Honestly, this is a very uninspiring week of early fantasy football waiver wire pickups. We’ve got a few players who are going to see increased work due to injuries… and that’s about it.
True breakouts are rare at this time of the year, but there are normally at least a few interesting names that provide big outings. So far in Week 14, there haven’t really been any. With that said, there are still some options to consider, so let’s break them down.
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Early Week 15 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Jaylen Wright (RB – MIA) | 2.7% Rostered
De’Von Achane exited the Dolphins’ game against the Jets early with a rib injury, missing the entire second half. In his absence, Jaylen Wright took over as the team’s No. 1 RB. He finished with 24 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Ollie Gordon had just five attempts, although he did score a touchdown of his own. Wright also saw three targets, although he failed to catch any of them.
Unless we get positive news on Achane’s health, Wright is a must-add, potential league-winner as we head into the fantasy playoffs. Being the top option for Mike McDaniel’s offense is a great spot for any running back, and the second-year back does have explosive athletic ability. If Achane is confirmed to miss even a week, don’t be afraid to spend all your FAAB on Wright — you can’t take it with you into next season.
Harold Fannin Jr. (TE – CLE) | 52.8% Rostered
The 2024 NCAA leader in receiving yards, Harold Fannin Jr. has shown some of that same target-earning ability so far in his rookie year. Coming into this week, he ranked second among tight ends with an excellent 25% target per route run rate.
Only two things have kept Fannin from truly emerging as a weekly fantasy TE1. The first is that the Browns’ offense is terrible — that’s not changing. But the second has been the presence of veteran tight end David Njoku, also a plus playmaker for the position. Unfortunately, Njoku went down with a knee injury after catching a touchdown early in this game.
In Njoku’s absence, Fannin absolutely exploded. He caught eight of his 11 targets for 114 yards and a touchdown, racking up 21.4 fantasy points. Honestly, this might have happened anyway, as Fannin had a 90% route participation rate even with Njoku healthy last week. But now the rookie has officially arrived and can be trusted as a TE1 going forward.
Marcus Mariota (QB – WSH) | 12.2% Rostered
Jayden Daniels‘ return from injury was cut short, as he reaggravated his arm/elbow injury. That means Marcus Mariota took over as the Commanders’ quarterback again.
Mariota struggled after Daniels went out, finishing with negative fantasy points in a half of comeback mode against the Vikings. But in his six previous full games, he averaged a totally respectable 18.5 points per game.
Even at 32 years old, Mariota still adds real value with his legs, which is massive for his fantasy value. In deep leagues or 2-QB formats, he should be added, as there is a real chance the Commanders shut down their sophomore quarterback for the rest of the season.
Devin Neal (RB – NO) | 58.3% Rostered
Sticking with the theme of injury beneficiaries, we have Devin Neal. Unlike the players mentioned so far, Neal isn’t benefiting from an injury that happened in Week 15. But he still isn’t as widely rostered as he should be with Alvin Kamara sidelined, so I’m listing him once again.
Neal was (once again) the Saints’ clear No. 1 RB. He carried the ball 19 times for 70 yards and a touchdown, also adding 14 yards on his lone reception. That was good for a 14.9-point fantasy finish.
As long as Kamara remains sidelined (the veteran has yet to return to practice with a knee injury), Neal will continue seeing solid usage. His ceiling is a little capped by the Saints simply not being a particularly good football team, but he’s a viable Flex option or even an RB2 if you are hurting at the position.
Ryan Flournoy (WR – DAL) | 0.8% Rostered
CeeDee Lamb went down with a concussion in the Cowboys’ Thursday night loss to the Lions. In his absence, Ryan Flournoy filled in as Dallas’ No. 2 WR alongside George Pickens with a 69% route participation rate.
Flournoy made the most of those routes. He racked up 13 targets, catching nine for 115 yards and a touchdown — good for 22 half-PPR points. Lamb will likely miss at least one week in the concussion protocol, making Flournoy a potential streaming option for the Cowboys’ Week 15 matchup with the Vikings.
Rasheen Ali (RB – BAL) | 0.6% Rostered
This is just a pick for super deep leagues, where most high-value handcuffs are already rostered. Justice Hill is on injured reserve (IR), and Keaton Mitchell exited Sunday’s game early with a knee injury. That means Rasheen Ali, a fifth-round pick in last year’s draft, is the Ravens’ No. 2 RB.
Ali probably won’t have standalone value while Derrick Henry is healthy (he saw just one carry and three targets today). But he is now essentially alone behind King Henry on Baltimore’s depth chart. That makes him a valuable handcuff, so he’s worth considering in deep formats.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.