Fantasy football IDP free-agent report: Week 15

Check your waiver wire for these IDP options ahead of Week 15.

It’s Week 15, and we have four games left in the regular season. Bye weeks are done, and your roster should be set except for maybe a spot or two. Whether you’re in the fantasy football playoffs or a season-long league, let’s do this!

Each week, we’ll highlight diamonds in the rough or some players that just need to be rostered in more leagues on the defensive side of the ball. Keep in mind your scoring system and roster restraints when heading to the waiver wire to grab these IDPs.

Defensive linemen

DE Charles Omenihu, Kansas City Chiefs

He has had two identical weeks in a row with three tackles and a sack. He has played 67, 69 and 56% of the snaps the last three weeks, so there is some volatility if Omenihu is not recording sacks. But at this point in the season, you look for upside, and he has it right now.

EDGE Arden Key, Tennessee Titans

Key has at least a half-sack in three straight games. His fantasy viability hinges on his ability to reach the quarterback, though. His tackle numbers the last three weeks are two, one, and two. So if your league incentivizes sacks, Key is a fringe option to target.

Linebackers

LB Andre Smith, Atlanta Falcons

This one will heavily depend on the status of Nate Landman (knee), who missed Week 14. Smith stepped in and posted eight tackles and a forced fumble. If Landman is out again, Smith would be a great play against the Carolina Panthers this week.

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LB Nicholas Morrow, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles made a splash picking up former All-Pro Shaquille Leonard, but Morrow continues to ball out. He had six tackles and two pass defenses last week and has 12, eight, and six tackles the last three weeks. Leonard is still being acclimated, and Morrow should continue to shine.

LB Duke Riley, Miami Dolphins

Riley stepped in for the injured Jerome Baker and played a whopping 71 snaps in Week 14. He finished with five tackles in Week 14, but he had eight tackles and a forced fumble the week prior. The jury is still out on what Riley can contribute, but he’s worth taking a flyer on.

Defensive backs

FS Darnell Savage, Green Bay Packers

Savage played 95% of the defensive snaps in Week 14 and delivered seven tackles. He returned from injury the week before and had four tackles in 91% of the snaps. Savage vastly overshadowed Jonathan Owens, who had just two tackles last week. The Packers face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears to close out the year.

FS Mike Edwards, Kansas City Chiefs

Edwards stood out with 11 tackles in Week 14. The six tackles he had in Week 13 were a season high. So while there isn’t a big floor there, the ceiling has risen the last two weeks.

SS Jordan Howden, New Orleans Saints

Howden said, “How you doin’?” in Week 14 with 10 tackles, a forced fumble, a sack and a pass defense. He had two four-tackle games and an eight-stop game this season but really hasn’t done much consistently. The banner performance last week was enough to take notice, though.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 15 free-agent forecast

Addressing all of the pertinent waiver targets for Week 15 and beyond.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated. FAAB $ amounts are based on a $100 budget.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Bye weeks: none

Fantasy football waiver wire targets

Priority free agents

1) RB Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks: History says Penny’s impressive lack of durability will make gamers regret this one, but being the top back — clear and away — in any offense pushes a player into must-own territory. The Seahawks faced Houston, too, which further complicates evaluating this situation. Talent hasn’t been Penny’s problem, and the former first-rounder almost always had to share touches when he was healthy, so this really will be a four-game litmus test for his long-term viability in the NFL. He rushed 16 times for 137 yards and a pair of scores in Week 14, dominating the backfield touch split. In the final month of the season, Seattle heads to the Los Angeles Rams, comes home for Chicago, stays there for Detroit, and closes out with a Jan. 9 trip to Arizona. Penny could be a playoff rock star over three of those games, and the final one luckily is out of play in most fantasy formats.

Availability: 79%
FAAB
: Everything you have left

2) WR K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings: Last week, Osborn was promoted as the top-billed player to add in wake of Adam Thielen’s high-ankle sprain. The veteran receiver sat vs. Pittsburgh, and even if he has the mildest high-ankle sprain of all time, we should be talking multiple weeks, but no one is actually saying that. … If it were a sprain to the lower area of the ankle, this wouldn’t be an issue, but most players miss at least three weeks. The general prognosis for a world-class athlete typically is four to six weeks. And if he is rushed back, Thielen runs the risk of aggravating it. Minnesota closes out with @CHI, LAR, @GB and CHI. Osborn should be universally owned as long as there’s a hint of doubt surrounding Thielen’s availability and durability.

Availability: 62%
FAAB
: $18-20

3) WR Braxton Berrios, New York Jets: The former New England Patriots slot project has developed nicely with the Jets. Nearly every time he is given at least four touches, Berrios manages to do something of note. He has double-digit PPR production in all but one of such outings in the last two seasons, going 6-for-7 in this regard. WRs Corey Davis and Elijah Moore are on IR, and the Jets are lousy on defense, which promotes passing volume. The running game has been a joke since Michael Carter sprained his ankle, and he’s eligible to return soon, which should help prevent defenses from getting a little too greedy against the pass. Moreover, the Jets face Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa in the next three weeks. Lock him in for PPR WR3 production.

Availability: 99%
FAAB: $9-10

4) RB Justin Jackson and Josh Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers: It’s unclear how long, if at all, Austin Ekeler (ankle) will be out with a sprain, but it’s also equally murky as to which back is the best target as his replacement. Jackson is the official No. 2 on the depth chart, but he will undoubtedly share considerable touches with Kelley. The Chargers utilized the latter more by a single touch in Week 14, and the two backs produced nearly identical results. Closely monitor the situation and nab both, if possible, but not at the expense of a surer thing. This ultimately could prove to be a total blip on the radar and we see Ekeler back on the field in Week 15, but no one should take that for granted just yet.

Availability: 98% (Jackson), 99% (Kelley)
FAAB
: $20-22 (Jackson), $18-20 (Kelley)

5) WR Laquon Treadwell, Jacksonville Jaguars: This passing game is abysmal. No doubt about it. It also has created a valuable WR3 or flex from the guy manning the third spot. Prior to Treadwell’s three-game uptick in action, Jamal Agnew was relevant before getting hurt. All things Trevor Lawrence should leave you feeling uneasy right now, yet he has been proficient at involving intermediate targets each week. With Laviska Shenault quickly looking like the next Cordarrelle Patterson — not the one who has carried fantasy teams in 2021 — and Marvin Jones being mostly an afterthought, gamers can pivot to Treadwell as a PPR flex option. He has 10-plus points in consecutive weeks and more than nine in three straight. The upside for big plays is basically non-existent, so know what you’re getting here. Meetings ahead with HOU, NYJ, NE and IND are compelling.

Availability: 99%
FAAB: $4-5

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One-week plays

RB Duke Johnson, Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets: Miami’s top trio of running backs all are on the COVID-19 list, and two of them are highly iffy for Week 15 action. Johnson is on the practice squad, along with Gerrid Doaks, and the two could receive the call any moment for activation. The Jets have given up a rushing TD every 17.1 attempts in 2021, and the next worst team in this regard is at every 22.5 carries. The matchup is elite for pass-catching backs, so Johnson should feel right at home here. The situation has all of the makings for an early playoff stocking-stuffer.

Availability: 99%
FAAB
: $15-17

WR Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills vs. Carolina Panthers: Davis had been one of my favorite players to make the leap to weekly utility after a seven-TD rookie campaign, but the first six games of the season were a sobering reminder that Emmanuel Sanders still can get it done, and Cole Beasley wasn’t going anywhere. One more impactful aspect I hadn’t given much credence to before the season was the drastic improvement by Dawson Knox. This long, winding road has brought us to Davis rebounding over the last seven weeks to track closer to his rookie season’s performance marks. Sanders suffered a knee injury in Week 14 and didn’t return. In the event he cannot go vs. Carolina, there’s a fine opportunity to roll the dice on Davis as a flex play. He doesn’t need a ton of volume to matter, and Carolina has surrendered a TD per game to WRs, on average, this year, including four in the last month of play. Davis is good enough to exploit single coverage as the Panthers sell out to contain Stefon Diggs.

Availability: 97%
FAAB
: $4-5

RB D’Ernest Johnson, Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders: This one is solely dependent upon whether Kareem Hunt (ankle) misses time, which looks to be the case. Johnson hadn’t touched the ball too much in the weeks with Nick Chubb healthy and Hunt out, but this matchup is so tantalizing it’s worth a roll of the dice — if the rest of your lineup is strong enough to absorb a potential paper-weight performance. The Raiders have yielded 18 total touchdowns to the position, including 12 on the ground, and RBs have averaged 143.2 offensive yards per game. On the year, only five teams have permitted scores at a greater frequency. Playing Johnson this week likely relies on an injury forcing one’s hand, but at least the matchup metrics make the gamble a little easier to swallow.

Availability: 87%
FAAB
: $3-4

WR Nico Collins, Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars: There’s a tremendous amount of risk here, and Collins is far from a sure thing to warrant a lineup spot, but we have a pretty good matchup ahead for a rookie coming off a career-high 10 targets that resulted in personal bests in receptions (5) and yardage (69). Despite being roughly 70 feet tall, Collins has yet to score a TD, and this is the week it may be in the cards. Five of the 11 total WR touchdowns vs. Jacksonville have come in the last four games, and all by different players.

Availability: 99%
FAAB
: $1-2

WR Cam Sims, Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles: A few points … we don’t know if Taylor Heinicke’s knee is going to cost him time. Kyle Allen filled in admirably, but there’s a reason he’s the backup. We also don’t have any idea if Terry McLaurin will miss Week 15 with a concussion. Washington faces Philadelphia in the upcoming slate, and the matchup isn’t ideal, but Sims could be a useful flex play given the overall lack of weaponry in his passing game. Presuming he is the primary receiver, Sims is worth little more than a TD flier, so it’s tough to envision anyone being that desperate in the fantasy playoffs, but 2021 has taken stranger turns. He has basically no utility should Scary Terry overcome the concussion in time.

Availability: 99%
FAAB: $1-2

PK Chase McLaughlin, Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders: Just one team in the last six games have not kicked multiple field goals against Vegas, and three or more treys were attempted in four of those contests. Tack on 20 total extra point attempts in that time and we’re looking at one of the easiest matchups of the week for a Cleveland team that is just barely good enough to move the ball. This could be a field goal fest.

Availability: 94%
FAAB: $0-1

PK Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Football Team: Philly returns from its bye week rested and ready to go against a Washington unit that permitted the 12th-most fantasy points per game to kickers entering Week 14. In the past two weeks alone, the position has attempted and made all seven three-point tries, also adding a lone PAT. Elliott generated 14-plus fantasy points (distance-based scoring) in four of his last six showings and should be plenty available after being widely dropped over the bye.

Availability: 89%
FAAB: $0-1

Miami Dolphins D/ST vs. New York Jets: Miami’s defense really started to pick up the pace in the five games prior to going on bye in Week 14, logging 17-plus points in three of the contests. The five points scored against the Jets in Week 11 was the worst showing of that window, but Joe Flacco and not Zach Wilson was the starting quarterback for Gang Green in the contest. This meeting should go much differently. Miami was dropped in some 20 percent of leagues polled as owners looked for a bye-week replacement. With a matchup against New Orleans in Week 15 and then Tennessee’s hamstrung offense the following game, this is a defense for the remainder of the fantasy slate.

Availability: 52%
FAAB: $2-3

Grab & stash

RB Craig Reynolds, Detroit Lions: Surprisingly, Detroit turned to a total unknown in Reynolds rather than Jermar Jefferson in Week 14 as Jamaal Williams (COVID) and D’Andre Swift (shoulder) were out of commission vs. Denver. The unheralded Reynolds ran hard, going for 83 yards on 11 carries, adding 16 aerial gains on his two grabs, while sharing touches with Godwin Igwebuike. The third-year former undrafted free agent had two prior career touches. The Lions could get either Swift or Williams back in Week 15, rendering Reynolds useless, but the situation is worth monitoring. The upcoming tilt with Arizona doesn’t scream fantasy success, however, so despite the potential opportunity, he ultimately may end up being reserved for DFS action if nothing less.

Availability: 99%
FAAB
: $1-2

Atlanta Falcons D/ST: Coming off by far its best fantasy day of the year (13 points), Atlanta hosts the Detroit Lions in Week 16 and should be among the best streaming plays. For owners with room to look ahead and stash, the Falcons make for an intriguing risk-reward decision. If they don’t even look remotely competent vs. San Fran in Week 15, no sweat … drop and move along.

Availability: 74%
FAAB: $0-1

Eligible-to-return tracker

The following fantasy-relevant players are eligible to return from the Reserve/Injured list and could be on waivers, but inclusion below doesn’t guarantee coming back in the upcoming week. The date when the player was placed on IR is in parentheses.

  • RB Michael Carter, New York Jets (11/27)

Deep diving for running backs

If you’re in a competitive league, it is unlikely running backs are just chillin’ on the waiver wire. But that doesn’t mean gamers aren’t still in need of “break in case of emergency” running backs. These players could be available for a dumpster dive:

  • Jaret Patterson, Washington Football Team (Antonio Gibson insurance)
  • Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals (TD flier)
  • Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco 49ers (TD flier)

Fantasy football IDP free-agent report: Week 15

It’s time to find those IDP gems on the fantasy football waiver wire in Week 15.

We’re in the thick of the fantasy football playoffs in Week 15. Let’s take a look at some potential hidden gems floating on waivers.

Defensive linemen

DE Quinnen Williams, New York Jets

The former No. 3 overall pick has been one of the highest-scoring linemen the last three weeks. He has tallied 17 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two passes defensed during the stretch. He really should be owned in every league that starts multiple linemen.

DE Dion Jordan, San Francisco 49ers

Jordan looks to have settled in the last couple of weeks with three tackles and a sack in each game. He faces the Dallas Cowboys this week, which have been generous to opposing linemen all season. He’s a boom-or-bust option, but the matchup gives optimism.

Linebackers

ILB Troy Reeder, Los Angeles Rams

Reeder was featured here a few weeks ago, and he has continued to perform. However, he is still floating on 80 percent of waivers polled. Reeder had a three-sack game earlier in the year, but he hasn’t reached the quarterback since. That could explain why he’s undervalued. However, he has 32 total tackles and a pass defensed over the last three weeks. He should be owned in most leagues.

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OLB Todd Davis, Minnesota Vikings

Davis has been all over the field the last two weeks with 18 total tackles. The uncertain caveat is that only six of those tackles were solo. So if you only get a half-point per assisted tackle, he slides down the pecking order. His productivity also is tied to the health of LB Eric Kendricks (calf).

ILB Nick Vigil, Los Angeles Chargers

Vigil’s value hinges solely on Denzel Perryman’s (back) status. Vigil has filled in and tallied 22 tackles, forced a fumble and defended a pass the last three weeks. Keep an eye on Perryman’s status to potentially use the undervalued Vigil.

Defensive backs

CB A.J. Terrell, Atlanta Falcons

The 16th overall pick has produced some eye-popping numbers the last two weeks. He had 22 tackles, two forced fumbles and two passes defensed. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are up next, and they figure to test the rookie.

FS Eric Murray, Houston Texans

The fifth-year man busted out last week with 11 tackles and two sacks against the Chicago Bears. The Texans are thin in the secondary and lost safety Justin Reid (thumb) for the season, too. Murray has all the job security in the world right now, and he’s worth the speculative add after the huge game.