Waiver Wire Pickups Week 15

 

Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

 

News

 

THE PLAYOFFS ARE HERE

 

NO MORE BYE WEEKS, BUT INJURIES ARE STILL PILING UP

 

QBs banged up: Not every QB is as tough as Trevor Lawrence. 

CJ Stroud in concussion protocol.

Justin Herbert’s finger is fractured.

Jake Browning’s hand injury.

Kenny Pickett’s ankle is still banged up.

Geno Smith is dealing with a groin injury.

 

RBs banged up

Aaron Jones’s knee injury.

Josh Jacobs knee.

Alexander Mattison ankle.

 

WRs banged up

Justin Jefferson’s chest injury- JustIN more like JustOUT am I right?

Nico Collins calf injury.

 

QB streamers

 

CJ Stroud is in concussion protocol.

 

Justin Herbert’s finger is fractured

 

Matthew Stafford, Matthew Stafford, Matthew Stafford (53%) vs. Commanders

Top 8 option at the QB position this week and gets the best matchup for QBs. 10 TDs, 1 INT over the past 3 games against some stout defenses in the Browns and Ravens.

Jonah: I made the mistake of benching Stafford against the two best pass defenses in the NFL. Can’t wait to start him in the playoffs.

Jake Browning (28%) vs. Vikings

Banged up his hand, but it doesn’t seem to be too serious. Back-to-back great weeks. QB3 before MNF games. QB4 the week before. The Vikings haven’t been as nice to the QB position as his previous two matchups, but he’s getting it done.

Jonah: The Vikings’ defense is elite, but Jake Browning has proved me wrong. I still think he’s a big risk because of the matchup.

Joe Flacco (9%) vs.

The Bears on paper are not a good matchup for QBs, they are 2nd best of the past month, but the QBs they’ve played are Goff (twice, tons of picks), Dobbs, Young, and Carr. Not exactly QB hitters at the position.

Jonah: Flacco throws the ball a ton, somehow he’s still a fantasy-relevant quarterback. I would trust Flacco over Browning.

RB pickups

IF HE IS SOMEHOW OUT THERE, PICK UP ZEKE

Grab your backups NOW if you haven’t already. RBs are dropping like flies. If you wonder which RB is worthy of a pickup as an insurance back, hit us up on Twitter or the website.

 

Antonio Gibson (59%) 

Brian Robinson exited with a hamstring injury in Week 13. He may not be ready for Week 15. This one you’ll want to monitor his practices throughout the week.

Jonah: An easy add if Robinson is hurt. Not a horrible add even if Robinson is healthy.

Ty Chandler (29%)

Alexander Mattison is hurt.

Jonah: Ty Chandler gets a decent amount of work when Mattison is healthy. The Vikings are focusing on the run more recently.

Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (50%)

I’m down this bad, but I kind of lean CEH only because McKinnon probably isn’t used too much against the Patriots and Raiders.

Jonah: CEH is the “running” running back of the two, unfortunately, he’s terrible. McKinnon is the pass-catching back, but he doesn’t get the consistent work that CEH does.

Chase Brown (13%)

Vikings, Steelers, and Chiefs are better against the run, but still, his efficiency has been wild. Not sure I have the confidence to start him, but if you’re in a pinch.

Jonah: Those are tough matchups for a player who looks to be a backup running back. Brown looks like the better back than Mixon, but I would expect Mixon to keep getting the large share of carries.

D’Onta Foreman (39%)

Plays the Browns, not ideal, but he gets the Cardinals in Week 16 (a bottom 3 defense against RBs).

Jonah: Foreman is getting lots of work in the backfield in Chicago. He’s a solid addition to your roster if you need running back help.

Zamir White/Ameer Abdullah (0%)

Jacobs is questionable going into Week 15. The good news is he plays on TNF, so you can audible out to anyone else if he doesn’t play. White profiles as the thumper and leading rusher, while Abdullah profiles as the pass catcher.

Jonah: I’d prefer White in this situation. I believe they drafted White to be Jacobs’s eventual successor.

WR pickups

 

Odell Beckham (52%)

Had his best game of the season in a back-and-forth between the Rams and Ravens. Went 4 for 97 and a TD against his old team on 10 targets. Plays the Jags who are bottom 5 against WRs.

Jonah: Beckham has blossomed into a pretty solid fantasy receiver. A legitimate start possibility against a weak defense.

Demarcus Robinson (0%)

I’m not chasing it, but he’s worth mentioning given he’s going up against Washington who bleeds points to the WR position. Went 3 for 46 on 10 targets and a nice TD snag against the Ravens.

Jonah: At best the number three receiver for the Rams, more than likely further down the depth chart. A real hail mary play. I’d be much more comfortable looking at Noah Brown, Zay Jones, or Elijah Moore.

 

TE pickups

 

Isaiah Likely (58%)

Came out swinging against the Rams. Went 5 for 83 and a TD. Gets another favorable matchup in the Jaguars in Week 15. 

Jonah: Starting tight end for a team that likes to utilize the tight end position.

Davis Allen (0%)

RAMS TE. Had a weird uptick in work with Tyler Higbee inactive. Baltimore is beatable against the TE position, but his next week matchup against the Commanders isn’t (they are top 5 against TEs), plus Higbee may be active.

Jonah: Again, have to be pretty desperate to go after Davis Allen. I’d be much more comfortable looking at Logan Thomas or Tucker Kraft.

D/ST streamers

 

Falcons @ Panthers

The Panthers arguably have the worst offense. The Falcons stink, but the Panthers’ offense reeks. 

Jonah: The Panthers’ offense can’t put anything together. The Falcons likely hold them under 20 points.

 

Chiefs @ Patriots

Another incredible matchup. Perhaps the Chiefs were dropped because they played the Bills. I was able to scoop them up.

Do you have the stones to throw out the Dolphins’ defense vs the Jets? Since their bye week in Week 10, they’ve been the #2 defense, barely behind the Cowboys. They’ve played poor offenses (including the Jets), but they get them again. Zach Wilson kind of went crazy on the Texans in a rain game. His first 300-yard game of the season and 2nd 2+ TD game of the year.

Jonah: I do. I’ll always be a Zach Wilson believer, but even with Wilson the Jets’ offense wasn’t great. The Texans’ defense is pretty bad and I think the Dolphins’ defense is much better than Houston.

 

Raiders v. LA Chargers (TNF)

Catching a Chargers team that has 13 points in two weeks, has a head coach that knows he’s coaching his final games for the team and just lost Justin Herbert for possibly the rest of the season? That’ll do, especially with the Raiders coming off a smothering defensive effort last week.

Jonah: Easton Stick is terrible. The Chargers just became a must-start against any defense.

Bengals vs. Vikings

The Vikings have also scored 13 points in their last two games, may be without Justin Jefferson yet again and are definitely without a clear choice to go with at quarterback going forward. At home with some momentum and nothing to lose, Bengals DST is definitely worth a long look if you want to bet the Vikes woes continue.

Jonah: Vikings made a change at quarterback that I expect to continue. Nick Mullens gets the Vikings’ offense back on track and they score at least 20 points against the Bengals.