Week 15 of the 2017 regular season is just about coming to a close with the Monday Night game remaining. Most fantasy football leagues will run their waiver wires late Tuesday or early Wednesday, but we are here to help you get a jump on the best options to consider.
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We will be ranking the top five players likely to be available in your league at each of the four major positions. Some weeks there might not be five good options available, but we’ll scour for the best we can find. Additionally, throughout the week, we will update each of these articles as ownership percentages change and news arrives. The following ownership percentages come via CBS Sportsline entering Week 16.
Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers (68 percent ownership)
Welcome back, Aaron Rodgers! Cobb had his best game of the season on Sunday, posting a 7-84-1 line in Rodgers’ return to action. Cobb had three double-digit fantasy outputs in the season’s first four games with Rodgers under center, so he’s back to being a must start. Figure Jordy Nelson will draw Xavier Rhodes, and with Davante Adams’ status uncertain, Cobb could be in for a huge game at the perfect time. If he’s available in your league, he needs to be a priority.
Mike Wallace, Baltimore Ravens (54)
Wallace posted his fifth double-digit fantasy game in his last six and after being targeted 10 times on Sunday, he has 34 targets in the past four games. With Jeremy Maclin hobbled with a knee injury, Wallace will continue to be Joe Flacco’s top target and he has a tremendous matchup in Week 16 against the Colts, who rank 28th in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers.
Bryant’s stock is soaring this morning with Antonio Brown out for the next two weeks. Bryant was practically off the team just a few weeks ago, but he has resurrected his Steelers career the past four weeks with at least four catches in each game and two touchdowns, including one on Sunday. Bryant has superstar potential, and now he has his chance to show it. Eli Rogers (1 percent owned) should also see an increase in snaps and targets.
A game like this has been lurking for a couple of weeks, as Cole has seen his snap and target total rise. With Marquis Lee injured early, Cole and Jaydon Mickens (zero ownership) leapfrogged Dede Westbrook and destroyed the Texans. The Jags have another strong matchup this week against the 49ers, so if Lee is out, both Cole and Mickens could be championship-winning plays.
Byrd was a preseason hero in daily fantasy who spent the bulk of the regular season first buried on the depth chart then on IR. Now he’s back, Kelvin Benjamin is gone, Curtis Samuel is on IR, and here is Byrd, catching two touchdown passes on Sunday. The Panthers face the Buccaneers on Sunday, a team that has allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers, and Devin Funchess is still dealing with a bad shoulder. Byrd should continue to soar.
