Tim Hightower played the lead back in New Orleans with Ingram out and should be owned in all formats

*Breaking Update: DuJuan Harris has been released by the Seahawks making Bryce Brown the primary replacement

If you’re reading this, you likely fall into one of three groups……

1. You had a bye week in the first round and want to snatch up any quality player heading into week 15.
2. You won your first round matchup and want to snatch up the injury replacements for week 15.
3. You really care about the consolation bracket and/or want to mess with everyone else in the league that has something real to play for.

No matter the category that you fit into, week 14 was brutal for a handful of players who got injured. T.J. Yeldon, LeGarrette Blount and Thomas Rawls all got banged up leaving the door open for their incoming replacements.

With only weeks 15 and 16 left for most fantasy leagues, there is little point in saving up FAAB money or that top waiver claim spot any longer. There are pickups capable of having an impact that should be made.. To help with you decisions, we’ve asked our featured experts to rank the top readily available options as well as name their top streaming D/ST for this week.

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Featured Pros

Matt De Lima (Scout Fantasy)
Zach Greubel (Gridiron Experts)
Joe Bond (Fantasy Six Pack)
Alex Miglio (Footballguys)

Waiver Wire Rankings (Standard Scoring)

Week 15 Waiver Wire Advice

Each expert was asked to share the reasoning behind their waiver rankings as well as what D/ST they like as a rental for week 15. Here’s what the experts had to say.

Q1: Give us your thoughts on a waiver wire target (or two) you especially like as a pickup.

Matt De Lima – Scout Fantasy
“If T.J. Yeldon is forced to miss even one game, Denard Robinson is a great option to pursue. Heading into Week 15, you’re going to have to overpay for Tim Hightower or DuJuan Harris in FAAB leagues. Everyone will have a claim submitted for them as well. At this point in the season though, you should adopt a “quantity, not quality” mindset to running backs. The general fantasy public already formed an opinion about Denard Robinson and it’s not a positive outlook. This will allow him to sneak under the radar. Again, assuming Yeldon is out, Robinson becomes a top back in a red-hot and high-scoring offense. Hightower and Harris are safe choices for sure, but Robinson is worth adding as well if you have the roster space.”

Zach Greubel – Gridiron Experts
“Tim Hightower and DuJuan Harris are the two guys I would bid high on this week. Mark Ingram and Thomas Rawls are out for the season, paving the way for Hightower and Harris to take over as featured running backs in their respective backfields. If you need an extra boost during the playoffs and/or suffered a big loss recently, make Hightower and Harris your top waiver wire priorities this week.”

Joe Bond – Fantasy Six Pack
“Tim Hightower is the clear No. 1 after he dominated the touches in New Orleans and performed well. I get that, but you can’t forget about Denard Robinson. T.J. Yeldon is dealing with a sprained knee which could keep him out for a couple of weeks, which by the way is the rest of your fantasy playoffs. Robinson was good last year rushing for almost 488 yards (4.5 yards per carry) and four touchdowns after he took over as the starter for the Jags the last seven games. Sunday, he proved he can handle the workload again, carrying the ball 14 times for 75 yards and a touchdown. Don’t sleep on “Shoelace”, especially with Atlanta and New Orleans next up on the schedule.”

Alex Miglio – Footballguys
“Who knows whether they can realistically pick up the slack Thomas Rawls was carrying, but Fred Jackson and DuJuan Harris have got to be top targets this week (assuming Hightower is no longer available in your league). Jackson might be fresh enough to carry the load while Marshawn Lynch recovers from surgery, and Harris has some upside. The way the Seahawks offense is playing, both of these guys could be fantasy-relevant over the next two weeks.”

Q2: For owners renting a D/ST in Week 15, what readily available option should they target and why?

Matt De Lima – Scout Fantasy
“Streaming a D/ST is an inexact science. Personally, I put my faith in defenses facing terrible quarterbacks leading offenses that don’t score a lot of points. Chasing D/ST touchdowns is pointless. With that in mind, I would consider adding the Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST (vs. Denver) or Tampa Bay Buccaneers D/ST (at St. Louis). Both Denver and St. Louis are led by inefficient starting quarterbacks. If I had to pick one, it’d be the Steelers; however, they may have been added in your league recently. The Bucs’ defense isn’t particularly good, but the Rams have scored the second-fewest points in the NFL. This makes Tampa Bay a safe option although their potential scoring ceiling isn’t very impressive.”

Zach Greubel – Gridiron Experts
“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t really flash defensively in any given week, but you can do worse than using them as a D/ST stream in Week 15 against the St. Louis Rams. Todd Gurley may find some running room, but the Buccaneers should give fantasy owners enough bang for their buck.”

Alex Miglio – Footballguys
“There isn’t much to love this late in the season. It seems fantasy owners are stocking up in anticipation of matchups. One defense that has been readily available for much of the season is the Miami Dolphins, though, and a matchup against the floundering Chargers might prove to be fantasy gold next week.”

Joe Bond – Fantasy Six Pack
“Pittsburgh Steelers – How they are not owned in more than 38% of leagues is mind boggling to me. Does nobody realize they are a top-10 defense in fantasy right now? The pass rush has improved, which has helped the entire defense out. Next up for them are the less than impressive Denver Broncos with Brock Osweiler under center, and the Ravens who are a complete disaster on offense without their top three playmakers (Flacco, Smith and Forsett).”

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Thanks to the experts for ranking their top waiver pickups for Week 15. For more advice from them, please follow them on Twitter.