Before jumping into the Monday rundown, a quick note to newer folks that this page will continue to produce daily fantasy content until the Wednesday after the regular season ends: January 3rd. Keep your league and DFS questions coming ‘til then. Or feel free to vent if your season ended yesterday.
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Ravens – Mike Wallace has led Baltimore in receiving yards in each of the past five games. With two fantastic matchups remaining, he’ll be a locked-in WR3+ to close out the season.
Browns – Corey Coleman caught one out of three targets. Since a 5-for-6 opening weekend, the second-year pro has grabbed 16 of 39 passes. Last year he was 33 of 74. Not good.
Dolphins – Kenyan Drake was an RB1 and Jarvis Landry was a WR1. Imagine how good they’d be if Miami had a top 16 quarterback.
Bills – Tyrod Taylor rewarded patient fantasy managers with a top 6 QB performance. Unfortunately, he’ll face a red-hot Patriots team in New England next week and will be lucky to put up 10 points.
Bengals – Andy Dalton was in over his head Sunday. He’ll drop to 21st among all fantasy QBs this year—and likely would be sitting at 26th if Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, Deshaun Watson, Eli Manning, and Jameis Winston hadn’t missed games. A.J. McCarron could get a start before this season’s over.
Vikings – Case Keenum was practically flawless, and he gets the beleaguered Packers D next. Why does it seem like we’re heading toward a Patriots-Vikings Super Bowl?
Jets – Bryce Petty & company actually made this one interesting despite poor throwing, inefficient running, and two turnovers. That said, Petty likely isn’t a starter-caliber NFL QB, and the Chargers will handle this team far more effectively next week.
Saints – The Big Four—Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, and Drew Brees—each performed as expected. Three of the four should roll again in next week’s must-win contest against Atlanta. Brees, however, will be a risky start, having posted 20+ fantasy points only once since Week 4.
Eagles – Man, was I wrong about Nick Foles. Despite a paltry 6.2 yards per attempt (only three NFL teams average worse this seasons), he threw four red-zone TD passes. Had the Giants’ offense faltered from the start, the Eagles’ running game might have dominated. But Foles was forced to step up down 20-7 late in the first half. He’ll be a QB1 option at home next week against the very sad Raiders defense.
Giants – I pushed Eli Manning and Sterling Shepard hard yesterday, and they both came through. I’ve said this before and will say it again: a healthy Shepard should be a weekly fantasy starter.
Cardinals – I was pretty blunt with readers about Kerwynn Williams’ prospects probably two-dozen times yesterday. Bell-cow running backs don’t always make for good fantasy starters.
Redskins – My Samaje Peine pick fell flat. He’s now been sub-par in three straight and can’t be counted on for more than RB3 production next week against Denver.
Packers – Aaron Rodgers’ return was one of the biggest Week 15 stories. He surely fared better than I expected. In the backfield, on my podcast I warned that Jamaal Williams’ recent inefficient running would catch up to him in Carolina: https://soundcloud.com/user-780565013/week-15-fantasy-football-preview-bargains-and-busts. Williams’ story is a good example of how past fantasy production doesn’t tell the whole story.
Panthers – As expected, Greg Olsen came through. He’s one of several guys who rewarded patient fantasy managers Sunday.
Texans – DeAndre Hopkins is both QB-proof and cornerback-proof.
Jaguars – Why was I wary of Chris Ivory’s prospects Sunday? That’s why. Ivory had to do most of his damage in the first half (against a top 10 run D) in what was destined to be a blowout win. It simply didn’t add up. Meanwhile, Blake Bortles moves up to the 13th place among fantasy QBs and could crack the top 10 next week with another mid-range QB1 performance. And finally, how rough was it for some of you to see Marqise Lee getting knocked out in the first quarter--or Dede Westbrook laying an egg despite having a seeming clear path to relevance.
Rams – Todd Gurley stepped up in Seattle like perhaps no other back has come close to doing in Seattle in years. I’m disappointed in myself for not anticipating this rebound season. Credit FF4W commenter Joel Verzosa for anticipating this since June.
Seahawks – Seattle’s offensive struggles seemed ludicrous after one quarter and never really got better. This is a team that had scored 22+ in five straight games while being a top-third NFL team this season in points and yards. If they want to reach the postseason, they must overcome this shocking home-field shellacking and win their final two games.
Titans – I was shocked to see Rishard Matthews unrostered in 37% of ESPN leagues this weekend and hyped him in my podcast. He was headed toward a low-end WR2 season before getting hurt, and he remains a low-end WR2 today—in other words, a weekly starter in most leagues.
49ers – Marquise Goodwin is a target and reception machine.
Patriots – With the game on the line, Tom Brady went to Gronk. And then Gronk again. And then again. This is what you were hoping for when drafting the top-2 TE this summer. He’s now has three straight dominant games after being relatively hit-or-miss (based on lofty expectations) for much of the season.
Steelers – Sure, I think Pittsburgh got robbed. Now that that’s out of the way, if Antonio Brown misses time, Martavis Bryant and JuJu Smith-Schuster will be virtually must-start WRs next week against Houston.
Cowboys – Ezekiel Elliott will return Sunday against Seattle. I’m betting the most popular question asked on this page this week will be: “Is Zeke a safe start?” It’s not as obvious as it would have seemed six weeks ago.
Raiders – Michael Crabtree converted 17 targets into 39 yards. Two TDs bailed him out in what could have otherwise been the least efficient receiver performance in memory. That said, he got the job done for fantasy managers needing to sleep easy last night.
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Ravens – Mike Wallace has led Baltimore in receiving yards in each of the past five games. With two fantastic matchups remaining, he’ll be a locked-in WR3+ to close out the season.
Browns – Corey Coleman caught one out of three targets. Since a 5-for-6 opening weekend, the second-year pro has grabbed 16 of 39 passes. Last year he was 33 of 74. Not good.
Dolphins – Kenyan Drake was an RB1 and Jarvis Landry was a WR1. Imagine how good they’d be if Miami had a top 16 quarterback.
Bills – Tyrod Taylor rewarded patient fantasy managers with a top 6 QB performance. Unfortunately, he’ll face a red-hot Patriots team in New England next week and will be lucky to put up 10 points.
Bengals – Andy Dalton was in over his head Sunday. He’ll drop to 21st among all fantasy QBs this year—and likely would be sitting at 26th if Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, Deshaun Watson, Eli Manning, and Jameis Winston hadn’t missed games. A.J. McCarron could get a start before this season’s over.
Vikings – Case Keenum was practically flawless, and he gets the beleaguered Packers D next. Why does it seem like we’re heading toward a Patriots-Vikings Super Bowl?
Jets – Bryce Petty & company actually made this one interesting despite poor throwing, inefficient running, and two turnovers. That said, Petty likely isn’t a starter-caliber NFL QB, and the Chargers will handle this team far more effectively next week.
Saints – The Big Four—Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, and Drew Brees—each performed as expected. Three of the four should roll again in next week’s must-win contest against Atlanta. Brees, however, will be a risky start, having posted 20+ fantasy points only once since Week 4.
Eagles – Man, was I wrong about Nick Foles. Despite a paltry 6.2 yards per attempt (only three NFL teams average worse this seasons), he threw four red-zone TD passes. Had the Giants’ offense faltered from the start, the Eagles’ running game might have dominated. But Foles was forced to step up down 20-7 late in the first half. He’ll be a QB1 option at home next week against the very sad Raiders defense.
Giants – I pushed Eli Manning and Sterling Shepard hard yesterday, and they both came through. I’ve said this before and will say it again: a healthy Shepard should be a weekly fantasy starter.
Cardinals – I was pretty blunt with readers about Kerwynn Williams’ prospects probably two-dozen times yesterday. Bell-cow running backs don’t always make for good fantasy starters.
Redskins – My Samaje Peine pick fell flat. He’s now been sub-par in three straight and can’t be counted on for more than RB3 production next week against Denver.
Packers – Aaron Rodgers’ return was one of the biggest Week 15 stories. He surely fared better than I expected. In the backfield, on my podcast I warned that Jamaal Williams’ recent inefficient running would catch up to him in Carolina: https://soundcloud.com/user-780565013/week-15-fantasy-football-preview-bargains-and-busts. Williams’ story is a good example of how past fantasy production doesn’t tell the whole story.
Panthers – As expected, Greg Olsen came through. He’s one of several guys who rewarded patient fantasy managers Sunday.
Texans – DeAndre Hopkins is both QB-proof and cornerback-proof.
Jaguars – Why was I wary of Chris Ivory’s prospects Sunday? That’s why. Ivory had to do most of his damage in the first half (against a top 10 run D) in what was destined to be a blowout win. It simply didn’t add up. Meanwhile, Blake Bortles moves up to the 13th place among fantasy QBs and could crack the top 10 next week with another mid-range QB1 performance. And finally, how rough was it for some of you to see Marqise Lee getting knocked out in the first quarter--or Dede Westbrook laying an egg despite having a seeming clear path to relevance.
Rams – Todd Gurley stepped up in Seattle like perhaps no other back has come close to doing in Seattle in years. I’m disappointed in myself for not anticipating this rebound season. Credit FF4W commenter Joel Verzosa for anticipating this since June.
Seahawks – Seattle’s offensive struggles seemed ludicrous after one quarter and never really got better. This is a team that had scored 22+ in five straight games while being a top-third NFL team this season in points and yards. If they want to reach the postseason, they must overcome this shocking home-field shellacking and win their final two games.
Titans – I was shocked to see Rishard Matthews unrostered in 37% of ESPN leagues this weekend and hyped him in my podcast. He was headed toward a low-end WR2 season before getting hurt, and he remains a low-end WR2 today—in other words, a weekly starter in most leagues.
49ers – Marquise Goodwin is a target and reception machine.
Patriots – With the game on the line, Tom Brady went to Gronk. And then Gronk again. And then again. This is what you were hoping for when drafting the top-2 TE this summer. He’s now has three straight dominant games after being relatively hit-or-miss (based on lofty expectations) for much of the season.
Steelers – Sure, I think Pittsburgh got robbed. Now that that’s out of the way, if Antonio Brown misses time, Martavis Bryant and JuJu Smith-Schuster will be virtually must-start WRs next week against Houston.
Cowboys – Ezekiel Elliott will return Sunday against Seattle. I’m betting the most popular question asked on this page this week will be: “Is Zeke a safe start?” It’s not as obvious as it would have seemed six weeks ago.
Raiders – Michael Crabtree converted 17 targets into 39 yards. Two TDs bailed him out in what could have otherwise been the least efficient receiver performance in memory. That said, he got the job done for fantasy managers needing to sleep easy last night.