After 14 long weeks, the fantasy football playoffs are here. Aside from the clearly crazy leagues who decide to hold their championships in Week 18, anyone still standing and reading this post has a shot at the ultimate glory of a fantasy football championship and bragging rights over their fellow league mates for the next year.
The byes are over so everyone should have their non-injured options available for the postseason, meaning any pickups made are either defensive blocks or options you can use to fill in for the flex spots or injured starters. Let's take a look at five of the most intriguing names on the waiver wire ahead of Week 15 to see who you can trust and who is doomed to bust in the fantasy playoffs.
Fantasy Football Fool's Gold: Week 15 Report
Sincere McCormick, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders' backfield is a mess, as we covered here last week, with no one truly grabbing the reins to cement control of the running back room. That might have changed in Week 14 as Sincere McCormick was elevated off the practice squad and had one of the most productive outings a Raiders' running back has delivered all season.
Facing Tampa Bay's burnable defense in Week 14 was a good spot for McCormick, who rushed 15 times for 78 yards in the Raiders' loss to the Buccaneers, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. With Alexander Mattison and Zamir White sidelined, McCormick dominated the backfield work and delivered the kind of juice that Las Vegas hasn't had from its running backs all season long.
With the Raiders on the road to the top pick in the draft, they have every incentive to feed McCormick to see if he can be their top running back in 2025 and beyond. Expect McCormick to be the 1A in a backfield committee if either of the previous lead backs return and his schedule down the stretch is definitely flex worthy.
Verdict: Trust
Isaiah Davis, RB, New York Jets
Another team that got eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday could provide an opportunity for young running backs to get some work. The New York Jets were bounced after an overtime loss to Miami, but the notable result from a fantasy perspective involved Breece Hall sitting with a knee injury.
Hall's absence led to extended run for a pair of rookie backs as Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis split the carries relatively evenly. Allen was snagged in competitive leagues a long time ago but Davis is still available after turning 10 carries into 40 yards and a touchdown while also adding three receptions for 27 yards.
The contest was the second in a row with a score for Davis, who is more of a receiving back while Allen is more effective between the tackles. The pair would likely continue splitting work for the Jets as long as Hall sits, which diminishes the value the pair can offer outside of a good matchup in Week 15 against Jacksonville.
Verdict: Bust
Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The race to fill Chris Godwin's shoes for the Buccaneers has been a weeks-long odyssey that has seen numerous players try to earn the trust of Baker Mayfield. The big winner appears to McMillan, who had his breakout performance in Tampa Bay's win over the Raiders in Week 14.
Mayfield called McMillan's number seven times and he caught four passes for 59 yards and a pair of touchdowns. There was a lot of hype surrounding McMillan in the preseason before injuries slowed his roll, although now he is healthy and seizing the opportunity in front of him to work opposite Mike Evans as one of Tampa Bay's starting pass catchers.
The Buccaneers' schedule is extremely fantasy friendly down the stretch with only the Chargers presenting a rough outlook against the pass over the next three weeks. Add McMillan and use him as a WR3 over some underperforming brand names with a reasonable expectation of a strong performance.
Verdict: Trust
Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Although he looked like he was seizing control of Jacksonville's backfield earlier this season, Bigsby took a pit stop after after dealing with injuries in the middle of the season. Bigsby is healthy now and re-established him as the best Jaguars' rusher in Week 14's win over the Tennessee Titans as he toted the rock 19 times for 62 yards and a touchdown.
The knock against Bigsby has been his lack of receiving skills, which often sent him to the sideline in games where Jacksonville has been chasing points. This should no longer be an issue as the Jaguars' schedule for the fantasy playoffs features three teams in contention for the top pick in the NFL Draft (Jets, Raiders, Tennessee again), offering the potential for competitive games each week.
With Mac Jones under center, expect Jacksonville to try leaning on the run in order to make life easier for themselves on offense. Bigsby should be in line for a huge rushing day against a mediocre Jets' run defense in Week 15 and should be a starting option throughout the fantasy postseason.
Verdict: Trust
Patrick Taylor Jr, RB, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers' running back room has been a walking MASH unit this season and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. After Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason were injured in Week 13, Isaac Guerendo took the lead role in Week 14 only to suffer a foot injury, leaving San Francisco's blowout win over Chicago late in favor of Patrick Taylor Jr.
The unheralded back naturally scored a touchdown as part of a 7/25 day, which feels right since the 49ers' offense is a plug-and-play unit that helps its runners achieve tremendous success. The big question here concerns the fate of Guerendo, who downplayed the severity of his injury after the game and is hoping to be good to go against the Rams on Thursday.
The short week turnaround makes Taylor worth watching since he will likely be in line for a huge workload if Guerendo can't go. If Guerendo is available, however, Taylor isn't playable in most leagues since he'd be a change-of-pace runner.
Verdict: Bust (If Guerendo is available Thursday night).