Top Waiver Wire Adds for Week 1 of the Fantasy Playoffs

We’ve officially made it: Week 15 is now upon us and, in most leagues, so are the fantasy football playoffs. Even though the season’s winding down, the waiver wire should remain a key part of your strategy going forward. The right addition could push your team over the top… and the lack thereof could keep your squad out of the championship.

And, if you’re in the loser’s bracket, making good moves could keep you away from your league’s punishment.

So, who should you be looking for this week?

Recap

The arrow has been pointing up for Rico Dowdle over the past few weeks. Has he been inconsistent? Absolutely. But he’s also been able to turn in solid performances in each of his last three contests. On Monday Night Football against Cincinnati, the running back got saw good volume (18 carries, 1 reception) and made the most of his opportunities. Dowdle scampered for 131 yards and a score on 7.3 yards per carry while adding another 10 yards through the air. Week 14 marked the second straight week that Dowdle’s rushed for 100+, as well as his third consecutive week with at least 18 carries. That volume is very encouraging, especially considering that his efficiency has ticked up over the past month or so.

The Dallas RB has now topped 10 fantasy points in seven of his last nine starts, a run only marred by a pair of duds in Week 10 and Week 11. In that same span, he’s eclipsed 13 points five times. Against a porous Carolina defense Sunday, Dowdle has a good opportunity to continue his recent stretch of success and has firmly cemented himself as a fantasy RB3.

If you don’t have him, who are some guys you should be looking for this week?

Jalen McMillan – WR, TB (8.5% rostered)

I wrote about Jalen McMillan earlier this season when both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin went down. The opportunity was certainly there for him to contribute. Tampa Bay runs a high-volume passing attack, clocking in at 13^th in the league in pass attempts and 8^th in completions. Baker Mayfield has made great strides since his time in Cleveland, but in 2024 he’s shown that he’s still not afraid to be aggressive. All these things pointed to what I thought would be a dream run for McMillan.

But I was wrong. After the Godwin injury, McMillan was never able to eclipse 10 fantasy points, even missing a pair of game due to injury himself. However, this past Sunday against Las Vegas, the Buccaneers’ wideout showed a glimpse of the player I thought he could be.

McMillan attracted seven targets in a Tampa Bay victory, catching four of those balls for 59 yards and a pair of scores. Week 14 marked his first trip to the endzone since the opening week of the season. That performance was good for an impressive 21.9 fantasy points, by far his best showing of the season.

Given his struggles with efficiency (50% catch rate, 6.0 yards/target), the rookie WR looks like he’ll be a touchdown-dependent for the rest of the year. However, Tampa Bay doesn’t have the strongest remaining schedule, and it’s easy to envision McMillan hitting the end zone a couple more times. Add him as a WR4-5 with upside.

Ray-Ray McCloud – WR, ATL (12.0% rostered)

Ray-Ray McCloud is a guy who’s really flying under the radar, and he’s quietly put together a pretty successful run over the past month or so. He’s surpassed 10 fantasy points in four of his last five games, culminating in a very solid 16.1-point performance against Minnesota on Sunday.

In that game, McCloud saw 11 passes thrown his way, catching eight of them for 98 yards. That was good for a season-best 16.1 fantasy points for the veteran pass-catcher, and he was just a touchdown away from an elite showing. This marked McCloud’s second consecutive game with at least 90 receiving yards, and his third straight game with 6+ targets.

He’s pretty much the opposite of McMillan, having been a solid contributor without touchdown scores; in fact, he has just one TD reception on the year. Sure, that limits his ceiling, but McCloud’s volume and efficiency give him a decently high floor going forward. I see him as a very good fantasy WR4, and he can be included in the low-end WR3/FLEX conversation, especially if you’re in a deeper league or are thin at the position.

Aaron Rodgers – QB, NYJ (39.6% rostered)

The waiver wire is bit slim this week, which has led me to suggest adding Aaron Rodgers: a guy who’s having arguably the worst season of his career. However, he’s filling up the fantasy stat sheet nicely, putting up at least 16 in five of his last eight games. In Miami this week, Rodgers had by far his highest passing total of the season, throwing for 339 yards.

He contributes next to nothing in the run game, and touchdowns have been at a premium for a bad Jets offense in 2024. But his recent performance suggests that Rodgers is a solid QB2 going forward, and he enters the low-end QB1 conversation this week against a very bad Jacksonville Jaguars team. If you need a quarterback, looking to Rodgers isn’t the worst idea in the world.

That’s a wrap for this week. Good luck in the playoffs!

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/12/10/fantasy/top-waiver-wire-adds-for-week-1-of-the-fantasy-playoffs/