Fantasy Football Waiver Wire power rankings, Week 15: Tank Bigsby and Patrick Taylor are must-adds

Each week during the 2024 NFL season, FanSided fantasy football expert Lior Lampert creates a hierarchy of ideal waiver wire pickups. He'll base his ranks on performance, usage, coachspeak, injury news/analysis, stats, upcoming matchups, FAAB value and more. Every player mentioned is available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues.

From playoff/divisional to 2025 NFL Draft implications, the fallout of Week 14 was rather colossal. Moreover, fantasy football leagues everywhere saw their postseason brackets crystalize (barring any Monday night miracles).

Heroic performances from Josh Allen, Puka Nacua and/or Jordan Addison surely tilted matchups. Not to mention, Zach Charbonnet continues to be a set-and-forget RB1 whenever Kenneth Walker sits and must be treated as such moving forward. Last week's waiver wire darling Isaac Guerendo looked the part before spraining his foot in the San Francisco 49ers' 38-13 victory over the Chicago Bears.

All 32 teams will be in action from now on since there are no more regular-season byes, leaving managers with no shortage of options. With that in mind, some difficult roster decisions will be made, including choosing who to add/drop via the waiver wire. The free agents at your disposal for Week 15 make it even more of a challenge.

Dumpster diving, digging for scraps

It's anyone's guess which Denver Broncos running back leads their committee backfield, though Jaleel McLaughlin seemingly has the hot hand. Javonte Williams held a slight edge in snap percentage and ran more routes. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old saw 10 more carries and was equally as productive through the air.

Ray-Ray McCloud has eclipsed double-digit PPR fantasy points in the Atlanta Falcons' past three games. His 13.3 weekly average in that span has him ranked as the WR32, one spot ahead of teammate Drake London. He's earned 23 targets during this stretch, posting at least 95 receiving yards in consecutive contests.

Aaron Rodgers and Drew Lock have been the QB14 and QB15, respectively, on a points-per-game basis over the past two weeks. The New York signal-callers will each have golden opportunities to ride the momentum into inviting Week 15 matchups. The Giants will likely face negative game script early and often against a pass-funnel Baltimore Ravens defense. Meanwhile, the Jets will duke it out with a Jacksonville Jaguars squad that can't stop anyone (except Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans).

The stash-and-save

Bucky Irving entered Week 14 with a back injury and attempted to play through it. Subsequently (and unfortunately), the standout rookie runner reaggravated the issue. Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has since cast doubt over his Week 15 status. Should he miss any time, Sean Tucker figures to see a decent workload.

The Jets reportedly have no intentions of shutting down Breece Hall, who sat out Week 14 due to a knee ailment. But New York is officially eliminated from playoff contention, and he's dealing with a hyperextension/MCL issue in his previously surgically repaired left knee. There shouldn't be any need to rush him back, giving Isaiah Davis some RB3/FLEX appeal. The rookie tailback operated in a near-dead-even split, resulting in a PPR RB14 finish (excluding Monday Night Football).

Finally free from ex-head coach Dennis Allen's doghouse, Kendre Miller proved he can be a factor for the New Orleans Saints when healthy. The former TCU star saw 10 carries, which he converted into 32 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Given that his squad lacks offensive skill position talent beyond Alvin Kamara and Derek Carr fractured his hand, a run-heavy approach could be in store. There's room for standalone value here.

The educated guesses

As previously referenced, the Saints are down horrendous. Kamara, Miller, an improbably hot Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Juwan Johnson are all they have left. The seasoned seam stretcher took on an expanded role following utility man Taysom Hill's torn ACL, leading to a weekly TE3 finish (excluding MNF).

Ladd McConkey was inactive for the Los Angeles Chargers' Week 14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Joshua Palmer led the receiving corps in the rising rookie's stead, catching 6-of-9 targets for 78 scoreless yards. The latter has typically been a viable real-life and fantasy asset when called upon, and that will remain the case.

As long as the Cleveland Browns continue airing it out, Jameis Winston will be a worthwhile QB1 streaming option. And since they can't effectively move the ball through the ground, we should expect that trend to continue. The gunslinger has exceeded 41 passes in five of his six starts en route to being the QB5 in points per game since taking over. Why has the fantasy community taken so long to react?

The 'if you ain't first, you're last'

The Zach Ertz and Hunter Henry agenda continues. As long as the veteran tight ends remain available in over 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, they will be mentioned in this column ad nauseam. Each boasts consistent and productive roles as the safety valve for their ascending rookie quarterback, yielding fringe TE1 value more often than not.

Gus Edwards isn't a good football player at this stage in his career (#analysis). Slowly but surely, the Chargers are ostensibly coming to that realization, with Kimani Vidal being the much better alternative to the oft-injured J.K. Dobbins. The undrafted rookie began carving into the incumbent starter's workload, holding an edge in snap share rate for the first time this season.

The Las Vegas Raiders' backfield will become grossly murky when/if Alexander Mattison and Zamir White eventually return. But until that happens, Sincere McCormick will sit atop the depth chart with little competition for touches. Despite the small sample size, the advanced metrics indicate the 24-year-old is better than his predecessors.

Gotta have 'em

Patrick Taylor Jr., RB, San Francisco 49ers

As noted earlier, Isaac Guerendo was everything the 49ers and fantasy managers hoped upon getting thrust into a workhorse RB1 role and then some. The fourth-round rookie turned his 17 touches into 128 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns before hurting his foot and exiting the contest.

Guerendo downplayed the matter after the game, saying his departure was only "precautionary" and that he feels "great." But with the Niners set to host the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football in Week 15, the quick turnaround complicates things. So, Patrick Taylor Jr. may step into a massive opportunity, making him a top waiver priority.

Taylor instantly assumed lead-back duties sans Guerendo, which will hold true versus the Rams should the latter ultimately sit out. As we've seen repeatedly, the primary rusher in a Kyle Shanahan offense is a fruitful fantasy contributor. So, the sheer speculation of the former handling that responsibility is tantalizing.

Add Taylor first and ask questions later.

Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars showed a newfound strong commitment to Tank Bigsby in Week 14, relegating Travis Etienne to a change-of-pace role.

Bigsby wasn't as efficient as he's typically been this year, going for 55 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. But monopolizing the rush attempts is a tremendous development for his fantasy prospects, especially with the Jaguars' rest-of-season schedule.

With upcoming matchups against the Raiders, Titans and Indianapolis Colts, game script shouldn't get too wonky for the Jaguars. Plus, Jacksonville might be able to play with a lead against their lowly adversaries, giving Bigsby ample runway.

An explosive runner with a friendly slate of opponents, Bigsby profiles as a potential late-season difference-maker for running back-needy managers.