Waiver Wire Pickups for Fantasy Football Week 15: Jerick McKinnon, Donovan Peoples-Jones
Congratulations! You made it to the fantasy football playoffs! Undoubtedly, you made some great pickups on the waiver wire along the way.
With no teams on bye this week, you likely don’t need to make any adds this week. Today's article is simply about depth and potentially blocking others from making pickups. Be sure to make sure you have depth at every position, and snap up handcuffs when available- not just for yourself, but for your opponents. For example: if you have a long bench, grab Matt Breida/Gary Brightwell, Travis Homer/DeeJay Dallas, or Kenneth Gainwell/Boston Scott.
Jaylen Warren, Alexander Mattison, and Damien Harris should all be rostered already, but if not, be sure they aren't available for your competition.
Remember, you got to the playoffs because you have a great team. Don't get too cute! For the most part, these pickups are for depth only.
QUARTERBACKS WAIVER WIRE
Brock Purdy (SF)
We thought the season was over for San Francisco when they lost Trey Lance. Then, we thought the season was over when they lost Jimmy Garoppolo. But it turns out QBs in Kyle Shanahan's offense will be fine. Maybe even better than fine. Rookie Brock Purdy thumped Tom Brady 35-7 in his first NFL start, 22 fantasy points and was the QB6 on the week heading into Monday Night Football. Purdy is having an MRI on his oblique Monday, and there's a chance he won't go on a short week, but his fantasy playoff schedule is one of the best, with Seattle, Washington, and Las Vegas all up next.
Russell Wilson (DEN)
Am I nuts? Maybe. I sat Russ for the first time last weekend, only to watch him go off on my bench for 35 points. This week's matchup is excellent again vs. Arizona, and though in the past the matchup hasn't mattered, I don't want my opponent grabbing Russ even if he doesn't start him. There's a chance Wilson doesn't clear concussion protocol before the weekend, but I'm still not letting him remain on my waiver wire. He gets Kansas City again in championship week, and if your starter gets injured, you'll be willing to take a chance if he puts up another 35 points.
Baker Mayfield (LAR)
Baker Mayfield could be the simplest answer if you lost Matt Stafford and are still looking for his replacement. By now, you have heard enough about the 98 yards game-winning drive vs. the Raiders on Thursday night, despite only having 48 hours with the playbook. Mayfield isn't going to pop in the stat sheets, but if you're hurting in a 2 QB league, at least we know he will start.
Mac Jones (NE)
This has little to do with Jones and everything to do with matchups. Jones is a capable game manager that doesn't put up eye-popping stats, but he should be able to give you a solid floor over the next few weeks as he faces the Raiders, the Bengals, and the Dolphins. Jones has finished as a Top 10 QB twice this season, both in soft matchups (BAL, MIN).
Others: Desmond Ridder (ATL), Mike White (NYJ), Colt McCoy (ARI)
Kareem Elgazzar/USA Today Network
RUNNING BACKS WAIVER WIRE
Jerick McKinnon (KC)
It was impossible to miss Jerick McKinnon's big day on Sunday as he finished as the RB1 in PPR leagues. He caught seven of his eight targets for 112 yards and two touchdowns while also adding another 22 on the ground. Sounds like a WR line, doesn't it? Isaiah Pacheco remains the lead back in this offense, but Patrick Mahomes can toss a ball to any receiver at any time. McKinnon's 36 routes last Sunday add him to the long list of weapons for Mahomes that may or may not pay off big on any given day.
Zonovan Knight (NYJ)
Even with Michael Carter back, Knight was significantly used and should be considered a starter for the rest of the season. Despite the game script not being in the Jets' favor, Knight logged most of the early-down snaps and the short-yardage snaps and turned 17 carries into 71 yards.
Cam Akers (LAR)
Akers played more snaps than any other Rams running back, and despite fumbling the ball, he logged 42 yards and a touchdown. The Rams will continue the Cam Akers experiment, as they have little to lose. Next is a juicy matchup with the Green Bay run defense that has allowed the eight-most fantasy points per game to opposing runners.
Gus Edwards (BAL)
JK Dobbins stole the show in his first week back, but he's unlikely to be available in your league. Gus Edwards, however, could be and he's still heavily involved in this run game, playing 31 snaps and carrying the ball 13 times for an average of five yards per carry. Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill seem to be the odd men out, and Edwards and Dobbins will have one of the easiest schedules for running backs for the fantasy playoffs, with Cleveland, Atlanta and Pittsburgh all ahead.
Chuba Hubbard (CAR)
Chuba Hubbard carried the ball 14 times on Sunday, serving as the third-down back and seeing meaningful snaps in short-yardage situations. He ended up with an early two-yard touchdown, but he’s still in a committee with not only D'Onta Foreman but Raymond Blackshear, so bid accordingly.
Jordan Mason (SF)
Not only is Elijah Mitchell done for the season, but now Deebo Samuel is potentially out or limited for the rest of the fantasy season. Jordan Mason is not only the handcuff for Christian McCaffrey, but he's also likely a weapon Shanahan will deploy vs. a weak Seahawks run defense that allows the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs. Mason carried the ball 11 times for 56 yards vs. Tampa Bay on Sunday, mostly after San Francisco already had a commanding lead, but he averaged more than 5.1 yards per carry.
Others: Tyler Allgeier (ATL), Kyren Williams (LAR), Dare Ogunbowale (HOU), Rex Burkhead (HOU)
WIDE RECEIVERS WAIVER WIRE
Donovan Peoples-Jones (CLE)
Donovan People-Jones has made this column multiple times, but he takes the top honor once again as not only did he log eight catches for 114 receiving yards on Sunday, he played a career-high 100% of the snaps. Amari Cooper has been banged up, and People-Jones might be Deshaun Watson's new go-to guy for a playoff schedule that is one of the easiest remaining for wide receivers (BAL, NO, WSH)
DJ Chark (DET)
Chark was our leading claim last week, and boy, he paid off! His seven catches for 94 yards and a touchdown certainly decided some fantasy football playoff teams in a week with six teams on bye. If he has been snapped up, it's time to put in your claims, as the last few weeks do not seem like a fluke. Chark has played more than 80% of the snaps for the past three games and runs the same amount of routes as Amon-Ra St. Brown. His upcoming schedule is favorable, too, with Chicago as his matchup during the fantasy football championship Week 17. If Chark is unavailable, Jameson Williams is worth an add in deeper leagues.
Elijah Moore (NYJ)
The Jets wide receivers have a nice schedule for the fantasy playoffs, with Detroit, Jacksonville, and Seattle all ahead. Mike White or Joe Flacco will be starting, and Elijah Moore could be a great pickup. The talented wideout saw a season-high ten targets and six catches on Sunday. He ran 47 routes and saw two more targets than Garret Wilson. Corey Davis is banged up, and as long as Zach Wilson isn't starting, Elijah Moore will be in the flex conversation for your playoff run.
Chris Moore (HOU)
With no Brandin Cooks and no Nico Collins, Chris Moore stepped up as the primary receiver vs. Dallas on Sunday. He saw eleven targets and played the same number of snaps as Phillip Dorsett. When Nico Collins returns, he will likely be the top receiver, so grab him first if he is available. The Houston Texans will need to pass a lot in their final games this year, facing Kansas City, Tennessee and Jacksonville. Amari Rodgers could also be worth a dart throw in deep leagues.
Ben Skowronek (LAR)
With limited time with the playbook, it appears that Skowronek could be Baker Mayfield's favorite target. On Thursday, Skowronek saw eight targets for 89 yards to lead all Rams wide receivers. If he continues to see the volume, there could be some value in deeper leagues.
Tutu Atwell (LAR)
Though Skowronek led all Rams receivers in catches and yards, Atwell led the team in targets with nine. You could gamble that he and Baker end up with nice chemistry for the remainder of the season.
TY Hilton (DAL)
Hilton signed with the Cowboys on Monday, but even as easy as the schedule may be for the Cowboys going forward (JAC, PHI, TEN), Hilton is a desperation play at best as he takes a seat behind CeeDee Lamb, Dalton Schultz, and Michael Gallup.
Others: Zay Jones (JAC), Treylon Burks (TEN), DeMarcus Robinson (BAL), Parris Campbell (IND), Jahan Dotson (WSH)
TIGHT ENDS WAIVER WIRE
Evan Engram (JAC)
Evan is the first tight end this season to have double-digit receptions, over 120 yards and two touchdowns in a single game. You probably won your matchup if you had Engram in your fantasy lineup (I did, and I listed him here, too). Can it happen again? Well, the signs were there that a breakout game was coming, and I'm staying on board the hype train. Engram is now the TE4 on the season after that monstrous performance, and his 350 routes run rank third at the position.
Chigoziem Okonkwo (TEN)
We listed Okonkwo in our "others" section last week, but he gets a paragraph this week. He has now surpassed 40 receiving yards in four of his last six games, and 2.58 yards per route run this year is the best among NFL tight ends. Okonkwo saw a 15.7% target share and scored in Week 14, though he played fewer snaps than Austin Hooper. Okonkwo could boom or bust, but he's a better streamer than most, especially if Tennessee remains down a few receivers. The Chargers and Texans are up next as better-than-average matchups.
Others: Tyler Conklin (NYJ), Greg Dulcich (DEN)
