Fantasy Focus Football – Week 15 Waiver Wire + Bounce Back Candidates

Podcast Date: December 9, 2025
Hosts: Field Yates, Stefania Bell, Daniel Dopp, Mike Clay

Overview

This episode of Fantasy Focus Football delivers a pivotal fantasy playoff primer as the regular season closes and managers look for critical waiver wire adds, injury updates, bounce-back hopefuls, and start/sit strategies. Field, Stefania, Daniel, and Mike tackle the fallout of an eventful Monday Night Football, debate quarterback emergencies (hello, Philip Rivers!), analyze key injuries, and break down must-target Week 15 waiver gems and lineup decisions for teams with championship ambitions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Monday Night Football Fallout & Playoff Drama

[07:01]

• Eagles vs. Chargers game produced more questions than answers for fantasy managers.
• Shoutout to “Cameron Dicker the Kicker” as the highest-scoring player of the night:
  “If you needed 20 fantasy points from Cameron Dicker, you got it.” — Daniel Dopp [07:12]
• Eagles offense flopped in uncharacteristic fashion, with Jalen Hurts suffering an unprecedented meltdown.

Notable Moment: The 4-Point Play

• Jalen Hurts lost four fantasy points on a single bizarre sequence:
  “Jalen Hurts on one play, lost four points.” — Field Yates [11:46]
• Hurts threw a pick, fumbled after the interception was returned, regained possession, then fumbled again. He finished with only 0.4 fantasy points.
• Stefania emphasized the historical oddity:
  “I think I heard last night that was the first time in NFL history that the same player had an interception and a fumble on the same play.” [12:39]

Hurts’ Struggles—Trend or Outlier?

• Lack of rushing production is a mounting concern:

  • Recent games: Mostly under 5 rush attempts and under 35 rushing yards each week.
    “You pull up his rushing numbers from this season, it does not look anything close to a typical Jalen Hurts season.” — Field Yates [13:46]

• Advice: Still a start vs. a weak Raiders defense in Week 15, but expectations are tempered.

Saquon Barkley’s Resurgence

• Barkley’s 52-yard TD highlights his bounce-back potential against a soft playoff schedule:
  “Definitely the best we have seen Saquon look as a runner in quite some time.” — Field Yates [17:06]

• Eagles playoff schedule is juicy: Raiders (15), Commanders (16), Bills (17), Commanders (18).

2. Quarterback (and Grandpa) Emergency: The Philip Rivers Rumor

[03:04]

• Colts reportedly working out 44-year-old Philip Rivers due to dire injuries (Daniel Jones out, Riley Leonard hurt, etc.)
• Lively banter on Rivers’ candidacy and NFL “grandpas,” with references to his enormous family:
  • “...him and his 11 children lined up. Ah, man. So, I mean, it's a whole squad.” — Field Yates [05:08]
  • First NFL grandpa QB? Brett Favre in 2010 [53:50]
• Field: “This needs to happen. It’s too good for December theater.” [04:36]
• Ultimately, Rivers signing likely wouldn’t change the waiver landscape; more a fun aside.

3. Injury Updates & Real-Life Implications

[25:45]

• Jaden Daniels (elbow): Likely to play Week 15. “I do expect that we see him back this week.” — Stefania Bell [26:31]
• Daniel Jones (Achilles): Confirmed out for season, surgery imminent.
• Justin Herbert: Played with recently repaired hand (plate/screws). “He took the hits, he played the position, and he really wasn’t totally limited…” — Stefania Bell [10:09]

4. Show League Playoff Recap

[19:52]

• Cameron Dicker’s MNF heroics catapult Mikey Clay into the playoffs over Field.
• Friendly jabs about kicker value in fantasy:
  • “Mike, who doesn’t even respect the kick.” — Stefania Bell [20:31]
• Field is “not speaking ever again” to Mike Clay after losing on a kicker [20:50].
• Playoff matchups declared; everyone rooting for analytics czar Eric Moody:
  • “Right now, if I just had to go out on a limb for the rest of us, we are team Moody the rest of the week.” — Daniel Dopp [22:09]

5. Playoff Stash & Waiver Targets (Week 15)

(Presented by Wingstop)
[23:07] - [34:06]

Defenses to Stash

• Saints D/ST (Field’s Playoff Stash):
  Panthers (15), Titans (16), Jets (17).
  “If you have just been piecing it together or you have a team that you’re willing to start this week and then you want to add somebody for the next couple of weeks, the Titans and the Jets. I mean, hello, people. That is very enticing.” — Field Yates [24:40]

QB Insurance for Playoff Teams

• Marcus Mariota (if Jaden Daniels is out):
  “He is the priority add for me. If you have Jaden Daniels, … find someone on your bench that you know you’re not going to start, drop that person, and add Marcus Mariota.” — Daniel Dopp [27:58]

• J.J. McCarthy (streamer):
  “It’s a great matchup. [Dallas] have given up the most fantasy points to quarterback.” — Daniel Dopp [29:23]

RB Stashes

• Blake Corum (Rams):
  “Blake Corum needs to be rostered… not just about adding people to your roster—now it’s about keeping them off of other people’s rosters.” — Daniel Dopp [32:36]
  Tough Week 15 matchup (Lions), but worthwhile stash for RB-depleted managers.

• Jalen Wright (Dolphins):
  “Fast… that’s what his skill set was in Tennessee… an opportunity [but] it’s going to take Achan being out. If you have Achan you should be rostering Jalen Wright.” — Field Yates [34:28]

TE Plug-in

• Harold Fannin:
  “Harold Fannin could be on your roster as a tight end option for the fantasy playoffs.” — Daniel Dopp [37:01]
  Facing the Bears.

6. From Duds to Potential Studs: Bounce-Back Candidates

[38:01]

Ashton Jeanty (RB, Raiders)

• Quiet in Week 14, but maintains “RB2” value on sheer usage and pass-game work, assuming last week’s dud was more game script than trend.
  • “If you’re going to tell me my running back is basically going to get close to 17, 18, 20 touches every single game, I don’t know how I can take that guy off the field.” — Daniel Dopp [39:53]

Patrick Mahomes

• Struggling to deliver top fantasy value, some even suggest benching:
  “I would rather start Jacoby Brissett than Patrick Mahomes.” — Stefania Bell [41:27].

  • Ranking disclosure: Field is lowest on Mahomes (QB9); Daniel has him at QB11. Mahomes has one or zero passing TDs in four of his last five.

Emeka Egbuka (WR)

• “Under 10 fantasy points in seven of his last eight games.” — Daniel Dopp [44:04]
• Mike Clay ranks him WR30; consensus—start only if desperate.

7. Pocket Players vs. Season-Long Stars

[47:33]

• Field dissects the nature of fantasy consistency:
  • “We have season long players and we have pocket players...month long stretches can define a player’s season much more than what he is on a points per game basis.”
• Stefania notes: “The problem is, when you get the pocket guy, you don’t know when the pocket starts.” [50:48]

8. Other Bounce-back & Start/Sit Debates:

• Breece Hall (Jets): “If I can, [I’m] avoiding Breece Hall this week. They play the Jaguars—number one run defense.” — Field Yates [51:01]
• Chris Olave (Saints): Still a start against Carolina:
  “I’m good with Chris Olave in week 14.” — Field Yates [52:53]
• Rushing WRs: Trust in Rashi Rice (Chiefs); caution for DK Metcalf (Seahawks) due to health and Monday game.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Hurts’ disastrous MNF:
  “Jalen Hurts on one play, lost four points.” — Field Yates [11:46]

• On Rivers’ NFL ‘grandpa’ tryout:
  “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” — Field Yates [03:32]

• “If you have Achan, … you should be rostering Jalen Wright. … Not a bad insurance add for those that have Achan.” — Field Yates [34:39]

• On Playoff Roster Strategy:
  “Now it’s about keeping them off of other people’s rosters.” — Daniel Dopp [32:36]

• “We have season long players and we have pocket players.” — Field Yates [47:33]

Key Timestamps

| Topic | Time | |-----------------------------------------------------|----------| | Sponsors/Adverts Skip | [00:00]–[02:48] | | MNF Fallout, Hurts’ Disaster | [07:01]–[16:23] | | Barkley's Resurgence, Eagles Playoff Path | [16:23]–[18:02] | | Philip Rivers Rumor, Colts QB Woes | [03:04]–[04:36] | | Jaden Daniels/Justin Herbert Injury Updates | [25:45] | | Waiver Wire/Playoff Stash (Field’s Saints D/ST) | [23:07]–[25:01] | | Waiver QBs: Mariota, McCarthy | [27:58]–[30:29] | | RB Stashes: Corum, Wright | [32:04]–[34:39] | | Playoff Show League Recap | [19:52]–[22:54] | | From Duds to Studs: Studs-Bounce-Back Segment | [38:01]–[46:53] | | Pocket Players vs. Season-Long Consistency | [47:33]–[50:53] | | Start/Sit Mailbag: Godwin vs. Fannin, Mahomes/Rice | [54:02]–[56:47] | | Closer/Outro, General Banter | [61:00]+ |

Final Takeaway

With everything on the line, the hosts urge listeners to stay proactive—waiver moves matter more than ever, injury insurance is a must, and recognizing “pocket” hot streaks over pure season totals could be the edge that wins a fantasy title. Even as NFL and fantasy stalwarts falter (“It’s the fantasy playoffs…[don’t] go into the fantasy playoffs with only one quarterback on your roster” — Daniel Dopp [27:58]), this week’s actionable advice and spirited, good-humored vibes keep managers sharp for the playoff push.

Remember: Get those waiver claims in, monitor injuries closely, and keep a keen eye on both your own roster needs and your opponents’—the little moves can be the difference in the playoffs!