C.J. Stroud Injury: Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Replacement Pickups (Week 15)

With the injury to C.J. Stroud, fantasy football managers are left with a void on their roster. Let’s check out the extent of the injury and players you can target on your waiver wire this week. And here’s our fantasy football waiver wire advice for Week 15.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Injury Replacement Pickups

Injury Outlook

C.J. Stroud enters concussion protocol after 91-yard day
Houston Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud has entered the league’s concussion protocol after leaving late in their Week 14 contest against the New York Jets after hitting his head on the turf.

Fantasy Impact

It was a brutal day for the Texans, who lost 30-6 and saw injuries to both Stroud and WR Nico Collins. Stroud finished the game with 91 yards on 10-for-23 passing, his roughest outing of the year. He will progress through the protocol this week but may not be available for Week 15. His situation should be monitored, and Davis Mills is next up if Stroud misses any time.

Jordan Epp – Jepp Sports

Waiver Wire Replacements to Target

Joe Flacco (CLE): 7% rostered

• Next Opponents: CHI, @HOU, NYJ
• True value: $4
• Desperate need: $7
• Budget-minded: $2

Analysis: It only took the Super Bowl XLVII MVP two weeks to cement himself as the best QB the Browns have had all season. Flacco passed for 311 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, turning in 22.34 fantasy points. He also lines up as a premium QB streaming option over the next two weeks for fantasy playoffs quarterfinals and semifinals. Cleveland is a real contender this year, especially as good the Browns’ offense has looked with the wily vet at the helm.

Jake Browning (CIN): 27% rostered

• Next Opponents: MIN, @PIT, @KC
• True value: $4
• Desperate need: $7
• Budget-minded: $2

Analysis: What more do you need to see? The most decorated high school quarterback and winningest QB in Pac-12 history is also highly successful in the NFL. Browning was sharp again in Week 14 and has now scored 52.36 fantasy points in his last two starts. For at least one more week – a date with the Vikings – he remains a viable streamer with both a stable floor and QB1 ceiling.

Gardner Minshew (IND): 28% rostered

• Next Opponents: PIT, @ATL, LV
• True value: $2
• Desperate need: $3
• Budget-minded: $1

Analysis: By now, everyone understands the level of desperation for fantasy managers who have somehow made the playoffs despite so many QB injuries. Minshew is far from a sexy pick, but he’s certainly better than Bailey Zappe. The Patriots’ signal caller just cracked the Steelers open for 20 fantasy points last Thursday night, offering hope that the previously stout defense has exploitable weaknesses for Minshew in Week 15. He’s also a solid option against Atlanta in the fantasy semifinals.

Zach Wilson (NYJ): 4% rostered

• Next Opponents: @MIA, WAS, @CLE
• True value: $1
• Desperate need: $2
• Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: I noticed something different on Sunday. Zach Wilson was given the keys to the offense, the whole offense, for the first time of his career. He was stellar. The BYU standout gashed Houston for 300 yards and two touchdowns in the rain and thoroughly outperformed the presumptive offensive rookie of the year, C.J. Stroud. I don’t mind swinging for the fences with Wilson again this week. Miami has a middling defense, and the game script is likely to favor a lot of volume for Wilson and the Jets passing game. Any repeat of the rhythm and chemistry with Garrett Wilson that we witnessed on Sunday and the script writers will have outdone themselves. Imagine the bragging rights that would result from riding a presumed draft bust to a fantasy championship.