Fantasy Football 2018: Top 10 waiver wire Week 15 pickups

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 09: Ian Thomas #80 of the Carolina Panthers carries the ball in front of Damarious Randall #23 of the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 9, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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CHARLOTTE, NC – NOVEMBER 25: Curtis Samuel #10 of the Carolina Panthers celebrates after scoring against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of their game at Bank of America Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Seahawks won 30-27. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers

Christian McCaffrey has been the most valuable skill position player in the Carolina Panthers offense this season, catching 80+ passes on the season and scoring touchdowns almost at will. Lately, fellow 2017 draft class member Curtis Samuel, who was a second-round pick that year, is emerging as an equally important piece of the puzzle in Carolina.

The Panthers have really hurt their playoff chances and need perfection at 6-7 in order to have any hope of cracking the postseason. This team has so much talent on the offensive side of the ball, especially with Cam Newton under center, and head coach Ron Rivera is certainly feeling the heat with each passing loss.

Against a tough Cleveland Browns defense in Week 14, Samuel led the way for the Panthers, catching four passes for 80 yards on eight targets. Samuel now has 80 receiving yards in back-to-back games, and he’s looking like the team’s most productive pass-catcher.

Newton and Rivera must lean on Samuel in a must-win rivalry game against the New Orleans Saints, with Saints signal-caller Drew Brees needing to get things right for his extremely talented team. Samuel can help match the Saints offense blow-for-blow, and a career game could be on the horizon for the former Ohio State playmaker.

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