PLAYOFFS?! Let’s do it! Mike Hubbard Jr here, welcome back to my weekly Waiver HUB. Follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) and Instagram (@fantasyhubbard) for all things fantasy football throughout the season. Feel free to tweet me or message me on either social media with any comments or questions you might have regarding fantasy football.
Week 14 has ended and week 15 starts on Thursday with a matchup between the red hot 9-4 Kansas City Chiefs and the surging 8-5 Las Angeles Chargers. The line currently favors the Chiefs by 3.5 with an over/under of 50.5. AFC East standings are on the line as well as playoff seeding. I am hoping for an entertaining shootout. My bold prediction is a 6th consecutive win for the Chiefs on their way to a photo finish for the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Justin Herbert does all he can to win but falls short by a score of 34-28. Big game for CEH. Could come down to the last possession.
Fantasy football playoffs are here at last so now is the time to make your moves and prepare for fantasy post season greatness. Injuries are inevitable so here’s another chance to hit the waiver wire and get impactful players. Another week gone, another opportunity to make your team stronger and inch your way to that league trophy and an offseason of bragging rights.
Below are my top waiver wire priorities this week. Go get those available players to help your chances at a championship. Good luck this week and remember to check back every week to stay informed on who you could target off of waivers.
TOP PRIORITY OF THE WEEK
Rashaad Penny – Seattle Seahawks
Rashaad Penny is this week’s top priority on the waiver wire. The Seahawks gave Penny 16 carries in week 14 after saying he would get more work. Well, he did, and he made the best of it. Rashaad finished with 137 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs. Alex Collins had less than half the number of Penny carries. Penny should be featured more from now on in these next few pivotal games. Although week 14 was against a Texans defense, Penny should still be full of confidence and is exactly what Russel Wilson needs to take some pressure off of him and open up a balanced attack in order to win football games.
Quarterbacks
Taysom Hill – New Orleans Saints
I wrote about Hill in last week’s article hoping for another big fantasy outing despite his finger injury. I wasn’t disappointed, Hill took some time to get going but did in fact get going. He threw for 175 passing yards and ran 11 times for 73 rushing yards. Taysom scored both of his TDs on the ground in week 14. His fantasy playoff schedule starts against the Bucs, then he faces the Dolphins and Panthers. If Hill is still available, I strongly encourage you to add him to your team, even if he is just your emergency QB option. You can’t lose to Hill if you own him.
Running Backs
Ameer Abdullah – Carolina Panthers
Chuba Hubbard and Ameer Abdullah are the top 2 RBs for Carolina following CMC being placed on IR. Chuba has gotten the majority of rushing attempts and Abdullah has been more of a pass catching RB. Chuba seems like the RB to scoop up after his 33 rushing yards and TD performance in week 14, but I believe Abdullah will be the Carolina RB that can positively impact your team in the fantasy playoffs. The Panthers get the Bills, the Bucs, and the Saints all in a row who are known for their rushing defenses. The Panthers could go down early in each of those games making Abdullah the RB more opt to produce with Cam or Tucker throwing his way. Ameer also has kick return upside if your league records those stats.
Royce Freeman– Houston Texans
Freeman got some extra playing time in week 14 due to David Johnson being placed on the COVID list and Rex Burkhead left the game early due to a groin injury. Freeman didn’t do much of anything rushing but did contribute 6 receptions for 51 receiving yards. Houston’s backfield is not something you want a part of, but Freeman could see some more playing time if Burkhead and/or Johnson were to miss additional time. The Texans get the Jaguars next followed by the Chargers. Good matchups for Houston RBs but it’s very risky to trust a Texan at any offensive position, especially RB.
Wide Receivers
KJ Osborn – Minnesota Vikings
KJ Osborn took full advantage of the absence of Adam Thielen in week 14. After being irrelevant from week 8 through week 12, KJ has now scored in consecutive games. He only caught 3 of his 9 targets but they went for 83 receiving yards. Even with the likelihood that Thielen is healthy and ready to play in week 15, Osborn is a player that can really boom on just a few plays. KJ will look to keep his momentum going in a positive direction on MNF in week 15 against the Bears who just let Aaron Rodgers pick them apart through the air.
Laquon Treadwell – Jacksonville Jaguars
After recording just 2 receptions through week 11 this season, Treadwell now has 3 consecutive games with 4 receptions and 50+ receiving yards. He is the leader on the team in receiving yards over the last 4 weeks and is another pass catching option for rookie Trevor Lawrence. Any player on the Jags seems to have a decent chance at a few receptions, but they don’t score TDs enough through the air. Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault, and Laquon Treadwell all seem to be fighting for WR1 status but have all been fairly close in production. The Jags get great matchups with the Texans and Jets the next 2 weeks if you’re willing to risk a Jags WR.
Jalen Guyton/Joshua Palmer – LA Chargers
The Chargers made quick work of the Giants in week 14 on their way to a 16-point win. Both Guyton and Palmer had great performances while Keenan Allen was on the COVID list and Herbert was down to just Mike Williams as his main pass catching target. Guyton caught all 3 of his targets for 87 receiving yards and a TD and Palmer caught 5 of his 7 targets for 66 receiving yards and a TD. Both WRs were effective in Allen’s absence and will want to keep it going against KC in week 15. I prefer Guyton over Palmer, but both have proven to be impactful when called upon.
Donovan Peoples-Jones – Cleveland Browns
DPJ was tied for 2nd in targets and tied for 1st in receptions in week 14 for the Browns. He finished with 5 receptions for 90 receiving yards on 7 targets. DPJ and Jarvis Landry are the top 2 WRs for Baker Mayfield on a run heavy offense. On Sunday Jones led all Cleveland WRs in snaps and routes run. The only FLEX play with more snaps was Austin Hooper who you’ll read about in the TE section. DPJ has great upside as he showed everyone in week 6 where he had 101 receiving yards and 2 TDs. Look for DPJ to be boom or bust through the fantasy playoffs.
Tight Ends
Austin Hooper – Cleveland Browns
Austin Hooper caught 5 of his 7 targets for 30 receiving yards and a TD in a close win over the Ravens in week 14. That was Hoopers best fantasy performance of the season which isn’t saying too much. David Njoku missed the game due to COVID and his status for week 15 is currently undetermined. Austin is in line for another optimistic performance in week 15 going against the Raiders who haven’t been able to stop opposing TEs this season. Pay close attention to the health of Browns TEs leading into week 15 as that could open up or lessen volume for Hooper.
Gerald Everett – Seattle Seahawks
Everett is having an up and down season with more downs than ups. The Seahawks have the same narrative this season. Russell Wilson is looking better recently, and Everett is a beneficiary of that. Gerald has 2 TDs in his last 3 games and is averaging almost 6 targets and over 4 receptions per game since week 10. Everett gets the Rams, Bears, and Lions the next 3 weeks.