Fantasy Football 2017: Waiver wire targets for Week 15
By Dan Thomas
Executing the waiver wire in fantasy football is what will separate the champions from the chumps. Here are some players you should target in Week 15.
We are now in the semifinals of the fantasy football playoffs and some owners are just one win away from playing in the championship. For the most part, owners already have their starting lineup set aside from maybe a D/ST and kicker. Yet, there are owners out there who might need a new quarterback (Carson Wentz owners) or an upgrade to their FLEX position.
Here are some players owners should target on the waiver wire in order to improve their chances of winning Week 15.
For these purposes, we will being using ESPN Fantasy Football as a guideline. Any player that is 50 percent owned or less is eligible.
5. Marquise Goodwin, WR, San Francisco 49ers (40.5 percent owned)
Goodwin checked in as our No. 5 player in the waiver wire article last week and he went on to finish Week 14 with six receptions, 105 yards and 16.5 PPR points. He now has four-straight games with double-digit PPR points and has 16.6+ points in three out of his last four games. Goodwin and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo seem to have a great connection and there’s no reason to believe it won’t continue in Week 15 against the Titans.
Related Story: NFL QB Power Rankings 2017: Week 15
4. Peyton Barber, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (19.6 percent owned)
Doug Martin got the start in Week 14 but a fumble resulted in him getting sent to the bench. That benching opened the door for Barber who finished the game with 13 touches for 63 yards. If the Buccaneers announce Barber as the starting running back for Week 15, he should see 15+ touches. If the team announces Martin as the team’s staring running back for Week 15, Barber will be a risky fantasy player due to the uncertainty of his workload.
3. Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (20.3 percent owned)
Don’t look now but Bortles has been killing it as of late. He has three-straight games with 18.5+ fantasy football points and has averaged 22.1 points per game during that span. He has a good matchup in Week 15 against the Houston Texans who just gave up 15.1 fantasy points to Jimmy Garoppolo in his second career start with the 49ers. If you’re an owner who has been streaming quarterbacks or lost Carson Wentz for the season, Bortles is a good option as a low-end QB1 for Week 15.
2. Mike Davis, RB, Seattle Seahawks (24.6 percent owned)
Davis finished with 16+ touches for the second week in a row and has emerged as the Seahawks lead running back. If he plays in Week 15 against the Rams, there’s no reason to believe he won’t carry the load for the third-straight game. I say “if” because Davis is dealing with a rib injury and it’s not clear how serious it is at this point. Owners need to add Davis and keep an eye on the injury report because if he’s good to go, he’ll be a RB2/3 or FLEX option for Week 15.
1. Kerwynn Williams, RB, Arizona Cardinals (19.9 percent owned)
With Adrian Peterson missing Week 14 with a neck injury, Williams got the start and finished with 21 touches for 88 yards. Williams now has two-straight games with 16+ touches and 88+ total yards. If Peterson misses his third-straight game, Williams will be a RB2 in the fantasy football semifinals.
Others Receiving Votes
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers (23.6 percent owned) – Young Jimmy G had his best fantasy game of the season after finishing with 334 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception (15.1 points) against the Houston Texans in Week 14. His matchup this week against the Titans isn’t spectacular, but it’s also not terrible either.
Nick Foles, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (0.1 percent owned) – Foles has shown earlier in his career and even on Sunday that he’s good enough to move the ball in the Eagles offense. The Giants defense (and team) is a complete mess and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Foles throw for 200+ yards and 2 touchdowns against them on Sunday.
Rod Smith, RB, Dallas Cowboys (27.0 percent owned) – The Cowboys backup running back now has three-straight games with a touchdown and 10+ touches in each one of those games. Alfred Morris should continue to see the bulk of the carries, but Smith could do some damage with his 10-12 touches against a Raiders defense that has been below-average all season.
Wayne Gallman, RB, New York Giants (1.8 percent owned) – Gallman very well might have overtaken Orleans Darkwa as the Giants lead running back after finishing last week with 19 touches for 99 yards. His matchup against the Eagles in Week 15 isn’t great, but if/when the Giants are playing from behind, Gallman could see a bunch of targets just like he did in Week 14.
Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore Ravens (36.8 percent owned) – The speedy Wallace finished last week with three receptions for 72 yards and now has four double-digit PPR performances over the Ravens last five games. The last time I checked, Cleveland is still Cleveland, so Wallace could have a good game against the winless Browns.
Dede Westbrook, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (15.8 percent owned) – The rookie from Oklahoma now has three-straight games with 10.1+ PPR points and has five-plus receptions in all three of those games. If Westbrook sees 8-10 targets (just like he has the last three weeks), he should have another productive game.
Next: NFL MVP: 10 Players with Best Chance to Win Following Wentz Injury
Saints D/ST (34.2 percent owned) – The Saints are coming off a mini-bye week after playing on Thursday Night Football and will face a Jets offense who will be led by Bryce Petty. The Saints D/ST is all but destined to finish as a top-10 fantasy unit in Week 15.
Brandon McManus, K, Denver Broncos (12.6 percent owned) – The Broncos offense showed signs of life in Week 14 against the Jets and will have the opportunity to keep it going in Week 15. The Colts defense isn’t anything special so the Broncos should be able to move the ball against them. At the same time, I’m not confident they’ll be able to consistently punch it in the end zone, so I can definitely see McManus finishing the game with three-or-more field goal attempts. It also helps that McManus will be kicking in a dome.