Fantasy Football Early Waiver Wire Pickups to Target (Week 15)

This should cover it: Happy playoffs, congratulations, and best of luck staying out of your league’s toilet bowl!

Wherever you are in these fantasy playoffs, I hope you get to relax and watch some games with loved ones.

Now, let’s get into our early waiver wire additions for round one of the playoffs!

As always, this list covers players from Thursday and Sunday’s early slate of games rostered in fewer than 40% of leagues.

Week 15 Fantasy Football Early Waiver Wire Pickups to Target

Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)

Rostered: 39.8%

Now is the time to shore up your rosters, and if you roster Bijan Robinson you better roster Allgeier, who would see an uptick in work if anything happened to Robinson.

Tyjae Spears (RB – TEN)

Rostered: 37.1%

My logic here is the same as above, except Spears is Allgeier, and Derrick Henry is Robinson. Given Tennessee’s record, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Spears leading the backfield in weeks 16-17.

This piece was written before the Chargers’ game, but there was a report today that he’ll be splitting carries with Austin Ekeler. This rostership is too low for a player who could lead the Chargers’ backfield in touches.

Chase Brown (RB – CIN)

Rostered: 1.3%

I loved Chase Brown heading into this year’s NFL Draft and thought his situation with the Bengals was prime. However, mainly due to injuries, Brown’s season started slow. He had five touches through the season’s first 12 weeks.

However, over the last two weeks, the Bengals have been seeing what they have in their fifth-round rookie. In his last two games, Brown has 166 total yards and a touchdown.

It's Chase scoring TDs in Cincy! Chase Brown, that is.

?: #INDvsCIN on CBS
?: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/pWMED8S30C pic.twitter.com/2iiHGyBWOX

— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2023

Brown fits the bill as an explosive threat, so I could see a world where he earns volume over the last few weeks if the Bengals aren’t playing for a postseason berth.

Zay Jones (WR – JAC)

Rostered: 26.6%

Jones has 10 catches for 107 yards on 24 targets in his last two games. Jaguars’ wide receiver Christian Kirk is on injured reserve with a groin injury, and in the meantime, Jones is a viable option in most formats.

JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – NE)

Rostered: 24.2%

Smith-Schuster posted four catches on six targets for 90 yards as one of only three active Patriot wide receivers Thursday. I’ll put it this way: The more receivers active in New England, the less I like JuJu. Prior to this week, he’s scored more than eight PPR points just once.

Hunter Henry (TE – NE)

Rostered: 16.2%

This is a play for week 16 and week 16 alone. Henry and the Patriots will play the Denver Broncos, whose defense has allowed tight ends to run wild. If you are streaming tight ends and have room to stash Henry, I’d go for it.

Jake Browning (QB – CIN)

Rostered: 28.6%

In deep or two-quarterback leagues, Browning can definitely be considered next weekend when the Bengals host the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings’ pass defense has been middle of the road, but Browning’s offensive weapons are fully healthy, and he’s scored more than 22 fantasy points two weeks in a row.

Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR)

Rostered: 33.5%

Stafford and the Rams are fighting for a playoff spot and face Washington next weekend and the New York Giants in Week 17. Those are both favorable matchups for Stafford.

Indianapolis Colts Defense/Special Teams

Rostered: 29.8%

I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you the Colts are some defensive juggernaut. However, they are a top-10 fantasy defense this season, and in Weeks 15-17, they face Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Las Vegas. All three of those are favorable matchups.

Los Angeles Rams Defense/Special Teams

Rostered: 15.6%

Despite a 6-7 record, the Rams are still in the playoff race. Their next three games are against Washington, New Orleans, and the Giants. I like both the motivation and the matchups here.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio

NFL Waiver Wire NFL Tyler Allgeier Bijan Robinson Tyjae Spears (RB – TEN) Derrick Henry Joshua Kelley (RB – LAC) Austin Ekeler Chase Brown (RB – CIN) Zay Jones (WR – JAC) Christian Kirk JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – NE) Hunter Henry Jake Browning (QB – CIN) Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR)