Week one of the playoffs has concluded and hopefully you are moving on to greener pastures. If you did make it out of your playoff matchup, or maybe had a bye, then congratulations! Now your focus should be shifting to the second round of playoffs.
As many people definitely understand, if you don’t win your matchup then you don’t move on. This means our mindset needs to be just one week at a time. You can stash players who might be valuable to you next week, but if you don’t win that doesn’t matter. As simple as it is, you need to put out the best possible lineup and then worry about next week.
With the craziness COVID has thrown in, I have discussed establishing your bench with players who would be valuable if the starter ahead of them happened to go down to injury or end up on the COVID reserve list. So keep an eye on those bench spots and also keep an eye out for any players that other teams have dropped.
As always though I am here to try to identify some of the more popular waiver wire additions, some deeper league options, and some to keep an eye on up until your waivers run. Now every league may be a little different, but I will be looking at players who are on 50% or less of teams across Yahoo and ESPN platforms. I will also include some players who might be above 50%, but are worth the look to see if they’re available in your league.
Week 15 Waiver Wire: Possibly taken, but worth a look
Corey Davis (WR, TEN)
Davis had a rough outing in Week 14 as he caught 3 receptions for 34 yards and lost a fumble. The Titans will face off against Detroit in Week 15 who can keep a game competitive. However, you will probably want to monitor Matthew Stafford’s injury. If he is out then I can definitely see this week being a Derrick Henry (and it already very well could be) show as the Lions may struggle with their backup.
T.Y. Hilton (WR, IND)
Hilton has now pieced together three solid outings in a row and this last week caught 5 receptions for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns. He will face off against the Texans who he just went 8-110-1 against. Definitely worth an add and can be played in Week 15.
Cam Akers (RB, LAR)
Akers blew up on Thursday Night Football as he rushed 29 times for 171 yards and caught 2 receptions for 23 yards. Sean McVay has given fantasy managers nightmares all year with his running back rotation, but going away from Akers after his performance almost seems impossible. Akers also plays the Jets and the Seahawks moving forward, which have been favorable matchups for running backs.
Logan Thomas (TE, TEN)
Thomas has turned into a decent tight end streamer and caught 6 receptions for 43 yards in Week 14. Tight end is a wasteland, but if you’re streaming and need an option you can do a lot worse than Thomas.
Week 15 Waiver Wire: On less than 50% of teams
Philip Rivers (QB, IND)
Rivers continues to bring a safe floor in the past several weeks and threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts get the Texans who are giving up points and are a favorable matchup for quarterbacks. Rivers had a decent outing against the Texans in Week 13 and threw for 285 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Jalen Hurts (QB, PHI)
Hurts led the Eagles to a victory over the New Orleans Saints this last week in which he threw 167 yards and one touchdown. However, he also added 106 rushing yards on 18 attempts. Hurts was named the starter again and gets two weeks of decent matchups with Arizona and Dallas on deck. If you’re streaming quarterbacks, Hurts brings rushing upside and should get more passing opportunities with another week of practice.
Keke Coutee (WR, HOU)
Coutee wasn’t a game-changer in Week 14 as he caught 3 receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown (lost a fumble as well). However, the Texans face off against the Colts once again. Coutee went 8-141 on 9 targets just two weeks ago against them so could be in line for a bounce-back game.
Chad Hansen (WR, HOU)
Another Texans receiver is in the mix to be picked up as he caught 7 of 7 targets and 56 yards in Week 14. Hansen has 14 targets in 2 games and has a 21% target share. We will want to monitor Brandin Cooks’ injury status, but if you need a safe WR3 or Flex play Hansen would probably be good for 10 PPR points.
Lynn Bowden (WR, MIA)
Bowden brings RB/WR eligibility in both Yahoo and ESPN formats. He also showed up in Week 15 and caught 7 receptions for 82 yards and received 1 rushing attempt. We will want to keep an eye on DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, and Jakeem Grant’s injuries as they left the game last week, but if they miss time Bowden could stay involved.
Tyler Higbee (TE, LAR)
This is essentially a shot in the dark, but Higbee will be going up against the Jets in Week 15 who are number one in points given up to the position. If you’re extremely desperate, Higbee can be a gamble to find the endzone. Hopefully if you’re this far into the playoffs you have a better option.
