Week 15 Waiver Wire: Early Pickups and Breakout Fantasy Football Candidates

This late into the NFL season, fantasy football owners aren't exactly going to find gold on the waiver wire. The best owners, however, will discover a player who provides one or two performances that push a team over the top in the playoffs.

It's impossible to make any moves in Week 15 that don't have the potential to completely backfire. If a player is available at this stage, then there's a good reason nobody else owns him. He's either wildly inconsistent or failed to do anything beyond a big game or two.

The four players below won't single-handedly win you your league, but they can offer some value if you're hoping to give your roster a late jolt.

Johnny Manziel, QB, Cleveland Browns

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Last week, Bleacher Report's Brian Mazique wrote that Johnny Manziel would be a good waiver-wire addition. It made sense at the time, but then Mike Pettine decided to start Brian Hoyer in Week 14, thus torpedoing Manziel's fantasy value on Sunday.

After Hoyer went 14-of-31 for 140 yards with two interceptions against the Indianapolis Colts, it looks like Pettine won't have much of a decision. There's no reason not to start Manziel at this point.

The Browns head coach won't tip his hand just yet.

"I haven't even thought about it so it's something we'll get together and discuss at some point," said Pettine of possibly benching Hoyer for Manziel, per Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. "It's too fresh after this one to think forward."

Manziel's only owned in 16 percent of fantasy leagues on CBSSports.com, so he's most likely available if you want to add him. And if you're looking to add a quarterback this late into the season, you'll most likely take anything. Manziel's about the best you can hope to find still out there.

Knile Davis, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

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Remember when Knile Davis was a sought-after fantasy property? Let's party like it's Week 3.

Davis' value went into the tank once Jamaal Charles returned to the starting lineup earlier in the year. After Charles' injury scare on Sunday, Davis is looking like a good addition once again.

Although he returned later, Charles exited the Kansas City Chiefs' defeat to the Arizona Cardinals for a short time with an ankle injury, per NFL on ESPN:

NFL.com's Michael Fabiano thinks Davis would provide great cover if you have Charles in your lineup:

Davis is available in 41 percent of CBSSports.com leagues, so you might not be lucky enough to have the opportunity.

If you do, then you should strongly consider pickup the Chiefs' backup running back, especially if you're counting on Charles to give you big points every week. He could get a larger role in the Kansas City backfield in an effort to keep Charles healthy.

Charles Johnson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

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Cordarrelle Patterson's been an unmitigated fantasy disaster this season. His ineffectiveness has in part opened the door for Charles Johnson to emerge as a wild card.

Johnson caught four passes for 103 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Those numbers are somewhat skewed considering 56 of his yards came on one pass in the first quarter. Still, nobody's really stepping up in the Minnesota Vikings' passing game, so why not pick up Johnson? He made the most of his chance in Week 14.

ESPN's Ed Werder talked up the 25-year-old earlier in the week:

Ideally, you wouldn't need to rely on Johnson to give you a ton of points, because Sunday will most likely be an outlier for him this year. But he'd be a nice WR to stash on your bench or start at a flex in a deeper league. Johnson could potentially give you 70-80 yards and maybe another touchdown if the right matchup presents itself.

Johnson has the tools to succeed, and after Sunday, Teddy Bridgewater may look his way a little more.

Buyer Beware: Kerwynn Williams, Arizona Cardinals

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Andre Ellington's officially out for the season. Arizona head coach Bruce Arians announced that the running back has a hernia and will be unavailable from here on out, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com:

As a result, fantasy owners are frantically trying to analyze how the Cardinals will reshape their backfield.

Kerwynn Williams ran for 100 yards on 19 carries as Arizona beat the Chiefs. It would appear, at least for now, that he's positioned himself to be Ellington's replacement.

Arians praised the 23-year-old's ability after the game, per Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 in Phoenix:

For those looking for running back help, Williams is worth adding, but CBSSports.com's Chris Towers tweeted, the Cardinals' final stretch won't be kind to running backs:

The reward outweighs the risk in this situation, but potential buyers should prepare for things to go south quickly. Williams isn't a sure thing, but it's almost impossible to find a starting running back on the waiver wire in Week 15.

That alone will make him among the most coveted free agents heading into next week.