Fantasy Football Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.

Quarterbacks

Mike White, Jets (20% Rostered): White was obliterated multiple times by the Bills in the Jets’ loss on Sunday, and hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in two games, but things are about to get better. The Lions, Jaguars and Seahawks make for a tasty fantasy postseason slate, and Garrett Wilson offers him a bona fide elite target to do damage. The Jets’ defense might be limiting the overall scoring in these games, but it doesn’t get much better than this in terms of matchups.

Brock Purdy, 49ers (10 % Rostered): Purdy has thrown two touchdown passes in back-to-back games in relief of Jimmy Garoppolo. While I am not going to overreact to this just yet – and he did lose Deebo Samuel this week to an ugly leg injury – Purdy looks almost indistinguishable from Jimmy G in terms of production. Jimmy G was rarely a guy anyone was excited to play, but he was almost always playable. That’s Purdy, and right now a lot of teams are likely scrambling for QBs.

Matt Ryan, Colts (12% Rostered): Ryan’s had a rough go of it this year, but times are desperate. Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson are all likely out for this week, creating holes on fantasy teams everywhere. This is also the time of year where FAAB is limited and incredibly precious. It’s unlikely anyone is interested in Ryan, but the upcoming schedule – at Minnesota, vs. the Chargers and at the Giants – is appealing. He’ll be free, so if you can stomach some risk, grab Ryan and hope the Colts fall behind to facilitate high-volume affairs. All three of Indy’s opponents have a lot to play for.

Running Backs

Gus Edwards, Ravens (49% Rostered): Edwards looked like himself this week, rushing 13 times for 66 yards. The result was a pedestrian fantasy outing, but with Lamar Jackson likely to miss another game, Edwards and Dobbins will be leaned on very heavily whether it is Tyler Huntley at QB or Anthony Brown. Flip a coin to guess which one will score. Edwards doesn’t have a very high ceiling because of Dobbins, but if he’s going to get double-digit carries he should put up decent yardage and the TD potential is definitely there.

Damien Harris, Patriots (50% Rostered): Harris is still injured, so he’ll have to be monitored throughout the week, but if he is ready to go this week he’s likely going to have a lot of opportunity with Rhamondre Stevenson hurting his ankle on Monday night. Should Stevenson be ready to suit up, that makes Harris a pretty unpalatable option, but if Stevenson’s injury keeps him out Harris becomes a threat for multiple touchdowns. Stevenson’s emergence as the top guy has obscured the fact that Harris remains a very capable player and Top 15 RB per PFF.

Tyler Allgeier, Falcons (38% Rostered): Desperate? Allgeier has it rough with Cordarrelle Patterson robbing most of his TD opportunities, but he’s been a very solid back all year, and you can count on 10 carries for him. That’s not much, especially for a guy who isn’t exactly a breakaway runner, but if you’re in a super deep league and are hurting at the position, Allgeier won’t goose you.

Wide Receivers

Elijah Moore, Jets (27%% Rostered): Moore’s had a disastrous season, but after demanding a trade and being benched with his demand ignored, he appears to once again be a part of the Jets offense. Moore was on the field for 82% of the snaps last week, drawing 10 targets and putting up six receptions for 60 yards. With soft pass defenses on the slate for the rest of the fantasy season, Moore is looking like a WR3 with a nice high ceiling the rest of the way, as long as Mike White is at the helm.

Isaiah Hodgins, Giants (1% Rostered): Hodgins is pretty much a no-name, but he’s on the field almost the whole game these days, and he has scored in back-to-back weeks. The Giants’ passing game is weak, but with Saquon Barkley hampered, Hodgins seems to be the go-to guy when Daniel Jones is near the end zone, with Darius Slayton handling most of the work between the 20s. There isn’t a high ceiling here, but he’s locked into heavy playing time, which means he probably will not goose you. That’s important this time of year.

Tight Ends

Taysom Hill, Saints (44% Rostered): Hill is still a major wildcard with a super high ceiling, and a floor of close to zero points. At this point, everyone but Travis Kelce fits that bill, so rolling with his upside isn’t crazy despite the high number of bust games he’s given managers. Hill can throw it, run it or catch it so if everyone’s TD-dependent, at least Hill has a variety of paths to the end zone.

Chigoziem Okonkwo, Titans (15% Rostered): Okonkwo is a super athletic TE in an offense that is absolutely dying for playmakers. Okonkwo has seen his role grow, drawing five or more targets in three straight games and scoring last week vs. Jacksonville. Tennessee’s offense hasn’t been good, but if you can lock in five targets for a TE, that merits a look in the starting lineup.