I have only included players who are rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues. A player’s roster percentage will appear in parentheses next to their name. Denny Carter is mercifully handling the kicker section of this article which will be added Tuesday mornings. Updates from Monday Night Football will be added on Tuesday mornings as well. Be sure to check out the Waiver Wire Q&A Monday at 6PM ET.
Quarterback
Jake Browning, Bengals (27%)
Browning is averaging 21.7 fantasy points per game across three starts. The bulk of that has come from his two most recent starts in which he threw for 629 yards and three touchdowns while running for another two scores. Browning won’t run for a touchdown every week, nor will he get gimmes like this catch-and-run as often.
It's Chase scoring TDs in Cincy! Chase Brown, that is.
— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2023
📺: #INDvsCIN on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/pWMED8S30C pic.twitter.com/2iiHGyBWOX
But he has some juice. Before Monday night’s doubleheader, Browning ranks fifth in EPA per play and first in completion percent over expected over the past three weeks.
Desmond Ridder, Falcons (10%)
Matthew Stafford is rostered in just over half of all Yahoo leagues. Fantasy managers staring down the barrel of starting Ridder should check on Stafford first.
If he isn’t an option, Ridder is the next man up. Ridder has made 11 starts this year and has finished as a QB1 five times. He has five rushing touchdowns, covering up his weak passing output. even that is being a bit unkind to the young quarterback as he has as many 300-yard games as Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert this year. The occasional passing spike week plus his rushing production keeps Ridder in the middle of the QB2 ranks for Week 15.
Joe Flacco, Browns (7%)
Flacco doesn’t have any rushing production to fall back on like the previous two quarterbacks, but the Browns are letting him sling it. He has 565 yards and five scores across two starts. Flacco has attempted 89 passes in those two games. Most importantly, Kevin Stefanski appears to be comfortable letting his newest quarterback loose. The Browns have a five percent pass rate over expected over the past two weeks and Flacco has a 10 aDOT.
Sign up to stream the NFL Holiday Exclusive between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers, only on Peacock, Saturday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Visit PeacockTV.com/NFL for more details.
Running Back
Ty Chandler, Vikings (22%)
Alexander Mattison suffered a sprained ankle in Week 14 and was unable to play through it. Chandler was seeing work before Mattison went down and took control of the backfield when given the chance. He out-snapped Kene Nwangwu 40-3 and out-carried him 12-2. If Mattison is out for Week 15, Chandler will rank as an RB2. If he’s out even longer, Chandler will be an elite addition for the entirety of the fantasy playoffs.
Chase Brown, Bengals (7%)
Brown didn’t usurp Joe Mixon in Week 14, but he proved that he should be seeing more work. On the previously shown screen pass, Brown became the second-fastest ball-carrier of the season, hitting 22.05 MPH according to Next Gen Stats.
Bengals rookie running back Chase Brown reached a top speed of 22.05 mph on his 54-yard TD reception, the second-fastest play by ball carrier this season (DK Metcalf, 22.23 mph).
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 10, 2023
Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/TV4cVUUPyR
He had another reception of 25 yards and ended the day with 11 touches for 105 yards plus a touchdown. Brown should earn more work off the back of this performance, putting him on the RB4 radar for Week 15.
D’Onta Foreman, Bears (38%)
Foreman returned to action in Week 14 and immediately took control of the Chicago backfield. He out-carried his backups 11-4 and was the only Chicago running back to catch a pass. The Bears have changed around their running back rotation nearly every week, so it’s hard to trust this turn of events, but, for now, we should treat Foreman as if he’s the top option in Chicago.
Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs (41%)
Isiah Pacheco missed Week 14 with a rib injury. He is not expected to be placed on injured reserve, but the fact that IR was floated as a possibility suggests he could miss another week or two. Jerick McKinnon only logged seven touches versus the Bills, but he turned that into 37 yards and a touchdown. He played on the majority of Kansas City’s short down and distance snaps while also taking the field for the two-minute drill plus long down and distance snaps. As was the case when he took over near the end of 2022, McKinnon’s snap total and touch counts will be limited, but his efficiency will break charts.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire earned 13 touches and went for 68 scoreless yards. He is worth an add as well, though his odds of finding the end zone will be hampered by a lack of high-value touches.
Zamir White, Raiders (2%)
Josh Jacobs suffered a quad injury in Week 14. He went down late in the game and the Raiders ran next to no plays in the final 10 minutes of the game, so it’s impossible to take much anything away from the backfield split. However, it’s safe to assume that Ameer Abdullah, who has run a route on 21 percent of the Raiders’ passing plays this year, will handle work on passing plays and the two-minute drill. White will see the bulk of the carries. A two-down role for the Raiders isn’t an elite job from a fantasy perspective, but it puts White on the RB3 radar for Week 15.
Wide Receiver
Odell Beckham, Ravens (42%)
Beckham’s routes remained muted in Week 14. He ran a route on 57 percent of Lamar Jackson’s dropbacks. As has been the case all year, that didn’t make much of a difference. He was featured prominently whenever on the field, resulting in a 24 percent target share and a 42 percent air yards share. He caught four passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Beckham is a great add off the wire and, if we’re being honest about the Ravens’ target distribution, he should rank similarly to Zay Flowers going forward.
Curtis Samuel, Commanders (35%)
Samuel was on bye last week, forcing some fantasy managers to part ways with the PPR machine. Even after getting to rest for a week and scoring no points, Samuel is the highest-scoring FLEX player who is active and available in over half of all Yahoo leagues. He has finished as a WR3 or better in over half of his appearances this year including three top-15 outings.
Jonathan Mingo, Panthers (17%)
Mingo leads the Panthers in targets and air yards since Week 10. He has a 27 percent target share and a 33 percent air yards share over that span. This recent trend carried into Week 14 as he saw nine targets versus the Saints. He only caught two balls for 22 yards but could have had a breakout day had Bryce Young hit him on this deep throw.
Bryce Young to Jonathan Mingo sheesh pic.twitter.com/9kTrUJQKY5
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) December 10, 2023
Mingo appears to have officially taken over WR1 duties in Carolina...for whatever that is worth.
Give the gift of Rotoworld Draft Guides with our exclusive holiday Bundle offer. Unlock hundreds of player profiles, rankings, mocks, and more for the 2024 football, baseball, and basketball seasons. Use code HOLIDAY23 at checkout to receive 25% off and a $10 Fanatics gift card. Click here to get started!
Tight End
Cade Otton, Bucs (33%)
Otton continued to play nearly every snap for the Bucs in Week 14. He ran a route on 90 percent of his team’s dropbacks and caught two balls for 16 yards and a score. Otton has at least four catches or a touchdown in six of his previous seven games. His ceiling remains low, but he should keep up his TE2 pace for the rest of the season.
Tanner Hudson, Bengals (4%)
Hudson’s role remained limited versus the Colts. He ran a route on just 37 percent of his team’s dropbacks and logged a 13 percent target share. However, he picked up his first career touchdown on one of his two receptions. Hudson has at least four catches or a touchdown in six straight games. Like Otton, TE2 numbers will be as good as it gets for Hudson, but that’s worth something for teams desperate at the position.
