With the fantasy playoffs upon us, there are only a couple ways to go.
Either you are safe injury-wise and looking for depth, or you made the postseason but are limping in due to being ravaged with injuries. Either way, it is a good time to peruse the waiver wire for value.
What usage trends do you need to take note of going into Week 15.
Rushing Market Shares
Corey Clement, Cowboys
With Tony Pollard out on Sunday and questionable moving forward, Corey Clement established a role in the Dallas Cowboys' offense, and he is worth monitoring with Ezekiel Elliott banged up.
Despite practicing all week and carrying no injury designation, Elliott played just 54 of 85 snaps and nearly split carries with Clement -- 13-12 in Clement’s favor. Elliott had one catch on 32 routes run. The one catch was new low this season, although Dallas was comfortably ahead for a lot of the game.
Clement rushed for 44 yards and caught 1 of 2 targets.
Despite Zeke missing from the injury report, it's obvious he's not 100%, and Clement isn't a bad pickup heading into Week 15.
Rashaad Penny, Seahawks
Rashaad Penny will surely be the hottest waiver add this week after what he did on Sunday for the Seattle Seahawks, which proves you can never truly give up on a running back.
Penny dominated snaps and led the running backs in routes run. He played 35 snaps, with Alex Collins checking in second with 14. Penny logged 16 carries, 9 more than anyone else on Seattle.
Penny turned that volume into 137 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The matchups won't always be as easy as a date with the Houston Texans, but volume is volume. Penny is well worth picking up, and he's going to have flex appeal in the playoffs -- just like we all planned back in August.
Receiving Market Shares
Ray-Ray McCloud, Steelers
Ray-Ray McCloud ran more routes last week (46 on 51 drop backs) than Chase Claypool (28) and James Washington (23). He was behind only Diontae Johnson's 51 routes run.
McCloud isn’t a household name, but he stands to have value after a slew of miscues by Claypool last Thursday night. McCloud finished that game with 6 receptions for 32 yards on 8 targets, accounting for 20.5% of Ben Roethlisberger's targets.
If you're in a dire situation at wideout, McCould is worth a look.
KJ Osborn, Vikings
K.J. Osborn saw nice usage in the first game without Adam Thielen, and he showed he can be an asset if Thielen continues to miss time.
Osborn saw 9 targets for a 29% market share in the aforementioned Thursday night game while playing on 60 of 70 snaps for the Minnesota Vikings. In fact, on only 35 dropbacks by Kirk Cousins, Osborn ran a route on 31. Osborn hauled in a solid 3 receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown.
He can provide some upside heading into Week 15.
Red Zone Market Shares
Antonio Gibson, Washington
Despite some benchings, fumbling issues and a team in a state of flux, Antonio Gibson is a red-zone monster.
With 34 red-zone rushing attempts, good enough for the sixth-most in the NFL, Gibson's 5 touchdowns show some lack of conversion, but he's getting plenty of opportunities. That kind of red-zone usage will play.
Gibson has accounted for 57.6% of the Washington Football Team's red-zone rushing work, and that should continue down the stretch, even if J.D. McKissic returns.
Dawson Knox, Bills
Dawson Knox may have disappointed fantasy owners a little last week with a case of the drops, but his red-zone work is still stellar among pass catchers.
Knox is averaging a red-zone target per game for the Buffalo Bills, notching 14 total on the season. Even with Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders drawing away red-zone work -- along with Josh Allen's rushing -- Knox is making due.
Currently, he has been the target on 17.3% of Buffalo's red-zone pass attempts, and with Sanders looking like he may miss some time, Knox's status as a TE1 is locked in.