Fantasy Football Week 15 Quarterback and Tight End FAAB: Shedeur Sanders, Tyler Shough, and More

Welcome to the fantasy playoffs! There are many different league structures, but the most common fantasy football schedule has the postseason starting in Week 15, so if you're reading this, you are likely still in the hunt for fantasy glory.

For those who have nothing to play for, I would recommend avoiding waivers and letting the teams playing for the title have first crack. If there is a prize for the consolation bracket or you're trying to avoid a punishment, though, then it's fair game; get aggressive with your remaining FAAB money!

Let's look at FAAB bid ranges for some of the hottest QB and TE names on the waiver wire heading into Week 15. Your numbers may vary a bit based on your roster needs and remaining budget, especially this late in the season, but this is a good baseline to start from. All bids are based on a $100 budget.

Use FantasySP's waiver wire tool to find the players who are being added to fantasy rosters most often each week!

Quarterback

Riley Leonard, Anthony Richardson Sr., and Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts

I wrote this whole section, then news came down that Indianapolis is working out the 44-year-old Rivers, who last played in 2020 (his one year with the Colts). It's highly unlikely that Rivers will be an impact fantasy player, but we have to at least mention him here.

Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles and is out for the rest of this season (and maybe all of next year). It throws a major curveball into Indy's offseason plans as much as it does the rest of 2025, though the team's contender status is surely gone, and their playoff hopes might be as well.

Leonard took over in Jones' stead and didn't look very good, throwing for 145 yards and an interception. He ran in a touchdown, but Leonard looked how you would expect a sixth-round rookie to look. He's not a good fantasy option, particularly with tough matchups the rest of the way against the Seahawks, 49ers, Jaguars, and Texans. Leonard is also dealing with a knee injury, part of the reason Rivers is being connected with the Colts.

The X-factor here might be Richardson, who is on IR with an eye injury but eligible to come off at any time. His possible return is still unclear, and it's best to operate as if he won't play. There is always fantasy upside to Richardson because of his running ability, but even if he does return, the tough matchups make him a risky player (same with Rivers).

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $0

Desperation Bid: $1

Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns

I keep doubting Sanders, but he had a huge game on Sunday, throwing for 364 yards on 8.7 per attempt with three touchdowns, one interception, 29 rushing yards, and a rushing TD. That all has him at QB2 for the week, behind Josh Allen.

He also had good stats against the Raiders in Week 12, throwing for 209 yards on 10.5 per attempt, but 31.6% of his yardage came on a screen pass that was caught behind the line of scrimmage. In Week 14, he hit a few bigger shots but was also helped a lot by yards after the catch again, including a 58-yard screen to Quinshon Judkins that was caught behind the line of scrimmage.

I don't mean to dismiss what Sanders did against the Titans; he made plays with both his arm and legs that should have been enough to win. I'm also not ready to buy into Sanders because Tennessee might be the worst team in the league, and that extends to their defense.

Sanders has another good matchup against the Bears this week followed by tougher games against the Bills and Steelers. If your league goes into Week 18, there's a juicy matchup against the Bengals waiting. Sanders could be a good streaming option against Chicago and Cincinnati.

If you're still alive at this point, you probably don't want to count on Sanders and the Browns, though. He's a fine low-to-mid-level streamer this week, so if you're truly in need and want to throw down a dollar, that's fine, but beware of the low floor here.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2-3

Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints

The Saints have a long rebuild ahead of them, but it looks like they don't need to draft a quarterback in April, and that's a major development. That doesn't mean that Shough is the future or will ever be above average, but he has shown that he can play functional football, and as an early second-round pick, he is going to get every chance to lock down the job.

He wasn't great throwing the ball on Sunday (144 yards on 7.2 per attempt with no touchdowns and an interception), but Shough made a huge difference in both real and fantasy football by running for 55 yards and two TDs in a game the Saints won 24-20 over Tampa Bay.

Shough will need that rushing to continue to be a real fantasy option. He had run for 39 combined yards in four starts prior to Week 14 with no scores, and his passing mostly left something the be desired. Shough isn't going to run for 50-plus yards or get into the end zone every week.

That leaves him as a low-level fantasy player. There's a tougher matchup against Carolina this week, though Shough had his best day against the Panthers in Week 10, throwing for 282 yards on 10.4 per attempt with two touchdowns and no interceptions. After that, New Orleans has nice matchups against Jets and Titans before finishing with a middling team in Atlanta.

Like Sanders, you're probably not counting on Shough if you made it this far. He will have decent streaming value in Weeks 16 and 17, but those are the semifinals and finals in many fantasy leagues; do you want your chances hinging on the Saints' offense? He's a better streamer for those out of the race who need a guy in the final few weeks of meaningless games.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Tight End

Harold Fannin, Cleveland Browns

Fannin was the main recipient of Sanders' big day, catching eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. Fannin is at least tied for the team lead in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns, and he is likely to remain a focus of the passing game moving forward.

Fannin is owned is a little under half of fantasy leagues, still with plenty of availability. The schedule works out favorably, with weaker tight end defenses in the Bears, Steelers, and Bengals remaining along with a tougher matchup against the Bills in Week 16. Cincinnati is a phenomenal matchup, so if your league goes into Week 18, he will have top-line value in the final week.

If you don't have a weekly starter at tight end, Fannin is a good player to consider the rest of the way. The matchups mostly line up positively, and Fannin is the top player in Cleveland's passing game, so even if it remains more of a low-level attack when not facing Tennessee, Fannin should get plenty of looks.

Conservative Bid: $3-5

Need Bid: $6

Desperation Bid: $11

Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals

I advised owners to bench Gesicki in a tough matchup against the Bills last week; he caught six passes for 86 yards and a touchdown in the snow, by far his best game of the season.

Gesicki had only topped three receptions and 20 yards once this season prior to Sunday. While Joe Burrow's return might bring dreams of bigger things, Gesicki has been inconsistent with the top quarterback in the lineup previously, so he's probably not going to repeat this performance often.

Weeks 16 and 17 against the Dolphins and Cardinals are good tight end matchups, while Weeks 15 and 18 against Baltimore and Cleveland are tougher games. I don't anticipate recommending Gesicki often, but if he has another good game against Baltimore next week, then there will be intrigue against Miami the following week.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

Loveland has arrived as part of Chicago's offense. That doesn't mean he's the top option or an irreplaceable part, but he is fourth in targets and receptions, third in receiving yards, and second in touchdowns, including scoring against Green Bay on Sunday.

In six games since the beginning of November, Loveland is averaging four receptions and 53.2 yards per game with four touchdowns. In that six-week stretch, Loveland was TE3 in both standard and PPR, behind only Trey McBride and Brock Bowers.

Any owner in need of a tight end would do well to look here. The remaining matchups aren't great, as the Browns, Packers, 49ers, and Lions are all better than average in terms of fantasy points per game allowed to tight ends, so there's also a chance at a quiet finish.

Loveland is likely to be fine over the final four weeks but not great. Even with the questionable matchups, he's still a decent option, albeit one with a low floor.

Conservative Bid: $2-4

Need Bid: $6

Desperation Bid: $11

Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams

Parkinson keeps having modest games but finding the end zone, and every week, I say that he's not a great pickup because touchdowns are random and could stop any time. He has now scored in four of the past five games, averaging 3.4 catches and 31 yards in that time.

My answer is the same: Parkinson is a lower-level fantasy player who has been buoyed by touchdowns lately, and that's great while it lasts, but it could end at any time. Weeks 15 and 17 against the Lions and Falcons are tougher tight end matchups, while Weeks 16 (Seahawks) and 18 (Cardinals) are against teams allowing top-10 fantasy points to the position.

Parkinson is a fine grab in a deep league, and he will be an interesting streamer against Seattle and Arizona, but I can't recommend spending big money on him.

Conservative Bid: $1-3

Need Bid: $4-5

Desperation Bid: $6