's been that kind of a season.
There's reason for optimism to close out the year, though, as Aaron Rodgers (collarbone) may return to start this weekend against the Panthers. While Cobb won't suddenly become a must-start, he could be back on the WR4/5 radar, as Rodgers typically elevates the play of all those around him.
Dede Westbrook (JAC) - $5-10 (30% owned)
We've warned you about Westbrook before. But since he returned Nov. 19 from early-season surgery on a core muscle, the rookie receiver has improved in all four games. He's recorded at least five catches in each of the last three weeks and has at least eight targets in that span. Westbrook reeled in five of his eight targets for 81 yards and his first career touchdown in Week 14.
Even if Allen Hurns (ankle) returns soon, Westbrook may have cemented the No. 2 spot behind Marqise Lee, and quarterback Blake Bortles has played much better of late. Matchups against the defensively-challenged Texans and 49ers loom for the fantasy semi-finals and championships, too, making Westbrook a potential difference-maker as a flex in deeper leagues.
Tyler Lockett (SEA) - $5-10 (39% owned)
Lockett is the definition of boom or bust, and he's mostly been a bust this year with just one 100-yard performance and two touchdowns. However, he's scored both of those TDs in the last two weeks, and he managed to catch four passes for 90 yards in Week 14, one of his better all-around showings in 2017.
Predicting Lockett's successes on a week-to-week basis is hard to do, but as long as MVP candidate Russell Wilson is slinging him passes deep, Lockett has a chance to make some noise. You could do much worse in your flex spot in standard-scoring leagues.
Tyrell Williams (LAC) - $5-10 (35% owned)
Williams has put up very similar numbers to Lockett this year, and one of his two 100-yard games this season came in Week 14 against the Redskins, where he caught all four of his targets for 132 yards and his third score of the season.
The interest in Williams this late in the season is more about quarterback Philip Rivers' resurgence than Williams' role in the offense, as the third-year receiver has been a big disappointment in the wake of his 1,000-yard season in 2016.
Williams has an excellent opportunity to stay hot the next two weeks as the Bolts face off against the Chiefs and Jets, two secondaries that are among the top 10 worst defenses against opposing wide receivers this year, with Kansas City allowing the second most fantasy points per week (38.7) to wideouts.
Also Consider: Deonte Thompson (BUF) - $3-5, Kendall Wright (CHI) - $3-5, Roger Lewis (NYG) - $3-5
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Tight Ends
Jesse James (PIT) - $5-10 (13% owned)
The Steelers made it a point to get their tight ends involved in the Sunday night matchup against Baltimore, and James and Vance McDonald both benefited, with James ending up second to only Antonio Brown with 10 catches and 97 yards.
While this was an outlier for James -- he hadn't put up more than six catches or 42 yards in a game this year -- McDonald was injured Sunday night, meaning James could be the main pass-catching tight end for at least the next week.
Big Ben has also returned to relevance in the passing department, and Pittsburgh's offense is humming. The Week 15 showdown with New England could be a high-scoring affair, making James a low-end sleeper streamer.
Eric Ebron (DET) - $5-10 (29% owned)
Like James, Ebron's Week 14 stat line (10 catches, 11 targets, 94 yards) was an obvious outlier, as he hadn't racked up more than five catches or 58 yards in a game this season. It's a reminder that if Ebron can get out of his own way and avoid costly drops, he can be fantasy relevant.
The matchup against the lowly Bucs defense may have played a part in Ebron's blowup. The sledding will be much tougher in Week 15 against an underrated Bears defense. The fact that Matthew Stafford continues to spread the ball around also makes Ebron's chances of a repeat unlikely, but he's at least on the low-end streaming radar now.
Also Consider: O.J. Howard (TB) - $3-5, Adam Shaheen (CHI) - $3-5, Garrett Celek (SF) - $3-5
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Quarterbacks
Blake Bortles (JAC) - $10-15 (35% owned)
He was avoided like the plague by fantasy owners in drafts, but Bortles has surprisingly morphed into a usable fantasy commodity the last two weeks. He has a combined 577 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions the last two games against the Colts and Seahawks.
Things could get even better the next two weeks with juicy matchups against the Texans and 49ers, teams that allow the second and third most fantasy points per week to opposing gunslingers, respectively. The emergence of receivers Dede Westbrook and Keelan Cole has certainly helped Bortles' cause.
Nick Foles (PHI) - $10-15 (2% owned)
With MVP hopeful Carson Wentz (knee) now out for the season with a torn ACL, Foles will be in charge of Philly's offense from here on out. The former Arizona Wildcat clearly doesn't have the skills of Wentz, but he has plenty of NFL experience as a starter and has a lot of weapons around him.
With that said, expect the Eagles to lean heavily on the ground game after Foles went 6-for-10 for just 42 yards in relief of Wentz in Week 14 against the Rams. Foles has a great matchup in Week 15 against the Giants, but he'll be more of a low-end QB2 for those in two-quarterback leagues to close out the year.
Also Consider: T.J. Yates (HOU) - $3-5, Bryce Petty (NYJ) - $1
FAAB Waiver Wire Bids - Defense
New Orleans Saints - $3-5 (38% owned)
The Saints defense has been underrated and under-owned all season long. In Week 15 they'll get a prime spot against the Jets, who just lost quarterback Josh McCown (hand) for the year. Bryce Petty will be making just his fifth NFL start this Sunday, and he's looked consistently overmatched anytime he's been on the field for Gang Green.
Making things tougher for the Jets is the fact that both promising cornerback Marshon Lattimore and Ken Crawley are healthy for the defense. On the road in a hostile environment, don't expect Petty to do much at all, and he's a lock for at least one turnover. The Saints are a no-brainer streamer.
Also Consider: Arizona Cardinals - $1, Buffalo Bills - $1
