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NFL Week 15 fantasy football waiver wire targets

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon (1) scores the touchdown during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Mike White continues to accumulate yards: The New York Jets QB has played three games and thrown for 317 yards per game on average. His schedule only gets easier from here.

Jerick McKinnon scores twice while leading the backfield in snaps: The Chiefs used only two running backs and made McKinnon a prominent part of the offense.

Donovan Peoples-Jones with the game of his career: The Cleveland Browns receiver recorded career-highs in receptions and yards, and he played 100% of his team's offensive snaps for the first time in his career. Peoples-Jones has a relatively easy schedule ahead.

Estimated Reading Time: 17 mins
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Quarterback

Mike White, New York Jets (Rostered in 15.3% of leagues on ESPN)

White threw for 268 yards in Week 14 despite suffering a ribs injury that caused him to exit the game twice.

  • White has played relatively well this season and has done so in enough games for fantasy managers to feel confident putting him in starting lineups.
  • He ranks second in passing yards over the past three weeks (952).
  • He returned to the game twice but went to the hospital after the contest. He should be picked up in fantasy even if he is going to miss a week.
  • The Jets have the most favorable schedule for quarterbacks during the fantasy playoffs.
  • They play the Lions, Jaguars and Seahawks over the next three weeks. They rank first, eighth and 13th, respectively, in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks this season.

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (43.9%)

Goff put up another great performance, throwing for 330 passing yards and three touchdowns.

  • His three touchdowns went to the second, third and fourth wide receivers on the depth chart.
  • Goff moved up to eighth on the season in passing yards (3,352) and is tied for fifth in touchdowns (22).
  • The Lions’ offense is the healthiest it’s been all season.
  • Detroit’s schedule ranks ninth-best for quarterbacks during the fantasy playoffs.
  • There are no more excellent matchups remaining, but Goff is a solid option in all three weeks, particularly for fantasy teams that have been plagued by injuries at quarterback.

Mac Jones, New England Patriots (8.6%)

Jones is a player to pick up specifically for the fantasy championship round.

  • In Week 17, he plays a Dolphins defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
  • Miami’s defense has employed man coverage at the third-highest rate in the league this season.
  • Jones has a career 14-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio against man defenses, compared to 7-to-11 against zone.
  • Similarly, he has a 5.7% big-time throw and a 1.6% turnover-worthy play rate against man, compared to 3.5% and 3.8%, respectively, against zone.
  • The Patriots play on Monday Night Football.

Running Back

Zonovan Knight, New York Jets (57.2%)

Michael Carter returned for the Jets, which led the team to use a two-man backfield for the first time since Breece Hall’s injury.

  • Carter’s return resulted in James Robinson being a healthy scratch. Robinson was inactive in Week 12, as well.
  • Ty Johnson has been the Jets' third-down back for most of the season, but he didn’t see any snaps on offense in Week 14.
  • Carter took the third-down role and was also a backup runner. This allowed Knight to take the majority of early-down snaps and short-yardage snaps.
  • Knight posted 71 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown despite the game script not being in the Jets' favor at the end of the contest.
  • Knight can be a fantasy starter in this role over the rest of the season, as the Jets should either be competitive or leading in games for the rest of the fantasy campaign.

J.K. Dobbins (60.7%) and Gus Edwards (37.7%), Baltimore Ravens

Dobbins played his first game since mid-October and immediately slotted back into the starting lineup.

  • The Ravens used a ridiculous four-man rotation at running back, but Dobbins played half the snaps on early downs as well as half the snaps in short-yardage situations.
  • Gus Edwards didn’t start the game, but he still played significant snaps on early downs, getting double-digit carries and averaging over 5.0 yards per carry, which is something he’s done throughout his career.
  • Dobbins and Edwards can both be picked up in fantasy leagues despite sharing carries, as the Ravens have the easiest schedule for running backs through the fantasy playoffs.
  • Ideally, the Ravens view Dobbins and Edwards as healthy enough to make this a two-man backfield.
  • Both Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill were reduced to playing in a four-man rotation on third downs.

Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs (33.5%)

 

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