Week 15 Waiver Wire Deep Dive
Below I have dug into some important data from the week to help you find some players who could help you in the coming weeks and potentially beyond. I have listed the players at each position in order of priority.
QBs
Brock Purdy, 49ers
Purdy was the top add at QB here last week, and he again played extremely well for the 49ers, even besting Tom Brady on Sunday. He has moxie and some elite weapons on the offense, within a Shanahan scheme that aims to maximize the talent on the field. I think Purdy will make a decent QB2 start the rest of the season and should be added if he is still on your wire.
Colt McCoy, Cardinals
I don’t think the Cardinals will win many games the rest of the way, but McCoy should start and has good weapons around him. Unfortunately, they face some tough defenses down the stretch, but at least he will be on the field and is a steady, decent player.
Baker Mayfield, Rams
Mayfield had a game for the ages on Thursday, stepping in and winning the game for the Rams without knowing the playbook. He should get a chance to start the rest of the way, so you should add him if you are desperate at QB.
RBs
Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris, Patriots
We’ll see about Rhamondre Stevenson’s ankle injury, but both of these rookies looked good on Monday night.If Stevenson and Damien Harris (thigh) remain out, Strong and Harris will be valuable plug-ins. If I had to choose, I’d lean toward Strong as he is a very good pass catcher.
Gary Brightwell, Giants
I can’t quite tell what is going on with Saquon Barkley, but his awful output (9-28, 2-20) in an important week surely crushed the playoff hopes of many teams. Brightwell seems to be their 2nd option as of now, and on Sunday he played on 33% of snaps and got 7 touches. Matt Breida played on 36% of snaps and got 5 touches, so it’s close between them. But Brightwell has played a bit better, so I’d add him if desperate at RB, or if you have Barkley and are still in it.
WRs
Chris Moore, Texans
When Moore has gotten a shot this season, he has produced. With both Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins out for Week 14, Moore played on 80% of snaps and got a whopping 11 targets, good for a 52% target share! He caught 10 of them for 124 yards. If Cooks or Collins remains out in the coming weeks, Moore will be a nice potential flex option on an offense that will have to throw weekly.
Ben Skowronek & Tutu Atwell, Rams
The switch to Baker Mayfield may not continue to be so effective, but after one week in the system, Mayfield showed an affinity for throwing to Skowronek and Atwell. Skowronek played on every snap and got 8 targets (23% target share). He caught 7 of them for 89 yards. Atwell played on 61% of snaps and got 9 targets (26% share). He caught 5 of them for 50 yards. Atwell’s snap count may continue to rise, as he was much more involved than Van Jefferson despite playing on fewer snaps. Both are nice adds for your playoff run.
Terrace Marshall & Laviska Shenault, Panthers
With D.J. Moore potentially out with a knee injury, Marshall and Shenault should benefit. On Sunday, Marshall played on 85% of snaps but only had 1 reception on 1 target for 18 yards. Shenault played on 29% of snaps but led the team with 4 targets, catching them all for 31 yards. I anticipate Shenault getting more work.
DeMarcus Robinson, Ravens
This is not an exciting add, and the Ravens offense has literally nothing exciting about it at the moment. But Robinson has been the top option in the passing game over the past month, so he may be worth adding in deep leagues where you need a player who can catch a few passes for you. He played on 61% of snaps on Sunday and got 6 targets, which was incredibly a 35% target share. He caught 5 for 52 yards. If the Ravens offense ever kicks into a higher gear, which seems doubtful at this point, he could have significant value.
TEs
Noah Gray, Chiefs
Gray has remained involved in the offense all season for the Chiefs.This past week, he played on 57% of snaps and caught all 3 of his targets for 45 yards. He is a worthy add in very deep leagues and dynasty leagues, or in a spot where you are okay with any TE who will be on the field in a good offense.
Kevin Scott is a fantasy pro who has been playing in high-stakes redraft and dynasty leagues for over 15 years. He has won over $100,000 playing fantasy football. He has written for Sports Illustrated, 4for4, Fansided, FFToday, and Chiefs Wire. You can follow him on Twitter @kevinscottff, or check out his podcast called Grinding the Data.