Week 15 Waiver Wire: Projecting Top Fantasy Football Adds and Drops

Even in the fantasy football playoffs, it's important to remain active on the waiver wire. This isn't a matter of desperation but instead creating the best possible lineup for your team.

As injuries and other factors continue to create holes in your fantasy roster, there are always players available who can help you out immediately. It's also important not to count out those who have simply taken a long time to burst onto the scene before helping you win a championship.

Here is a look at a few top options to target heading into Week 15 as well as players you can easily drop at this late stage.

Pos.	Player	Team	Percent Owned*
QB	Ryan Fitzpatrick	New York Jets	45.2
QB	Marcus Mariota	Tennessee Titans	43.6
RB	Tim Hightower	New Orleans Saints	41.0
RB	DuJuan Harris	Seattle Seahawks	0.6
RB	Denard Robinson	Jacksonville Jaguars	3.6
RB	Fozzy Whittaker	Carolina Panthers	0.2
RB	Brandon Bolden	New England Patriots	9.6
WR	Ted Ginn Jr.	Carolina Panthers	42.0
WR	Tyler Lockett	Seattle Seahawks	21.7
WR	Keshawn Martin	New England Patriots	6.9
WR	Javontee Herndon	San Diego Chargers	0.0
TE	Vernon Davis	Denver Broncos	26.9
TE	Heath Miller	Pittsburgh Steelers	34.2

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, New York Jets

Al Bello/Getty Images

Although he is rarely considered one of the top quarterbacks in the league, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been as hot as anyone lately. Kimberly Jones of NFL Network broke down the recent changes the veteran has made:

Whether you credit the beard or anything else, the fact is Fitzpatrick has been lighting up the scoreboard over the last three weeks with games of 24, 25 and 29 fantasy points in standard leagues. He is doing his part to get the ball to the talented weapons down the field while Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker do the rest.

With the exception of Week 8, when he left early due to injury, Fitzpatrick has finished every game with at least 13 fantasy points. He's delivered multiple touchdown passes in 10 of the 12 contests he's finished.

This surprisingly makes him one of the most consistent fantasy options in the league.

Although you probably went into the year hoping to have someone like Aaron Rodgers or Andrew Luck as your quarterback in the playoffs, the truth is Fitzpatrick is one of the safest options available and is worth starting in most leagues.

Tim Hightower, RB, New Orleans Saints

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

It was unclear how the touches would break down in the New Orleans Saints backfield with Mark Ingram out for the year. This is no longer a mystery with Tim Hightower finishing with 28 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.

C.J. Spiller had just three carries for two yards while Marcus Murphy had zero yards on his one carry.

Although Hightower wasn't the most efficient, he is clearly the workhorse in this backfield and has earned the trust of those around him.

Quarterback Drew Brees discussed Hightower's effort after the game, per Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune:

"

As much as Mark Ingram meant to this team, and obviously for him to be gone for the season now, somebody needed to step up. Tim has traveled a really interesting road – being out of football for a while, with what a lot of people thought was a career-ending knee injury. He continued to fight, and believe and battle his way back and was with us throughout camp. He's really done a great job whenever he's gotten the opportunity, and today he knew he was going to be the workhorse and he really came through for us.

"

With a reasonable pair of games remaining on the schedule against the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars, Hightower has a chance to turn a heavy workload into a lot of fantasy points for teams in need of a running back.

DuJuan Harris, RB, Seattle Seahawks

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

This is another example of opportunity being important for fantasy. While Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Rawls are obviously good running backs, the Seahawks have proved that this is a good rushing attack regardless of who is holding the football.

With Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting that Rawls is out for the season with an ankle injury, DuJuan Harris becomes the next man up in this offense.

He finished with just 42 rushing yards last game in a win over the Baltimore Ravens, but his 18 carries will likely lead to a lot more production in Week 15 against the terrible Cleveland Browns run defense.

Even as Russell Wilson becomes more of a threat as a passer, this is still a run-heavy attack and Harris should get close to 20 carries once again.

The only thing to watch is whether Bryce Brown takes over as the No. 1 running back after being signed this week, per Rob Rang of CBSSports.com:

It is important to monitor this situation as the week progresses, but whoever gets the bulk of carries should have a strong showing in Week 15.

Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Carolina Panthers

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

It's obviously incredibly difficult to trust Ted Ginn Jr., whether he is on your fantasy team or your favorite team in real life. He has a chance to break out a long touchdown at any point, but he also could drop the pass while wide open.

Despite the inconsistency, Ginn has been great over the last two weeks with four total touchdowns and 200 combined yards. Three of the four touchdowns came on plays of 40 yards or longer.

This one went for 74 yards and likely changed a bunch of fantasy games in the process:

With both Jonathan Stewart and Greg Olsen banged up in Carolina's recent win over the Atlanta Falcons, Cam Newton is running out of weapons around him and will have to rely more on Ginn. This could lead to more opportunities for big plays down the field, with the only question being whether the veteran receiver can make the catch.

Considering a single play from Ginn can justify a spot in your lineup, he is certainly worth the risk if you need a receiver.

Pos.	Player	Team
QB	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons
QB	Andy Dalton	Cincinnati Bengals
RB	C.J. Anderson	Denver Broncos
RB	Alfred Blue	Houston Texans
RB	Shane Vereen	New York Giants
WR	Davante Adams	Green Bay Packers
WR	Donte Moncrief	Indianapolis Colts
WR	Rishard Matthews	Miami Dolphins
TE	Scott Chandler	New England Patriots

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