The fantasy football waiver wire doesn’t yield a ton of big names for Week 15, when the playoff stakes are high in most leagues and matchups count more than ever. This past week had its standouts, but also a number of under-performers that, surprisingly, featured star quarterbacks Drew Brees and Peyton Manning.
Sticking with quarterbacks, help could be hard to find as popular waiver wire targets such as Colt McCoy and Johnny Manziel both failed to make impacts in Week 14. McCoy threw for just 199 yards and two interceptions in a lopsided loss to the Rams, while Manziel was bypassed for the Browns’ starting job in favor of Brian Hoyer. Manziel could finally get his starting opportunity in Week 15.
Pickings are slim at the running back position with Arizona’s Kerwynn Williams, Oakland’s Latavius Murray and Carolina’s Jonathan Stewart all garnering consideration. New York Giants rookie Andre Williams could also be worthy of a waiver claim if veteran Rashad Jennings is forced to miss more time with an ankle injury.
Williams emerged from the practice squad to lead the Cardinals in carries in a 17-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. While Marion Grice and Stepfan Taylor got most of the attention in the now-season-long absence of Andre Ellington, Williams carried 19 times for 100 yards in a winning effort. It remains to be seen whether he can earn a similar workload through a tough three-game stretch against the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers.
Murray returned to the Raiders’ lineup after suffering a Week 12 concussion and turned in an encouraging performance in a surprising win over the 49ers. He carries 23 times for 76 yards and added two catches for nine yards. Murray was last seen torching the Chiefs for 112 yards and two touchdowns in Week 12 before exiting early with a concussion.
Stewart also saw his fantasy stock rise by exploiting a friendly road matchup against a Saints defense that struggles mightily against the run. He registered 20 carries for 155 yards and touchdown, giving him 240 rushing yards in two games since a Week 12 bye. He sees friendly home matchups against the Buccaneers and Browns in the next two weeks.
Bob Flounders, Jon Ritchie and Dustin Hockensmith broke down those players and plenty more in this week’s podcast for the Keystone Sports Network. Check out audio from the show in this post and get plenty more podcasts and analysis on KeystoneSportsNetwork.com and by following @KSNSportsNet on Twitter.