Week 15 Waiver Wire: Late Targets to Replace Fantasy Players on Injury List
George Pickens is arguably the biggest name on the Week 15 injury report, leaving managers to scramble to find a replacement for Pittsburgh's No. 1 wideout.
The waiver wire has plenty of options for those managers and others in similar situations, their lineups adversely affected by injuries at key positions.
From veteran receivers thriving with a new quarterback to a young running back finding increased success with every passing game, they are potential match-ups or playoff winners for managers still fielding teams in meaningful fantasy play.
Who are they and why are they worth your time? Find out with this preview.
Notable Injuries
A handful of key players affected by injury may or may not be available to their teams on Sunday. There are as follows:
- Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans vs. Cincinnati Bengals (ankle, questionable)
- Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars (knee, doubtful)
- Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos (shoulder, questionable)
- George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles (hamstring, out)
- David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs (hamstring, questionable)
- Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (knee and shoulder, questionable)
- Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers (calf, doubtful)
Waiver Wire: Sincere McCormick, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
McCormick has exploded into relevancy in Las Vegas as his touches have jumped from five in Week 12 to three times that in Week 14. In his most recent outing, he saw a 64 percent snap rate in the red zone and a 19 percent missed-tackle rate.
Against the Buccaneers last week, McCormick rushed 15 times for 78 yards and added three receptions for 11 yards.
He has yet to find the endzone for a Raiders team in disarray following key injuries to starting quarterbacks. Still, he will have his opportunity Sunday against an Atlanta Falcons team giving up 20.30 yards to opposing running backs.
Derek Brown of FantasyPros wrote, "Since Week 9, Atlanta has allowed the 12th-highest explosive run rate, the fifth-highest yards after contact per attempt, and the fourth-highest yards per carry to gap runs (McCormick 53.1% gap)."
If the Falcons defense continues to struggle in that area, McCormick could be a surprise fantasy star Sunday. Even if he is not a top 10 or 15 back, he is a potential FLEX play for managers in deeper leagues or in their league's playoffs and looking for a replacement for Pollard or Walker.
He is available in 60 percent of Yahoo and 70 percent of ESPN leagues.
Other options: Tank Bigsby (Jacksonville), Patrick Taylor Jr. (San Francisco)
Waiver Wire: Ray-Ray McCloud III, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Managers in PPR leagues should jump at the opportunity to grab McCloud, who has finished with 13.3 and 16.1 points over the last two games, respectively.
Add to that a Week 15 match-up against a Las Vegas Raiders team yielding 31.78 points to opposing wide receivers.
Finally, the Raiders have struggled mightily against slot receivers, giving up the "fifth-most PPR points per target to slot receivers."
A 100-yard game is not out of the question and he will get his touches. The one thing managers should not expect is McCloud to find the endzone, something he has done just once this season (Week 9 vs. Dallas).
Cousins' safety blanket can be had in 80 or more percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues and is a quality replacement for managers who find themselves missing a receiver amid the revelation that Pickens will not play against Philadelphia or the uncertainty surrounding McConkey's availability.
Other options: Quentin Johnston (Los Angeles), Elijah Moore (Cleveland)
Waiver Wire: Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints
Johnson has finished as a top 10 player at his position in two of the last three weeks, catching seven balls for 80 yards and two scores.
He has averaged 13.5 points per game in those two games.
With Jake Haener slated to start for the Saints in Week 15 amid another injury to starter Derek Carr, Johnson could have another top-10 day. He is a big, physical receiver and a potential safety blanket for a quarterback who has thrown just 29 passes this season.
The match-up against Washington, who gives up 11.22 points per game to opposing tight ends, is not a great one but the uncertainty at quarterback could prove to be a positive for the veteran player.
Other options: Hunter Henry (New England), Noah Gray (Kansas City)
All stats via FantasyPros unless otherwise noted.