Thomason: Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 15
By Jack Thomason
(CBS) If players like Robert Woods or Chris Hogan were dropped due to their injuries, they'd be the priority additions.
Here are my top 10 waiver adds for 10- and 12-member league.
1. Theo Riddick (RB, Detroit Lions) – After the Lions made the decision to bench Ameer Abdullah last week, Riddick saw 71 percent of the snaps and 70 percent of the touches. Riddick always provides value even when Abdullah isn't playing given his dual-threat ability and his volume/snaps spikes. Without Abdullah in the past two weeks, he's caught 11 balls for 105 yards on 15 targets and added 50 rushing yards. He's had 30 touches during that time and scored three rushing touchdowns. If the Abdullah benching continues, I think Riddick is the best addition to your fantasy team. He provides a great floor and a quality ceiling.
2. Wayne Gallman (RB, New York Giants) – It's fair to wonder if Gallman has supplanted Orleans Darkwa as the Giants' primary runner. He's led the team in snaps the last two weeks and is neck and neck with Darkwa in touches (27-24). Gallman looked like the better player last week though, carrying the ball 12 times for 59 yards and adding seven catches on nine targets for another 40 yards. It's possible the Giants want to see what they have in Gallman and hand the keys over to him down the stretch. Either way, he's in a time share and getting more receiving work than Darkwa.
3. Mike Davis (RB, Seattle Seahawks) – Davis didn't dominate snaps against Jacksonville the way he did in Week 13, but he still led the team with 16 touches and was clearly their best runner. He tallied 65 yards in a tough matchup but ceded a lot of passing-game work to J.D. McKissic given that the Seahawks were trailing the entire game. His volume will be flex-worthy moving forward.
4. Peyton Barber (RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Doug Martin came back and started last week, but after a "soft fumble," Barber came in and carried the rock the majority of the game, once again looking better than Martin doing so. On paper, Barber's 13 touches for 63 yards doesn't look much better than Martin's 12-touch, 50-yard performance, but rushing the ball, Barber was clearly better. He tallied 12 carries for 58 rushing yards in comparison to Martin's 10 carries for 26 yards. I'd bet on Barber going forward. He may not have lost his starting job to injury, but this is twice in two weeks that Barber has clearly looked like the better runner.
5. Marquise Goodwin (WR, San Francisco 49ers) – Goodwin continues to shine over the last nine weeks and with a competent quarterback now, he's showing off more skills than just running deep. With Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm, he's seen 20 targets in two games and has converted those into 14 receptions and 205 yards. Goodwin gets a Titans defense this week that's bottom three in fantasy points to receivers, and he's seeing plenty of volume to be considered a high-end WR3 with upside. Grab him while you can.
6. Rod Smith (RB, Dallas Cowboys) – So much of Smith's value came on his big 81-yard touchdown reception, but he's been providing value of late, even if on limited touches. He's averaging 10.5 touches the last two weeks and has scored three times to Alfred Morris' once. Given he has a great matchup against the Raiders next week, you could consider Smith at flex given his touchdowns and receiving ability.
7. Jimmy Garoppolo (QB, San Francisco 49ers) – The quarterbacks listed are for those who lost Carson Wentz or are in need of an upgrade. Garoppolo has averaged 313.5 yards in his two starts and is moving the ball at will. He's still having a little trouble finding the end zone due to lack of weaponry, but he offers upside and yards on a team that will continue to throw as it's often playing from behind. He has a juicy matchup against the Titans at home this week.
8. Dede Westbrook (WR, Jacksonville Jaguars) –Westbrook has seen an average of 8.3-targets per game, good for 17th in the NFL over the last four weeks. He's caught five or more passes in three of those games and twice gone over 78 yards. He added his first touchdown this past week and gets a great matchup against a Texans defense surrendering long plays to speedy, deep threats regularly.
9. Kerwynn Williams (RB, Arizona Cardinals) – Williams still saw 58 percent of the snaps and 75 percent of the touches in Week 14. As long as Adrian Peterson is out, Williams will be a viable flex play due to his volume. He has 37 touches for 185 yards in the last two weeks as the clear starter for the Cardinals. That's volume you can depend on in a big matchup in the fantasy playoffs. Plus, Washington is a good matchup for opposing running backs, and that's who he will face in Week 15.
10. Blake Bortles (QB, Jacksonville Jaguars) – I know, Blake Bortles, right? Look, he hasn't been as bad as we've come to know him over the years. During this Jaguars' hot streak, he's been providing a solid floor and avoiding the killer mistakes we expect. Over the last three games, he has thrown for 737 yards and had six all-purpose touchdowns and just one interception. He'll play a generous Texans defense this weekend, and if you lost Wentz or are frustrated with Alex Smith, he's worth a look.
Just missed: Matt Breida, Charckandrick West, Chris Ivory, T.J. Yeldon, Travaris Cadet, Giovanni Bernard, Aaron Jones, James Conner, all other workhorse running back back-ups, Tyrell Williams, Trey Burton, Nick Foles, Saints defense and Chiefs defense.
Jack Thomason is 670 The Score's fantasy football expert and co-host of "Chicago's Fantasy Football Today," which can be heard every Sunday during football season from 8-9 a.m. CT on WSCR-670 and 670thescore.com/listen. Follow him on Twitter@jthomason77 and feel free to ask fantasy questions.
