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Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

These players are generally available in at least 70% of Sleeper leagues and ranked in order of priority, by position.

Your bid should vary by format and situation. Need help at RB? Prioritize that position. All set there? Then, you probably don’t need to chase the top guys.

Quarterback

Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-10%

Rodgers enjoyed one of his best games of the season against Miami.

He threw for 339 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INTs. Both Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams drew double-digit targets, a recipe for Rodgers’ fantasy success. 

More importantly, Week 15 brings a meeting with the Jaguars, who have been the league’s worst QB defense for most of the season. 

Rodgers can be a high-end QB2 with some upside this week if you need a one-week fix. 

He has a neutral matchup against the Rams for Week 16 but should be benched against the Buffalo pass defense in Week 17. 

Running Back

Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars

Blind-bid recommendation: 15-25%

Bigsby out-carried RB Travis Etienne 18-4 on Sunday, finishing with 55 yards and a score. 

Etienne doubled up Bigsby in targets (4-2) and routes (18-9). But Bigsby has been the more effective runner throughout the season and could continue as the lead ball carrier the rest of the way. 

He gets neutral matchups the next three weeks:

• Jets
• Raiders
• Titans

More importantly, the Jaguars have a chance to be competitive in those games and stick with the run.

Patrick Taylor, San Francisco 49ers 

Blind-bid recommendation: 15-25%

Taylor might be the next man up in San Francisco’s backfield after RB Isaac Guerendo suffered a fourth-quarter foot sprain.

The Niners haven't ruled Guerendo out for Week 15. But playing the Rams on Thursday night makes for a tough turnaround.

Taylor carried seven times for 25 yards in the win over the Bears. Ke'Shawn Vaughn carried twice as the RB3, while newly signed RB Israel Abanikanda went inactive.

Taylor's no lock for fantasy lineups even if Guerendo's out. But playing the 49ers' top RB in neutral matchups with the Rams and Dolphins (if Guerendo misses Week 16) would make sense for plenty of fantasy lineups.

Sincere McCormick, Las Vegas Raiders 

Blind-bid recommendation: 10-15%

McCormick followed his 65-yard Week 13 with 89 total yards against the Bucs on Sunday.

He carried 15 times for 78 yards and caught two of three targets for 11 yards. RB Ameer Abdullah finished with 1 carry and 2 targets. 

The backfield may shift when RB Alexander Mattison returns from injury. But the Raiders should stick with the young McCormick as the lead rusher to see what they have.

McCormick doesn't have a daunting matchup the rest of the way:

• Atlanta
• Jacksonville
• New Orleans

Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints

Blind-bid recommendation: 10-15%

Miller came off IR this week and immediately stepped into the No. 2 RB job. He carried 10 times in the win over the Giants – seven fewer than Alvin Kamara – tallying 32 yards and a score. Jamaal Williams mixed in for only 2 carries.

New Orleans will likely go without Derek Carr for the reminder of the fantasy season. But Miller gets neutral RB matchups the next three weeks:

• Commanders
• Packers
• Raiders

He’s unlikely to be an attractive fantasy play behind Kamara. But a Kamara injury would turn Miller into a viable starter. 

Isaiah Davis, New York Jets

Blind-bid recommendation: 8-12%

Davis worked in a near-even split with Braelon Allen on Sunday, carrying 10 times for 40 yards and a score. He also caught three of six targets for 27 yards. 

Allen finished with 11 carries and five targets. The Jets reportedly aren't shutting down RB Breece Hall with his knee injury, despite being eliminated from postseason contention. But Hall might miss more time, which would put Davis in the RB3/flex mix. 

The Jets have the third-easiest RB schedule from Week 15 through 17, with games against the Jaguars, Rams, and Bills.

Wide Receiver

Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Blind-bid recommendation: 12-20%

McMillan caught four balls for 59 yards and two scores in the Bucs win over the Raiders. 

His 7 targets led the team and constituted a 24% share. 

McMillan has emerged as the clear No. 2 WR over the past two games, running a route on 85.1% of Baker Mayfield's dropbacks (just 1 total route behind Mike Evans' lead).

His fantasy playoff schedule also sets up well with neutral matchups the next three weeks:

• Chargers
• Cowboys
• Panthers

Tight End

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

Blind-bid recommendation: 10-15%

Johnson delivered a 4-50-1 receiving line Sunday at the Giants. His 5 targets tied for second on the team and marked a 16% share. 

With Taysom Hill out for the year, Johnson looks like a low-end fantasy option – although QB Derek Carr's injury hurts. (He’s likely done for the fantasy season.)

On the plus side: Johnson has a neutral Week 15 matchup vs. the Commanders before positive draws against the Packers and Raiders.

Deep-League Options

Sean Tucker, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-10%

Tucker finished with just 3 carries and 2 targets against the Raiders this week. But Bucky Irving left with back trouble, leaving his status for Week 15 up in the air.

Tucker went for 34 PPR points in Week 6 when Rachaad White was out, so there is potential for Tucker to get a solid workload if one of those RBs miss time.

The Chargers matchup is negative, but if Irving’s injury lingers, positive draws against the Cowboys and Panthers in Weeks 16 & 17 could be beneficial.

Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens

Blind-bid recommendation: 8-12%

We’ll have to keep an eye on the knee injury that Bateman suffered prior to a Week 14 bye. HC John Harbaugh indicated that it’s not a major issue, though.

"[Bateman's] knee got sore in the game. He had treatment today," Harbaugh said via SI.com. "It's not a long-term thing, so it's something like all the guys have, these kinds of things, I think. A lot of guys have these kinds of things late in the season. The bye week will really help him; I do believe that."

Diontae Johnson was once considered a potential roadblock to production, but he’s underwhelmed as a Raven and will miss Week 15.

Meanwhile, Bateman’s popped for six games of double-digit fantasy points in 2024.

Week 15 turns up a strong scoring matchup vs. the Giants, followed by a tough divisional rematch vs. Pittsburgh.

Josh Palmer, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-8%

With Ladd McConkey out this week, Palmer led the Chargers with nine targets. 

He caught six for 78 yards including a deep 38-yard shot early in the game.

McConkey is expected to return in Week 15, but nursing both a knee and shoulder injury can be tricky.

The Chargers have a positive matchup against the Buccaneers this week, so Palmer will be startable if McConkey has a setback.

Stash Palmer if you have a deep bench -- just in case. 

Grant Calcaterra, TE, Philadelphia Eagles

Blind-bid recommendation: 5-10%

Calcaterra caught all three of his targets for 16 yards and a score in the win over the Panthers. Consistent volume remains a problem for all Eagles pass catchers, but Calcaterra will be close to an every-down player with TE Dallas Goedert out over the next three weeks.

Next up is a Steelers defense that sits 23rd in adjusted fantasy points allowed to TEs.

Top Streaming Defense for Week 15

Washington Commanders at New Orleans Saints

The Saints offense was already in trouble after losing Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Taysom Hill. But now Derek Carr has fractured his left hand.

Whether it's second-year QB Jake Haener or rookie QB Spencer Rattler taking over, New Orleans becomes a prime streaming target.

The offense has only scored 14 points in each of the last two games, against the Rams and Giants—neither a top NFL defense.

Facing a backup QB and backup offensive weapons, the Commanders defense could feast on the Saints.

If you want other defenses to stream, check out our Streaming Defense Guide for Week 15.

Drop Candidates

Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints

Carr’s fractured left hand will likely keep him out of the final four games. Regardless, he’s safe to drop.

Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers

Brooks suffered another right ACL tear in Sunday’s loss to Philly. He’s now likely to miss a chunk of the 2025 season.

Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format including redraft, dynasty, devy, IDP, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC and utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance.