Fantasy
12/11/23
8 min read
2023 Fantasy Football: NFL Week 15 Waiver Wire Targets
Welcome to The 33rd Team’s fantasy football waiver wire article. The players listed below are recommended acquisitions in both points-per-reception (PPR) and half-PPR scoring formats. The list will be updated as news breaks throughout the week.
Players listed below are available in at least 50.0 percent of Yahoo! and/or ESPN leagues unless otherwise stated.
Check out Fantasy Takeaways From Every Week 14 Game here.
Top Waiver Wire Options
D’Onta Foreman, Chicago Bears RB
Forty-plus percent of current Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB)
As detailed in fantasy takeaways, D'Onta Foreman dominated backfield snaps and touches following the team’s Week 13 bye, accounting for 73.3 percent (11) of rushing attempts, 75 percent (four) of targets, 37.5 percent of two-minute-drill snaps (three) and 66.7 percent (four) of green zone snaps.
The post-bye aspect here is particularly important; Foreman suffered a Week 11 high-ankle sprain, providing coach Matt Eberflus the opportunity to return Khalil Herbert to the starting role or to give rookie Roschon Johnson a rest-of-season audition. Instead, Eberflus used the week off to build a dual-threat, featured role for Foreman.
He’s a volume-based RB2 moving forward.
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals RB
Twenty-plus percent of current FAAB
Rookie Chase Brown is now playable as a volatile flex option with elite contingency value, should starting RB Joe Mixon miss time.
Brown returned from injured reserve in Week 13 and efficiently totaled 61 yards rushing on just nine attempts. He took zero passing-down and green zone snaps, siphoning away just one red zone snap from the backfield.
His usage rocketed upward in Week 14; he handled 60.0 percent of third- and fourth-and-long snaps (three), 16.7 percent of the two-minute drill snaps (one), 28. 6 percent of green zone snaps (two) and 44.4 percent of red zone snaps (eight). He totaled 25 yards rushing on eight attempts. And he had 80 yards receiving and one touchdown, catching three of three targets on just eight routes run.
Fantasy managers should expect the explosive rookie’s role to increase further in Week 15.
Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens WR
Sixteen percent of current FAAB
Odell Beckham Jr. is the Baltimore Ravens' most efficient pass-catcher on a per-route basis over the past four weeks, earning targets at a 36.7 percent rate while averaging 4.12 yards. His 22 target tie rookie WR Zay Flowers for the team lead.
Baltimore plays the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins over the season’s remaining three weeks. Opposing passing games target their own wide receivers 20.7 times per game against Jacksonville, tying for the league’s 10th-highest average. San Francisco’s injury-riddled defense allows 1.18 adjusted yards per route run to the position, while Miami allows 1.05, the two highest rates in the NFL.
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings RB
Sixteen percent of current FAAB
Minnesota Vikings No. 1 RB Alexander Mattison likely suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 14, per Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Edwin Porras, elevating No. 2 RB Ty Chandler to the starting role.
Chandler’s rushing efficiency (4.1 yards per rushing attempt) is only mildly superior Mattison’s (3.9 yards per rushing attempt), but Chandler's passing-game efficiency — coupled with a potential switch to pocket-passing QB Nick Mullens — bodes well for his RB3/flex viability.
Among 57 NFL running backs with at least 15 targets, Chandler ranks top 16 in both targets per route run rate (21.7 percent, TPRR) and yards per route run (1.30, YPRR). His 86.7 percent catch rate ranks sixth.
Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals QB
Twelve percent of current FAAB
As detailed in fantasy takeaways, Cincinnati Bengals fill-in QB Jake Browning averaged 25-plus fantasy points per game over the last two weeks, ranking as a mid-tier QB1. The Minnesota Vikings’ 45.9 percent blitz rate leads the league, and Browning’s 8.7 yards per blitzed passing attempt rank sixth among 52 NFL quarterbacks with at least 25 blitzed passing attempts.
Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders RB
Twelve percent of current FAAB
Josh Jacobs hyperextended his right knee in Week 14 and is unlikely to recover in time for the team’s Thursday Night Football game. The Las Vegas Raiders will play a Los Angeles Chargers’ run defense that ranks 16th across the board in yards allowed per rushing attempt (4.2), yards rushing allowed per game (113.2) and run-defense success rate (62.8 percent).
The unit lost four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Joey Bosa to injured reserve following a Week 11 foot sprain, further reducing the defense's run-defense effectiveness.
Las Vegas No. 2 RB Zamir White lacks efficiency (2.7 yards per rushing attempt) but should receive sufficient enough rushing volume to warrant flex consideration.
Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys RB
Twelve percent of current FAAB
Rico Dowdle has forced a flex-viable timeshare with starting RB Tony Pollard. Most recently, Dowdle out-carrid Pollard four-to-three in the first quarter of the Dallas Cowboys' 33-13 Week 14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
During the past five weeks, Dowdle has finished as the PPR RB18, RB44, RB30, RB41 and RB19 (pending Monday Night Football’s results), respectively. During that span, Dowdle handled 34.2 percent of backfield rushing attempts, 17.4 percent of third- and fourth-and-long snaps, 15.2 percent of the two-minute-drill snaps, 9.1 percent of green zone snaps and 17.8 percent of the red zone snaps.
Dowdle would rocket to a top-12 weekly ranking if Pollard was to miss time.
Noah Brown, Houston Texans WR
Ten percent of current FAAB
Injuries have badly affected the Houston Texans’ passing game in recent weeks.
QB C.J. Stroud is currently in the NFL’s concussion protocol. No. 1 WR Nico Collins strained his calf in Week 14, and No. 2 WR Tank Dell is on injured reserve with a fractured fibula. The unit faces the Tennessee Titans’ beatable secondary in Week 15. Their 0.99 adjusted YPRR allowed to opposing wide receivers ranks fourth-highest in the NFL.
No. 3 WR Noah Brown’s 2.11 YPRR ranks first among expectedly active Houston wide receivers. If Stroud is unable to clear the protocol prior to kickoff, Brown could only be started as a WR4/flex option. If Stroud is active, Brown is WR3-viable.
Streaming Options
Quarterbacks
Joe Flacco, Cleveland Browns QB (vs. Chicago Bears)
Eight percent of current FAAB
Among 42 NFL quarterbacks with at least 85 passing attempts, the Cleveland Browns' newly installed quarterback, Joe Flacco, ranks top three in both yards passing per game (282.5) and touchdowns passing per game (2.5).
He faces the Chicago Bears (230.9) and Houston Texans (246.9) over the next two weeks, both of whom rank bottom 10 in yards-allowed-coverage-defense. Chicago also ranks bottom three in passing touchdowns allowed per game (1.85).
Tight Ends
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets TE (@ Miami Dolphins)
Four percent of current FAAB
Among 32 NFL tight ends with at least five targets over the last two weeks, Tyler Conklin’s 28.8 percent TPRR ranks fourth. The Miami Dolphins’ 75 percent catch rate allowed to opposing tight ends is the league’s ninth-highest such rate. Recent injuries suffered by Miami's defensive stars — S Jevon Holland (knees) and LB Jerome Baker (injured reserve) — hamper the unit's tight end–coverage ability.
Tanner Hudson, Cincinnati Bengals TE (vs. Minnesota Vikings)
Four percent of current FAAB
Tanner Hudson has earned Browning’s trust over the past two weeks, averaging a second-ranked 35 percent TPRR and a fourth-ranked 2.80 YPRR among qualifying tight ends. The Vikings allow 0.72 adjusted YPRR to the position, the 13th-most, plus a 73.6 percent catch rate, the fifth-highest.
Kicker
Lucas Havrisik, Los Angeles Rams K (vs. Washington Commanders)
Six percent of current FAAB
The Los Angeles Rams nearly replaced Lucas Havrisik with Mason Crosby last week, but Havrisik restored their faith by converting 100 percent of Week 14 opportunities, including a 50-plus-yard field goal.
The Washington Commanders allow 10.1 fantasy points per game to opposing kickers, tying for the second-most in the NFL. Los Angeles opened as 6.5-point home favorites, signaling a field goal–friendly game script as the Rams likely play with a comfortable lead.
Defenses
Atlanta Falcons D/ST (@ Carolina Panthers)
Four percent of current FAAB
The Atlanta Falcons’ defense is weakened by recent injuries, but Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young is averaging 4.0 sacks per game, the fourth-most in the NFL among NFL quarterbacks with at least 100 passing attempts.
Looking Ahead to Week 16
Defense/Special Teams
Cincinnati Bengals D/ST (@ Pittsburgh Steelers)
Six percent of current FAAB
The Cincinnati Bengals’ 35.3 percent quarterback pressure rate ranks 13th among NFL teams. They face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16, whose offensive line allows pressure at a 37.5 percent rate, the NFL’s 11th-highest.
Starting QB Kenny Pickett remains unavailable as he recovers from his in-season ankle surgery. Cincinnati’s D/ST is usable in Week 15 against the Vikings, as well. Their quarterback woes have led the coaching staff to deliberate between Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens.
Have a question about a player on or off this list? Join our Discord and hop into the waiver wire channel. We’ll answer as many questions as we can on our Tuesday Waiver Wire show.
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