2022 NFL fantasy football: Week 15 waiver wire

ROSTERED: 41%

With the Week 14 return of Michael Carter, I can’t lambast you too harshly for leaving Knight unrostered in more than half of leagues. We didn’t know how the backfield would shake out. but I would argue we know now. Knight rushed 17 times for 71 yards (4.2 yards/carry) and a touchdown, while Carter managed 5 yards ... on five carries (I bet you can calculate the yards/carry in your head on that one). Knight has looked smart, shifty and explosive in his recent breakout, resulting in 15.3 fantasy points per game since Week 12 (top 20 among running backs). He also gets a glorious set of playoff matchups: Lions in Week 15, Jaguars in Week 16, Seahawks in Week 17. That is a recipe for championship-winning upside, especially if Knight maintains a hold on this lead role through the stretch.

ROSTERED: 59%

Dobbins makes my arbitrary rostership “cutoff” by 1%, so you know he’s getting a spot in this column. In his first action since Week 6, Dobbins had a monster game highlighted by a 44-yard run and culminating in 18 fantasy points. For what it’s worth, he didn’t even look fully healthy on that breakaway run ... and as long as he continues playing, that should be a positive note. Dobbins can (theoretically) only get healthier and stronger and the Ravens offense can (theoretically) only get better with Tyler Huntley gaining more reps (and/or Lamar Jackson eventually coming back). Dobbins scored seven touchdowns in his last six games of 2020 and we might (optimistically) be heading towards a similar run through the 2022 playoffs. If he’s available, lock him up.

ROSTERED: 14%

I’ve been hesitant to include McKinnon in this column, as we just hadn’t seen enough consistency from him over the first few months of the season. But after an extraordinary explosion of fantasy goodness in Week 14 (that benefited the 7% of you who started him), it’s time to make the move. McKinnon has double-digit fantasy points in four of his last six games and has scored 46.4 over the last two weeks combined. Most importantly, he’s averaged 5.7 targets per game since Week 9 (following KC’s Week 8 bye). That sounds like planned involvement to me. And I want pieces that are involved in Andy Reid’s plans.

ROSTERED: 54%

Jones was a disappointment in a good matchup in Week 13 against the Lions, but set that game aside for a second. In his three other games since Week 10, Jones has averaged 12 targets, nine catches, 97 yards and 21.3 fantasy points per game. Is that cherry-picking? Kind of. But remember, he was consistently limited in practice entering Week 13 with a chest injury. And you know what, you might get one more stinker in the playoffs. But you might also get 20 fantasy points from a waiver pickup. You can’t ask for much more. If Jones is out there (and this will be the last week he is), I’d consider him a must-add and probably a must-start in most leagues, even in a couple of playoff tough matchups.

ROSTERED: 14%

Over the last two weeks, Chark has 11 catches for 192 yards and one touchdown. (This after missing the majority of the season with an ankle injury). Jared Goff and the Lions passing game is clicking (possibly in part thanks to the addition of Jameson Williams, see below) and Chark seems to be the biggest beneficiary of late. He could be relatively boom-bust, which makes him less than a lock in your playoff lineups. But, especially if you’re the lower seed, his upside (like, I don’t know, 21.4 fantasy points against the Vikings) is tantalizing. Also, as a former Jaguar and current Lion, he serves as an enjoyably fitting transition from Zay to Jameson.

ROSTERED: 19%

Sometimes I amuse myself. In last week’s Guys to ‘Stache, I told you I would keep mentioning Williams until “he makes that one play that plasters him all over your Twitter timeline.” Well, if you’re on Twitter, you saw Williams’ 41-yard touchdown on Sunday. So now he gets his own blurb in the column. Big day for the Lions rookie. Keep in mind, he did only have two targets in the game and there are (somehow) a lot of decent options in the Detroit passing game. So don’t necessarily expect a Ja’Marr Chase breakout here. But if Williams earns more targets, he has the talent to turn those opportunities into fantasy points lightning fast. Add him if you’ve got a spot.

ROSTERED: 36%

With Corey Davis ruled out early on Sunday (currently in the league's concussion protocol), Moore drew a team-high 10 targets and turned that inflated opportunity into a solid 12 fantasy points (six catches, 60 yards). He’s been much more involved and effective with Mike White under center for New York, so as long as White is healthy in Week 15 (and especially if Davis is not), Moore is a sneaky PPR spot-start against a porous Detroit defense in the first round of playoffs ... and against the Jaguars and Seahawks defenses in the second and third round of playoffs. Sign me up.



ROSTERED: 42%

Oh my heavens. If any of you had “39 fantasy points by Evan Engram” on your bingo card, congratulations. For the rest of us, what in the name of Marcedes Lewis was that?! Engram hauled in 11 of 15 targets for 162 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Titans on Sunday, a performance so monstrous, it catapulted him into FOURTH among tight ends in total fantasy points this season (behind only Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews and T.J. Hockenson). Can I get a “sheeeeesh” in the comments? It’s probably fair to assume we don’t get another one of those in the fantasy playoffs, but better safe (and in your lineup) than sorry (and in your opponents’ lineup). And Engram can provide reasonable production at an unreasonable position, even if it’s not 39 points next time.

ROSTERED: 0.9%

You might not have heard this (epic) name before now, but you will soon. Well ... I guess you are now ... because I’m writing about him. Listen, the point is, Okonkwo has increased his fantasy points in three straight games and totaled 29.3 over the last two weeks combined. In a Titans receiving corps devoid of decent options, Okonkwo has established himself as a legitimate go-to option. I think he can be started confidently moving forward (or as confidently as we can start anyone not named Travis Kelce these days).

ROSTERED: 2%

Check me on my math here. Heinicke had 17.6 fantasy points in Week 13 on the road against the Giants (albeit, with a bit of overtime inflation). He gets the Giants again, this time at home, in Week 15, coming off the bye. Per the Pythagorean theorem, I’m pretty sure that equates to 20 fantasy points on Sunday Night Football. That’s right, you heard it here first. Unless Heinicke implodes ... which he is wont to do now and then ... then you didn’t hear it from me. But in all seriousness, if you don’t have one of the elite QBs, you’re more or less just looking for good streaming opportunities. This is one of those.

ROSTERED: 4%

Arguably the only thing more surprising than Evan Engram’s explosion in Week 14 was the success of 49ers third-string, Mr. Irrelevant rookie quarterback Brock Purdy in an impressive and fantasy-relevant win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. Thanks to two TDs by air and one on the ground, Purdy managed 21.7 fantasy points in his first career start. Next week, he draws a Seahawks defense that has been better of late but is still beatable -- as is basically any defense when you have the weaponry Purdy has. You’d need to be in a tough spot (or a two-QB league) to roll out a 262nd-overall pick making his second-career start but ... think of the glory.