One last big push before the fantasy football playoffs, and whether you’re playing for a championship or just pride, these games still matter a whole lot, and every roster transaction you make is vitally important.
While your leaguemates concentrate on the immediate fixtures, you can gain an edge by looking to next week’s fixtures and seeing which fantasy football players might be worth picking up off the waiver wire ahead of time to gain an advantage. Instead of fighting things out on the waiver wire, these players could join your roster for free, now.
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Instead of fighting things out on the waiver wire next week, these players could join your roster for free, now. We use rostership data from Yahoo, which provides a large sample size and tends to be fairly reliable. We understand you’ll be dying to say ‘he’s not available in my league’ to every suggestion, even regarding players available in fewer than 10% of leagues. However, by selecting players typically rostered in 50% or fewer of leagues, we should have a good range of players available in many leagues.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Stashes Ahead of Week 15
CJ Stroud (QB – HOU) – 42% Rostered
It’s not often that we get massive weeks from CJ Stroud, he only has 12 top-12 weekly finishes in his three years in the league. However, if you’re looking for QB help at this time of the year you probably can’t afford to be too picky. In Week 15, Stroud takes on the Cardinals though, who have allowed three passing touchdowns in two of their last three games and Stroud has passed for over 270 yards in his last two fully healthy games. With the Texans playoff hopes on the line and the Cardinals forcing pass-heavy scripts, Stroud should be an okay streamer.
People forget how sharp CJ Stroud was in the playoff game vs KC.
His protection will be better this time around. pic.twitter.com/j27OCS17Hj
— big ounce (@_bigounce) December 4, 2025
Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA) – 19% Rostered
Another quarterback, who is also periodically fantasy-relevant, is Tua Tagovailoa. The lefty hasn’t had a top-12 finish since Week 8, but there are reasons for hope/cope in Week 15. The Dolphins travel to Pittsburgh, facing a struggling Steelers defense dealing with injuries. The Steelers allow the 12th most QB fantasy points per game despite having the most expensive defense in the league. It also helps that the Steelers play the fifth-most single-high safety coverage, which Jaylen Waddle thrives against with 3.10 yards per route run.
Bhayshul Tuten (RB – JAC) – 42% Rostered
People were disappointed when Travis Etienne returned in Week 12 and immediately took control of the backfield once again, but that shouldn’t have been surprising, given that Etienne is having one of his better years. That’s not to say that Bhayshul Tuten isn’t worth rostering. This Jaguars running game is one of the more efficient in the league right now, ranking fourth in EPA, and Etienne leads Tuten by 1.01 yards per carry. However, Tuten is still finding ways to be valuable and rotate in with four top 36 finishes this year and two in his last five games. If Etienne were to get injured, Tuten would immediately become a top-20 running back for the rest of the way.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. (RB – WAS) – 38% Rostered
It might not sound overly league-winning but Chris Rodriguez Jr. has been a top-36 running back in each of the last four weeks, which makes him flex-worthy for your lineups immediately. In Week 15, Rodriguez and the Commanders take on the Giants who rank dead last in EPA allowed to the ground game and have surrendered the second-most fantasy points per game to the position. We can expect Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols to still mix in but this backfield is led by Rodriguez with 25 rush attempts in his last two games and things could become more efficient with Jayden Daniels returning.
Love the power that Chris Rodriguez Jr puts on display on a lot of his runs
He always gives his best effort & you love to see it. pic.twitter.com/81rwXWomDp
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) November 19, 2025
Bam Knight (RB – ARI) – 34% Rostered
Another running back quietly putting up flex-worthy numbers is Bam Knight, who, since Week 5, has been a top-36 running back in all but one game, with five top-24 finishes as well. Week 15 features a tough matchup with the Texans who are a top-5 run defense and allow the fourth-fewest RB fantasy points but in Week 16 Knight takes on the Falcons who have been struggling against the run for weeks and then in championship weekend, it’s the Bengals who rank 31st against the run and give up the most fantasy points to the position across the league.
Brian Robinson Jr. (RB – SF) – 23% Rostered
The 49ers are currently on their bye week before a cupcake matchup with the Tennessee Titans, who are limping to the finish line. Robinson hasn’t hit double-digit carries in a single game this year, but he is looking productive with over 40 rushing yards in three of his last five games and two touchdowns in that time, also. Christian McCaffrey has remained remarkably healthy this year, and while we don’t want to see injuries, if something happened to him, Brian Robinson would generate a rush to the wire.
Jayden Higgins (WR – HOU) – 42% Rostered
A tough matchup with the Colts didn’t slow down Jayden Higgins’s rookie breakout. Higgins caught all five of his targets for 65 yards and finished as the PPR WR27, his fifth top-36 finish in his last six games. Higgins has averaged 50 yards over the last four games and is separated as the WR2 on this offense. This week, the Texans take on the Chiefs who are in do-or-die mode, but their defense isn’t one we need to be afraid of anymore, ranking 16th against the pass in EPA and then in Week 15 Higgins gets Arizona before a prime matchup with the Raiders in Week 16.
Adonai Mitchell (WR – NYJ) – 27% Rostered
At the time, it felt like AD Mitchell was a throwaway add-in to the trade that saw Sauce Gardner head to Indy but since then the Jets have maintained they saw Mitchell as an integral part of that deal. Mitchell has immediately established himself as a top wide receiver in this offense seeing seven targets in Week 12 and then 12 targets in Week 13, which he turned into eight receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown. Heavy caveats are always involved with the Jets but Mitchell is a fine upside swing.
Jalen Coker (WR – CAR) – 4% Rostered
It’s not been quite the season that Jalen Coker truthers had in mind with him missing the first seven weeks of the season but there are signs of life for him as the season rounds down. Coker and the Panthers are on a bye week before a Week 15 matchup against the Saints who are a pass funnel, ranking 11th against the run but 22nd against the pass. In Week 16, he gets a matchup with the Bucs who haven’t stopped anyone through the air lately and allow the 12th most fantasy points to the position. Coker has been over 50 yards in two of his last three games and after finishing 2024 strong, has a chance to do the same in 2025.
Jalen Coker using hand-jitsu at the line. pic.twitter.com/ddMmfOKeGY
— Michael Bell (@avl_mike) December 2, 2025
Theo Johnson (TE – NYG) – 45% Rostered
In the games Theo Johnson and Jaxson Dart have played together, Johnson averages 9.88 PPR points and 0.5 touchdowns per game. Those are strong numbers and Johnson has a nice schedule to finish the season with games against the Commanders in Week 15, who rank 32nd in pass defense EPA and allow the fifth-most TE fantasy points. Johnson also plays the Vikings who allow the 14th most before a cupcake finish against the Raiders in Week 17.
Darren Waller (TE – MIA) – 38% Rostered
The Darren Waller usage continues to be intriguing with him seeing work more associated with a wide receiver than tight end. In Week 13, he ran more routes out wide and in the slot than everyone except Jaylen Waddle and Malik Washington. Additionally, although he hasn’t had a target share above 16% all year, the Dolphins do seem to want to prioritize getting him high-value chances. Through four healthy games, Waller has finished as a top six tight end in two of them and scored four touchdowns. In Week 15, the Dolphins take on the struggling Steelers who’ve allowed the seventh-most TE fantasy points to the position before a Week 16 matchup with the Bengals who allow the most to the position.
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