Week 15 Fantasy Football: Waiver Wire Adds Guide
Wading through the waiver wire each week can be a daunting task, no matter what kind of league you’re in. Do you play in an eight-teamer with small starting lineups? Then there’s a plethora of options and it’s hard to figure out which to grab. Maybe you play in a 16-teamer with 12 starting spots; then it’s hard to figure out which flier is on the verge of breaking out.
Each week, I’ll help you find potential players to add off the waiver wire who will provide additional value to your fantasy football team. We’ll limit ourselves to players rostered in 40% of Yahoo! leagues or less, meaning these are players that should be available in most leagues.
Don’t force yourself to pick through the player pile alone; I can be your help in winning from the wire. Which players are must-adds, interesting options, and deeper sleepers for Week 14’s waivers?
Must-Adds
RB Rashaad Penny (22% rostered)
Yes, it’s the hapless Houston Texans that Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny thrashed in Week 14, but he thrashed them nonetheless. The former first-round pick went ballistic in a starring role this past week, rushing 16 times for 137 yards and two touchdowns, while also running the most pass routes among running backs. Head coach Pete Carroll said today that Penny will get “a shot again to… keep [this] going” next week as the Seahawks’ lead back. Penny has the draft credentials and tools to capture the top role in Seattle’s offense and it sounds like he’s finally healthy and has earned the trust of his coaches. He’s a must-add player for RB-needy teams down the stretch.
Interesting Options
RB Kenneth Gainwell, PHI (13% rostered)
The Philadelphia Eagles were on bye last week, so some people might have forgotten by now that Kenneth Gainwell went off in Week 13. The Eagles’ rookie scatback compiled 87 scrimmage yards on 12 carries and five catches, adding a touchdown to the portfolio for 17.2 half-PPR points in that contest. There’s a decent chance Gainwell runs a majority of the Eagles’ backfield pass routes going forward, and he could still lead the entire position group overall if Miles Sanders’ ankle isn’t quite up to snuff yet.
RB Royce Freeman, HOU (1% rostered)
I’m not enthused about the idea of Texans running back Royce Freeman, on his third team in two years, but in a deeper PPR league he has legitimate stash value after earning 14 rushing attempts and nine targets over the past two weeks. He hasn’t done much with the ground work, but he has caught seven of the nine targets for 62 receiving yards. For a team evaluating its younger players (and likely still playing catch-up) through the end of the season, Freeman will probably have a Giovani Bernard-lite role in the Houston offense. Probably.
WR Josh Reynolds, DET (8% rostered)
After just dipping his toes in his first game with the Detroit Lions, wide receiver Josh Reynolds has now put in three back-to-back-to-back games with at least three catches and at least 50 yards receiving. His famously high average depth of target and typically low catch rate makes him a better non-PPR or bestball player, but he is making himself at bare minimum startable in most leagues right now. With suspect secondaries coming up for the Lions, Reynolds looks like he’s making a sneaky case to be a playoff hero for fantasy football.
WR Rashod Bateman, BAL (36% rostered)
After Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman had begun trending downward the last few weeks, the shift to quarterback Tyler Huntley seemed to reinvigorate him. Lamar Jackson suffered an ankle injury early, which led to the Ravens playing from behind all game and feeding Bateman eight targets. He caught seven of them for more than 100 yards and a score. Perhaps the backup connection will help Bateman’s fantasy chances if Jackson remains out another week or two, or perhaps just having to go into high-speed catch-up mode was what did the trick. Either way, it appears likely to continue going forward.
WR A.J. Green, ARI (40% rostered)
The Arizona Cardinals offense is one of the tastiest in the league to get a slice of for fantasy purposes, the only problem being that it’s tough to know which receiver will be the featured one on a given week. In Week 14, it was the veteran A.J. Green who got fed a whopping 10 targets thanks to the Los Angeles Rams double-teaming DeAndre Hopkins. Green responded with seven catches for 102 yards and an almost-touchdown. His last four weeks are emblematic of the tempting enigma that is the Kliff Kingsbury offense: five targets (one catch) for four yards, seven targets (four catches) for 78 yards, one target (one catch) for 14 yards, and now this one. In the fantasy playoffs, though, we need upside; a receiver in this offense is worth that risk.
Deeper Sleepers and Streaming Options
QB Tua Tagovailoa, MIA vs. NYJ (34% rostered
QB Justin Fields, CHI vs. MIN (19% rostered)
RB Craig Reynolds, DET (1% rostered)
RB Boston Scott, PHI (22% rostered)
WR Laviska Shenault, JAX (33% rostered)
WR Sterling Shepard, NYG (26% rostered)
TE Ricky Seals-Jones, WAS at PHI (19% rostered)
TE Evan Engram, NYG vs. DAL (33% rostered)
