The playoffs are here: NFL Week 15 fantasy football priority adds

The fantasy football second season is here, and we’re just as excited as managers for the stretch run. There’s no room for error, and every move is make or break at this point. We’ve got eight priority waiver adds to recommend this week, either to plug directly into your lineup or to stash for the fantasy semifinals or championship. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

There’s no sugarcoating it; the Atlanta Falcons are in freefall. What was once a comfortable lead in the NFC South has evaporated, and the Falcons need to turn things around immediately if they want to salvage any hope of making the playoffs. The great news for them is they play a team in Week 15 that is in a worse position than they are.

The Las Vegas Raiders have dropped nine consecutive games, which is their longest in-season losing streak since 2014, according to ESPN. To make matters worse, Aidan O’Connell was carted off in Week 14 with a knee injury. The Falcons should have plenty of chances to shut down their former quarterback Desmond Ridder, who is now with Las Vegas.

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One week after pushing our chips into the middle of the table for Isaac Guerendo, we’re recommending that fantasy football managers once again prominently target a 49ers running back. That’s because Guerendo left Week 14’s contest against the Chicago Bears with a foot injury, and he might not be ready to play on Thursday night on a short week. Fire Taylor Jr. up in all formats.

Before going down, Guerendo rushed for 78 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He also caught two passes for an additional 50 yards. The primary running back in San Francisco’s offense has been a virtual lock for fantasy production this season, so there’s no reason to think Taylor can’t thrive in a starting role in Week 15.

It’s an old NFL trope that defense wins championships, so there’s no reason why that strategy can’t be applied to fantasy football. A huge defensive performance can tip the scales in the fantasy playoffs, which means we can confidently lock in the Ravens in Week 15. Baltimore is coming off a bye in Week 14, and face the stumbling New York Giants on Sunday.

The Ravens have allowed the fewest yards rushing of any team in the NFL, so it stands to reason that the Giants will have a lot of trouble getting anything going on the ground. Although Baltimore has had some trouble in their secondary, it’s hard to imagine Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito being prolific enough to take advantage of that. A banner flown above Giants stadium last week read “dumpster fire”, which the New York Post covered over the weekend.

Former Saints head coach Dennis Allen would say that it’s hard to make an impression from the trainer’s table when he was asked about Miller in the past. Granted, Miller has dealt with a bevy of injuries during his time in the NFL, but he appears to be healthy now. Sports Illustrated wrote that Miller is embracing being out of the doghouse under interim head coach Darren Rizzi.

Miller didn’t set the world on fire in Week 14, rushing 10 times for 32 yards and a touchdown. However, the situation Miller finds himself in now is vastly different than the one coming out of training camp. Do-it-all master Taysom Hill is out for the season, and New Orleans isn’t going anywhere. They might be inclined to give the young ballcarrier more touches.

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The Bucs appear to have one of the deepest backfields in the NFL, as Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Tucker have all taken turns in starring roles this season. SB Nation covered Irving’s back injury suffered in Week 14, which leaves his status up in the air for a Week 15 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers.

He probably wouldn’t be someone to confidently start, but Tucker should be rostered if the news on Irving’s back isn’t promising. The idea here would be to add Tucker this week, but probably not start him against a strong Los Angeles Chargers defense. However, the schedule eases up considerably for Tampa Bay after that, with games against the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers.

Don’t look now, but Corum might finally be assuming the role that many had him pegged for at the beginning of the season. He’s had eight carries in each of the last two games, and appears to be emerging as a legitimate part of Los Angeles’ offense. Sports Illustrated wrote about the Rams once again dealing with the idea that they need to dial back Kyren Williams’ workload in late November.

Corum would fall into the same category as Tucker would; a high-upside stash who could pay enormous dividends later in the fantasy playoffs if there was an injury ahead of him. Rams Wire wrote in early December that the team is finally getting a taste of how good their one-two punch can be at running back.

We don’t usually do a lot of kicker analysis in fantasy due to the volatile nature of the position. However, there might be a potential-league winner sitting on your waiver wire. The Texans had a bye in Week 14, which forced teams to drop Fairbairn in favor of an active player. Other fantasy teams’ roster crunch could be your gain, as Fairbairn has been sensational this season.

No kicker has made more field goals from 50 yards or more this season than Fairbairn, who had drilled 13 such kicks. Houston knows just how dangerous he can be from long range, so it makes sense that Fairbairn also had the most attempts from 50 yards or more as well. Houston plays the Miami Dolphins this Sunday, whose defense looked average at best against the New York Jets in Week 14.

Most of the fantasy narrative regarding the Bills centered around the historic game quarterback Josh Allen had against the Rams on Sunday. AP News wrote about the NFL mark he set by throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another three scores. Allen’s efforts were nothing short of amazing, but forward-thinking fantasy managers might want to take a long look at Coleman this week.

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Coleman has been out of commission for several weeks due to a wrist injury, which came at a bad time for the rookie. He was starting to hit his stride in Week 7 and Week 8 before suffering the ailment in Week 9. It might take a leap of faith to start him during such important fantasy playoff matchups, but keeping a close eye on his availability down the stretch would be wise.