Week 15 Waiver-Wire Pickups: 5 Sleepers Who May Still Be Available

In the fantasy football playoffs, taking a week-to-week approach is the best means for survival.  With the trade deadline passed, there's no need to stockpile assets for the long game.  Besides, given that the fantasy postseason is sudden death, the only goal should be to optimize your lineup for survival this Sunday.

Most of the primary waiver claims have already gone through, but there is still a second waive of potential pickups for those further down in the order.  Most of the players below are flex options at best, but given their favorable Week 15 matchups, they could make the difference between advancing and being eliminated.

With an eye on various league sizes, here are five players you should consider picking up and inserting into your lineup this week.

Eli Manning, vs. WSH (42.0 percent owned)

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In his first season under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, Manning has mostly been his typical inconsistent self.  Apart from improvements in completion percentage and interception rate, Manning's other cumulative and per-play stats have returned to his career norms after a disastrous 2013 season.

While that doesn't typically make him an elite fantasy option, Manning gets the best matchup of the week against the flailing Washington secondary.  D.C. has allowed the most fantasy points of any team to opposing quarterbacks and conceded four touchdowns on 300 yards passing to Manning back in Week 4.

The one concern may be Manning's health.  Though he remains one of the league's most durable quarterbacks, Manning did have major ankle surgery over the offseason, and could be wearing down based on some postgame reports, such as from Newsday's Tom Rock:

Still, it's hard to envision him being anything worse than a mid-level No. 1 QB this week.  Look for Manning to find Odell Beckham Jr. on plenty of fade routes, as Washington has conceded 48 passes of 20 or more yards, tied for sixth-most in the league, according to Pro-Football-Reference.  

For standard-league owners worried about poor matchups for the likes of Matthew Stafford and Russell Wilson, Manning represents a viable alternative.

Charles Johnson, vs. DET (9.7 percent owned)

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No, this is not the Carolina Panthers' defensive end, but rather the second-year receiver who has burst onto the scene for the Minnesota Vikings.  Cordarrelle Patterson was the Minnesota sophomore wideout who received much of the preseason hype, but since replacing him in the lineup prior to Week 12, Johnson has been a sneaky solid play.

Over the past month, Johnson has received the most targets of any Vikings receiver, well outpacing any other option.  It's puzzling that his ownership percentage remains so low, for in that time span, he has been a clear No. 2 WR and even a borderline No. 1 in deep leagues:

This week, Johnson's options may be limited by how well the Vikings can protect Teddy Bridgewater.  The rookie quarterback was sacked eight times in Minnesota's first encounter with the Detroit Lions' fearsome front seven, which held Bridgewater to just 188 yards passing.  

Minnesota has since replaced the right side of its offensive line, with Mike Harris and Joe Berger subbing in for the injured Phil Loadholt and ineffective Vlad Ducasse.  This might be an instance where the deep passing game is limited due to protection issues, but with juicy perimeter matchups against Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis, all it takes is one deep shot for Johnson to accrue a day's worth of point production.

Chris Johnson, at TEN (30.4 percent owned)

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Even if you want to downplay the revenge factor, Chris Johnson's return to the Music City should be a happy homecoming.  The moribund New York Jets may not have anything to play for, but given the acrimonious circumstances surrounding his departure, expect Johnson to bring his best for the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans have allowed the second-most points to opposing running backs this season, including 21 or more points in four of the last five games.  Nor is this simply an issue of touchdowns, for Tennessee ranks 28th in run defense success rate, as measured by Football Outsiders' opponent-adjusted DVOA metric.

More importantly for Johnson, the backfield carry distribution has shifted.  Since the Jets' Week 11 bye, Johnson has garnered 40 carries to Chris Ivory's 39.  While a 50-50 split is typically less than ideal for fantasy purposes, Johnson was clearly the short half of the platoon through the first 10 games, receiving 85 carries to Ivory's 123.

Johnson had his best game of the season two weeks ago against the Miami Dolphins, and though the yards per carry were down last week, he still led the offense with 18 total touches.  Given New York's high-volume rushing attack, look for Johnson to pile up the yards and potentially find the end zone against his former employer, making him a viable standard-league flex play.

Marquess Wilson, vs. NO (0.1 percent owned)

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Though the ownership percentage would suggest an extremely deep-league option, Wilson actually has the potential to work his way into standard-league relevance with a strong first impression.  Considering that his first opportunity is against the woeful New Orleans Saints secondary on Monday night, Wilson may very well leap into the mainstream consciousness at this time next week.

The second-year receiver will be Brandon Marshall's replacement after Marshall's season-ending rib injury.  Wilson missed the beginning of the season on short-term injured reserve with a broken clavicle suffered in the offseason.  However, with a prominent role in an offense that, while erratic, still produces plenty of big passing plays, Wilson looks like a must-add for deep-league owners this week:

With just seven career receptions, there is more risk to Wilson than any other option on this list.  Nevertheless, the 6'4" perimeter target averaged a whopping 17.0 yards per reception at Washington State, illustrating his immense value as a deep threat.

Like the aforementioned Washington defense, the Saints have given up 48 passing plays of 20 or more yards, an issue that has been compounded with undrafted rookies Pierre Warren and Brian Dixon ascending to more prominent roles in the season's second half.  Deploying Wilson this week is not for the faint of heart, but the payoff could be tremendous.

Panthers D/ST, vs. TB (13.7 percent owned)

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The Carolina defense has been one of the season's most disappointing units, both in fantasy and real life.  However, the Panthers have quietly been on the upswing over the last month, having allowed no more than 19 points in any of their last three games (the 31 points they gave up to Minnesota were inflated by two special teams TD).

That's not an entirely arbitrary endpoint, for the Panthers have made tangible changes to the lineup.  Rookies Bene Benwikere and Tre Boston have become fixtures in the secondary—the former displaced ineffective veteran Antoine Cason, while the latter has become a sub-package fixture.  

The abysmal Bucs offense has conceded the second-most fantasy points to opposing defenses this season, including 12 to Carolina back in Week 1.  Tampa has turned the ball over in every single game this year, so regardless of whether or not Mike Evans concerns you, the downside for this defense is very limited.

*All ownership percentages and points against stats based on ESPN standard scoring.