Week 15 Early Waiver Wire Pickups

Get an edge on your fantasy football opponent with early pickup suggestions for the first round of the fantasy playoffs.

The waiver wire closed in high-stakes fantasy football leagues in Week 14 but it's still open pickup season in most short-roster formats and traditional leagues. Here are some of our initial suggestions from the Waiver Wire for Week 15.

Quarterback Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens

The early report on Lamar Jackson is a low ankle sprain and the Ravens passer was spotted in a walking boot after the team's loss to the Browns. Baltimore will provide a better update on his status on Monday but for now, any manager with Jackson on their roster should pick up his handcuff, Tyler Huntley. In a relief effort against the Browns, he passed for 270 yards with one score while adding six rushes for 45 yards. Before Sunday’s game, Huntley appeared in five other games in the NFL (34-for-52 with 274 yards and 20 carries for 73 yards). His ceiling is much lower in the run game (380/1,131/15 over three seasons in college) than Jackson, but Baltimore should run the same style offense even if Huntley is under-center in Week 15.

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Running Back Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks

The early tell on Penny came in Week 13 (62 combined yards with one catch on 11 touches). He exploded for two long runs (32 and 47 yards) against the Texans in Week 14, setting up the best day of his career (138 yards with two scores and one catch). The Seahawks rotated in Alex Collins (7/16) and Deejay Dallas (2/16) in the run game, but their new pony on early downs has to be Penny based on his pedigree and potential explosiveness. His stock should continue to rise down the stretch if he can stay healthy.

Running Back Craig Reynolds, Detroit Lions

In a surprise move this weekend, the Lions floated around the idea that D’Andre Swift may be placed on the injured reserve. If so, Jamaal Williams would move to RB1 once he returns from his Covid-19 issue. With Williams and Swift out in Week 14, Detroit gave Reynolds the bulk of the running back action against the Broncos, leading to (99 yards with two catches on 13 touches). Coming into Week 14, the Lions running backs gained 1,856 combined yards with 11 touchdowns and 88 catches (28.30 FPPG in PPR leagues). Reynolds probably only makes sense for a team with Swift or Williams.

Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com

Wide Receiver Julio Jones, Tennessee Titans

In shallow formats, Jones may have worked his way into the free-agent pool after a slow start to the year (21/336 over six games) and six missed games. In Week 14, Jones caught four of his six targets for 33 yards while the Titans played with a lead for the entirety of the game. Tennessee will be without A.J. Brown for at least one more game, giving Jones WR1 status in the Titans’ offense.

WR Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers

With Keenan Allen out this week, fantasy owners rushed to the waiver wire to pick up Jalen Guyton. He rewarded investors with three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, but Palmer is the player who ended up working in a similar role as Allen. He caught five of his seven targets for 66 yards and a score. As a result, Palmer looks to be a viable handcuff if Allen misses any more time.

TE Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns

In most weeks this season, the Browns rotated in three tight ends, but in Week 14 they played against the Ravens without Harrison Bryant (ankle) and David Njoku (Covid-19). That led to Hooper getting a bump in opportunity (seven targets) and success (five catches for 30 yards and a touchdown). Over the last three games, he has had 13 catches for 108 yards and two scores. Hooper isn’t starter-worthy at this point of the season, but he may work as an injury replacement down the stretch. 

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