Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: Waiver-Wire Targets for Injured Players

The schedule for Week 15 of the NFL season received a shakeup on Friday. Because of COVID-19 issues around the league, there will now be two games on Monday and two games on Tuesday. And there are a bunch of players whose status is in question.

For fantasy football managers, it's going to be important to have backup options and contingency plans, because it may take that in order to win. This is quite a crucial fantasy week, too, considering this is the first week of the playoffs for the majority of standard leagues.

Here are flex rankings for Week 15, along with some late waiver-wire targets who could be utilized as fill-in options for missing players, if needed.

1. Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor vs. NE

2. Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook at CHI

3. Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp vs. SEA

4. Green Bay Packers WR Davante Adams at BAL

5. Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb vs. LV

6. Pittsburgh Steelers RB Najee Harris vs. TEN

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Leonard Fournette vs. NO

8. Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson at CHI

9. Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon at DEN

10. New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara at TB

11. San Francisco 49ers WR Deebo Samuel vs. ATL

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin vs. NO

13. Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs at CLE

14. Pittsburgh Steelers WR Diontae Johnson vs. TEN

15. Arizona Cardinals RB James Conner at DET

16. Chicago Bears RB David Montgomery vs. MIN

17. Buffalo Bills WR Stefon Diggs vs. CAR

18. Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb at NYG

19. Atlanta Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson at SF

20. Washington Football Team RB Antonio Gibson at PHI

21. Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase at DEN

22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Mike Evans vs. NO

23. San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle vs. ATL

24. Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones at BAL

25. New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley vs. DAL

26. Denver Broncos RB Javonte Williams vs. CIN

27. Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott at NYG

28. Jacksonville Jaguars RB James Robinson vs. HOU

29. Las Vegas Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow at CLE

30. Denver Broncos RB Melvin Gordon III vs. CIN

31. Dallas Cowboys WR Amari Cooper at NYG

32. Houston Texans WR Brandin Cooks at JAX

33. San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk vs. ATL

34. Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins at DEN

35. Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski vs. NO

36. Carolina Panthers WR DJ Moore at BUF

37. Indianapolis Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. vs. NE

38. Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews vs. GB

39. Los Angeles Rams WR Van Jefferson vs. SEA

40. Philadelphia Eagles WR DeVonta Smith vs. WAS

Rhamondre Stevenson has consistently had a sizable role in the Patriots' offense. Yet he's still on the waiver wire in 38 percent of Yahoo leagues and 56 percent of ESPN leagues. So he should be a safe player to pick up and roster in case you're in danger of missing a running back this week.

In the Patriots' last game, Stevenson had 24 carries for 78 yards in a win over the Bills. It was the fourth time in five games that he had at least 10 carries. And although he has only two touchdowns over that stretch, he has the potential to get into the end zone in any given week.

With Damien Harris also in the backfield mix, Stevenson may not put up huge numbers unless he breaks off a few long runs. But he should get enough touches that he can be used in the flex spot to help keep your fantasy team afloat.

So feel confident in plugging in Stevenson to pick up a solid number of points this week, as he should have at least a decent showing against the Colts.

Over the past few weeks, Russell Gage has developed into a top target in the Falcons' passing attack. He's had at least 62 yards in each of Atlanta's past three games, which included him scoring a touchdown in Week 12 against Jacksonville and recording 130 yards in Week 13 against Tampa Bay.

As long as Calvin Ridley is still out, Gage should be a reliable wide receiver to start in fantasy. However, he's still available in 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and 47 percent of ESPN leagues, so there's a decent chance he may still be on the waiver wire in your league.

Gage should be rostered at this point, and he's a solid starting option if you need another WR in Week 15. He's been targeted at least six times in each of the past four weeks, and there's no reason to think that volume won't continue.

Atlanta is taking on San Francisco, so it may be playing from behind in the second half. If that's the case, the Falcons should be moving the ball through the air quite a bit, which means Gage could rack up some strong numbers.

Throughout the season, Tyler Conklin has been considered a high-upside streaming option in most weeks. If you're in need of a tight end, he's frequently available on the waiver wire and can be plugged into lineups, as he usually has a chance at having at least a solid game.

Conklin doesn't have any touchdowns over the past four weeks, but he's recorded 14 catches over that span, including seven in Week 13 against Detroit. With Minnesota getting another favorable matchup against Chicago on Monday, Conklin could be worth inserting into lineups again.

Conklin is available in 55 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues. And while he may be touchdown dependent and not put up huge receiving numbers otherwise, he's also worth taking a chance on as a part of the Vikings' high-powered offense.