Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: Waiver-Wire Targets for Injured Players

This is the time to break out our baseball analogies in fantasy football. NFL Week 15 is the most crucial week for fantasy general managers who are still working on their teams after doing an excellent job to this point to make the fantasy playoffs.

More moves may be necessary to advance to the championship round. That means the waiver wire is a necessary tool, and we must use it well.

It's time to swing for the fences and hit a few home runs.

Those that turned to the wire and our recommendations prior to Thursday night's game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs may have picked up Los Angeles receiver Mike Williams. Williams had two receiving touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and one two-point conversion, and his fantasy owners are well on their way to victory.

Below are players who are on 50 percent of Yahoo rosters or fewer to help in this critical week. 

Quarterbacks

Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (24 percent)

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (44 percent)

Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (33 percent)

Marcus Mariota

There is no reason to believe that Mariota is about to turn into the most consistent quarterback in the league, but that's not the issue once the playoffs are reached.

It's a gamble to go with Mariota, but it's a gamble with a potentially huge payoff. He is a brilliant athlete who has shown that he is capable of having an eye-opening game when he is on form.

The Titans went on the road in Week 9 against the Cowboys and won decisively, so there's no reason to think they can't do the same thing to the Giants.

New York has played better of late, but the Giants are not a powerful team and they are vulnerable on defense. Mariota has been an accurate quarterback this season as he has completed 206 of 298 passes for a completion percentage of 69.1 percent.

However, his 2,330 yards and his 11-8 TD-interception percentage are not overly impressive. The reason we like Mariota is the game he had against the Houston Texans in Week 12 when he completed 22 of 23 passes for 303 yards and two TD passes.

He has also rushed for 339 yards and two touchdowns with three runs of more than 20 yards. He is capable of having a big game against a Giants defense that ranks 21st in yards allowed. 

D. Ross Cameron/Associated Press

Running backs

Kenneth Dixon, Baltimore Ravens (24 percent)

Jalen Richard, Oakland Raiders (43 percent)

Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks (30 percent)

Jalen Richard

The Raiders are one of the worst teams in the NFL, but they have been playing better in the last couple of weeks. They played hard in Week 13 before dropping a 40-33 decision to the Kansas City Chiefs, and they earned a 24-21 upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.

The Raiders get a chance in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals, who appear to have lost whatever fight they had earlier in the season. That could mean good things for Richard, who is starting to become a bigger factor in the Oakland running game than he was earlier in the year.

Richard had six carries for 95 yards against the Chiefs, and he had eight carries for 24 yards against the Steelers. So, it's clear that Richard is not a dominant player, but we are banking on the fact that he can take advantage of the Bengals.

Richard suffered a bit of a rib injury in that loss, but it was not noticeable in watching his play as he took part in 49 percent of the Raiders' offensive snaps.

Richard is an even bigger factor as a receiver than he is running with the ball. Richard has 57 receptions for 483 yards with four catches for 20 yards or more. He has yet to find the end zone as a runner or receiver, but this could be the week.

Wide receivers

Robby Anderson, N.Y. Jets (23 percent)

Anthony Miller, Chicago Bears (30 percent)

Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers (36 percent)

Randall Cobb

The Packers have endured a miserable season, particularly when they play on the road. They have yet to win a game away from Lambeau Field, and it wouldn't figure to change this week when they play the first-place Bears in Chicago.

But going to Chicago is not like any other road game for the Packers. They have won their last eight visits to Soldier Field, and one of the primary reasons for that is Aaron Rodgers torching the Bears in their home stadium.

Chicago would certainly like to make up for some of those losses, and the Bears have a powerful defense. They just held the high-powered Los Angeles Rams to six points, and the Rams are far better than the Packers from a statistical point of view.

So, the idea is that Rodgers has confidence in this venue, and he has two excellent receivers in Davante Adams and Cobb. While Adams has been healthy this season, Cobb has played in just seven games. He has caught 34 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns for the season, and he caught five passes for 43 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay's victory over Atlanta in Week 14.

We see Cobb getting single coverage thoughout most of the game, and he comes through with at least one TD reception against Chicago.

Tight ends

Benjamin Watson, New Orleans Saints (40 percent)

Ian Thomas, Carolina Panthers, (40 percent)

Ian Thomas

Most fantasy players don't know much about Thomas, and there's a good reason for that. He is a backup tight end, and he doesn't get a chance to catch many passes when No. 1 tight end Greg Olsen is healthy.

That's not the case in Week 15, and Thomas will get his opportunity to get involved in the game plan since Olsen (foot) is on injured reserve.

Thomas and the Panthers host the first-place Saints, and this game figures to be a high-scoring matchup. If the teams are trading touchdowns, that means Thomas has a chance to get involved, particularly when Carolina is in the red zone.

Thomas has caught 25 passes for 210 yards and is looking for his first touchdown. We will roll the dice and say that he gets that here.