Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 15
QB: Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts is currently owned in 8.9% of ESPN leagues. Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints was his very start in the NFL. He put up 19.28 fantasy points with a stat line of 17/30 for 167 yards and 1 passing touchdown but also summoned his inner Lamar Jackson and added 18 carries for 106 yards all of which was against a good Saints defense (given up 2nd lowest amount of yards in the league). As seen in his stat line, he has electric running ability which does wonder for fantasy points. The entire Eagles team looked more alive and looked to play with more intensity and purpose when he was out there. Hurts has a spark to him and good leadership qualities. The fact that Hurts can run RPOs elevates the Eagles run game (allowed Miles Sanders to have a monster game too) which could translate to more defenders in the box which means easier passing lanes. Although he was drafted to back up Carson Wentz, he is not a bad QB. He put up great number in college while playing for 2 different schools. Don’t forget that Hurts is a rookie QB and that this was his very first start - he will get better with every passing week and put up better numbers. Another compenent that helped him succeed this week and the following weeks is the fact that he has most of his pass catching weapons back and healthy (except for DeSean Jackson). Typically, better WR means more completed passes and better QB play. Up next, Hurts takes on the Arizona Cardinals. This promises to be a high scoring affair so Hurts will have to use his passing and running ability to give the Eagles a chance at winning which translates to more fantasy points.
Projection: 24.8 points
RB: Lynn Bowden Jr. - Miami Dolphins
Lynn Bowden Jr. is currently owned in .6% of ESPN leagues. He is an interesting prospect who is currently listed as a RB/WR but played QB in college. In week 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Bowden had his breakout game and scored 15.4 points on a stat line of 1 carry for 2 yards and 7 receptions in 9 targets for 82 yards. He also lined up as QB for 2 snaps. Bowden’s ability to play just about in skill position on offense bodes well for him. He has more opportunities to score points in diverse ways and is the “go to” on trick plays. He had a decently high draft pedigree after being drafted in the 3rd round of the 2020 draft by the Las Vegas Raiders so you know there is high potential there. One of the biggest keys to why he was my waiver wire pick was his instant chemistry with QB, Tua Tagovailoa. Tua seemed to look his way early and often. Another big factor for why he is my pick is because of the opportunity and vacated targets due to injury. Big time playmakers, Devante Parker (leg), Mike Gesicki (shoulder) and Jakeem Grant (leg) could all be out for an extended amount of time and those targets need to go somewhere so why not Lynn Bowden Jr.? Up next, the Dolphins play the New England Patriots. Due to the different spots Bowden lines up, he wouldn’t be shadowed by Stephon Gilmore even if he was the number 1 WR this week and the Patriots defense isn’t as scary as it used to be because of all the injuries and huge pieces opting out due to COVID.
Projection: 14.5 points
WR: Nelson Agholor - Las Vegas Raiders
Nelson Agholor is owned in 27.5% of ESPN leagues. In week 14 against the Indianapolis Colts (which is a good defense), he scored 21 points with a stat line of 5 receptions on 9 targets for 100 yards and a receiving touchdown. Agholor has been heavily targeted by Derek Carr all season but especially as of late. In the last 4 games, he has 25 targets and has averaged 15 fantasy points. He is the 2nd passing option after Darren Waller. The Raiders defense isn’t that great so the Raiders offense has to pass more to stay in games. He has been my WR waiver wire pick before and all the reasons I mentioned in the podcast weeks ago are still very prevalent and may be even more so now. One of the biggest keys to why he is breaking out this year despite being in the league for a while is because had Carson Wentz as his QB in years past and as we have seen time and time again, a good QB can unlock a WR’s potential and we are seeing happen right in front of us with Agholor. Up next, the Raiders play the Chargers on Thursday Night Football. This is projecting to be a high scoring game with the over/under set at 54. Both teams have bad defenses with better than decent offenses so I expect a lot of opportunity for Agholor.
Projection: 18.3 points
TE: Jared Cook - New Orleans Saints
Jared Cook is currently owned in 50.9% of ESPN leagues so yes, I am breaking my 50% rule a little bit here but he is worth it. In week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Cook scored 12.7 points on a stat line of 3 receptions on 4 targets for 37 yards and 1 touchdown. Cook has shown that he does really well when Taysom Hill is the QB. In week 13, Cook had 11.8 points and as I mentioned earlier, he just put up 12.7 with Hill as his QB. Hill and Cook seem to have really good chemistry when it comes to the RedZone as he has had a touchdown in the last 2 games. When throwing the ball short, Hill prefers Cook over Alvin Kamara as we have seen Kamara’s points go down while Cook’s have gone up in the games when Hill is the QB. The Saints recently got upset by the Eagles so look for the Saints to correct their mistakes and rely more on what has been producing thus far aka throwing Jared Cook’s direction. Up next, the Saints play the Kansas City Chiefs. This also projects to be a high scoring game so expect Cook to have multiple targets in the RedZone and potentially have a multi-touchdown game.
Projection: 15.7 points