• Brenton Strange catches 11 passes: With Evan Engram on injured reserve, the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ new starter stepped right into Engram’s shoes, putting up similar numbers at his best.
• Multiple wide receivers score twice: Romeo Doubs and Rashod Bateman both found the end zone twice and could have at least one more big game left in them during the fantasy playoffs.
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Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes
With Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season nearly complete, here are the key players to target on the fantasy football waiver wire. Here, we'll cover options for smaller and deeper leagues and also highlight the players to avoid.
Jump to a position group:
QB | RB | WR | TE
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets (Rostered in 43.7% of leagues on ESPN)
For weeks, the top quarterbacks on the waiver wire were those who had shown some promise and had a strong schedule over the rest of the season. Daniel Jones was one of them, although he was released weeks ago. Jameis Winston and Will Levis were two others, but both were benched this past week. While Winston and Levis could start again next week, they could also be benched again.
Chances are that most fantasy teams that made it to the semifinal round haven’t needed a quarterback off the waiver wire. However, Patrick Mahomes‘ injury could lead some managers to scramble if he misses time.
Rodgers is likely the best option available off the waiver wire after two straight solid games. On Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he completed 16 of 30 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. It was against a Jaguars defense that has allowed many fantasy points to quarterbacks, though.
The Jets face the Los Angeles Rams defense next week. The Rams did a great job against the San Francisco 49ers last week, but half of the quarterbacks to face them have at least 220 passing yards with at least two touchdowns. That list includes Geno Smith and Drake Maye, who aren’t usually fantasy starters. Rodgers could build on his recent momentum with another good game as he fights for his NFL career to continue in 2025.
Cooper Rush, Dallas Cowboys (6.0%)
Rush has been surprisingly effective as the Cowboys' starter in recent weeks. While Dallas is unlikely to make the playoffs, they’ve kept hope alive. This past week, he completed 18 of his 29 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Over the past five weeks, Rush has averaged 16.2 fantasy points per game, ranking 20th among quarterbacks. The only quarterbacks available ahead of him are Aaron Rodgers, Jameis Winston, who was benched, Drake Maye, who has a very rough schedule, and Bryce Young.
The Cowboys face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16. Six of the past 10 quarterbacks to face the Buccaneers have finished among the top seven fantasy quarterbacks that week, including Bryce Young and Kirk Cousins. Spencer Rattler, Tommy DeVito, Aidan O’Connell and, most recently, Justin Herbert were the four to finish outside of the top seven. Rush might be closer to the latter four quarterbacks, but he has the best matchup among the few starters available in more than 90% of ESPN leagues.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (5.0%)
Young has improved since returning to the Panthers' starting lineup in Week 8, but he generally hasn’t been at the level of a fantasy starter. After taking a few weeks to warm up, he has averaged 16.9 fantasy points per game since Week 11, ranking 19th among quarterbacks. He’s generally thrown enough yards to be a borderline fantasy starter, but he’s thrown exactly one touchdown pass in each of his past six games.
Young made the list because the Panthers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17. The Panthers played the Buccaneers in Week 13, when Young scored 23.6 PPR points, with 298 passing yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. While it’s unlikely Young will repeat that performance, he could be a fantasy starter again.
Running Back
Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints (8.0%)
Alvin Kamara suffered a groin injury early on Sunday in the fourth quarter and didn’t return. After Kamara’s injury, Kendre Miller took over as the main running back. He played 23 of 27 snaps after the injury, carrying the ball eight times and running 15 routes. The quarter consisted of three long drives, and Jamaal Williams took a few snaps, as well.
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