Week 14 gave rise to some wild outcomes, with none being more unexpected than Derrick Henry’s 238-yard, four-touchdown steamrolling of the Jaguars. If that didn’t surprise you enough, the Dolphins pulled off a miracle game-winning lateral play that Kenyan Drake took to the house in Miami’s triumph over New England. The Steelers falling to the Raiders was icing on the cake in what was a shocking week of football.

All things considered, the day wouldn’t be complete without seeing some unheralded faces getting a little recognition. Kenneth Dixon outshined Gus Edwards, Elijah McGuire proved he could handle a full workload, Damien Williams hit pay dirt twice, Robert Foster stepped up big time, and Ian Thomas was a target machine. Which widely available fantasy free agents can you rely upon to help usher you one step closer to that coveted title? That’s exactly what our featured experts have set out to answer, as they share their thoughts on which players on the waiver wire could possess that winning upside.

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Featured Experts:

Elisha Twerski – Cheesehead TV
Andrew Gould – FantasyPros
Bobby Sylvester – FantasyPros
James Hatfield – Hatty Waiver Wire Guru
Mike Tagliere – FantasyPros
Michael Tomlin – SoCalledFanEx

*Ownership % derived from a consensus of Yahoo & ESPN leagues

Q1. How much are you willing to spend (FAAB %) on your favorite waiver wire target (or two) and why do you like him?

Damien Williams (RB – KC) | Elijah McGuire (RB – NYJ)
“I’m willing to spend whatever budget I have left on Williams or McGuire. Spencer Ware, Tyreek Hill, and Sammy Watkins are all banged up for the Chiefs, who will have just three days rest before taking on the Chargers on TNF. Williams could see a sizable workload in the passing game against a defense allowing the fifth-most receptions and third-most receiving yards to running backs. McGuire is the obvious top target if Isaiah Crowell’s Week 15 prospects don’t look promising.”
– Elisha Twerski (Cheesehead TV)

“It depends on what position you specifically need since the top three are all so close, but if you are looking for a flex, Elijah McGuire is my preferred top pickup. He touched the ball 20 times in Crowell’s absence last week and could see a similar workload against the Texans this week. The Jets can and will use him as a three-down back, so the game script doesn’t especially matter. Spend all your FAAB!”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

“With the quick turnaround to play on Thursday night, it’s tough to see Ware being able to go for the Chiefs. Because of that, Damien Williams is a must-add. While Charcandrick West is a good add in his own right, the fact that he was inactive for Week 14 tells us that Williams is still ahead of him on the pecking order. You might as well use your remaining budget to snag him…it’s Week 15 after all.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Curtis Samuel (WR – CAR) 
“Samuel is adding volume to his big-play upside by drawing 28 targets over the last four games. Even with Devin Funchess back in the mix, the 22-year-old has maintained more playing time while catching 10 of 19 targets for 168 yards against Tampa Bay and Cleveland. The Panthers close out the season with two of their remaining three games (Weeks 15 and 17) against the Saints, who have surrendered 215.5 receiving yards per game to wideouts despite recent improvements. It’s late enough in the season to spend 30 percent of your FAAB (or more if there are no other needs to address) for a viable WR3.”
– Andrew Gould (FantasyPros)

Chris Conley (WR – KC) 
“I would spend whatever remaining budget I have on Conley. Tyreek Hill has come out and said that his foot injury is “pretty bad” so it is looking like he will miss at least one game. Conley was already coming on strong before the tough matc-up against Baltimore, as he was averaging almost 20 PPR points the previous two games. With what should be a high-scoring shootout Thursday night and Kelvin Benjamin not having enough time to fully integrate into the offense, I think Conley is in for a big night.”
– Michael Tomlin (SoCalledFanEx)

Ian Thomas (TE – CAR) 
“Thomas is a must grab if you are hurting at TE or dealing with an underperformer. Cam Newton is not looking far downfield and he is throwing to Thomas often. I’d spend up to 50% of my remaining FAAB on him depending on my TE need. Keep an eye on who you are playing in your playoffs; if they are in need of a TE, it never hurts to play waiver wire defense, and keep Thomas away from your opponent.”
– James Hatfield (Hatty Waiver Wire Guru)

Q2. For owners renting a D/ST in Week 15, what readily available option (under 40%) should they target and why?

“Those who streamed the Lions against the Cardinals were rewarded with 18 fantasy points. Yet not too many managers went that direction, as they remain just 19 percent owned in Yahoo leagues heading into another appealing matchup at Buffalo. Entering Week 14, when the Jets picked up three sacks and takeaways apiece, only the Bills had led opposing defenses to more fantasy points per game (12.6) than the Cardinals (10.3). Streamers could also again attack Arizona by playing Atlanta, but Detroit offers a better floor after collecting 12 sacks in the last four games.”
– Andrew Gould (FantasyPros)

“The Lions take on Buffalo and are coming off a solid outing from last week; let’s hope they can have another pick six this week. The Lions allow a league-low of 1.8 yards per carry to the QB so they may have a chance to stop Josh Allen on the ground. The issue is that they have a hard time stopping the QB through the air and allow very high passer ratings so this would require Allen to throw it more. Detroit is a high risk/reward in Week 15.”
– James Hatfield (Hatty Waiver Wire Guru)

“The Redskins are a great target for anyone streaming a defense in Week 15. Washington has scored double-digit fantasy points seven times this season, while the Jaguars have allowed double-digits in six of their last 11 games — surrendering at least seven points in 10 of those games. The red-hot Giants are another option, having scored 13 or more in three of their last four games, while their opponent, the Titans, have allowed 11 or more in five of their last nine games.”
– Elisha Twerski (Cheesehead TV)

“The streaming defenses this week are a disaster. The Lions are your top bet, but I’ll give you another name too since the majority here will probably use Detroit. The Falcons have quietly been playing much-improved defense since Week 7. They started off so awful that their season-long stats look untouchable, but 23 points per game and nearly three sacks per game in the past two months versus plenty of impressive offenses translates quite well to a contest versus Josh Rosen and that abysmal Cardinals’ offensive line.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

“Not only has Matthew Stafford lost two of his top weapons in the passing game, but he’s also lost all protection, as his offensive line has allowed him to be sacked 27 times in the last seven games. Because of the pressure, he’s also thrown six interceptions. The Bills will be at home and have allowed nine of their last 11 opponents to 23 points or less and have 11 interceptions in those games.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“I would go for the Cleveland Browns’ defense. They have been sneaky good over the past month, giving up just four non-garbage time touchdowns in the past four games. The Broncos have scored more than 24 points just once since Week 1, and that was mostly due to turnovers and defensive touchdowns. I expect that Cleveland will hold them under 20 with a few sacks and a couple of turnovers.”
– Michael Tomlin (SoCalledFanEx)

Thank you to the experts for naming their top waiver targets. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.

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