Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

If you made it past whatever Week 14 was, you are most likely one game away from the Championship! Many of the teams that have made it this far, may not need most of these pickups. That won't stop me from writing them though. There are tons of deep leagues that may need to play some of these guys this week. I will highlight some of the better week 15 pickups and streamers below. 

I apologize for the lack of content last week, finishing up finals and celebrating my birthday did take most of my time away from me. I am back for this week and am going to help you push through to the title! 

A quick note, look at your opponents roster before you make your waiver claims. If there is a obvious hole, and you can pick up a better option on the waiver wire, steal that player from them. Sometimes the best offense is defense. As always, I will be using ESPN ownership percentages. Good luck this week and feel free to shoot me any questions you may have!

QB:

Dak Prescott (53.8%)- He blew up the Eagles last week after throwing for 455 yards and 3 touchdowns. All three of those went to Amari Cooper, including the game winner in overtime. Since Cooper has joined this team, Prescott looks like a solid QB. He hasn't had very many rushing yards the last couple of weeks, but he can still be a threat. The Colts have played defense fairly well as of late, but this has the chance to turn into a high scoring shootout. 

Josh Allen (16.9%)- He is rushing all over defenses these last 3 games. Since returning from his injury, he now has back to back games with over 100 rushing yards. The other game he had 99. This rushing ability is going to give him a safe floor each week. He has thrown the ball over 30 times in back to back games. He should be a solid streamer this week against a Lions defense that doesn't scare me. 

Lamar Jackson (49.6%)- I am prioritizing Allen over Jackson because of the lack of passing yards. Lamar has yet to throw for over 180 yards in a game this season. It is also more likely that Allen is available in your league. Jackson is rushing threat, that will keep him close to my top 15 QB this week. He has had at least 70 rushing yards in his last 4 games. He has a better matchup this week against the Buccaneers, who love to give up points to every position. 

Derek Carr (10.6%)- This is in case you are super desperate and are in need of a starter this week. Carr has played well his last two games, getting 20+ fantasy points in each. He will be facing the Bengals team, who has given up the 4th most passing touchdowns and the 2nd most FPPG this season. He is a low end streamer for this week. 

RB: 

Justin Jackson (43.1%)- He is my number one waiver pickup for this week. Even if you do not need him, pick him up. I wouldn't want to play against him this week if Austin Ekeler and Melvin Gordon are out. He has shown some flashes in his last two games. They play the Chiefs this week, who has been one of the worst defenses against the RB. 

Derrick Henry (56.3%)- I doubt he has another 200+ yard, 4 touchdown performance this week, but I'm not willing to allow him to play against me that's for sure. I have been an anti-Henry guy for most of the season, but I can't ignore what he did last week. He may not be available, but its worth a look. The Titans play the Giants this week, which has a bottom-10 rush defense. 

Doug Martin (58.5%)- He has not been very efficient these last couple of games, but he continues to find the endzone. Surprisingly, he has 13 total redzone carries over the last 2 weeks. As I said above with Derek Carr, this is a terrible defense and I would not be surprised if Martin lands in the endzone once again. 

Elijah McGuire (11.3%)- Returning to my waiver wire pickups list, this may be the best week to get him. Crowell got banged up last week, and may miss this next game. In his absence, McGuire had 17 rushes for 60 yards and a touchdown. Fairly ineffective, but he should have the job. It is a tough matchup this week against the Texans, who have given up the third fewest rushing yards this season. 

Damien Williams (14.0%)- Spencer Ware got banged up last week, and the Chiefs leaned on Williams. He was not able to find any room moving the ball, but he did find the endzone twice. If Ware were to miss this game, Williams would lead the team in touches. It will be a huge divisional game this Thursday. 

Theo Riddick (36.8%)- I like Riddick this week in a nice matchup against the Bills. He is more of a deeper league play, but I think he should find some success. He has averaged about 10 fantasy points per game since week 9. The Bills have given up the 9th most catches and FPPG to running backs this year. 

WR: 

Curtis Samuel (32.7%)- He has been a safety blanket for Cam Newton these last few games. He has 19 targets over his last two, and at least 80+ yards in each. Since week 12, he has played at least 85% of the teams snaps. The Panthers get the Saints this week in a huge divisional battle. I could see this being a fairly high scoring game, if Cam can get back on track. 

DaeSean Hamilton (5.6%)- He needs to be owned in PPR leagues this week. I expected him to have a solid game out of the slot last week and he delivered with 7 catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. He played a season high 97% of the teams snaps. The Browns have given up the 4th most catches to opposing WR this season. I like Hamilton to make an impact once again this week. 

Dante Pettis (19.6%)- He has been lights out these last three games. Since taking over a starting role, he has had 7 targets in each of the last 3 games. He has 4 touchdowns and has played in 80%+ of the teams snaps. He is a big part of this offense. He does get a difficult matchup against the Seahawks defense, but he had a tough matchup last week and still scored. 

Josh Reynolds (41.0%)- The Rams are going to bounce back after an embarrassing performance on Monday Night Football. He was not a factor in last weeks game. This is a different week. They will be facing the Eagles, who just allowed Dak Prescott to throw for 455 yards and 3 touchdowns. I like a bounce back game from the entire team. 

Keke Coutee (15.9%)- It is important to monitor his status this week, but he is trending in the right direction. He should be able to play against the Jets this week. It is a great matchup for the Texans. Coutee has shown when healthy, that he is a big part of this offense. 

TE: 

Ian Thomas (25.5%)- He defiantly proved me wrong last week. He took 9 catches for 77 yards last week against the Browns. He did not score, but he had 2 redzone targets. I'm still not sure he will continue this type of production, but it is worth noticing when a TE gets 11 targets in a game. 

Vance McDonald (58.1%)- He is a solid streamer each week as he usually gets a safe amount of targets. Jesse James is hurting his production. He is averaging 5.5 targets over the last 4 games and has ran at least 20 routes during those games. There are worse options out there. 

Chris Herndon (15.8%)- He is my dart throw for this week. This is solely based on his matchup. The Jets will be facing the Texans defense which has been getting gashed by TE over the last few weeks. He is averaging 20 routes a game since week 9. This team is going to need to throw a ton in this game. The Jets don't have very many options, but the TE position is where they can attack the Texans. 

D/ST: 

Seattle Seahawks (28.6%)

Atlanta Falcons (5.6%)

Washington Redskins (59.4%)