Week 15 of the Fantasy Football season has arrived and that signals the end of the regular season. Let's address the best waiver wire additions available in our leagues ahead of this upcoming slate of games.
All stats and data are sourced from PFF and Sports Info Solutions. Rostered percentages are sourced from Yahoo Fantasy leagues.
1. Seattle Seahawks RB Travis Homer - 38% rostered
A pre-game report by ESPN's Adam Schefter suggested Homer may take a backseat to Tony Jones. Jr, though the numbers told a completely different story. Homer was essentially used as a workhorse sans Kenneth Walker and DeeJay Dallas, both of whom missed this game with ankle injuries.
Homer played in 49-of-54 snaps, ran 27 routes on 42 dropbacks, had three out of four running back targets, and handled nine of the 10 rushing attempts in the running back room. Homer is clearly the preferred option and could have a FLEX floor this week if Walker and Dallas are once again held out.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars WR Zay Jones - 51% rostered
There aren't many receivers worth adding at this point in the season but Jones is as consistent as it gets when it comes to usage. He hasn't played fewer than 46 snaps this season. Prior to this week, he also ranked 27th in routes run among all receivers and has a combined 40 targets over his past four contests. His usage hasn't resulted in earth-shattering numbers, though Jones has three performances totaling over 14 fantasy points in his past four games in full-point PPR formats. Since Week 10, Jones is the WR14 in scoring. He's not only a must-roster player but is nearing set-it-and-forget-it status.
3 & 4. Houston Texans RBs Dare Ogunbowale & Eno Benjamin - 0% & 12% rostered
Starting running back Dameon Pierce suffered an ankle injury in this game though it doesn't appear to be a serious one as he continued playing before being potentially sidelined toward the end of the contest. The Texans' backfield won't be easy to peg, though Ogunbowale played the most snaps last week (Rex Burkhead out) and this week. The backfield favored Ogunbowale nearly across the board:
Snaps: Pierce (36), Ogunbowale (18), Benjamin (8), Burkhead (5)
Routes run: Pierce (6), Ogunbowale (13), Benjamin (2), Burkhead (2)
Targets: Pierce (0), Ogunbowale (2), Benjamin (0), Burkhead (1)
Rushing attempts: Pierce (22), Ogunbowale (1), Benjamin (3), Burkhead (2)
The good news is none of these guys are likely to be forced into major playing time barring anything unforeseen with Pierce's diagnosis. If he were to miss time, it appears Ogunbowale would operate as the main passing game back and would get some early-down work, while Benjamin would likely be the first choice to replace Pierce in his rushing role. Both players are worth rostering though not much FAAB should be spent on either.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Warren - 15% rostered
The Steelers are Najee Harris' backfield, but Warren is coming off a game in which he was used more than in recent weeks. The backfield split wasn't even this past week but the numbers were undoubtedly more favorable for Warren than in the two previous games:
Snaps: Harris (31), Warren (22), Benny Snell (2)
Routes run: Harris (16), Warren (14), Snell (0)
Targets: Harris (3), Warren (2), Snell (0)
Rushing attempts: Harris (12), Warren (3), Snell (2)
Warren's snap count was the second-highest and his 14 routes run were the highest since Week 6. He's the clear handcuff to Harris and while he has no standalone value, he is the next-best option in the event that anything happens to Harris.
6 & 7. New York Giants RBs Gary Brightwell & Matt Breida - 0% & 11% rostered
Like the Texans, the Giants' backfield could be in an interesting situation as Saquon Barkley entered this game questionable and looked like he might've been limited to some extent, though a blowout didn't help. Looking at the split between the three, it was nearly equal, though as I mentioned, a blowout certainly played a factor in that:
Snaps: Barkley (20), Brightwell (22), Breida (22)
Early downs: Barkley (14), Brightwell (16), Breida (10)
Goalline: Barkley (5), Brightwell (0), Breida (1)
Third downs: Barkley (1), Brightwell (3), Breida (6)
Two-minute drill: Barkley (0), Brightwell (0), Breida (3)
Neither Brightwell nor Breida have any standalone value and would likely split the workload in the event that Barkley couldn't play moving forward. With that being said, Barkley certainly looks like he'll be healthy enough to finish out the season but we're near the end of the season and have to identify potential league winners with injuries being so paramount. If something were to happen to Barkley, the Giants appear to have Brightwell in the lead for the early-down rushing role with short-yardage plays as well, while Breida appears to be the preferred passing game back.
8. New York Jets WR Elijah Moore - 27% rostered
The loss of Corey Davis may have skewed his numbers slightly but Moore's usage has been trending in the right direction for two weeks now. The young wideout has accumulated some strong usage metrics over the timeframe:
119-of-159 snaps
15 targets
92 routes run on 111 dropbacks
Davis suffered a "head" injury according to the team. It remains to be seen how long he could be sidelined or if he'll even miss any games. There is a bottom line, though, and ultimately Moore's status doesn't appear to be attached to Davis' status. Both players played in Week 13 and Moore was still used fruitfully. But, if Davis is sidelined, Moore could see a slightly expanded role and maybe an extra target or two.
9. Tennessee Titans RB Julius Chestnut - 0% rostered
Backup running back Dontrell Hilliard sustained a neck injury and was carted to the locker room on Sunday. Hilliard had a steady role this season, playing roughly 18-20 snaps per game and moonlighting as a receiving back. Neck injuries are never easy to deal with and Hilliard could be shelved for a few weeks. If that ends up being the case, the Titans will need to turn to Hassan Haskins or Julius Chestnut — or both — to fill their RB2 role behind Derrick Henry. In Week 14, Chestnut caught both of his targets for just eight yards. There clearly isn't much upside at all there with Henry healthy, though Chestnut appears to be the early favorite for that role and should be rostered for that reason.
10. Denver Broncos RB Marlon Mack - 3% rostered
Mike Boone was carted to the locker room on Sunday and that cleared the way for Mack to become relevant. He played 22 snaps, ran 13 routes, and was involved both as a runner and a receiver, though only to a minimal extent.
Boone had just 15 rushing yards though he was able to break loose for a 66-yard receiving touchdown. At this point, he's strictly a dart throw and potential handcuff to Latavius Murray.