RADIO
Michael Florio's fantasy football sneaky starts, pivot plays, and post-waiver waiver pickups for Week 15 of the NFL season. Start 'em as under-the-radar fantasy sleepers this upcoming week.
Playoffs? Playoffs?!? That is right, Jim Mora, it's playoff season in fantasy land!
If you are reading this, I am assuming you made the fantasy playoffs in your league. Congratulations -- that is an accomplishment in itself! Of the 10 or 12 or 14 people in your league, you are one of the few to still be playing meaningful fantasy games. But, in the infamous words of Kobe Bryant, “job's not finished.”
Our goal to become a fantasy football champion is just getting started. While the byes are behind us, injuries continue to pile up and plenty of managers are searching for pivot options to fill out their lineup. As always, there are plenty of options for you, if you know where to look!
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Quarterback Pivot Options for Fantasy Football
Jake Browning has topped 23 fantasy points in each of the last two games. In Week 13, he threw for 354 yards. Last week, he went for 275 and two touchdowns -- and he has a rushing touchdown in each. His 79.3 completion percentage is the highest in a player's first three starts since 1950. He has a tough matchup against the Vikings, but Browning has been productive as of late and has plenty of playmakers of his own. If you need a streaming option -- perhaps a Justin Herbert replacement -- Browning is someone you can grab from the waiver wire and stream.
Joe Flacco has played well not just for a 38-year-old who was out of the league for most of the year, but just for a QB in general. In his first start, he threw for 254 and two. Last week, he went for 311 yards and three scores, topping 20 fantasy points. He is the QB6 in total points in that span and averaged over 18 per game. Plus, the Bears have allowed the third-most touchdown passes this season. Flacco is certainly in play this week.
Baker Mayfield snapped his three-week down stretch by throwing two touchdowns and rushing for another going to go over 20 fantasy points. He has multiple touchdown passes in five of his last seven games. Last week is probably the ceiling for Baker, but if you are looking for a safe 16 points, he is good for that more often than not. He has a great matchup next week if you are looking to get out in front of that.
Tommy Devito ayyyy! Since Week 10, DeVito has given you the same amount of fantasy points as reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes. What a world. What is going under the radar is DeVito’s ability to run. He ran for 71 yards last week, 41 in Week 10, and has a rushing touchdown. I am not going to tell you that the floor or ceiling is all that high, but in Superflex or two QB leagues, he is certainly in play.
Zach Wilson and Will Levis are more options best left for two QB or Superflex formats. But in a league where I lost Justin Herbert, the best available option on the waiver wire was Wilson to join Levis, who was my QB3. Both are coming off arguably their best games as pros. Levis has a good matchup this week against the Texans. Wilson has a tougher one, but it should be a game where he has to throw plenty. He gets the Commanders next week and then Levis plays the Texans again in Week 17. It's not pretty, but it can help you piece things together if you lost Herbert or another QB earlier in the season.
Running Back Pivot Options for Fantasy Football
Ty Chandler is in play with Alexander Mattison officially ruled out for Week 15. Last week, Chandler played nearly 80 percent of the snaps after Mattison exited. Chandler was already involved, seeing 14-plus touches in three of four games and now should see a much larger workload. Plus, Chandler is more explosive and the Bengals have struggled to contain explosive runs this season.
Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire are both in play if Isiah Pacheco sits again this week. If he suits up, only McKinnon would be in play as the pass-catching option. This is a game where the Chiefs very likely look to take their frustration out on the Patriots. I expect them to have a lead -- likely a multiple-score one -- and that means plenty of scoring opportunities and touches for the backs. McKinnon is my preferred option, just like last week, as he is a favorite of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes near the goal line.
Antonio Gibson and Chris Rodriguez Jr. would be in play if Brian Robinson Jr. sits this week. And he did miss practice to start the week. Gibson would become a great RB2 or flex option as we know he can be heavily involved in the passing game, especially if they are trailing, as well as their lead runner. Rodriguez becomes more of a deeper option that comes with a low floor but some upside.
Zamir White and Ameer Abdullah are in play against the Chargers, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy PPG to running backs this season. The only issue is that this will be the first time Josh Jacobs may miss a game in the last two seasons. So we do not have any sort of clue on how the work may be distributed. My guess is that White sees more ground work, while Abdullah plays passing downs such as third down and in the two-minute drill. White brings the safer floor, but Abdullah brings some upside. Both are deeper options this week.
D'Onta Foreman played 56 percent of the snaps last week with 11 carries and three targets. He only turned it into 72 yards, but the other two Bears backs combined had four carries and no targets. Foreman seems to have won the starting gig in this backfield, although there is always a chance they change it up at any point. Volume has him in play as a pivot option this week.
Wide Receiver Pivot Options for Fantasy Football
Noah Brown would be in play if C.J. Stroud suits up this week. If he sits, then you can get away from Brown, who would be too boom-or-bust while relying on Davis Mills to help him go boom. If Stroud ends up suiting up, Brown becomes in play as a high-upside WR3 or flex option.
Odell Beckham Jr. has been very productive as of late. Since Week 9, he has averaged 13.5 fantasy PPG and is coming off his best fantasy game of the season where he scored 19.7 points on a season-high 10 targets. Now, he gets the Jags, who have allowed the second-most yards and fourth-most touchdowns to receivers since Week 10. Beckham is in play in what could be a high-scoring game.
Zay Jones has a tough matchup this week against the Ravens, but his volume last week cannot be ignored. He saw 14 targets and somehow managed to catch just five for 29 yards. That would have to be a floor game. But, if you are diving deeper, double-digit targets are too good to pass up on. His teammate, Parker Washington, has nine targets in the last two games without Christian Kirk but has a touchdown in each. He is playing in the slot and is the Kirk replacement in this offense. He is a deeper pivot option.
Elijah Moore has 18 targets in his last two games with Joe Flacco. While neither week has led to huge fantasy numbers, he has shown to have a safe floor. The lack of upside has been the problem for Moore this season, but in the fantasy playoffs, the floor is very important. Moore provides that and volume, which means he is in play as a streaming option.
Curtis Samuel was playing good ball before the Commanders' bye. Two games ago, he saw 12 targets, nine catches for 100 yards, and scored 19 fantasy points. In the last game, the targets dipped, but he still managed to crack double-digit fantasy points. There certainly is some volatility in this passing attack, but in a game where they will have to put up points, Samuel is a streaming or pivot option.
Other pivot options: Demario Douglas, Jonathan Mingo, Wan'Dale Robinson, Demarcus Robinson
Tight End Pivot Options for Fantasy Football
Logan Thomas saw his volume dip a bit before the Commanders' bye week, but before that, he had a near lock for five-plus targets each game. He gets the Rams, who are in the top three in yards, touchdowns, and fantasy PPG allowed to tight ends. They just allowed a big day to Isaiah Likely. Plus, this one should have a lot of points.
Tucker Kraft is coming off his best game as a pro, with four catches for 64 yards, both season-highs. He has 10 targets in his last two games and caught a TD in the one before that. He faces a Bucs team that is in the top five in passing yards allowed. Tampa Bay has allowed the 10th-most fantasy PPG to TEs this season. He is a pivot tight end option.
Cade Otton has a matchup against the Packers, who rank middle of the pack against tight ends. But his schedule opens up after this week with a matchup against the Jags, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy PPG to tight ends, and then the Saints, who have especially struggled lately. Otton has scored eight-plus PPR points in six of his last eight games, which as far as streaming tight ends go, is a very safe floor. He remains a streaming option for the rest of the season.
Make sure to follow Michael on X, @MichaelFFlorio.
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