Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups and Free Agent Adds – All Positions (2023)

Welcome everyone to the fantasy football Week 15 waiver wire! I’m here as always to help you make the best fantasy waiver pickups for Week 15. There are a lot of other quality players to look at adding this week on the waiver wire. This article is challenging to make relevant to all the different kinds of leagues out there. There are different league sizes, scoring settings, and roster requirements, which can make things difficult. As a general rule of thumb, I'll only be looking at players with a rostership percentage of 50% or lower, according to Yahoo! rostership percentages.

One thing I'll be adding this year is a category distinction for all players. This should help you figure out which players to add based on what your waiver wire goals are. Keep in mind that players can qualify for multiple distinctions. Those distinctions will be as follows:

• BC: Breakout Candidate – This is a player who may not be startable yet, but has a good chance of breaking out and becoming a weekly starter at some point in the season. If you do not need a starter this week, these are the players you should be targeting off the waiver wire.
• WS: Weekly Streamer – This is a player who is not a weekly starter or even someone you cannot drop, but rather they are someone you can target if the matchup is right or if you're desperate for a one-time starter. This is likely to be a quarterback or tight end.
• DP: Depth Player – This is a player who reminds me of a quote from Bad Santa, "They can't all be winners, now can they?" We'd all love to have breakout players, but it's also important to have quality depth players who can be started during bye weeks and be decent injury-replacement players.
• DL: Deep League Add – This is for competitive 12-team leagues or larger.
• IF: Injury Fill-In – This is a player who will be a weekly spot starter during the starter's absence due to injuries.
• MA: Must Add – This is a player who due to any number of circumstances, now finds himself as a weekly fantasy starter and is someone fantasy managers should be adding to their teams.
• UH: Upside Handcuff – This is reserved for our running backs who could become prominent players if the primary starter gets hurt.

All of these players are listed in the order I would advise prioritizing them by position. This includes the "others to consider" sections. If you have any specific waiver wire questions, give me a follow on X @RobFFSlayer, and don’t be afraid to reach out. I’ll be completing the waiver wire column all year here at RotoBaller and I hope to help as many of you as possible win your fantasy football league.

Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!

 

Quarterbacks - Waiver Wire Options

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams – 56% Rostered

Entering Week 14, Stafford was coming off the two best games of his 2023 season. In Week 12, he threw for 229 yards and four touchdowns. It was just the second time this season that he's thrown multiple touchdown passes. He finished with 23.4 fantasy points, which was his best fantasy outing of the season. He followed up that performance with another gem in Week 13 in a very difficult matchup. He faced off against the Browns, who had given up the fewest points to quarterbacks this season. Stafford still managed to throw 279 yards and three touchdowns en route to 22.9 points.

Stafford faced another brutal matchup this past weekend against the Ravens, who have given up the second-fewest points to quarterbacks. Despite the matchup, Stafford was magnificent. He finished with 294 yards, three touchdowns, and 23.7 fantasy points. He’s been on fire as of late and despite facing off against the two most difficult fantasy matchups for quarterbacks in his past two games, Stafford still has 46.6 points combined. Pretty impressive.

If he can do that against those teams, imagine what he can do against Washington. The Commanders have given up 22 points to quarterbacks per game this season. It's the second-most in the NFL. Stafford will be a QB1 and will be the best streaming quarterback.

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 53% Rostered

Mayfield had three tough games from Weeks 11-13. He had to face the 49ers, Colts, and Panthers. These three teams have allowed the third, 10th, and fourth-fewest points to opposing quarterbacks this season, respectively. That is just about one of the toughest stretches any quarterback has to go through, especially since two of the three games were on the road. Not surprisingly, Mayfield struggled. He scored under 14 points in all three contests. That's not good, but Mayfield isn't a weekly start. He's a streaming quarterback. We avoid him in bad matchups -- like the last three weeks -- and target him in good matchups.

Before Week 11, Mayfield had three consecutive games of scoring more than 18 points. He has scored 16 or more points in eight out of 13 games and has scored over 20 three times, including this past weekend against the Falcons. Mayfield has played relatively well this season.

Before Week 14, the Falcons had given up the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Mayfield came through for fantasy managers who trusted him in a good matchup, scoring over 20 points. This is what a good streaming quarterback does. He predictably struggled in three tough matchups and did well in a positive matchup.

He shouldn't be trusted in Week 15 with a matchup against the Packers. They've been very tough on quarterbacks this season, giving up just 14.6 points to quarterbacks this season. This is the sixth-fewest in the league. While he can't be started this upcoming week, he does have the Jaguars in Week 16. Jacksonville has given up the third-most points to quarterbacks at 19.9 per game. Joe Flacco threw for more than 300 yards against the Jaguars and finished with over 20 points.

Others to consider: Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts – 28% Rostered, Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints – 39% Rostered, Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons – 10% Rostered, Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns – 6% Rostered, Will Levis, Tennessee Titans – 18% Rostered

 

Running Backs - Waiver Wire Option

D'Onta Foreman, Chicago Bears – 38% Rostered (MA, WS)

Foreman was irrelevant for the first five weeks of the season until Khalil Herbert went to IR before Week 6. In the next five games, before Foreman suffered an injury of his own in Week 11, he averaged 13.4 half-PPR PPG. He had 15 or more carries in four out of five games. He injured his ankle in Week 11 and was unable to return. He ended up missing Week 12 and Chicago was on a bye in Week 13.

Foreman returned this past weekend and he returned to being Chicago's primary rusher. He finished with 11 carries and 50 rushing yards. Herbert had three carries for eight yards and Roschon Johnson had one carry for six yards. Going into Week 14, it was somewhat unknown how this backfield would shake out. In Week 13, Johnson was the primary back, but he played behind Herbert this week. We may not know who the true No.2 running back is, but we know for sure that No. 1 is Foreman.

He should be valued as a backend RB2 moving forward and should be a priority add. He has a tough matchup in Week 15 against Cleveland, who has given up the 19th-most half-PPR points to running backs. In Week 16, however, he has one of the best matchups for any fantasy running back. The Arizona Cardinals have given up the second-most points. He'll be on the RB3 radar in Week 15 against Cleveland as a volume-dependent play, but in Week 16, he'll be a must-start RB2, assuming the utilization the team used this past weekend holds until then.

Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens – 59% Rostered (MA, WS)

Another exception will be made here for Mitchell as he’s just over our typical 50% threshold. With the Ravens on a bye in Week 13, it seems as though some fantasy managers may have dropped him. That’s a mistake. In Week 12 against the Chargers, Gus Edwards played just 27% of the snaps and finished with eight carries for 26 yards. Mitchell led the backfield in snaps, playing 46% of the time. He also finished with nine carries, which also led the Baltimore backfield, and was the most efficient rusher. He ended up with 64 yards. He also had two targets, two receptions, and 25 receiving yards.

Based on his utilization in Week 12, Mitchell seems to be the 1A in Baltimore’s backfield. Edwards and Justice Hill are still going to play. Due to Mitchell’s size, he cannot be a workhorse back. However, it seems likely Mitchell will be the running back that plays the most and sees the most touches. That may only mean 8-12 touches per game. Edwards will probably have 8-10 touches as well. Hill is likely to be the forgotten man here for fantasy purposes. Edwards will still be the goal-line back for the Ravens, but Mitchell should be expected to be the primary pass-catcher out of the backfield moving forward.

Mitchell does not need a lot of touches to make a difference. Since Week 9, he has had games averaging 15.3, 11.3, 4.1, 7.1, and 6.0 yards per attempt. He has carries of 60, 40, 39, 29, and 21 yards on the season. He also had a 32-yard reception. He’s a big play waiting to happen.

Over the past five weeks, he’s scored 19.9, 13.1, 4.6, 9.9, and 6.7 half-PPR points. That amounts to a 10.8 half-PPR PPG average. Mitchell had nine carries for 54 yards this past weekend and had one reception for eight yards. He had the most carries among any running back on the team and should be considered the team's 1A back.

Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders – 54% Rostered (MA, UH, WS, DP, IF)

Gibson is an exception to our 50% rostership rule, but starter Brian Robinson Jr. got hurt in Week 13 and was unable to return to the game with a hamstring injury. That makes Gibson a must-add this week. Hamstring injuries, especially for running backs, can be difficult to manage. They can linger and they're easily aggravated. Tee Higgins missed three games with a hamstring injury and Diontae Johnson was put on IR because of his. These can be multi-week injuries. That would give Gibson a chance to be the lead rusher in Washington. However, it's important to note the Commanders were on bye in Week 14, which gives Robinson an extra week to get healthy.

Gibson was the primary running back following Robinson's injury exit. Chris Rodriguez Jr. only played 11 snaps, so this wasn't much of a committee at all. If Robinson misses this week's game, Gibson would likely be a bell-cow running back. The Commanders return to action against the Rams this week, who have allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings – 22% Rostered (MA, UH, WS, DP)

Alexander Mattison left this past weekend's game early with a sprained ankle. At this time, it's unknown if it's a high or low ankle sprain, which could impact his availability for this upcoming weekend. Regardless, Chandler becomes a must-add. Even if Mattison is active in Week 15, he's unlikely going to be 100%, which could mean more work for Chandler. After Mattison exited, Chandler handled almost 100% of the snaps out of the backfield for Minnesota. He finished with 12 carries for 35 yards and also caught all three of his targets for seven yards.

The Vikings may be making a quarterback switch and it seems as though they've lost Justin Jefferson again. These two situations are likely to negatively affect the offense. Still, if Mattison is out, Chandler would see 12 or more touches. That would put him on the RB2 radar.

Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers – 15% Rostered (UH, DP)
Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles – 31% Rostered (UH, DP)

Both of these running backs are some of the very best handcuffs in fantasy football. Both lack any weekly value. They're strictly handcuffs, but the upside in the event of an injury to one of their respective starters is that of a top-15 running back. I'd prioritize Mitchell first and then Gainwell.

We can't predict injuries, but Mitchell would become a bell-cow on one of the best offenses in the league. Gainwell's ceiling would be lower than Mitchell's. His situation is the most likely for another running back to creep into his workload, even though he'd be the primary back. We're running out of weeks to bet on an injury, but if you're looking for a lottery ticket, these two are it.

Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs – 41% Rostered (WS, IF, DP)

Isiah Pacheco was ruled out on Friday, which meant it would be McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire handling the backfield duties for the Chiefs. They ended up splitting the snaps pretty much 50/50. CEH had 32 and McKinnon had 30. Surprisingly, the routes run were relatively close.

Most likely expected McKinnon to hold a significant advantage in this department, but McKinnon only had three more routes than CEH, 18-15. McKinnon was out-carried by CEH, 11 to four. Still, McKinnon should be the priority for fantasy managers. Despite CEH getting more carries than McKinnon and being bigger than McKinnon, head coach Andy Reid prefers to use McKinnon down near the end zone. It was McKinnon who ended up finding the end zone last week.

Fantasy managers likely have not forgotten McKinnon's epic final few weeks of the 2022 season. There was talk about Pacheco possibly being an IR candidate, but he wasn't placed on IR before the Week 14 game. Pacheco could return in Week 15, which makes adding McKinnon a bit of a wild card.

Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders – 2% Rostered (WS, IF, UH, DL)

Josh Jacobs left the game this past weekend with a knee injury. At this time, there's been little information about the severity of the injury or what exactly occurred. He'll likely undergo an MRI to determine what the injury is and the timeline. Given the record the Raiders have and that Jacobs is playing on a one-year contract, it shouldn't be surprising if Jacobs sits out the next week or two.

For Jacobs, there are not many reasons to risk playing since he'll be a free agent at the end of the season. White would likely operate as the early-down grinder for Las Vegas, but he shouldn't be expected to be as involved in the passing game as Jacobs has been. White would likely be the goal line back, but there aren't a whole lot of touchdowns available in the Raiders' offense. He'll be a volume-dependent RB3 if Jacobs misses time.

Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals – 6% Rostered (DP, UH)

Brown is a fifth-round rookie and before Week 13, he had played eight total offensive snaps. The Bengals have been looking for a No. 2 running back behind Joe Mixon all season. In the past two weeks, Brown has essentially taken control of that position. In Week 13, he only played 15% of the snaps but made several big plays. He finished with nine carries and 61 yards.

His playing time doubled this past weekend. He finished with a 30% snap share and finished with eight carries and three targets. Once again, Brown made another big play. He took a short pass 54 yards to the house. He finished with just 25 rushing yards but had 80 receiving yards and the touchdown. He finished with 18 half-PPR points.

Brown cannot be started yet unless you're truly desperate, but Brown should be added to 12-team leagues. For starters, Brown has cemented himself as one of the best handcuffs in the NFL. Before Brown's emergence, Cincinnati did not have a handcuff for Mixon. Considering Brown's play the last two weeks, he should be expected to handle the majority of the running back carries in the event Mixon was to get hurt.

Another aspect to consider is that Mixon is on a one-year contract. If their playoff chances get worse, the front office could decide to give a bigger role to Brown to see if he could be their starter in 2024.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs – 51% Rostered (IF, DP)

CEH finished with 13 touches, but they were fairly empty touches. He had just two receptions and he was routinely subbed out inside the red zone for McKinnon. He finished with 68 yards on his 13 touches, but due to his lack of involvement in the passing game and since McKinnon has operated as the primary back near the goal line, his fantasy value is diminished.

It's unknown how long Isiah Pacheco will be out, which creates a tough decision for fantasy managers as it relates to adding CEH. Is he a long-term option? Since Pacheco was not placed on IR, it seems unlikely. Even in the event he gets another start, what's the upside? Without the goal line touches, which have routinely gone to McKinnon or Pacheco, it's hard to envision much of a ceiling for CEH.

Still, if you find yourself in need of a running back starter and are unable to grab some of the other guys higher up on this list, swinging at CEH makes sense.

Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans – 44% Rostered (UH, DP)

Like Elijah Mitchell and Kenneth Gainwell, Spears offers little to no week-to-week value for fantasy managers. The reason to stash Spears is in the event of a Derrick Henry injury. If Henry were to miss time, Spears would walk into a role that would afford him 15 or more touches per game.

He would end up being ranked as a RB2/3 depending on the matchup. He'd be volume-dependent since the Tennessee offense isn't very good. If Mitchell and Gainwell are already rostered, taking a shot on Spears could make some sense if you're looking for a high-upside, lottery play.

D'Ernest Johnson, Jacksonville Jaguars – 9% Rostered (UH, DP)

Johnson is another high-upside handcuff fantasy managers should be paying attention to. In the past few weeks, Johnson has become the clear No. 2 running back for the Jaguars. Rookie Tank Bigsby, who had been the No. 2 running back to start the season, has barely seen the field the past few weeks. Travis Etienne Jr. has been banged up in recent weeks and has been nursing a rib injury.

Like Spears, Mitchell, and Gainwell, Johnson also offers very little to no weekly fantasy value. His entire value is held in his contingency value in the event Etienne were to miss time. Whereas Mitchell and Spears would become workhorse backs, I still believe Bigsby would have a role. This wouldn't become the Johnson show like it would become the Spears show in Tennessee. Still, Johnson would likely see 10-14 touches per game and would hold RB3 value for as long as Etienne is hurt.

Others to consider: Latavius Murray, Buffalo Bills – 16% Rostered (UH, DL), Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys – 9% Rostered (UH, DL), Jamaal Williams, New Orleans Saints – 16% Rostered (UH, DL), Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears – 30% Rostered (UH, DL), Michael Carter, Arizona Cardinals – 2% Rostered (UH, DL), Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos – 10% Rostered (DL, UH),  Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints – 5% Rostered (UH, DL), Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers – 20% Rostered (UH, DL),  Chase Edmonds, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 2% Rostered (UH, DL), Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals – 27% Rostered (DL)

 

Wide Receivers - Waiver Wire Options

Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars – 29% Rostered (MA, WS, DP)

Christian Kirk was injured on his first catch in Week 13 and has since been placed on IR. This puts Jones back into the starting lineup on a full-time basis. He finished with eight targets, five receptions, and 78 yards last week. He played on 93% of the snaps and had a 100% route participation rate.

With the team putting Kirk on IR, his Week 13 role should have become the expectation moving forward. That came to fruition this past weekend. He played on 64 of the team's 76 snaps and ran 52 routes on 56 dropbacks. He finished with 14 targets, which was the highest for the team. Calvin Ridley had 11 and Evan Engram had 12. These three players will be Trevor Lawrence's primary targets moving forward and they should be expected to handle the vast majority of the targets.

Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens – 41% Rostered (MA, WS, DP)

The Ravens were on bye in Week 13, but before that, Beckham had back-to-back-to-back good games. He had seven targets, five receptions, 56 yards, and a touchdown in Week 9 en route to 12.1 half-PPR points. In Week 10, he had just two targets and one reception, but it was a 40-yard touchdown catch. He finished with 10.5 half-PPR points. OBJ had seven targets, four receptions, and 116 yards in Week 11. He finished with 13.6 half-PPR points. In Week 12, he had five targets. He caught three of them for 34 yards, finishing with 4.9 half-PPR points.

Zay Flowers is going to continue to operate as the No. 1 option in Baltimore's passing game with Mark Andrews lost for the season. Who the No. 2 is on any given week will be anyone's best guess. However, Beckham has been the most productive player of this group of role players. Isaiah Likely should be expected to somewhat operate in the role Andrews had, but he shouldn't be expected to handle the same volume with the same efficiency.

Beckham's hot streak continued this past weekend. After having played behind Rashod Bateman before the bye, OBJ moved ahead of him. He ran a route on 59% of the team's dropbacks. That's not very high, but it is a significant upgrade from his 41% rate in Week 12.

In Week 14, OBJ had nine targets, which was second to only Flowers' 11. He finished with four receptions, 97 yards, and one touchdown en route to 17.7 half-PPR points. Over his last five games, he's averaging 11.7 half-PPR PPG. He should be considered a WR3/4 moving forward, but if his role continues to grow, he could become a weekly WR3 with WR2 upside.

Noah Brown, Houston Texans – 50% Rostered (WS, DP)

All of a sudden, the Houston Texans are hurting at wide receiver. In Week 13, they lost star rookie Tank Dell to a fractured fibula. He's on IR and will not return this season. This past weekend, third-year breakout receiver Nico Collins suffered a calf injury and was unable to return.

It's unknown how serious the injury is. Brown was inactive in Weeks 11 and 12, but in Weeks 8-10, Brown finished with 19 targets, 16 receptions, and 382 yards. He racked up 7.2, 24.3, and 20.7 half-PPR points in those three contests. During those three games, Brown had a full-time role, and with the injuries to Dell and now Collins, Brown is likely to be a starter for the rest of the season.

In Week 13, despite Dell's early exit, Brown finished with just two targets and zero receptions. This past weekend, he ran 27 routes on 34 dropbacks. This was second to only Robert Woods. The weather was poor and C.J. Stroud ended up getting knocked out of the game for some time.

For the second game in a row, Brown finished with zero receptions. He did, however, have six targets, which was the most for the team. The lack of production in two straight games is not ideal, but fantasy managers should be expecting him to play a lot of snaps and run a lot of routes moving forward.

Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders – 35% (WS, DP)

Samuel's rostership has dropped quite a bit after five weeks between Weeks 7-11, including one week where he was inactive and a couple of other weeks where he was injured and left early. In Weeks 1-6, Samuel played between 62% and 74% of the team's snaps in every game. From Weeks 7-11, due to injuries, Samuel played between 16% and 55%.

That explains why his scoring dropped significantly. His playing time picked up in Week 12 and so did his fantasy production. He had 12 targets, nine receptions, and 100 yards en route to 14.5 half-PPR points. While his production in Week 13 wasn't quite as good, he did end up as Washington's No. 1 receiver. He finished with five targets, four receptions, and 65 yards.

If we eliminate this stretch of injury-shortened contests and only look at Weeks 1-6 and Weeks 12-13, Samuel is averaging 10.6 half-PPR points per game. Of those eight games, he has three with seven or more targets and four with five or more catches. When he's been healthy, he's been more productive than Jahan Dotson and should be considered a decent WR3. Washington is the most pass-heavy offense in the NFL and their defense is one of the worst. This combination will ensure that there will always be good weekly passing volume.

Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns – 52% Rostered (WS, DP)

Moore's fantasy appeal took a big hit with Deshaun Watson's injury. However, he's still worth an add in any PPR-scoring league. He has seven or more targets in nine out of 13 games. He also has racked up four or more receptions in seven games this season.

Quarterback Joe Flacco started for Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Week 13 and he targeted Moore 11 times. He finished with four receptions and 83 yards. It was just the third time that Moore had gone over 50 yards. His ceiling is limited by the lack of receiving yardage and the fact that he has just one touchdown on 84 targets, but he comes with a decent floor and is a solid enough PPR asset.

He's scored over 7.0 half-PPR points in six out of 13 games. He has just two games with more than 10 half-PPR points, but he eclipsed that in his first game with Flacco under center. Flacco started again in Week 14 and Moore finished with six targets, three receptions, and 42 yards en route to 5.7 half-PPR points. Flacco has been declared the starter for the rest of the season, which was the best case for Moore's fantasy value. He's a better player in full-PPR leagues, but should still be viewed as a WR4/5.

Demario Douglas, New England Patriots – 21% Rostered (WS, DP)

Since Week 7, Douglas has operated as the Patriots' best receiver. Since that time, he has had five straight games with six targets or more and four or more receptions. He was ruled out of their Week 12 game early, but that didn't stop him from racking up nine targets, his second game in as many weeks with nine targets. He finished Week 12 with six receptions and 49 yards. He's averaging 7.6 targets per game since Week 7 and 5.2 receptions. He's a very solid PPR asset to have on your bench.

Since Week 7, Douglas has had just one game over 55 yards receiving and he has yet to find the end zone. Due to his average depth of target, which is low, Douglas is unlikely to have high yardage outputs and due to New England's limitations on offense and at the quarterback position, he's unlikely to find the end zone with any sort of regularity. Douglas won't be a league-winning addition, but he can be a decent WR3 in PPR scoring leagues who will likely score between 7-12 points. He was inactive this past weekend due to a concussion, but hopefully, he should be able to return this week.

Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers – 30% Rostered (WS, DP)

Mike Williams tore his ACL in Week 3. In Weeks 3-7, until Palmer suffered his own knee injury in Week 8, he had seven or more targets in all four contests. During this four-game stretch, Palmer averaged just over seven targets, four receptions, and 84 yards per game. He's currently on IR with a knee sprain but was eligible to return in Week 13. The Chargers opened his 21-day practice window last week, so fantasy managers should be optimistic Palmer returns in Week 15.

With the up-and-down (mostly down) performance from Quentin Johnston, Palmer will certainly slot right back in as the team's No. 2 receiver behind star Keenan Allen. In that role, Palmer averaged 11.4 half-PPR PPG. With the Chargers' electric offense, Palmer should be viewed as a weekly WR3 with WR2 upside. Justin Herbert was ruled out this past weekend with a finger injury to his throwing hand. Reports indicated he has a broken index finger on his throwing hand. It's unknown how long Herbert will be out, but given their record, his season could be over. If that's the case, Palmer's value essentially disappears.

Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints – 40% Rostered (DL)

Michael Thomas is currently on IR and it's unknown if he'll return this season. Reports came out before Week 14 that his quad injury that has since kept him out the past two weeks is worse than expected. Based on that, there are likely questions and concerns about him returning this upcoming week. However, there aren't very many full-time starting receivers available on the waiver wire and if Shaheed is healthy, he checks both boxes. Derek Carr has been awful the past two weeks, but injuries likely are the culprit. If Carr and Shaheed can both get healthy, he should be valued as a boom or bust WR4.

Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers – 4% Rostered (DL)

Christian Watson injured his hamstring last week. He's already been ruled out for tonight's game against the Giants. Wicks has been one of the most efficient receivers in the NFL with the opportunities he's been given. He has a 2.00 yards per route run, which is the 28th-best number among receivers this season. He's averaging 10.4 yards per target -- 12th among receivers -- and 16.3 yards per reception, which is the 11th-best.

Over his last five games, Wicks is averaging just over four targets per game, three receptions, and 52.4 yards per game. That was with Watson active. It sounds as though Watson's injury could end up being a multi-week one, which would put Wicks on the field a lot more than he's accustomed to. Without Watson, Wicks should be close to a full-time player. Jayden Reed has been used exclusively out of the slot, which could mean Wicks will be one of the receivers on the field in two receiver sets. He's worth adding in case Watson's injury is a multi-week one.

Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers – 17% Rostered (DL)

Mingo is trending up as of late. Since Week 10, Mingo has had 38 targets. That amounts to 7.6 targets per game, which would equate to 129 targets over 17 games. The production hasn't been there, but isn't entirely Mingo's fault. He's only caught 16 of those 38 targets, which continues to hold back his fantasy value.

The entire Panthers offense is putrid. Bryce Young is having a very rough season. Head coach Frank Reich has already been fired. If you're in a deep league, Mingo is worth a look. He's playing virtually 100% of the snaps, has a route participation rate close to 100%, and is consistently earning six or more targets. The volume, snaps, and routes are all there.

Robert Woods, Houston Texans – 5% Rostered (DL)

We've already touched on the injuries to Tank Dell and Nico Collins. Dell is currently on IR and won't be returning. Collins injured his calf in Week 14 and the severity of his injury is unknown. Regardless of Collins' future availability, without Dell, Woods will likely continue to operate as one of the team's top-three receivers. His snap share and route participation should routinely be over 70%.

Woods isn't the same player he once was, but if he's in a full-time role with C.J. Stroud under center, he's worth picking up. Before Dell's emergence early in the season, Woods started the year with five straight games of six targets or more. During Weeks 1-5, he had 46 targets and 21 receptions. With tight end Dalton Schultz also banged up, Woods could find himself serving as Stroud's primary safety valve for the rest of the season.

Others to consider: Jalin Hyatt, New York Giants – 4% Rostered (DL), Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears – 11% Rostered (DL), Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions – 24% Rostered (DL), JuJu Smith-Schuster, New England Patriots – 14% Rostered (DL), Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens – 16% Rostered (DL), Darius Slayton, New York Giants – 1% Rostered (DL), Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals – 6% Rostered (DL), Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans – 11% Rostered (DL), Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers – 21% Rostered, Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills – 14% Rostered (DL), Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars – 6% Rostered (DL), Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns – 1% Rostered (DL), DeVante Parker, New England Patriots – 3% Rostered (DL), Xavier Hutchinson, Houston Texans – 1% Rostered (DL), Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys – 1% Rostered (DL)

 

Tight Ends - Waiver Wire Options

Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens – 55% Rostered (MA, WS)

In his first game since the injury to Mark Andrews, Likely finished second on the team with six targets in Week 12. He caught four of them for 40 yards. The Ravens were on bye in Week 13, but Week 12 gave fantasy managers a good look at what to expect from Likely moving forward. While he's not as talented as Andrews, he walked into the same role that Andrews held.

His route participation was elite, which is something that carried over to this past weekend. Likely ran 48 routes out of 54 dropbacks. He finished with seven targets, five receptions, 83 yards, and one touchdown en route to 16.8 half-PPR points. He should be considered a top-12 option for the rest of the season and is a priority add.

Darren Waller, New York Giants – 60% Rostered (DP)

Waller is eligible to return in Week 15. He has been on IR with a hamstring injury. If you're hurting at tight end, stashing Waller makes some sense. He's averaged seven targets per game. His 22.5% target share ranks third among tight ends. He is first in air yard share among tight ends at 26.3%. He's been efficient too, averaging 1.55 yards per route run, which ranks ninth at the position. The Giants passing game needs a spark and a true No. 1 option. That was meant to be Waller and when he was healthy, he was exactly that.

Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos – 7% Rostered (DP)

Dulcich has barely seen the field this season. He injured his hamstring in the very first game of the season and was subsequently placed on IR. After being out for four games, he returned in Week 6 and immediately re-injured the same hamstring. Once again, Dulcich was put on IR. He was eligible to return in Week 13 and started working off to the start before last weekend's game. Hopefully, a return is in sight.

This isn’t the first time he’s struggled with this same hamstring injury. He was on IR last year to start the season before first appearing in Week 6 after having missed the first five games. His rookie season ended early to you guessed it, a hamstring injury.

All of that certainly makes him a gamble, but how he performed in 10 games last year as a rookie makes him worth the gamble. This is true primarily for teams who are streaming tight ends and are looking for a consistent starter. Dulcich, theoretically, has that level of upside.

Route Participation	Routes Run Per Game	Target Share	Target Per Game	Receptions Per Game	Yards Per Game	Half-PPR PPG
84.1%	28.5	17.2%	5.5	3.3	41.1	7.0

As you can see from the numbers above, Dulcich was very good as a rookie. An 84% route participation rate is elite. A 17% target share is very good as well. His per-game averages, over 17 games, equals 94 targets, 56 receptions, and 699 yards. He did that as a rookie while Russell Wilson was doing his best Zach Wilson impersonation, first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett was doing his Urban Meyer impersonation, and the Broncos were one of the very worst offenses in the NFL. Pretty impressive stuff!

With Dulcich’s rookie performance and the bleak play Denver has received from their tight ends so far this year, he could walk into a sizable role upon return. Jerry Jeudy has struggled mightily this season and it’s certainly possible that Dulcich could find himself as Wilson’s No. 2 target behind Courtland Sutton. There’s an upside here and because of that, he’s worth a speculative add.

 

Other Waiver Wire Options to Consider

• Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders – 43% Rostered
• Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers – 52% Rostered (DL)
• Tyler Conklin, New York Jets – 19% Rostered (DL)
• Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 38% Rostered (DL)
• Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans – 33% Rostered (DL)
• Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers – 10% Rostered (DL)
• Zach Ertz, Free Agent – 11% Rostered (DL)
• Brevin Jordan, Houston Texans – 21% Rostered (IF, DL)
• Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders – 8% Rostered (DL)
• Hunter Henry, New England Patriots – 24% Rostered (DL)
• Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints – 13% Rostered (DL)
• Daniel Bellinger, New York Giants – 1% Rostered (DL

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