Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: Waiver-Wire Targets for Players on Injury List
Week 15 got underway on Thursday with an AFC West matchup between the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers. The action will pick back up on Saturday with a trio of fantastic and playoff-relevant contests.
Don't forget to set your lineups, fantasy fans.
The good news for fantasy managers this week is that there are no bye weeks. The bad news is that injuries will once again impact the fantasy landscape. Players like Nico Collins, Isiah Pacheco and Alexander Mattison have already been ruled out this week. Standouts like Tyreek Hill, Chris Olave and De'Von Achane are questionable, while Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is doubtful.
Let's take a look at some updated point-per-reception (PPR) rankings and examine a few waiver-wire targets to consider for Week 15.
Quarterback
1 of 4
1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
2. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
3. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
4. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
6. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
7. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
8. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
9. Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
10. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Waiver Target: Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning doesn't have the spiciest matchup in Week 15. The Minnesota Vikings have allowed the 13th-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, and they've been even better recently.
However, Browning is at home, and he still gets to throw the ball to Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon. Cincinnati's tremendous skill group has allowed the 27-year-old to throw for more than 600 yards with three touchdowns and one interception over his last two games. Browning has also rushed for a score in each of those contests.
There's some risk with Browning this week, as the Vikings are a solid defensive team and now have plenty of tape on the signal-caller. However, he's still worth a start for managers in a pinch.
Browning is rostered in 47 percent of Yahoo leagues and 36 percent of ESPN leagues.
Running Back
2 of 4
1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
2. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
3. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
5. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
6. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
7. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
8. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
9. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
10. Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts
11. Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
12. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
13. David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
14. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
15. Ezekiel Elliott, New England Patriots
16. Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos
17. James Cook, Buffalo Bills
18. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
19. Breece Hall, New York Jets
20. Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Waiver Target: Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings
Browning isn't the only player from the Bengals-Vikings matchup worth plucking for a spot start this week.
Vikings running back Ty Chandler is expected to see a heavy workload after Minnesota ruled out Mattison (ankle) for Week 15. This should mean a jump in production for Mattison, who had three catches and 43 scrimmage yards in Week 14.
While Cincinnati's defense has had some terrific games at home, it's a middling unit overall—the Bengals have allowed the 16th-most fantasy points to RBs. Chandler is worth a look for his projected volume alone.
Chandler is rostered in 44 percent of Yahoo leagues and 40 percent of ESPN leagues.
Wide Receiver
3 of 4
1. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
2. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
4. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
5. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
6. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
7. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
8. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
9. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
10. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
11. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
12. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
13. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
14. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears
15. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
16. DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
17. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
18. DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans
19. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
20. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Waiver Target: Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns
The addition of quarterback Joe Flacco has helped unlock Elijah Moore in the Cleveland Browns offense. In two games with Flacco under center, Moore has caught seven passes for 125 combined yards.
While Moore can't be considered a high-end play against a solid-and-improving Chicago Bears secondary, he should be worth rostering in Week 15. The Bears are likely to focus on limiting Amari Cooper, which should create windows for Moore.
Last week, Chicago held Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to three catches and 21 yards. No. 2 receiver Josh Reynolds snagged three passes for 44 yards and a touchdown.
Moore is rostered in 49 percent of Yahoo leagues and 37 percent of ESPN leagues.
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Tight End
4 of 4
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
3. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
4. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
5. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
6. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
7. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
8. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
9. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
10. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
Waiver Target: Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders may very well be playing catch-up against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15. This should raise the floor of tight end Logan Thomas, who is absolutely worth a spot start in Week 15.
While Thomas was blanked in his last game and had just two receptions for 15 yards in the previous contest, he has upside and a tremendous matchup. Before his latest slide, Thomas had at least four catches and 40 receiving yards in five straight outings.
The Rams have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing TEs in 2023.
Thomas is rostered in 44 percent of both Yahoo and ESPN leagues.
*Fantasy scoring and roster information from FantasyPros. Injury information from NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
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