Stashing season is upon us, and you’ll want every advantage and insurance policy you can possibly get in your playoff matchups and thinking ahead to weeks 16-17. Here are some tips and prioritization rankings to help you craft the perfect stash strategy throughout the weekend of action in each game window.
The Setup
If you’re in a somewhat competitive league.. you’re likely going to find yourself in the scenario where you have 1-2 bench spots with players who aren’t adding a ton of value to your squad. And if you have a first round bye, you can also likely dump your kicker and/or defense to take even more shots on stash players and then just stream the best available once your playoff game comes around.
Reminder that all BYE weeks are now complete after week 14, so we’ll have a full slate of 16 games every week from here on out.
Let’s take those slots you may have available to play with, and start throwing in some lottery tickets 🎟️
Legend:
‼️ a player you can add immediately who may start in place of an injured player in week 15 and beyond depending on severity, or add value right away regardless of injury
🟢 a player you can add that has value now that you can plug into your lineup if needed, and has upside if there were to be an injury to the starter
🎟️ your lottery tickets.. someone you could score big on in the event of an injury to the starter
Note: your rankings for stash players should adjust based on if you have the starter for one of these guys, e.g. if you have Chase Brown.. Khalil Herbert should be a high priority for you.
Injury news — zero RB strategists rejoice, trouble in TE land 🤕
Note: updates as of Friday injury reports. Be sure to monitor final MNF injury reports coming out on Saturday, and updates on all the current players listed as questionable/doubtful up until 90 minutes before their respective game times when the official active/inactive reports are announced.
OUT ❌
WR George Pickens (hamstring) — hard to start other any other Steelers WRs 🥴
WR Cedric Tillman (concussion) — keep/get him on your roster!
WR Hollywood Brown (shoulder) — practice window opened, could return week 16 or 17, but likely only valuable if you have a free IR spot unless you’re in deep leagues
WR Noah Brown (kidney) — he’s done for the year, drop him if you haven’t yet..
TE Will Dissly (shoulder) — McConkey 📈 (if he plays)
TE Evan Engram (out for season — shoulder surgery) — BTJ 📈 ..hard to trust Parker Washington yet
RB Emari Demercado (back) — he had a 19% snap share weeks 12-14.. so a slight bump each for Conner and Benson
Doubtful 🥴
QB Derek Carr (wrist) — Jake Haener will start for NO 😬 ..all Saints 📉
QB Drew Lock (heel) — back to Tommy 🤌 ..Nabers should still get peppered
RB Kenneth Walker III (calf) — fire up Charbonnet 📈 as an RB1 if he doesn’t go
Questionable 🤔
QB Kyler Murray (illness) — logged a FP Friday, should be good to
RB Bucky Irving (back, hip) — Rachaad White 📈 ..Sean Tucker as a desperate start 👀 but he only saw a 19% snap share in week 14 with Bucky leaving that game
RB Breece Hall (knee) — Ulbrich’s “hopeful he can play”
RB Tony Pollard (ankle) — DNP Friday but “should be able to play”
WR Josh Downs (right shoulder) — logged a FP Thu-Fri, and “looking good”
WR Ladd McConkey (knee/shoulder) — LP Wed-Fri.. 3x LP bode well for playing, but we’ll see
TE David Njoku (hamstring) — trending down.. Jerry Jeudy & Elijah Moore 📈
TE Dalton Kincaid (knee) — hopefully you weren’t relying on him anyway..
K Harrison Butker (left knee) — if you have an IR spot not being used, he could be worth a stash there if you don’t have any FLEX players stashed there
Good to go ✅
QB Justin Herbert (ankle/thigh) — DNP Wed, LP Thu, FP Fri.. he’s ready to go and has “the strength of 10 men” according to Harbaugh, and a good matchup vs TB
QB Joe Burrow (left knee) — good to go, “shouldn’t impact Sunday’s game plan”
RB Alvin Kamara (illness) DNP Wed-Thu, but FP Fri and off the injury report
WR Mike Evans (hamstring) — DNP Wed-Thu, LP Fri and off the injury report
WR Romeo Doubs (concussion) — Doubs 📈 ..all other Packers WRs 📉
WR Keon Coleman (wrist) — Cooper 📉 ..likely no impact to Shakir out of the slot
WR Michael Pittman Jr. (back) — logged a FP on Wed-Fri and off the injury report
TE Trey McBride (knee) — FP on Fri, fire him up as a TE1 per usual
TE Juwan Johnson (foot) — LP Wed-Thu, FP Fri.. temper expectations without Carr
Monday Night Football injuries to watch 👀
QB Aidan O’Connell (knee) — DNP Thu-Fri.. Desmond Ridder will play if AOC can’t go
RB D’Andre Swift (groin) — DNP Thu-Fri.. Saturday injury report will be key, without Roschon last week Swift handled 79% of snaps and just 13% for RB3 Travis Homer
RB Roschon Johnson (concussion) — DNP Thu-Fri.. Saturday injury report will be key
RB Alexander Mattison (ankle) — FP Thu-Fri, but McCormick to continue serving as RB1 per HC Antonio Pierce
WR Darnell Mooney (foot) — LP Thu, FP Fri.. trending up
1pm window — some Browns that can win you your week 16?! 🤤
KC @ CLE — Jameis Winston, Cedric Tillman (injured), Elijah Moore, Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt, Noah Gray, Juju Smith-Schuster, Hollywood Brown (injured), Harrison Butker (injured)
CIN @ TEN — Khalil Herbert, Jermaine Burton, Andre Iosivas, Tyjae Spears, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
WAS @ NO — Jeremy McNichols, Noah Brown, Zach Ertz, Kendre Miller, Juwan Johnson
BAL @ NYG — Justice Hall, Keaton Mitchell, Rashod Bateman, Diontae Johnson, Isaiah Likely, Devin Singletary
DAL @ CAR — Jalen Tolbert, Brandin Cooks, Jonathan Mingo, Xavier Legette, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Mike Boone, Velus Jones Jr., Miles Sanders (on IR)
NYJ @ JAX — Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis, Tank Bigsby, Parker Washington
MIA @ HOU — Jaylen Wright, Raheem Mostert, John Metchie III, Malik Washington
Stash rank:
(Yahoo % rostered); [starter]
‼️ QB Jameis Winston (34%) — I love the idea of having Jameis available to use in week 16 against CIN, one of the league's worst defenses, even if I have a top QB and especially if I don’t. And most likely.. he and CLE will be in sling it mode to keep up with Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ offense.
‼️ WR Cedric Tillman (33%) — ^^ see above reasons for having Jameis for week 16.. I also love the idea of having Tillman who was looking like an elite WR1 for a short stretch earlier (WR10-3-12 over weeks 7-9) before getting injured in week 12. He’s OUT this week, but he has a chance to be back in week 16 with a juicy matchup on deck against CIN.
🟢 WR Elijah Moore (21%) — ^^ see above reasons for Jameis + Tillman.. if for some reason Tillman and/or Njoku can’t go in week 16, Moore gets a major boost against CIN. And you can throw him in your lineup for week 15 against KC if needed.
🟢 RB Braelon Allen (53%) — Breece is iffy this week again, and I know Davis got more receiving and red zone work.. but I still prefer Allen over him for now given he was getting the work earlier in the season alongside Hall. Allen and Davis will most likely split 50/50 though so temper expectations either way.
🟢 RB Isaiah Davis (18%) — ^^ same logic as above.. it’s worth stashing one of them, especially if Breece doesn’t go on Sunday. Davis seems to have a safer floor if he’ll keep getting more receiving work.
🎟️ RB Khalil Herbert (7%) [Chase Brown] — give me the guy who’d likely take over Chase Brown’s role, and has been effective when given the opportunity before in CHI.
🎟️ RB Jeremy McNichols (5%) [Brian Robinson Jr.] — McNichols has produced when given the opportunity to carry the load with the injuries to B-Rob and Ekeler this year.
🤷🏻♂️ WR Jermaine Burton (1%) [Ja’Marr Chase] — this is very much speculative in the event Chase were to go down. I know Iosivas has been better.. but Burton has far more talent and would likely be more involved if something were to happen to this year’s clear overall WR1. I have him here because I’m swinging for potential home runs, and not just looking for safe floors in the playoffs.
🎟️ RB Kareem Hunt (59%) [Isiah Pacheco] — Pacheco is back as the RB1.. but if something were to happen, Hunt would be right back into the mix as an every week RB2.
🎟️ RB Kendre Miller (11%) [Alvin Kamara] — this offense is not looking good with second year QB Jake Haener at the helm.. but Miller did get some work last week. He’s worth adding if he’s all that’s left for you to stash.
4pm window — some of these guys are available?! 🤯 And could this finally be the week we see a shift in the LAC RB room? 👀
Note: all games start at 4:25pm ET
IND @ DEN — Josh Downs, AD Mitchell, Alec Pierce, Anthony Richardson, Bo Nix, Jaleel McLaughlin, Devaughn Vele, IND DEF
BUF @ DET — Ray Davis, Keon Coleman, Tim Patrick, BUF DEF, DET DEF
PIT @ PHI — Jaylen Warren, Mike Williams, Kenneth Gainwell, Will Shipley, Grant Calcaterra
NE @ ARI — Drake Maye, Antonio Gibson, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Trey Benson, Michael WIlson
TB @ LAC — Sean Tucker, Jalen McMlillan, Kimani Vidal, Will Dissly, Josh Palmer
Stash rank:
(Yahoo % rostered); [starter]
‼️ WR Josh Downs (65%) — he’s been hurt and was on bye last week, so there’s a chance some teams dropped him. If he’s out there, scoop him up and give yourself a WR you can plug into your lineup with decent matchups in week 16 (TEN) and week 17 (NYG).
🟢 RB Jaylen Warren [Najee Harris] (73%) — he’s got standalone value and if anything happens to Najee he could win you your league. Add him if he’s available.
🟢 QB Bo Nix (63%) — if he’s somehow available in your league.. he’s a great QB to have for the playoff run as your starter or backup after some may have soured on him the past few weeks.
🟢 QB Anthony Richardson (56%) — after a tough week 15 matchup against DEN.. he’s got favorable week 16-17 matchups against TEN and NYG. Hard to trust, but his ceiling is nice to have if needed.
🎟️ RB Kimani Vidal (12%) [Gus Edwards] — Gus Edwards has been really underwhelming, and Vidal outsnapped him 53%-44% in week 13 and was running a good amount of routes. Maybe this is the week coaches give him a bit more run? We’ll see..
🎟️ RB Trey Benson (19%) [James Conner] — he’s the clear RB2 in week 14 with Demercado out of the picture, and would likely be a workhorse ROS if anything were to happen to Conner.
🎟️ RB Ray Davis (19%) [James Cook] — he’s flashed when he’s gotten the opportunity, but remains a shot in the dark unless something were to happen to Cook.
🎟️ RB Kenneth Gainwell (5%) [Saquon Barkley] — this offense is good.. but I’d rather take a shot on RB2’s who’d get the goal line work whereas Hurts likely would in the PHI offense if Saquon went down.
WR Jalen McMillan (8%) — the rookie had his best game yet in week 14 with a 27% target share. He could provide you value down the stretch if he can stay involved, but don’t expect 2 TD’s every week.
WR Keon Coleman (40%) — before week 9 when he got hurt, he finished as WR15 and WR16 in weeks 7-8, respectively, racking up 14 targets in that span. It’ll be tougher for him with Cooper ramped.
BUF DEF (75%) — they’re highly rostered though some teams dropped them with a bad showing against LAR in week 14 and tough week 15 matchup against DET. BUF gets back-to-back home games against NE and NYJ. They’re one of my favorite DEF to have in the playoffs as they should be all gas, no brakes gunning for the #1 seed in the AFC.
IND DEF (19%) — they get TEN in week 16 and NYG in week 17.. they’re one of the few defenses you can stream for both your semifinals and finals if there aren’t better matchups available.
DET DEF (62%) — they’ve got CHI up next week, and are rolling despite their injuries on defense. They’re worth stashing with one of the best matchups on deck for week 16 vs the spiraling Bears.
Sunday Night Football — Charbs or bust? 🧀
GB @ SEA (8:20pm ET) — Zach Charbonnet, Emanuel Wilson, Dontayvion Wicks, Luke Musgrave (injured), Marshawn Lloyd (injured), GB DEF
Stash rank:
(Yahoo % rostered); [starter]
‼️ RB Zach Charbonnet (75%) [Kenneth Walker] — he shouldn’t be available.. but if he somehow is, RUN to grab him now as he should start with KW3 trending toward being out again in week 15.
GB DEF (47%) — they face NO and most likely Jake Haener in week 16.. they’ll be in a smash spot even if they don’t have CB1 Jaire Alexander back still, who’s out again this week.
WR Dontayvion Wicks (14%) — if something happens to any top Packers WRs.. Wicks should theoretically get a bump, but as we know their usage is unpredictable every week.
RB Emanuel Wilson (3%) [Josh Jacobs] — the clear #2 behind Josh Jacobs ahead of RB3 Chris Brooks, and doesn’t have much of a threat from rookie Marshawn Lloyd who’s been injured all year.
RB Kenny McIntosh (0%) [Zach Charbonnet] — you’re stashing deep here.. but McIntosh could find himself in the driver’s seat if KW3 and Charb both wind up somehow dealing with injuries next week.
Monday Night Football — not much meat left on the bone.. 🍖
CHI @ MIN (8:00pm ET) — Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, Cole Kmet, Cam Akers
ATL @ LV (8:30pm ET) — Michael Penix, Tyler Allgeier, Ray-Ray McCloud, Sincere McCormick, Alexander Mattison, Zamir White, ATL DEF, LV DEF
Stash rank:
(Yahoo % rostered); [starter]
🟢 RB Since McCormick (40%) — he should get you 8-12 points as a safe floor as the RB1.
🎟️ RB Tyler Allgeier (31%) [Bijan Robinson] — an elite handcuff to finish up the weekend.
🎟️ RB Roschon Johnson (11%) [D’Andre Swift] — working his way back from a concussion, but if he’s available he’s worth a stash in case anything happens to Swift. I don’t trust Travis Homer to get much run at this point, given he only saw a 13% snap share last week with RoJo out.
🎟️ RB Cam Akers (15%) [Aaron Jones] — he’s been working in a bit more lately.. if you have an available stash spot going into MNF, he’s worth rostering in case Jones were to go down.
🟢 WR Ray-Ray McCloud (20%) — he’s got 3 top-30 PPR WR finishes in his last 5 games with an 18% target share over that stretch.. he’s got a safe 6-10 point floor at this point so you can use him in your flex if you’re desperate. If something happens to Mooney.. he’d take a lot of his 23% target share.
ATL DEF (32%) — if your league has a DEF spot.. this is your chance to grab ATL ahead of their matchup @ NYG next week.. a favorable matchup despite a so-so defense.
LV DEF (4%) — another DEF here with LV hosting JAX who are relying on Mac Jones..
RB Alexander Mattison (37%) [Sincere McCormick] — you read that right 😆 we’re handcuffing Sincere..
QB Michael Penix (1%) [Kirk Cousins] — if you’re in a superflex.. Penix could be worth a stash, but doesn’t offer any stash value in most 1QB leagues.
Be sure to reach out to @upperhandfantasy on Instagram for additional stash or start/sit questions, tune into the latest podcast episode for more insights where you get our podcasts, and visit upperhandfantasy.com for the latest week 15 rankings.
Good luck, and happy stashing