Week 14 is behind us, which means many of us had our first playoff matchup. Hopefully, you were the lucky ones who didn’t run up against the likes of Drew Brees, Jameis Winston, Emmanuel Sanders, A.J. Brown, Austin Ekelar, or one of the other players who had huge weeks.
On the flip side, we also saw guys like Mike Evans, Derrius Guice, Jared Cook, Davante Parker, Calvin Ridley, Bilal Powell, Ryan Griffin, Rashaad Penny, Noah Fant, and Mark Andrews all leave the game with injuries. Also, Patrick Mahomes is set to undergo x-rays and Jameis Winston is dealing with a “tiny” fracture in his throwing hand.
If you were lucky enough to make it through the mess that was Week 14 and are alive to fight another day you may be looking at the waiver wire to address a need. There appear to be a few waiver wire guys who are going to be hot commodities, but also maybe some others who can help you move forward. Either way, I did my best to identify players at each position who could help you out this Week 15.
As always, we want to continue to pay attention to injuries as more news comes out for some players. Most of the players listed below are the ones who are most likely available on your waiver wire in your league and I’ve found a few players at each position that may be available in your league. Every player listed is owned in less than 50 percent of leagues (Yahoo and ESPN formats) with a few who might have a little more ownership, but possibly available.
Week 15 Waiver Wire: Possibly owned, but worth a look
Raheem Mostert (RB, SF)
Sitting right above 50% ownership, Raheen Mostert should be available in half of leagues and had a strong Week 14 to add on to his impressive Week 13 stat line. Mostert rushed 10 times for 69 yards and a touchdown. He also added in 40 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.
It appears he may still have Breida to compete with, but he had 10 rushing attempts to Breida’s 6. He’s definitely worth a pickup and has a chance to assist you in a playoff run.
Less than 50% ownership
Ryan Tannehill (QB, TEN)
Ryan Tannehill had another strong outing in Week 14 which saw him complete 21 passes for 391 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He added 19 yards rushing as well. Tannehill faces off against Houston in week 15 who just had Drew Lock throw for 309 yards and three touchdowns. He’s definitely worth a pickup if you’ve been streaming and he is available.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB, MIA)
Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t quite have the day many thought in week 14 as he threw for just 245 scoreless yards. He managed to add 65 rushing yards to his point total, but underwhelmed against the depleted Jets secondary.
However, Fitzpatrick now gets the Giants and Bengals, which are both quality matchups at quarterback. He’s tough to trust as he possible loses Parker moving forward, but based on matchups alone you could probably do worse.
Drew Lock (QB, DEN)
A deeper dive, but Lock is now 2-0 as a starter and threw for 309 yards and 3 touchdowns in Week 14. He faces off against Kansas City in Week 15 who has been better on defense, but Denver may end up behind in this one and need to rely on Drew Lock and the passing game.
He’s a desperation play that hopefully you don’t have to make, but tough to overlook his 443 yards and 5 touchdowns since he took over the starting position.
DeAndre Washington (RB, OAK)
With Josh Jacobs dealing with his shoulder injury, DeAndre Washington led the Oakland backfield out touching Jalen Richard 20-9. He rushed 14 times for 53 yards and a touchdown, while also adding in 6 receptions for 43 yards.
With Jacobs getting more evaluations done on his injury, Washington has a chance to be the lead back in Week 15.
Patrick Laird (RB, MIA)
A deeper league pickup, Patrick Laird came out of Week 14 with 19 total touches. He rushed 15 times for 48 yards and caught 4 receptions for 38 yards.
Managing just 3.2 yards per rush, the running game in Miami is difficult to trust, but Miami faces off against the Giants and Bengals in the next two weeks, which are matchups they should be able to compete in.
A.J. Brown (WR, TEN)
A.J. Brown exploded in Week 14 with 5 receptions for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. This was the first time since week 9 that he has received over 5 targets and just the third time this season. He’s going to be a boom/bust receiver as he has 5 games over 80 yards, but 8 games under and 6 games with 30 or less yards.
If you’re needing some possible high upside in your playoff matchup he’s worth an add, but know he comes with a low floor.
Russell Gage (WR, ATL)
Russell Gage had a quiet Week 14 as he only caught 2 receptions for 17 yards. However, Calvin Ridley is now out for the rest of the season, which could possibly open the door for increased targets for Gage.
He’s most likely a deeper league option at this point and it’s a possible gamble that Gage doesn’t see an increase, but if your hurting the opportunity appears to be opening up for Gage.
Zach Pascal (WR, IND)
After putting up a goose egg in Week 12, Zach Pascal has appeared to bounce back. In Week 14, Pascal caught 5 of his 9 targets for 74 yards and a receiving touchdown along with a 2 point conversion.
He now has had 19 targets, 12 receptions, 183 receiving yards, and a touchdown in the last two weeks. He’s got an extremely low floor, but tough to overlook his targets the last couple of weeks.
Tyler Higbee (TE, SEA)
Tyler Higbee topped 100 yards receiving again in week 14 as he caught 7 of his 11 targets as the Rams upset the Seahawks. I was one to lean towards Higbee being a one-hit-wonder after Week 13, but he now has 14 receptions for 223 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 targets.
It’ll be important to keep an eye on Gerald Everett’s injury status heading into Week 15 as he may cut into the target share Higbee has gotten the last two weeks.
O.J. Howard (TE, TB)
O.J. Howard had a decent week 14 pull in 4 of his 5 targets for 73 yards today. He’s now had at least 4 receptions and 60 yards in the last two weeks.
He’s always going to battle with Cameron Brate for targets, but what is most intriguing will be his possible usage should Mike Evans miss time with his hamstring injury. He’s worth a pickup if your hurting at tight end.
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