Sunday Recaps & An Early Waiver Wire Preview

Sunday was an action-packed day of football, filled with some noteworthy fantasy performances. Some players have emerged as viable pickups for Week 15, and below we'll take an early look at the waiver wire. There are plenty of fantasy updates to discuss so let's get to it:

Waiver Wire Preview for Week 15

The Big Boys

Toby Gerhart - Running Back, Minnesota Vikings

This Week: 89 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, fumble lost - 12.90 points

Week 15 Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles

Recap: Adrian Peterson left the game with a foot injury, so Gerhart immediately became the lead running back for the Vikes. If Peterson is forced to miss next week's game, Gerhart will be a solid FLEX option. Peterson owners should of course put priority on adding Gerhart this week if he's still on the waiver wire.

Cordarrelle Patterson - Wide Receiver, Minnesota Vikings

This Week: 5 receptions, 141 receiving yards, 1 TD, 111 return yards - 25.42 points (PPR leagues)

Week 15 Matchup: Philadelphia Eagles

Recap: The Vikings are finally getting Patterson more snaps and touches, and the talented young rookie is responding with big plays. Patterson is really coming on the past few weeks, and has big upside for Week 15 and the playoffs.

Rod Streater - Wide Receiver, Oakland Raiders

This Week: 7 receptions, 130 passing yards, 1 touchdown - 26.00 points (PPR leagues)

Week 15 Matchup: Kansas City Chiefs

Recap: Streater is really starting to emerge for the Raiders, especially since McGloin has taken over as the QB in town. Streater is becoming a reliable WR3 option on a week-to-week basis, with upside for more in PPR leagues as one of the primary focuses of this Oakland offense.

Solid Pickups

Marcel Reece - Running Back, Oakland Raiders

This Week: 123 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 receptions, 38 receiving yards - 22.50 points (PPR leagues)

Week 15 Matchup: Kansas City Chiefs

Recap: With both Rashad Jennings and Darren McFadden inactive with injuries this week, Reece carried the RB load for the Raiders. He'll be an RB2/FLEX option anytime he's the lead back, but Jennings is expected back next week so don't go too crazy here on the waiver wire.

Ryan Tannehill - Quarterback, Miami Dolphins

This Week: 200 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 56 rushing yards - 30.60 points

Week 15 Matchup: New England Patriots

Recap: Tannehill turned in his thirst great performance in a row, and has scored at least 21 points in the past 3 weeks. He's scored less than 16 points only twice all season, and his lowest week was 14.42. Needless to say Tannehill has been extremely consistent for fantasy owners, and New England's defense is vulnerable.

Garrett Graham - Tight End, Houston Texans

This Week: 8 receptions, 73 receiving yards, 1 TD - 21.30 points (PPR leagues)

Week 15 Matchup: Indianapolis Colts

Recap: Graham continues to see more and more targets and catches, and may finally be a reliable TE especially in PPR leagues. He should continue to get passes from Keenum or even Schaub, as the Texans aren't going to be winning many games and will be down often and throwing a lot from behind.

Others:

Carson Palmer - Quarterback, Arizona Cardinals
This Week: 269 passing yards, 1 TD - 16.66 points

Jason Campbell -  Quarterback, Cleveland Browns
This Week: 391 passing yards, 3 TDs, 27 rushing yards - 36.34 points

Joe Flacco - Quarterback, Baltimore Ravens
This Week: 245 passing yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs, 22 rushing yards - 26.00 points

Waiver Wire Fliers

Daniel Thomas - Running Back, Miami Dolphins

This Week: 105 rushing yards, 1 TD, 1 reception, 4 receiving yards - 17.40 points (PPR leagues)

Week 15 Matchup: New England Patriots

Recap: Thomas was surprisingly active this week, and he once again outproduced Lamar Miller. The Dolphins coaches continue to give Thomas a healthy amount of snaps and touches, and he's also the preferred goal-line option in this offense. Thomas should continue to get a healthy amount of carries, but is still too inconsistent to trust in the fantasy playoffs.

Marlon Brown - Wide Receiver, Baltimore Ravens

This Week: 7 receptions, 92 receiving yards, 1 TD - 18.70 points (PPR leagues)

Week 15 Matchup: Detroit Lions

Recap: Brown picked up the slack this week, as Torrey Smith didn't have a great game. His 11 targets were a season high, and his 7 receptions were noteworthy, but realistically Brown is too inconsistent on a week-to-week basis to trust as a start except for very deep leagues.

Dennis Pitta - Tight End, Baltimore Ravens

This Week: 6 receptions, 48 receiving yards, 1 TD - 13.80 points (PPR leagues)

Week 15 Matchup: Detroit Lions

Recap: Pitta finally returned to the Baltimore lineup, and in his first game back racked up 6 receptions on 11 targets. He didn't need to be eased back into action, and immediately made an impact in the passing game. Flacco should continue looking for him in the passing game, and he'll be a solid TE option for Week 15.

Others: 

LaVon Brazill - Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts
This Week: 3 catches, 53 receiving yards, 2 TDs - 18.80 points (PPR leagues)

Justin Hunter - Wide Receiver, Tennessee Titans
This Week: 4 catches, 114 receiving yards, 1 TD - 19.40 points (PPR leagues)

Da'Rick Rogers - Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts
This Week: 6 receptions, 107 receiving yards, 2 TDs - 25.70 points (PPR leagues)