RADIO
You've gotten to the fantasy football playoffs, but the grind does not stop here; this is only the beginning! It is time to make a psh towards winning it all, starting in Week 15.
To get to this point, perhaps you've been utilizing the waiver wire, streaming quarterbacks, tight ends, or defenses. Whether it's due to injury or overall strategy, you need to strike gold once again to put you over the top. The good news? I'm here to help you out! Today, we will be looking at three quarterbacks, tight ends, and defenses that you can pick up off the waiver wire and insert into your lineup. Whether it be due to a soft schedule, or the player is simply ascending, they've done enough to warrant your trust in your most pivotal matchups. Who are these nine players? Let us dive in!
Quarterback #1: Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Heading into the season, there was a lot of momentum towards selecting Justin Fields as your backup quarterback in fantasy drafts. Why? If he took over the starting job, there was a chance he could be a league winner for you.Between some injuries and early struggles, it's been a bumpy road up to this point. However, if you pick up Fields now, he can be the quarterback to guide you to a fantasy championship.
Believe it or not, but Fields is already establishing himself as a QB1 moving forward. Here are his finishes in his past three full games:
- QB3
- QB9
- QB9
Furthermore, he's had 27 combined carries in that span; the rushing upside is immense. While he still has warts as a passer, running quarterbacks who throw the ball down the field tend to be a cheat code for fantasy, as we have seen as of late for Fields. With the Vikings, Seahawks, and Giants on the slate for the fantasy playoffs, he's also getting three great matchups to improve his projection further. The fact that he's only rostered in 19% of Yahoo leagues and 16% of ESPN leagues in shocking. Add him now before it's too late!
Quarterback #2: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
From one young quarterback to another, albeit of completely different style. Whereas Fields takes chances down the field, Tua Tagovailoa, with a 6.9-yard average depth of target, doesn't do the same. He's not exactly the flashy quarterback that you're going to see people pounding the table for, but that doesn't mean he doesn't offer value down the stretch.
Why? For starters, volume is volume. Tagovailoa is averaging 21.14 PFF expected fantasy points/full game this season, in addition to 38.5 pass attempts/game over his past six games. Without an effective running game, Miami utilizes the short passing game as an extension of it, allowing for Tagovailoa to rack up additional fantasy points.
Tagovailoa has two QB1 finishes, but he also has finished as the QB13 twice; he's a very stable, high floor option. Down the stretch, he'll face the Jets, Saints, and Titans, which is quite a favorable schedule for fantasy quarterback production. If Fields isn't available, Tagovailoa looks to be the next best option.
Quarterback #3: Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
Heading into the season, a popular narrative within fantasy football circles was to target 49ers players; their playoff schedule was, and remains, fantastic. The Falcons, Titans, and Texans have all struggled to defend opposing pass offenses this season, offering clear upside for 49er players.
However, instead of Trey Lance and Trey Sermon, it is Jimmy Garoppolo and Elijah Mitchell who are going to benefit from that. Quietly, Garoppolo has finished as the QB12 in back-to-back games, and has been a QB1 in four of his past five games. Even if he doesn't play in a pass-heavy offense, he counteracts it with efficiency; he ranks second in the NFL with 8.4 yards/pass attempt. He and the 49ers offense is on a roll right now, and I'd expect high-end QB2 play for the rest of the season. If you're dealing with an injury at the quarterback position, he's the perfect fill-in.
Tight End #1: Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings
The Bears, Rams, and Packers aren't the most favorable schedule for tight ends. However, there is a lot to suggest that Tyler Conklin can be a start-worthy tight end for the rest of the season.
At the moment, wide receiver Adam Thielen is sidelined with a high-ankle sprain, an injury that could potentially cost him the rest of the season. If so, there are a lot of vacated end-zone targets, which Conklin can take advantage of. It's likely that we see Minnesota run even more two tight end sets, which means that Conklin, who had a 77% snap rate against the Steelers in Week 14, will continue to play more snaps moving forward.
Although he busted with just 3 PPR points last week, Conklin has a lot of touchdown equity, and is arguably the second option in an efficient passing attack. As long as Thielen is out, he's a borderline TE1 that is available in over half of fantasy leagues.
Tight End #2: James O'Shaughnessy, Jacksonville Jaguars
It is hard to find tight ends who play over 70% of the snaps on the waiver wire, but that's exactly what James O'Shaughnessy is. The 29-year-old has been Jacksonville's clear starting tight end when healthy, and has six targets in back-to-back games.
With head coach Urban Meyer out of picture, there's a chance O'Shaughnessy can be a part of a more efficient offense moving forward. Then, there is his schedule: Texans, Jets, Patriots. Obviously, you won't want to start him against New England, but the other two matchups are quite enticing. If you're in a very deep league, consider him as a viable option against two of the worst defenses against tight ends this season.
Tight End #3: Ricky Seals-Jones, Washington Football Team
After playing less snaps that John Bates last week, it's hard to trust Ricky Seals-Jones heading into Week 15. Yet, there is optimism moving forward.
See, this was Seals-Jones' first game coming back from a hip injury. His snaps were likely monitored. Furthermore, despite running just 17 routes, he saw four targets, whereas Bates saw just two targets on 27 routes. Washington has preferred to have one tight end play around 90% of the snaps, and Seals-Jones has been the preferred option to Bates this season. Thus, I'd expect his usage to continue to get better moving forward.
The Eagles are the worst defenses against tight ends, while the Cowboys haven't been great either. Well, Seals-Jones faces Philadelphia twice, with Dallas sandwiched in between for his playoff schedule. I might not be starting Seals-Jones this week, but he's worth an add given the upside if he's given a full-time role. If all goes well, that Week 17 matchup against the Eagles could be what puts you over the top in the championship round! Let's all live in a perfect world, shall we?
D/ST #1: Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks haven't been the most effective defense this season. Although they rank 5th in points/game allowed, they rank just 18th in yards/play allowed, and 22nd in PFF team defense grade. Plus, they play the Rams this week.
That being said, their Week 16 and 17 matchups include two teams, the Bears and the Lions, who rank in the top-eight in fantasy points allowed to defenses this season. Justin Fields is amongst the league's most-sacked quarterbacks and has a 3.9% turnover-worthy play rate, and both teams have been ineffective offensively this season. If you can find a defense to start for this weekend, those two matchups can be league-winners for you. Even though their current rostership is high, I expect them to get dropped frequently given their tough matchup this week. If so, stash them now!
D/ST #2: Philadelphia Eagles
Unlike the Seahawks, the Eagles have been more effective defensively this season. They rank 6th in yards/play allowed, and have the league's fifth-best PFF pass rush grade. Add in the fact that their effective run-heavy offense has been able to sustain long drives, and there is a lot of momentum for their defense coming out of the bye.
The schedule is also quite favorable: Washington, Giants, Washington. Taylor Heinicke is in the top ten in turnover-worthy play rate (4%) this season, while Washington has given up the ninth most points to opposing defenses this week. Meanwhile, the Giants are currently being quarterbacked by Mike Glennon, who currently has a 6.7% turnover-worthy play rate, 45 PFF grade, and 5.5 yards/pass attempt. In other words, this is precisely the type of offense you want to start a defense against. If you need a defense for all three weeks, the Eagles can be that for you. That's the beauty of being in the NFC East!
D/ST #3: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars? The same team that is 2-11 and is allowing the sixth-most points/game? Yep, those Jaguars.
By no means am I going to try to sell you on Jacksonville's defense based on their talent. What I am going to do, however, is say this: Texans and Jets. That's who the Jaguars get to face over the next two weeks of the season. Both of these teams rank in the top-five in fantasy points allowed to defenses, and have quarterbacks who rank in the top-three in turnover-worthy play rate. When it comes to projecting fantasy defense's value, we need to focus on the offense the defense is facing, not the overall skills of the defense. That's what I'm doing here. Jacksonville will be a fringe top-five defense over the next two weeks, yet they are available in 98% of leagues currently. It's time to change that! It might not feel great, but, trust me, the results will!
