No matter how deep your league is, Week 15 offered plenty of injuries and potential breakout performances to make sure your waiver wire has intriguing names on it.
Our fantasy football analysts break down key names you'll be either bidding on or considering with your top waiver claim.
RBs Zack Moss/Deon Jackson, Colts
Sean Koerner: Jonathan Taylor was knocked out of the game after just two plays, so we already have a good sense of how this backfield is likely to shake out.
Moss dominated on early down and even third-down work, which was surprising. I'd imagine he continues to see most of the goal-line touches going forward. He’s my preferred add of the two for Week 16 in a plus matchup against the Chargers.
Jackson shined as Taylor’s replacement earlier in the season, but he would likely need a negative game script in order to provide RB3/flex value in PPR formats.
Both are worth adding as we could have a better sense of the situation later in the week. It’s worth noting Jordan Wilkins will likely be promoted from the practice squad and steal a few touches from Moss and Jackson. My initial rankings have Moss as a RB3/flex.
Samantha Previte: The Colts leaned on the duo of Moss and Jackson after Jonathan Taylor went down early in their epic 39-36 loss to the Vikings.
Moss tallied 24 carries for 81 yards, while Jackson recorded 13 carries for 55 yards and caught a pass for a one-yard touchdown. Moss out-snapped Jackson by a count of 53 to 25 in the effort.
Jackson has been productive when Taylor was sidelined in the past, though that was before Moss joined the team. The snap counts and touches suggest Moss would be the preferred add, though this will likely be some kind of committee.
The Colts' remaining schedule is delectable for running backs, as they are slated to face three bottom-nine teams according to the rush DVOA metric and fantasy points allowed to the position.
Mike Triplett: Unfortunately, it’s hard to get excited about either of these guys.
Even when Taylor was healthy, the Colts run game has been woeful because of offensive line issues — they rank 25th in rushing yards per game and 27th in yards per rush.
Normally I’d prefer Jackson in this situation since he should play a much bigger role in the passing game (he had 10 catches in a game earlier this year). However, I wonder if he will pay a price for losing a costly fumble late in the historic implosion on Saturday.
Moss’ role already grew substantially in that game even before Jackson’s fumble. He tallied 53 snaps and 24 carries after he had never played more than five snaps in a game since arriving in Indy in a midseason trade. Maybe grab Moss and hope for a score if you’re desperate.
RB Tyler Allgeier, Falcons
Koerner: Allgeier is coming off the best game of his rookie campaign, going for 17/139/1 on the ground.
The Falcons will remain a run-heavy team with rookie Desmond Ridder under center, which gives Allgeier a high floor, but Cordarrelle Patterson’s presence still prevents him from being anything more than a low-end RB3/flex option.
Previte: With Ridder making his first NFL start, the Falcons leaned heavily on their run game in a 21-18 loss to the Saints.
Allgeier had his best fantasy game this season and led the backfield in carries. The rookie rushed 17 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. Cordarrelle Patterson also had a nice game with 14 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown.
I expect the Falcons to continue this trend for the rest of the year with Marcus Mariota on injured reserve and the inexperienced Ridder in his place. Allgeier could end up offering RB3 value down the stretch in a 1A/1B situation with Patterson.
WR Jahan Dotson, Commanders
Koerner: Dotson is coming off two great performances, going for 5/54/1 and 4/105/1. However, his underlying usage still suggests he’s a TD-dependent WR4.
His odds of scoring are much lower this week against the 49ers — Washington also has the fifth lowest implied team total of the week. I would maybe add him to potentially use in Week 17 against the Browns.
Previte: Dotson had a breakout performance in the Commanders' 20-12 loss to the Giants. He caught 4-of-6 targets for 105 yards and a touchdown, which was his second in the last two weeks.
The first-round rookie has been injured for much of this season, but in the nine games he's played, Dotson has finished as a top-22 receiver or better five times.
The Commanders have certainly had their offensive struggles this year, but their receiving corps has been strong with Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel by Dotson's side.
Dotson is on the rise and he could end up offering low-end WR3/flex value down the stretch — even with the 49ers' stout defense on deck.
Triplett: Love the player, hate the remaining schedule (at San Francisco, vs. Cleveland, vs. Dallas).
I was pretty stunned to see Dotson is only 17% rostered since he has that enviable combination of talent and opportunity. Remember, Dotson was the 16th pick in the draft. And when he has been healthy, he has shown flashes of why — scoring at least 13 PPR fantasy points in five of his nine games, while catching six TD passes.
Fellow Commanders receiver Curtis Samuel’s role has diminished in the second half of the season, paving the way for Dotson to have a larger role. Unfortunately, it might be hard to trust him in a playoff lineup this week against the NFL’s No. 1 defense in both yards allowed and points allowed.
I like his upside better than most of the names on the waiver wire. He’s a must-add if he’s still available in any dynasty or keeper leagues.
WR K.J. Osborn, Vikings
Koerner: Osborn is coming off a massive game (10/157/1), but we have to view it in the context of Kirk Cousins needing to throw for 460 yards in what ended up being the largest comeback in NFL history.
Osborn’s underlying usage supports him being a WR4 option going forward, but he is still competing for targets with Justin Jefferson, TJ Hockenson and Adam Thielen.
However, the Vikings defense is so bad right now that they might need Cousins to throw for 300-plus yards a game to have a chance. Osborn is a solid add if you need a WR4 option in deeper leagues.
Previte: Osborn shined in the Vikings' comeback win over the Colts, catching 10-of-16 targets for 157 yards and a touchdown. He even out-performed Justin Jefferson, who hauled in 12-of-16 targets for 123 yards and a touchdown.
Though he had nice Week 14 in Detroit (WR26), this was Osborn's best game of the year by a significant margin. He will be a high-upside, boom-or-bust play in Week 16 against the Giants, who rank 24th in pass DVOA.
RB Chuba Hubbard, Panthers
Previte: Hubbard had four carries for 10 yards and caught three passes for 57 yards in Carolina's loss to Pittsburgh. D'Onta Foreman saw the majority of attempts, but he was quite ineffective, logging ten carries for nine yards.
Hubbard continues to be the primary pass-catching back on a team that finds itself in negative game scripts more often than not. He could offer some PPR upside with the Lions' permeable pass defense on deck.
Triplett: This is more of a long-shot suggestion, but sometimes fantasy managers have to do desperate things when it comes to the RB position.
The Panthers have taken a “hot-hand” approach at the position since they traded Christian McCaffrey. Normally, that has been Foreman when they’ve had success establishing the run. But they made a turn toward Hubbard last week (29 snaps compared to 14 for Foreman).
Now they’re facing a Lions defense that has been shutting down running backs lately while being much more vulnerable in pass defense. That combo could lead to a bigger day for Hubbard, who is much more involved in Carolina’s passing attack.
QB Brock Purdy, 49ers
Koerner: Purdy should have already been scooped up in 2QB/superflex leagues, and he is a potential streaming option in 1-QB leagues this week.
He doesn’t look like much of a drop-off from Jimmy Garoppolo and there is a chance he might be better. We have to remember Kyle Shanahan’s system was able to make Nick Mullens look like a functional NFL quarterback, which is one of the biggest accomplishments of the 21st century.
Even without Deebo Samuel, Purdy has plenty of weapons in CMC, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. He has a pass-funnel matchup against the Commanders this week and opens the week as my QB14.
Previte: Purdy was stellar once again in the 49ers' 21-13 win on Thursday night over the Seahawks. He completed 17-of-26 attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns and is the QB14 heading into Monday Night Football.
Since stepping in for Jimmy Garoppolo, who is out with a broken foot, Purdy has finished as the QB18 (not a complete game), QB8 and QB14 (with one game left to play).
He has a soft schedule to finish out the season against three below-average defenses against fantasy quarterbacks, starting with the Commanders. He should be a high-end QB2 option with QB1 upside.
