Fantasy Football: Players to Stash Entering Week 15

If you're consistently a step ahead of the competition in your fantasy football league, it can help you win a title, and this weekly piece will aim to help you stay ahead of the pack.

The goal here is to help you identify players who could be hot waiver adds down the road as well as to point out week-ahead pickups who could prove useful.

Here are some players to consider adding now and stashing on your bench for the future.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Fantasy Football Stash Candidates for Week 15

Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers

With J.K. Dobbins on injured reserve for the Los Angeles Chargers, Gus Edwards and Kimani Vidal have shared the backfield workload in recent weeks. During LA's victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13, it was Edwards who led the way with a 53.3% snap rate, 35.7% route rate, 7 touches, and 33 scrimmage yards, via NextGenStats.

However, the roles were a bit reversed in Week 14 with Vidal pacing the Chargers' backfield in snap rate (52.6%) and route rate (33.3%) while he turned 8 carries into 34 yards. Meanwhile, Edwards finished with a 43.9% snap rate, 27.8% route rate, 10 carries, and 36 yards.

Given Dobbins' injury history, there's no guarantee he's ready to return immediately whenever he's able to be activated off injured reserve. On top of that, Edwards is a non-factor in the passing game, so Vidal should maintain a role in the offense until Dobbins is back to full health.

Even though it's been a murky situation in the last two weeks, stashing Vidal could become beneficial if the Chargers increase his snap rate a bit more from what we saw in Week 14.

Kendre Miller, RB, Saints

Likely to the dismay of Dennis Allen -- the former head coach of the New Orleans Saints -- Kendre Miller returned to action in Week 14 following a four-game absence. Injuries have plagued Miller early in his career, but the second-year back was productive in his first game back during Sunday's win over the New York Giants.

Despite handling just a 26.2% snap rate and 11.4% route rate, Miller finished with 10 carries for 32 yards and a touchdown this past week. Interim coach Darren Rizzi spoke highly about Miller before his return in Week 14, and he continued to praise him after Sunday's contest, which is a positive sign moving forward.

While Alvin Kamara remains the featured back, the Saints aren't a playoff team and they lack weapons while Derek Carr could be out for the rest of the season after sustaining a fractured hand. Taking those things into account, Miller could see an expanded role down the stretch as New Orleans gets a clearer look at what they have in the former third-round pick.

Jalen McMillan, WR, Buccaneers

Amid injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, there seemed to be multiple moments where rookie Jalen McMillan would have a chance to step into a heightened role for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Partly due to dealing with injuries himself, McMillan struggled to display consistency at the receiver position, logging a 9.9% target share, 21.0% air yards share, and a forgettable 0.71 yards per route run through his first eight games.

While there have been flashes here and there, McMillan put together his best performance of the campaign in Week 14. In the victory against the Las Vegas Raiders, McMillan led the Bucs in target share (25.0%) while hauling in 4 of his 7 targets for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns with 2.03 yards per route run.

Even with Evans remaining the No. 1 option for Baker Mayfield , there's plenty of room for other receivers to step up the rest of the way as Tampa Bay competes for the NFC South crown. At the moment, McMillan is likely nothing more than a boom-or-bust option, but he could become more than that if the Bucs continue to get positive results when he's on the field.

Stone Smartt, TE, Chargers

Throughout the season, Will Dissly has proven to be a reliable pass catcher for Justin Herbert, registering a 15.5% target share, 3.3 receptions per game, 32.2 receiving yards per game, and 1.92 yards per route run. But in Week 14 versus the Kansas City Chiefs, Dissly suffered a shoulder injury that is expected to keep him out for multiple weeks.

After not getting a single snap in the first half of Sunday's contest against the Chiefs, Stone Smartt caught all 3 of his targets for 54 yards on 22 snaps in the second half. Tucker Fisk also got 20 snaps at tight end, but he's more of run-blocking tight end as he finished with just one catch for zero yards.

With Dissly missing time and Ladd McConkey dealing with various injuries, Smartt could garner a decent-sized role in the coming weeks for the Los Angeles Chargers. Instead of plugging and playing Smartt in Week 15, it may be best to stash him on your bench -- unless you're absolutely desperate -- to see if he does receive enough snaps and targets to be relevant in fantasy.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.