2018 Fantasy Football Week 15 Waiver Wire

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Have you ever seen an article and just needed time to stare at the headline because it was so unbelievable? Or maybe you thought it was so ridiculous that it must have been written by The Onion? Let's play a little game. Without clicking on the link below, tell me where this article came from.

Analyst says Hue Jackson will take over for Marvin Lewis as next Bengals coach

Did you get it right? If you didn't, I completely understand. There is no reason for Hue Jackson to be anywhere near an NFL team right now, nevermind their next head coach. Since his release, the Browns have won as many games as they did throughout his entire 2+ year tenure in Cleveland. Since he's been hired by Cincinnati, the Bengals have gone 0-4. Yes, Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have been hurt, but I can't blame Hue for that.

None of this includes his tendency to throw his players, employers, and everyone else under the bus to deflect the blame from him. I really don't understand the thought process here. Any Bengals fans with insight please leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter.

As always, the Waiver Wire will focus on players owned in under 35% percent of Yahoo! leagues. Players listed as "Other Options" are between 35-50 percent owned.

2018 Fantasy Football Week 15 Waiver Wire

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Quarterbacks

Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (19% Owned)

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Now, the Raiders are still a black hole (get it?), but Carr has provided some value over his last two starts. In games against Pittsburgh and Kansas City, Carr has thrown for 607 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions. Carr actually hasn't thrown a pick since Week 5, but it hasn't turned into production until recently.

Carr gets another great matchup in Week 15 against the aforementioned Bengals. Cincinnati's defense ranks 28th in DVOA and has given up the most Fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Doug Martin doesn't have the legs to be a workhorse, so Carr will continue to throw 35 or more passes each week. Fire up Carr as a high-end streamer in 2QB leagues.

Nick Mullens, San Francisco 49ers (7% Owned)

Mullens went through a bad slump after his excellent debut but seems to have put things together just in time for the Fantasy playoffs. Over his last two starts, Mullens has thrown for 746 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Back in Week 13, Mullens threw for 414 yards against the Seahawks in Seattle. Granted, a lot of those yards came in garbage time, but they count all the same. Dante Pettis has emerged as a legitimate threat for Mullens, while George Kittle has put himself in the conversation with Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz among receiving tight ends.

The Seattle defense will be a tough matchup, but Mullens should have enough volume to make himself a viable option in 2QB leagues.

Other Options: Josh Allen (14% owned), Eli Manning (21% owned), Ryan Tannehill (7% owned)

Running Backs

Kenneth Dixon, Baltimore Ravens (8% Owned)

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Dixon just won't go away. After years of injuries and suspensions, Dixon is once again crawling his way back into Fantasy relevance. Dixon has eight carries in each of the last two games, totaling 99 yards and a touchdown.

Following the Raven's Week 14 loss to the Chiefs, John Harbaugh said he expected Dixon's role to grow moving forward. He was out-snapped (31-23) and out-touched (16-9) by Gus Edwards on Sunday but looked like the better of the two running backs.

The Ravens backfield is a mess with Dixon, Edwards, and Ty Montgomery competing for touches. Dixon's versatility to be a solid runner and pass-catcher will continue to earn him snaps over the final three weeks of the season. It might be best to avoid a true RBBC like this one, but owners in need of a running back could do worse than someone with an upcoming matchup against Tampa Bay.

Elijah McGuire, New York Jets (7% Owned)

McGuire has been stuck behind Isaiah Crowell since his return from injury but finally got his chance to play after Crowell exited the game with a foot injury. In taking over the lead RB duties, McGuire rushed 17 times for 60 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 23 yards.

McGuire's 3.7 YPC doesn't inspire a ton of confidence. However, the Bills defense has been extremely tough this season, ranking fourth in overall DVOA. On the bright side, McGuire was second on the team in both targets and receiving yards and will seemingly be involved in the passing game moving forward.

If Crowell does miss Week 15, McGuire is in line for a heavy workload. The Texans are an extremely tough matchup so his ceiling is limited. His volume will carry him through this matchup, as the Jets are looking to limit the mistakes that Sam Darnold can make. Roll him out as a low-ceiling FLEX.

Other Options: Frank Gore (27% owned), Damien Williams (17% owned), Stevan Ridley (16% owned)

Wide Receivers

Kenny Stills, Miami Dolphins (31% Owned)

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He lives! Saying Stills is having a season to forget would be an understatement. From Weeks 4-12 Stills scored just 22.8 Fantasy points in standard leagues after scoring 22.6 in the opening game of the season!

Since Ryan Tannehill has returned, Stills is looking like the Dolphins top receiver once again. In the two games with Tannehill, he has caught 12-of-17 targets for 172 yards and two touchdowns. He's led the team in targets over that span and will continue being Tannehill's favourite target.

DaeSean Hamilton/Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos (7%/0% Owned)

The new dynamic duo of Denver wideouts burst onto the scene in Week 14. Replacing the injured Emmanuel Sanders, Hamilton caught 7-of-9 targets for 47 yards and a TD. Not to be outdone, Patrick caught seven passes of his own for 85 yards. The two were targeted by Case Keenum a combined 19 times.

Courtland Sutton was battling a hamstring injury, likely playing a factor in his awful 16-yard performance. If healthy, Sutton will presumably be the WR1 in this offense. However, the Broncos may choose to rest their second-round rookie with the playoffs likely out of reach.

Owners in PPR leagues should target Hamilton first, as he will continue to play heavy snaps in the slot. If Sutton is fully healthy, Patrick would stand to lose more targets than Hamilton.

Other Options: Dede Westbrook (34% owned), Jordy Nelson (46% Owned), John Ross (9% owned)

Tight Ends

Ian Thomas, Carolina Panthers (7% Owned)

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As expected, Thomas took over the starting TE role after Greg Olsen was placed on IR last week. However, I was not expecting Thomas to lead the team in targets and receptions. He finished the game with seven catches for 77 yards, finishing three yards behind Curtis Samuel for the team lead.

With Cam Newton playing through a shoulder injury, the Panthers will continue to focus on underneath routes. Thomas has clearly earned Newton's trust and will continue to see a good workload. He probably won't get this many every week, but he will see enough to make him a viable TE1 or the rest of the season.

Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins (5% Owned)

I can't believe it's come to this. Going into the second round of the Fantasy playoffs, I am legitimately recommending the backup TE for the worst offense in the league. That's how bad the position has been all year long.

Jordan Reed left last Sunday's game with a foot injury and is not expected to play this week. If Reed remains out, Davis could be the top target for new starter Josh Johnson.

The matchup against Jacksonville will be tough, but I think Davis will see enough volume to produce useable day in PPR leagues.

Other Options: Anthony Firkser (0% owned)

Deep League Special

Michael Gallup, WR, Dallas Cowboys (8% Owned)

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The Cowboys get a lot of flak for it but the offense has looked much improved since the Amari Cooper trade. Dak Prescott still makes mistakes, but he now seems more willing to open up and take shots down the field.

Of course, Cooper is the main target but Gallup has quietly seen a jump in targets as well. Over his last three games, Gallup has seen 22 targets, catching 11 of them. He has finished inside the top 20 in average targeted air yards in each of the last three weeks. For the season, Gallup ranks 11th in average targeted air yards, so we know he is getting plenty of high-value targets.

Gallup has left a lot of production on the field as well. If not for a couple of Prescott overthrows, Gallup would likely have two more long touchdowns of 40+ yards each. If Prescott can improve his deep ball accuracy, expect Gallup's stat lines to look much better in the coming weeks.

Gallup is a low-floor option but is seeing enough targets to be a viable deep-league option this week against the Colts' 21st ranked (by DVOA) pass defense.

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