Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 15 

Ford could be huge down the stretch.

You’re either knee-deep in your fantasy football playoffs, or you’re getting ready to roll in them in Week 15. Either way, there’s a good chance matchups or injuries are forcing you to look to the waiver wire for help.

We’ve got a slew of guys we think can help you at some point in the fantasy playoffs, either immediately, or in your championship game. Read on for the hot guys on the fantasy waiver wire that could help your team reach it’s dream:

Alex Smith, QB, San Francisco 49ers (Available in 80% of all standard leagues)

Smith may have had an inconsistent season so far in 2010, but something tells us seeing Troy Smith play under center woke him up a bit. Smith returned in Week 14 and tossed three touchdowns, instantly re-connecting with Vernon Davis, much like he did in 2009. While it won’t be easy to walk into battle with a smile with Smith as your fantasy quarterback this week, he does offer solid potential, even against the Chargers.

Kerry Collins, QB, Tennessee Titans (96%)

The Titans are getting bottled up in the ground game a bit more than usual, and Collins has been making defenses pay for it. He hadn’t had a game close to his three-touchdown effort in Week 14, but that kind of explosion offers optimism. The Titans get a nice matchup against the Texans bad defense this week, so you have to like Collins’ chances after a solid showing last week.

Mike Goodson, RB, Carolina Panthers (59%)

Despite losing the starting nod to Jonathan Stewart, Goodson has still found a way to score the past two weeks, and even put up 70 yards rushing in a blow-out loss to the Falcons. Carolina clearly has to run the ball to be even remotely effective, and that should continue to mean decent touches for Goodson. Don’t hang on him for RB2 production, but if you need him in a pinch, he can provide some help as a decent Flex play.

Javarris James, RB, Indianapolis Colts (94%)

All James has done is score three touchdowns in the past two weeks and make Donald Brown more irrelevant than ever. James still isn’t an extremely safe fantasy play, but he’s the goal-line back right now, so he carries some solid value. With a matchup with a beatable Jaguars defense, James could be a quality play this week.

Rashad Jennings, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (96%)

Most of his production in Week 14 came off of a huge 70+ yard touchdown run, but the guy still showed what he can do. We also saw that Jennings is spelling Maurice Jones-Drew a bit more each week. With the playoffs appearing more and more likely for the Jaguars, expect that spelling to increase as Jacksonville tries to save some energy for MJD to run wild in the playoffs. That may not make Jennings a full-blown start, but if you’re desperate, he can probably help.

Jacoby Ford, WR, Oakland Raiders (71%)

Ford only put up 43 yards on two catches in Week 14, but his speed may be too much to ignore with tasty matchups coming up. Ford is extremely explosive, and with three touchdowns in his previous two outings, you have to like his chances with such a nice schedule. The fireworks get started with a battle against a hapless Denver Broncos team, and then a poor Indianapolis Colts defense. Ford can easily fit the billing of a WR3, with potential to do even more damage.

Jacoby Jones, WR, Houston Texans (76%)

Jones has been fairly inconsistent all season, but he caught five passes, a touchdown, and a two-point conversation in an exciting comeback loss to the Ravens on Monday night. He’s not easy to rely on, but with a nice matchup against the apparently lifeless Titans, you can likely expect another quality effort.

Blair White, WR, Indianapolis Colts (84%)

White’s value continues to hinge on the availability of Austin Collie, but with concussions being as tricky as they are, you can’t even bank on Collie finishing a full game, even when he does finally come back. White has been putting up decent numbers and registering as a solid WR3 in most leagues. Expect that to continue until Collie is back to full strength.

Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots (59%)

Gronkowski got back on fantasy maps after a solid day against the Bears in Week 14, where he caught five passes for 43 yards and a touchdown, his seventh of the season. Considering matchups haven’t been an issue for the Patriots much this season, have confidence in starting Gronkowski if you need him.

Owen Daniels, TE, Houston Texans (75%)

Daniels teased us earlier in the year with a performance much like his five-catch and 90-yard production he put up against the Ravens. While his health and play could drop at any moment, it does appear that Daniels is fully healthy at the moment, and back as an integral part of the passing offense. With a solid matchup this week, you can use him if your tight end is hurting or playing poorly.

About the author: Kevin Roberts

Kevin Roberts owns and operates NFL Soup and heads the fantasy football division of the site. Roberts also finished 2nd in the Wide Receiver position in Fantasy Pros expert fantasy football rankings in 2010 and 3rd in the Quarterback position in 2011. In addition to running the fantasy football section of the site, Roberts contributes to NFL Soup's NFL Draft coverage and breaking news reporting. Follow Kevin on Twitter @NFLSoupKevin