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Antonio D'Arcangelis | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


Through The Wire - Week 15
12/10/18; Updated: 12/11/18

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Targeting weekly waiver picks is a completely subjective business, but this column hopes to point out some obvious and not-so-obvious selections to help your team from week to week while you strive to collect fantasy wins, reach your league playoffs and win the elusive title that your friends say is out of your grasp. While I’m a big proponent of making trades to bolster your roster, the waiver wire can be an almost limitless resource when it comes to discovering fantasy value in strange places. Each week, I’ll highlight some of the popular (and not-so-popular) players who can help your squad and may still be available in your league.

Feedback is always welcome, appreciated and encouraged. I’ll get to as many e-mails as I can.




Kenneth Dixon

Kenneth Dixon looked like the best Baltimore running back against the Chiefs in Week 14.


Quarterbacks

Dak Prescott, DAL – Last week I said Prescott (65-85 percent owned) might fare better against the Eagles than he did against the Saints, and he did – hooking up for three TDs with Amari Cooper. He threw for a career-high 455 yards, tossed two picks and lost a fumble, but the enormous positives in this game outweighed any possible negatives, including some overthrows on wide open receivers and some mental errors in key spots. For fantasy purposes, he’s trending up – and gets the Colts in Week 15.

Derek Carr, OAK – UPDATE: Carr is an obvious risk considering the inconsistent production he’s had this season, but the veteran QB has played better lately. He’s thrown a total of five TDs over his last two games (285-3-0; 322-2-0) and faces the vulnerable Bengals defense in Week 15.

Lamar Jackson, BAL – Jackson took a hard hit late in the game against the Chiefs but threw for 147-2-0 and rushed for 71 yards. There’s a chance he makes another start and Joe Flacco sits another one out, and that means he’ll have QB1 upside against the Bucs. Just stay tuned to the reports out of Baltimore before picking him up with the plan of starting him.

Case Keenum, DEN – Vance Joseph said after Week 14 that he wants Keenum (20-45 percent owned) to be more aggressive in the final few games, taking more chances downfield. He threw for just 186-1-0 against the 49ers buts gets the Browns in Week 15. He could have sneaky QB2 value, especially with carte blanche to chuck it down the stretch.

Other QBs to consider: Marcus Mariota, Josh Johnson, Jeff Driskel, Cody Kessler

Updates:

Jameis Winston, TB – Winston struggled with his accuracy in Week 14, completing just 18 of his 38 passes for 213-2-1 in the Week 14 game against the Saints, leading the team with 47 rushing yards. Winston (60-85 percent owned) gets the Ravens in Baltimore making Week 15 and unfavorable matchup for the Tampa QB.

Baker Mayfield, CLE – Mayfield (still under 85 percent owned in competitive leagues) was efficient without the big stat line in Week 14, completing 18 of 22 passes for 238-1-0 in the win over the Panthers. He’ll get a struggling Denver team in Week 15 in a game that could have sneaky shootout potential, and he’s looking at possible low-end QB1 status next season.

Nick Mullens, SF – Mullens had another solid performance with 332-2-1 in the win over Denver but faces a more defensive minded Seahawks team in Week 15. He’s a risk-reward QB2 without nearly enough upside for standard leagues, but he’s the starter and could be showcasing his talents for the rest of the teams in the league.

Running Backs

Kenneth Dixon, BAL – Gus Edwards out-touched Dixon 16 to 9 against the Chiefs, but Dixon (5-15 percent owned) was the more effective player, rushing for 59 yards and a score and hauling in a pass for 21 receiving yards. He’s a talented RB3 with upside entering Week 15 and could get more work moving forward.

UPDATE: John Harbaugh said Monday that Dixon’s role would grow moving forward and that means a committee approach featuring some combination of him, Gus Edwards, and Ty Montgomery.

Elijah McGuire, NYJ – Isiah Crowell went down again, prompting McGuire’s appearance in this column after logging 60 rushing yards and a TD along with 3-23-0 receiving in the comeback win over Buffalo. McGuire (10-25 percent owned) can easily disappear and disappoint (and has done so to fantasy owners before), but for now he’s approaching RB2 value on a team sorely lacking in viable RB options.

Damien Williams, KC – Williams had two TDs without a ton of yardage (30 combined rushing and receiving), but his usage around the goal line makes him a TD-dependent flex play for Week 15 and beyond. He could also get more snaps if the Chiefs decide to rest starters at some point.

Other RBs to consider: Zach Zenner, Ito Smith, Darren Sproles, Chris Ivory

Updates:

Justin Jackson, SD – Jackson (now about 50-70 percent owned) was held to just 21 rushing yards on seven carries against the Bengals, yielding most of the quality touches to Austin Ekeler despite coach Anthony Lynn’s comments that he’d be more heavily involved in this Week 14. Jackson also had 2-23-0 receiving and could get a bigger workload if either Melvin Gordon knee) or Ekeler (head) misses additional time.

UPDATE: The Chargers are “not optimistic” that Gordon or Ekeler will be available for Week 15, putting Jackson squarely on the must-play map.

Jaylen Samuels, PIT – Samuels has 28 rushing yards and caught 7-64-0 but failed to reach the end zone in the loss to Oakland. He could get another spot start if James Conner (ankle) remains out for the eek 15 matchup with New England.

Rashaad Penny, SEA – UPDATE: Penny is still second fiddle to Chris Carson, but he ran for 44 yards on eight carries Monday night and could be in line for a bigger workload against the Chiefs.

Jeff Wilson, SF – Wilson was touted as a solid PPR option in Week 14 given his high target volume the previous week, but he disappointed with 90 rushing yards and just one catch for 6 receiving yards, failing to reach the end zone. His value is dependent on Matt Breida’s status heading into Week 15.

Jalen Richard, OAK – Doug Martin healed up and got the start, relegating Richard to just nine touches on Sunday (eight carries for 24 rushing yards and one catch for 5 receiving yards). He also injured a rib and can be safely avoided in Week 15 unless something changes heading into the matchup with Cincy.

UPDATE: Head coach Mike Tomlin left the door open for James Conner to play on Sunday, so perhaps the door on Samuels’ fantasy viability is closing. Stay tuned.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

Dede Westbrook, JAC – Westbrook (40-65 percent owned) caught seven of his 10 targets for 88 yards and TD in a 30-9 loss to the Titans on Thursday night and remains one of the bright spots of the offense.

TE Ian Thomas, CAR – Thomas finished the game with team highs in targets and receptions, catching 9-77-0 on 11 targets from Cam Newton. Given Newton’s rapport with the positino, he’s approaching TE1 status, albeit in one of the lower tiers.

Kenny Stills, MIA – Stills (10-20 percent owned) caught 8-135-1 in the epic win over New England in Week 14 and has been building rapport with Ryan Tannehill since the QB’s return. His value is somewhat tied to the health of Tannehill’s ankle and shoulder, so stay tuned.

Chris Conley, KC – Conley (15-30 percent owned) caught 10-99-3 over the two games heading into Week 14 but hauled in just two passes for 13 yards and no scores against the Ravens. If Tyreek Hill (foot) is still dinged up heading into Thursday night, he could see a few extra snaps.

UPDATE: Hill returned to practice on Tuesday and could be less than 100 percent, but he’s on track to play this week. Still, Conley is a fine red zone target and has a knack for finding the end zone.

Other WRs/TEs to consider: Zay Jones, TE C.J. Uzomah, Robby Anderson, John Ross, Antonio Callaway, Jordy Nelson, DaeSean Hamilton

Updates:

Dante Pettis, SF – The speedy Pettis (30-55 percent owned) caught three of seven targets for 49 yards and a TD in a surprising 20-14 win over the Broncos in Week 14 and now has four scores over the last three games. He’s worth owning in 12-team leagues.

UPDATE: Pettis actually gets a reboot of his Week 13 matchup facing the Seahawks, when he went for 5-129-2. He’s a great pickup this week.

Michael Gallup, DAL – Gallup continues to get separation from defensive backs but is getting overthrown by Prescott. He posted 4-24-0 on nine targets in the Week 14 win over the Eagles. One of these days (maybe when opposing secondaries focus on stopping Cooper and Prescot starts throwing him some catchable balls), he’ll bust out.

Curtis Samuel, CAR – Samuel (30-50 percent owned) led the Panthers in receiving yards in the loss to Cleveland, hauling in 4-80-0 on eight targets. He remains a high-upside WR3.

Taywan Taylor, TEN – Taylor caught 6-59-0 yards in the TNF win over the Jaguars and is trending up in the Titans offense. He’s still just 5 percent owned but could make an impact down the stretch in deeper formats.

TE Jonnu Smith, TEN – Smith has an MCL injury and will miss the rest of the 2018 season. Boo!