Justin Boone identifies under-the-radar stashes to consider adding to your roster before they become top fantasy football waiver-wire pickups in future weeks.
While the bar might move occasionally, the general focus is to search among the group of players who are rostered in around 15% or less of the Yahoo leagues.
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Isaiah Likely, TE, Ravens (13% rostered)
Likely is making yet another appearance in this space, since he remains available in almost 90% of Yahoo leagues.
That’s a stunning development given his recent production, some of the missed opportunities that could have led to even bigger stats and his matchup in Week 15.
The 25-year-old has earned six targets each of the past two games, turning them into four catches for 25 yards and a touchdown versus the Steelers, as well as five grabs for 95 yards against the same Bengals’ defense he’s facing this week.
Those performances also included a fumble at the goal line in the Cincy game that could have propelled him from the TE9 to the TE2 overall in Week 13 and a touchdown catch that was ruled incomplete despite it clearly seeming like he had control which would have vaulted him from TE11 to TE3 in Week 14.
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Meanwhile, the Bengals are allowing almost seven more fantasy points per game than any other defense in the NFL this year.
Likely is firmly on the streamer radar with a strong chance to crack the TE12 fantasy tight ends for the third straight week.
Honorable mention: AJ Barner, Seahawks (11% rostered), Mike Gesicki, Bengals (4% rostered), Colby Parkinson, Rams (3% rostered)
Marcus Mariota, QB, Commanders (9% rostered)
Mariota was originally in this column last week before Jayden Daniels was cleared to play. Unfortunately for Daniels, he aggravated his elbow injury and has already been ruled out for this week’s game against the Giants.
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Mariota has finished as a top-13 fantasy quarterback in four of the six games where he’s played the majority of Washington’s snaps.
There aren’t many good streaming QBs this week, but Mariota is in the mix as a high-end QB2 option with a quality floor thanks to his rushing production.
The Commanders are also taking on a Giants’ defense that’s allowing the second most fantasy points to quarterbacks in 2025.
Honorable mention: Shedeur Sanders, Browns (14% rostered), Tyler Shough, Saints (9% rostered)
Jalen Coker, WR, Panthers (5% rostered)
Coker continues to sit on waiver wires in 95% of Yahoo leagues, likely because he was on bye last week following an impressive season-high 74-yard, one-touchdown performance.
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That was the second time he’s topped 50 yards in his last three outings and provides some hope that a breakout could be looming down the stretch for the sophomore wideout.
His uptick in production also coincides with better results from Bryce Young lately. The former first overall pick is still trying to find his game in the pros, but it was around this time last year that his play improved.
Having a second reliable option in the passing attack other than Tetairoa McMillan would go a long way towards increased success for everyone in this offense.
In case you’ve missed this stat from me before, I’ll mention once again that if we remove Coker’s first game of the 2024 season where he only played 10% of the snaps, he was on pace for over 800 yards as a rookie last year.
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Coker could be a sneaky WR4/flex option if Young can find his rhythm in the final month.
Honorable mention: Ryan Flournoy, Cowboys (7% rostered), Chimere Dike, Titans (15% rostered), Andrei Iosivas, Bengals (10% rostered), Pat Bryant, Broncos (4% rostered), Jack Bech, Raiders (1% rostered)
Emari Demercado, RB, Cardinals (10% rostered)
With news that Trey Benson won’t be activated from injured reserve, the Cardinals’ backfield has potential for someone to emerge over the final three weeks of the fantasy season.
Bam Knight is the current leader in the clubhouse, but the dynamic Demercado has missed his last three games due to an ankle injury.
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Prior to that, Demercado had 14 carries for 79 yards against the Cowboys and 104 scrimmage yards on seven touches versus the Seahawks.
He opened this week with a limited practice and would likely jump ahead of Michael Carter in the pecking order if he’s able to suit up. It’s also possible Demercado could push Knight for the starting role — if he’s back to 100%.
The matchup with the Texans isn’t ideal this week, but after that the Cardinals get a pair of generous defenses in the Falcons and Bengals in Week 16 and 17.
Honorable mention: Isaiah Davis, Jets (3% rostered), Samaje Perine, Bengals (4% rostered), Keaton Mitchell, Ravens (3% rostered), Ollie Gordon, Dolphins (8% rostered), Jeremy McNichols, Commanders (2% rostered)