NFL fantasy football waiver wire, Week 15: RB Tank Bigsby, WR Adam Thielen among top targets

ROSTERED: 44%

With a low floor and a matchup against a Broncos defense that has been tough on fantasy QBs, starting Richardson in one-QB leagues would be a major roll of the dice in Week 15. In two-QB leagues, though? It might be a risk worth taking. He’s averaged 20.7 fantasy points per game in the contests since he returned to the Colts’ starting lineup, logging six touchdowns in that span (three passing, three rushing). Let’s not forget Denver allowed Jameis Winston to throw for nearly 500 yards prior to its Week 14 bye. Richardson can be maddening to fantasy managers, given his ups and downs, but I can’t ignore the upside.

ROSTERED: 27%

Just when it looked like everyone was ready to turn the page on him, Rodgers racked up a season-high 339 passing yards against the Dolphins. I still typically wouldn’t be inclined to include him here, but he has a matchup in Week 15 against the Jaguars, who have been one of the friendliest defenses to fantasy QBs in 2024. The 41-year-old has averaged 15.9 fantasy points per game in last three contests with a TD-to-INT ratio of 5:1 in that span. He’s a streaming option in two-QB leagues.

ROSTERED: 11%

Well, Winston came back down to earth against the Steelers on Sunday, with a 15.28-point performance serving as a follow-up to his epic/disastrous 32.98-point game in Week 13. If the pattern he’s established since taking over as the Browns’ QB1 holds, that means Week 15 will be another spike week for him. With the Chiefs and Bengals next on the schedule, he should have ample opportunity to sling the ball around the yard, as Cleveland's likely to be chasing points. If you are willing to live dangerously, Winston could be the QB for you.

ROSTERED: 53%

Seattle unleashed Charbonnet in Week 14 with Kenneth Walker III inactive, and the second-year RB responded to the tune of 193 yards from scrimmage and two rushing TDs in a big win over the Cardinals. He scored a whopping 38.3 fantasy points, making him the fantasy RB1 of the week heading into Monday Night Football. Now, Charbonnet most likely will return to the backseat when Walker returns, which could be this week, so we can’t expect him to repeat that production going forward. Anyone rostering Walker should at least think about scooping up Charbonnet as a handcuff, though, and RB-needy folks in deep leagues might want to take a chance on him, as well. He’s scored in the double-digits in seven of 13 games this season, and the Packers -- Seattle’s Week 15 opponent -- rank in the bottom half of the league against fantasy RBs.

ROSTERED: 32%

ROSTERED: 0.6%

If Breece Hall misses another game with his knee injury, both Allen and Davis should be on your radar with a juicy matchup against the Jaguars in Week 15. The rookies split the snaps on Sunday, with Allen gaining 81 yards on 15 touches and Davis getting loose for 67 yards and a TD on 13 touches. The near-identical usage might drive fantasy managers a little crazy, but if I had to pick one of the two to roster, it would be Davis, who has now posted 12-plus points in consecutive games.

ROSTERED: 20%

Hello again, old friend. Bigsby was a regular here in the waiver wire column early this season and he’s back after posting his first game with double-digit fantasy points since Week 8. Travis Etienne started at running back for the Jaguars on Sunday, but it was Bigsby who played 53 percent of the snaps, leading the team with 18 carries for 55 yards and a TD while Etienne ran the ball just four times for 20 yards. Bigsby’s ceiling is limited, since he doesn’t see a lot of action as a pass catcher, but the rushing workload is enough to put him on the radar as a flex option in deeper leagues.

ROSTERED: 3%

Trusting anyone out of the Broncos’ backfield has been like playing with fire this season, but maybe McLaughlin made a strong enough case his last time out for Sean Payton to give him a longer look in Week 15. McLaughlin had 14 carries -- no other Denver back had more than four -- in the thrilling win over the Browns before the bye, breaking free for 84 yards (6.0 per). Javonte Williams and Audric Estimé are still very real threats to get hot and move into the driver’s seat, but with a porous Colts run defense next on the schedule, McLaughlin, who also has a pair of receiving TDs this season, is the RB to target from the crowd in Denver.

ROSTERED: 2%

McCormick led the Raiders in carries for the second straight week and finished with 10.9 fantasy points on Sunday. The former practice-squad member now has 27 totes for 142 yards (5.3 per) in his last two games, ninth-most in the league over that span. He started getting opportunities as a result of injuries to RBs Alexander Mattison and Zamir White, but can we be sure Antonio Pierce won’t keep going to McCormick even when the team’s other backs are healthy enough to play? He deserves a look in more leagues.

ROSTERED: 0.3%

Next man up (again)? Isaac Guerendo was the player to pick up on the waiver wire last week after Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason landed on injured reserve. Guerendo’s rostered percentage jumped from 0.6 to 72 before he sliced through the Bears defense on Sunday, gaining 128 yards from scrimmage and scoring two TDs. Unfortunately, he left the game with a foot injury in the fourth quarter. Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game that the RB would undergo more testing on Monday, so the severity is not 100 percent clear as of this writing. The 49ers have a short week, with the Rams visiting on Thursday night, which doesn’t leave the rookie back much time to recover. Taylor, called up from the practice squad last week, had seven carries for 25 yards and a late TD in Week 14. Keep an eye on Guerendo’s status. If he plays, Guerendo is the only San Francisco back to start in fantasy leagues -- but it could be Taylor’s turn to watch his rostered rate skyrocket this week. Taylor doesn’t have the speed or wiggle of Guerendo, but he’s a big, powerful back, and the Rams have been one of the friendlier defenses to fantasy RBs this season.

ROSTERED: 36%

Thielen is making up for lost time following his seven-game absence due to a hamstring injury. He appears in this space for the third straight week after posting 19-plus fantasy points in consecutive games. He’s been targeted 25 times with 20 catches for 258 yards in his three contests since returning. That’s a per-game average of 8.3 targets, 6.7 catches and 86 yards. Pretty, pretty good. Maintaining that pace will be difficult, even in an improved Panthers offense, but he’ll have favorable matchups the rest of the way, with the Cowboys, Cardinals and Buccaneers on the schedule in the next three weeks. 

ROSTERED: 15%

ROSTERED: 4%

With Ladd McConkey out on Sunday night, both Johnston and Palmer delivered 13-plus fantasy points against the Chiefs. Palmer led the team with nine targets (six catches for 78 yards), while Johnston wasn’t far behind with seven (five grabs for 48 yards with a TD). It was a great sign from Johnston, who had hit a very rough patch in recent weeks. The great news is they have a highly favorable matchup in Week 15 against the Buccaneers. Keep an eye on McConkey’s status, since his return would cut into the opportunities for both players, but if he’s out, Johnston and Palmer are in play as flex options. I might trust Palmer a bit more in that scenario, given his workload against Kansas City.

ROSTERED: 2%

There might not be a super high ceiling for McCloud, but he’s put up 10-plus fantasy points in each of his last three games and four of his last five, averaging 11.8 FPPG in that span despite scoring only one TD. He led the Falcons with 11 targets and eight catches on Sunday against the Vikings. Anyone seeing that type of volume deserves our attention. There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Atlanta offense, and McCloud is the team’s WR3, but Kirk Cousins is looking his way more than enough to make him a flex option in deep leagues with matchups against the Raiders, Giants and Commanders up next.  

ROSTERED: 48%

It flies a bit under the radar, but Ertz is the fantasy TE10 this season. He averaged 15.7 FPPG in his three games prior to Washington’s Week 14 bye, which is outstanding production for a fantasy tight end. If you don’t have one of the few elite TEs in the game, Ertz is a potential starter for you against the Saints this week.

ROSTERED: 34%

Aside from one down week, Henry has pretty much been a lock for double-digit fantasy points since Drake Maye moved into the starting lineup for the Patriots. He is the sixth-most targeted tight end since Week 11, and he didn’t even play in Week 14 with New England on bye. Henry averaged 8.7 targets per game in his last three contests, which means he’s worthy of your consideration for a start unless you already have a stud at the position.

ROSTERED: 2%

With Taysom Hill out for the season, the path was cleared for Johnson to take off -- and he didn’t disappoint. He enters Monday Night Football as the fantasy TE3 of Week 14 after making four catches for season-high 50 yards and a TD against the Giants, good for 15 fantasy points. He’s touchdown-dependent, never scoring more than 8.6 points in a game where he didn’t have a score this season, and the Saints might have to turn to Jake Haener or Spencer Rattler at quarterback with Derek Carr exiting Sunday’s game due to injury. It’s not an ideal situation for Johnson, but there might not be better options available to you on the waiver wire at the position. 

ROSTERED: 40%

It’s been a rough year for the Bengals in general, but Lou Anarumo’s defense has had an especially tough go of it. As much as I don’t want to trust Cincinnati, its Week 15 matchup is hard to ignore. The Bengals will visit the Titans, who have been the most generous team to fantasy defenses this season. The lowly Jaguars D/ST scored nine points against the Titans on Sunday, which gives me some hope the Bengals can deliver as a streaming option.

ROSTERED: 36%

We’ve seen some downright dreadful games from the Ravens D/ST all too often in 2024, but if ever there were a week to start them, this would probably be it because of the matchup. Baltimore draws the Giants, one of the most generous teams to fantasy defenses this season. Hopefully the bye week gave first-year DC Zach Orr some time to reset and prepare for an offense that just doesn’t have much juice.

ROSTERED: 21%

The Jets stuck to their theme of 2024 and disappointed in Week 14, but we have seen the occasional spike from the D/ST, with 14-point outbursts in two of the last five games. Week 15 brings an inviting opportunity to make it three out of six with the Jaguars next on the schedule. Jacksonville has averaged a meager 10.8 real-life points in its last four games, so New York has stream potential against Mac Jones and Co.

ROSTERED: 5%

This is it. We’re rounding out the quadrant of poor defenses to consider picking up with the Falcons, who face the lowly Raiders and Giants in the next two weeks. Those are two of the friendliest offenses to fantasy defenses this year, and Atlanta did provide a glimmer of hope in Week 13, with 11 fantasy points against the Chargers. Maybe these next couple matchups are what Raheem Morris needs to get his fading team off the mat.