Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups - Top Fantasy Football WR Adds for Week 15 Include Adam Thielen, Quentin Johnston, Jalen McMillan, Tim Patrick

December 9, 2024

Justin Carter's fantasy football WR waiver wire pickups for Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season. His free agent wide receivers to add, stream, and stash off waivers.

Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season is almost behind us. For many of you, Week 15 is the start of the fantasy playoffs. For others, it's the final week of the regular season. Whichever situation you're in, you can always use reinforcements for your roster off the waiver wire.

Below, you'll find our Week 15 wide receiver fantasy football waiver wire pickups list with players you should be targeting on the fantasy football waiver wire ahead of Week 15. Not all of these waiver wire options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster.

Be sure to also check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 15 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list are around 50% rostered or below.

Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

Adam Thielen, Carolina Panthers - 53% rostered

Count me among the people who were convinced this would be a letdown week for Adam Thielen. The veteran wide receiver had a big Week 13, but a very tough matchup with the Eagles was on deck in Week 14.

Adam Thielen is so underrated as a route runner in this league.

— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) December 8, 2024

Instead, Thielen firmly established himself as a fantasy league winner down the stretch for fantasy managers who grabbed him after his hamstring injury.

Thielen was targeted 11 times against Philly, giving him 21 targets over the past two weeks, and he finished with nine receptions for 102 yards. With Bryce Young playing his best NFL football, you want his No. 1 weapon on your roster.

Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers - 40% rostered

With Ladd McConkey out, a big question was who would step up for the Chargers. It ended up being a joint effort between Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer.

You can read more on Palmer deeper in the article because he's my No. 2 priority among these two players. I like Johnston more because even though he entered this game on a very cold streak (two catches for 12 yards on nine targets over the past two games), his touchdown upside offers a big boost.

Johnston found the end zone against Kansas City, giving him seven scores on the year. Next week's juicy matchup against the Buccaneers gives him scoring upside whether McConkey returns or not.

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers - 51% rostered

It's so hard to get a read on the Packers receivers. There are just too many good ones and not enough great ones, so week-to-week production tends to look like a roller coaster.

But Christian Watson now has two 100-yard games since the team's Week 10 bye. The big-play receiver has been hitting on the big plays, which usually makes up for his low number of targets. This week, Watson actually saw his most opportunities since Week 9, as Jordan Love looked his way seven times.

Christian Watson either makes the best or worst play you’ve ever seen on a weekly basis.

— Jacob 🏈🎄❄️ (@NotionsOfJacob) December 6, 2024

The one main downside for Watson is that there tend to be some weeks where things don't go his way. In Week 12, for example, he failed to catch any of his three targets, and he's also got a one-catch, nine-yard game on his resume.

Consider him a high-risk, high-reward player going forward.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, New Orleans Saints - 38% rostered

The scoring streak didn't continue for Marquez Valdes-Scantling this week, but he led the Saints in targets with seven, his most since joining the team. MVS caught four passes for 51 yards.

I'd have him as my No. 2 add this week behind Thielen if not for one major obstacle: Derek Carr's wrist injury, which looks like it will end his season. It's going to be hard to trust any Saints pass-catcher with Jake Haener under center, but MVS is the best of the bunch right now.

Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants - 35% rostered

I mean, at this point Wan'Dale Robinson is what he is, which is a low-ceiling, decent-floor play in full PPR leagues. His targets had been down lately, but Drew Lock looked his way 11 times this week, though he caught just four for 38 yards.

Adding Robinson at this point feels like desperation, but sometimes desperation works. His upcoming schedule is juicy, with the Ravens and Falcons up next. Those teams rank fourth and second respectively in fantasy points per game allowed to wide receivers.

Deeper Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Pickups For Week 15

Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 5% rostered

It was a big game for Buccaneers wideout Jalen McMillan this week as he caught four passes for 59 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

We know from watching this offense that it can sustain two fantasy relevant receivers with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but the battle for the No. 2 role with Godwin injury has been messy between McMillan and Sterling Shepard, with the two trading off on who looked more impressive.

But McMillan had more targets than Shepard this week and found the end zone twice. He almost certainly did enough to earn a larger role going forward.

Tim Patrick, Detroit Lions - 1% rostered

Alright, so Thursday's Tim Patrick explosion was probably not sustainable, but it raises my eyebrows any time a player scores two touchdowns.

On a night when Amon-Ra St. Brown was relatively quiet, Patrick was targeted seven times, catching six passes for 43 yards and the aforementioned scores.

This route by Detroit Lions WR Tim Patrick 🔥

BBQ CHICKEN 🍗 pic.twitter.com/URXwwft5xJ

— Lukas Klotz 🤝 (@1ukasklotz) December 6, 2024

This makes three games in a row with 40 or more yards for Patrick, who has established himself as the third receiver in one of the NFL's top offenses. There's certainly streaming appeal in 14-team leagues for Patrick as long as Kalif Raymond's foot injury keeps him off the field.

Ray-Ray McCloud III, Atlanta Falcons - 18% rostered

It's still hard to trust the No. 3 receiver in this offense, but with how the Falcons are moving the ball through the air, Ray-Ray McCloud III is worth adding in 14-team leagues this week.

McCloud was targeted a team-high 11 times in the loss to the Vikings, catching eight passes for 98 yards. In two games since the team's bye week, McCloud has gone over 90 yards both times out. He's definitely on the ascent right now.

Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers - 16% rostered

A big game for Joshua Palmer this week, as the Chargers receiver caught six passes for 78 yards to lead the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards.

But he's this low on the list because it was all because of Ladd McConkey being out. Before this game, Palmer last had more than three receptions in Week 7 and had gone four straight games with under 40 yards. He's a strong streaming play if McConkey is out again, but isn't worth a roster spot if McConkey suits up against Tampa.

Mack Hollins, Buffalo Bills - 1% rostered

Mack Hollins has touchdowns in back-to-back games and double-digit fantasy points in three of his last five outings. He's not the most exciting option in the league, but he has streaking appeal as long as both Keon Coleman (wrist) and Dalton Kincaid (knee) remain off the field.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice