Only two more games Monday night stand before the start of the playoffs in the majority of fantasy football leagues, and the waiver wire will be a busy marketplace entering Week 15.
There were a multitude of injuries to the running back position to keep an eye on moving forward. Players such as Josh Jacobs, Alexander Mattison, Brian Robinson Jr. and Isiah Pacheco — to name a few — all have injury question marks.
The bye weeks also are finally over, so it will be just good old-fashioned fantasy football. With trade deadlines concluded in the majority of leagues as well, the waiver wire becomes the most vital tool for fantasy managers over the three weeks.
We’re also getting to the point of the season in which stashing FAAB isn’t as crucial. Don’t be afraid to spend a bit more on a player who might give your team an edge down the stretch.
We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!
We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.
Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.
Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.
Priority Free Agents
1. RB Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots
He is most likely rostered but in the slight chance he’s available, Zeke should be the top addition in almost all formats. With Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) expected to miss a few weeks, we saw Elliott finish with a season-high 27.0 PPR points, which included 30 opportunities.
FAAB: 80%
Availability: 32%
2. RB Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs
With Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) inactive, the Chiefs turned to McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire to split the backfield work. While the latter had seven more carries, McKinnon led the way in routes run and saw a carry inside the 10-yard line. As long as Pacheco is out, there will be a split, but we’ve seen the versatile McKinnon come through during the playoffs before, so he would be the bigger addition.
FAAB: 50%
Availability: 59%
3. RB D’Onta Foreman, Chicago Bears
Though the Bears are another backfield featuring a three-way split, this one had a clear leader in Week 14. Foreman played more snaps, ran more routes, saw more targets, and received more carries than Roschon Johnson and Khalil Herbert combined. Who knows if this will keep up, but Foreman clearly made an impression during his stint as the starter earlier in the season, so he’s an RB3/flex option until we see another shift in usage.
FAAB: 45%
Availability: 62%
4. RB Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens
There was a closer split between Mitchell, Justice Hill and Gus Edwards in Week 14, but the rookie still led the Ravens backfield carries. The split will be frustrating, but neither Hill nor Edwards has the juice that Mitchell offers. He’s a risky flex play for now, but he has plenty of upside if his role expands.
FAAB: 40%
Availability: 41%
5. WR Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers
The Packers play Monday night and will be without Christian Watson (hamstring), so this will be something monitor. Without Watson, Doubs should be one of the go-to targets on the outside for Jordan Love. He hasn’t hit 100 receiving yards in a game this season, but Doubs has had a nose for the end zone, so he’s a WR3 option with upside as long as Watson’s out.
FAAB: 40%
Availability: 40%
6. RB Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings
Vikings starter Alexander Mattison (ankle) exited the game in the third quarter and didn’t return. Chandler took over the lead role and even though his production was subpar, he finished the game with 15 opportunities. If Mattison is going to miss time, Chandler can be a fringe RB2 option even amid the quarterback struggles the Vikings are facing.
FAAB: 35%
Availability: 78%
7. WR Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Like Doubs, the absence of Watson on Monday night will likely benefit Reed’s opportunities. The rookie wideout has thrived from the slot this season, and the Packers have made it a point to get him the ball in creative ways. He has at least four receptions in five of his last six games while averaging 13.1 PPR points per game during that span.
FAAB: 35%
Availability: 38%
8. TE Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
Coming through with a 5-83-1 receiving line on seven targets certainly raises the stock. Though most of it came on a 54-yard touchdown catch, Likely has been solid in his two games as the starter since Mark Andrews‘ injury. He’s a back-end TE1 option with upside considering the offense he’s in. Teams desperate at tight end can spend a little more.
FAAB: 30%
Availability: 45%
9. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs
CEH took over the early-down role in the backfield with Pacheco inactive in Week 14. He wasn’t very efficient on the ground, taking 11 carries for 39 rushing yards, but he did add two receptions for 29 yards on four targets. It isn’t clear how long Pacheco will be out, but CEH has flex value as long as the former misses time.
FAAB: 30%
Availability: 50%
10. RB Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders
If we knew the status of Brian Robinson Jr. (ankle), Gibson might be higher on this list. The Commanders are coming out of the bye week, so that may have given Robinson enough time to heal. If not, Gibson can provide some flex value with RB2 upside. The upcoming schedule is brutal, and the Commanders offense isn’t very good, but Gibson is a solid back to have on the bench just in case.
FAAB: 25%
Availability: 46%
10. QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
With 10 touchdown passes over the last three weeks, Stafford is beginning to catch fire. It’s even more impressive considering two of those matchups include the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. Stafford has a pretty nice schedule coming up over the next three weeks, so he’s a fine play for quarterback-needy teams.
FAAB: 25%
Availability: 44%
11. RB Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders
Raiders starter Josh Jacobs (knee) exited the game near the end of the fourth quarter and didn’t return, so it’s difficult to gauge the injury’s severity. It may be nothing, but the Raiders turn around on a short week and he walked with a pronounced limp on the sideline. White could split time as the early-down back with Ameer Abdullah handling third downs. If Jacobs is out, White would be a deeper flex option against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15. But it’s wise to wait and see what the prognosis for Jacobs’ injury looks like before diving head first for White.
FAAB: 20%
Availability: 98%
12. WR Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens
With three touchdown receptions over his last five games, Beckham has made some splash plays. The second half of the season has been much kinder to him considering he’s averaging 13.5 PPR points and 6.2 targets per game since Week 9, compared to 5.0 PPR points and 4.3 targets per game from Weeks 1-8. There will still be volatility in his game, but Beckham has WR3 value right now with a pretty favorable schedule coming up.
FAAB: 20%
Availability: 59%
13. WR Noah Brown, Houston Texans
Houston already lost Tank Dell for the rest of the season and then they saw Nico Collins (calf) leave the game in the firs quarter. Brown put up a goose egg on five targets in Week 14, but there’s upside if he’s the top receiving option in the wide receiver room. It also will be important to monitor the health of C.J. Stroud (concussion). Brown isn’t worth starting unless Stroud is healthy.
FAAB: 15%
Availability: 51%
Grab-n-Stash
This is the time to grab the handcuffs of players both on your team and the handcuffs of players on other teams, so expect to see some of the same names moving forward. Preferably, no FAAB would be spent to acquire these players, but we’ll give a maximum suggestion.
RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Tennessee plays Monday night so we’ll see what Spears’ role looks like coming off a season-best 75 rushing yards. If anything, he’s a high-end handcuff.
FAAB: 10%
Availability: 56%
RB Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles
Gainwell played two fewer snaps and ran three more routes than D’Andre Swift, likely because of the negative game script in Week 14. He’s a high-end handcuff in the event of a Swift injury.
FAAB: 5%
Availability: 69%
RB Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
The rookie has been more involved over the last two weeks. The backfield still belongs to Joe Mixon, but Brown has some juice.
FAAB: 5%
Availability: 94%
RB Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers
With Elijah Mitchell (knee) inactive, Mason was the backup to Christian McCaffrey. He found the end zone, but his role was minimal. He’s a handcuff.
FAAB: 1%
Availability: 98%
WR Jalin Hyatt, New York Giants
The last time we saw Hyatt, he went over the 100-yard mark for the first time. He plays Monday night so, if anything, keep an eye out to see if his role expands.
FAAB: 3%
Availability: 93%
WR Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers
Wicks will see a bigger role with Christian Watson (hamstring) inactive Monday night. He’s flashed some upside this season to keep an eye out for him.
FAAB: 3%
Availability: 96%
Streamers of the Week
QB Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears: Flacco is the starter moving forward coming off 16.2 and 20.3 fantasy points over his last two games. The Bears have been better recently, but Flacco is slinging it.
Availability: 93%
QB Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Minnesota Vikings: Over his last two games, Browning is averaging 24.7 fantasy points and 314.5 passing yards. Let’s stay in the flames against a middling Vikings defense.
Availability: 73%
TE Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans vs. Houston Texans: Okonkwo has shown some life over his last two games. Monitor his production Monday night, but he could be a solid option against a Texans defense allowing 14.1 PPR points per game to tight ends since Week 8.
Availability: 66%
TE Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders at Los Angeles Rams: This is hoping Thomas gets a few receptions (potentially a touchdown) against a Rams defense struggling to stop tight ends.
Availability: 57%
Atlanta Falcons D/ST at Carolina Panthers: Since Week 9, Carolina has allowed opposing D/STs to average 10.3 fantasy points per game.
Availability: 68%
Los Angeles Rams D/ST vs. Washington Commanders: Washington has allowed double-digit fantasy points to opposing D/STs in each of the last three weeks while giving up 4.5 sacks per game.
Availability: 83%
PK Riley Patterson, Detroit Lions vs. Denver Broncos: There’s a good chance the Lions offense bounces back at home in what could be a high-scoring game.
Availability: 47%
PK Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts: Even if Mitchell Trubisky starts, the Colts defense should allow the Steelers to consistently enter field-goal range.
Availability: 63%
