Week 15 Fantasy Fallout

By: Mike Johnson (Mjohnson86) and Tony Kneepkens (Tonytk44)

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start Jahmyr Gibbs right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams for the coming week and beyond.

FALCONS @ BUCS

• Kyle Pitts had the game of his life, and one of the best games from a TE in a while, catching 11 of 12 targets for a massive 166-3 receiving line in the Falcons comeback win over the Bucs. Pitts remains a strong weekly starting option, but these were just his second, third, and fourth TD grabs of the season.

• Both Mike Evans (8-132) and Jalen McMillan (2-38) returned to the Tampa Bay lineup after extended injury absences, rounding out one of the deepest and most talented WR rooms in the league.

• Bucky Irving was afforded 19 of the team’s 25 RB opportunities but had just 71 scoreless scrimmage yards. The usage was great, there should be better fantasy scores to come.

RAVENS @ BENGALS

• The frigid temperatures and a dominant defensive performance left the Ravens offense operating in a very conservative manner in their convincing victory and running only 41 offensive plays. The result was pedestrian outings for Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Zay Flowers – while everyone else didn’t put up any sort of usable fantasy production.

• Ja’Marr Chase had an outstanding game, but the rest of the Bengals pass catchers were a mess without Tee Higgins on the field.

• Chase Brown and Samaje Perine worked in a 60-40 timeshare yet again.

RAIDERS @ EAGLES

• The Raiders offense was atrocious, as expected, in a road game against an elite defense with a lot to play for. Things don’t get easier next week when they travel to play the Texans.

• The Eagles only threw the ball 18 times and scored touchdowns on three of those passes in an efficient outing that came at just the right time. Start all your Eagles next week in their matchup with the Commanders.

CARDINALS @ TEXANS

• Jacoby Brissett continues to thrive in trailing game scripts and had another big fantasy outing while Trey McBride went nuclear. Michael Wilson also had a strong game as the Cardinals reminded us all that volume trumps matchup for fantasy football.

• Cardinals running back Bam Knight suffered an injury on the first play of the game and did not return. This resulted in a full-time role for RB Michael Carter, who will be a strong option next week against the Falcons if Knight remains out.

• Texans RB Nick Chubb was inactive and rookie RB Woody Marks was on his way to a great day before a knee injury took him out for the last 2.5 quarters. This is a situation to monitor heading into a terrific matchup against the Raiders.

CHARGERS @ CHIEFS

• Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in the fourth quarter of a loss that knocked Kansas City out of the playoffs. Gardner Minshew should start the remainder of the season, while we could see the Chiefs shut down some other key players and veterans down the stretch.

• The Chargers won a hard-fought road battle and kept themselves in contention to win the AFC West behind strong defense and gritty offense. Wide receiver Quentin Johnston missed this game, which resulted in rookie WR Tre’ Harris leading the team in snaps. None of the pass catchers posted a strong game in the tough matchup, however.

• Running backs Kimani Vidal and Omarion Hampton worked in a near-even timeshare once again and that seems likely to continue to be the case down the stretch until/unless one of them gets hurt. Both will be in consideration as Flex plays next week against the Cowboys.

BILLS @ PATRIOTS

• Josh Allen and James Cook led the Bills to an epic comeback victory to keep their AFC East title hopes alive. Obviously we are starting both of them every week.

• Bills tight end Dawson Knox caught two touchdown passes in the victory, while Knox, TE Dalton Kincaid, and WR Khalil Shakir were the only players to be targeted more than three times. 

• Patriots rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson had his second explosion of the season in a terrific matchup with the Bills leaky run defense. He will likely have tougher sledding next week against the Ravens.

• Drake Maye ran for two first-half touchdowns and Henderson ran for two, which resulted in another week where no Patriots tight ends or receivers did anything worthwhile.

JETS @ JAGUARS

• The Jets offense was rough with rookie Brady Cook at quarterback on the road against a very good opponent. We will have to monitor who is under center next week for a more appealing matchup against the Saints.

• The Jaguars were rolling in this one, scoring 48 total points as Trevor Lawrence continued his red-hot play and Travis Etienne Jr. had his best game of the season. Both will be tested next week in a difficult matchup in Denver.

COMMANDERS @ GIANTS

• Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. was ruled out the morning of the game, which resulted in a strong role for fan-favorite Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt. He did not disappoint, finishing with 18 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown. Rodriguez was close to playing and will likely return next week in a tougher matchup with the Eagles, making all the Washington running backs unplayable except in the deepest of leagues.

• Jaxson Dart had a strong fantasy outing but just missed out on a much bigger score thanks to a few tough plays from the Giants, including multiple dropped touchdowns. Dart will have one of his toughest matchups of the season next week against the complex Vikings defense.

• Tyrone Tracy Jr. emerged from the Giants bye week and dominated the backfield’s snaps and touches. The Giants are 2-12 with an eye toward the future, so we should expect Tracy to continue his bell-cow role going forward.

BROWNS @ BEARS

• The Browns offense was thoroughly dominated by the Bears in cold weather as they were unable to get their running game going and rookie QB Shedeur Sanders struggled throwing the ball in predictable situations. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. was once again the primary target for Sanders, as he was targeted on 14 of 35 attempts, which is a massive 40% target share.

• Bears RB D’Andre Swift scored twice and nearly had 100 rushing yards as Chicago imposed its will on the ground. Kyle Monangai was still involved and will vulture touches inside the five-yard line, but Swift is the main guy here and will be featured next week in a huge divisional matchup with the Packers. 

• Rome Odunze was active for the game but aggravated his foot injury in pre-game warmups and therefore did not play. Rookie WR Luther Burden III led the team with seven targets but also left due to an injury that will need to be monitored. Veteran DJ Moore showed he’s still got it, as he led the team in receiving and caught two touchdowns.

PANTHERS @ SAINTS

• Tyler Shough threw for 272-1 and led the Saints with 32 rushing yards in their surprise win over the division-leading Panthers. He remains competent enough to support star WR Chris Olave (6-85-1) on a weekly basis.

• Rookie RB Devin Neal scored an early TD but left the game with a hamstring injury. Audric Estime led the Saints backfield with nine touches for 50 yards in Neal’s absence.

• Rico Dowdle handled 17 of the Panthers’ 26 RB touches and had 54 total yards and a TD. Chuba Hubbard handled the rest of the work for 38 scoreless yards.

LIONS @ RAMS

• Davante Adams left the game with a hamstring injury after a 4-71 start. He seems unlikely to play Week 16 with a quick turnaround on TNF. Matthew Stafford leaned on Puka Nacua and TE Colby Parkinson (5-75-2) through the air.

• Jared Goff matched Stafford through the air, peppering his star WR duo of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams for an outrageous combined 20-298-3 stat line.

• Both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum topped 70 yards on the ground and they combined for three rushing TDs in another strong Rams’ rushing performance. Lions superstar Jahmyr Gibbs struggled to find any room to operate and Detroit's RB duo combined for just 70-1 rushing on 20 carries. 

COLTS @ SEAHAWKS

• QB legend Phillip Rivers completed two-thirds of his passes and tossed a TD to Josh Downs, the only touchdown scored in a game that featured nine made field goals. The yardage count wasn’t impressive, but Rivers looked better than some more appropriately-aged QBs have against an athletic Seahawks defense this season.

• Indy fed JT 28 touches and backup RB Ameer Abdullah led the Colts with five catches for 32 yards through the air. No Colts WR or TE topped Michael Pittman’s 3-26 tally.

• The Seattle offense followed their usual pattern: Darnold was fine, JSN topped 100 yards, and their RB duo had gross rushing lines of 8/31 and 9/17. Seattle plays at the Rams in a massive Week 16 matchup on Thursday Night Football.

TITANS @ 49ERS

• Brocky Purdy had his best fantasy performance of the season against the generous Titans defense, passing for 295-3 and adding 44 rushing yards. Purdy featured star TE George KIttle and WRs Ricky Pearsall (6-96) and Jauan Jennings (3-37-2) in their home victory.

• Tony Pollard topped 100 yards and a score for a second straight week, as he’s been the focal point of an offensive surge for the young Tennessee offense. 

• Titans QB Cam Ward passed for 170-2, focusing most of his attention on his TE duo of Gunnar Helm (4-49-1) and Chig Okonkwo (4-33).

PACKERS @ BRONCOS

• Bo Nix thrived against a tough GB defense, passing for a massive 302-4 line, throwing his TDs to four different WRs. Courtland Sutton (7-113-1) and Troy Franklin (6-85-1) continue to lead the way for Denver.

• Rookie RB RJ Harvey churned out a 65-1 rushing line on 19 carries but didn’t catch a pass. He remains a strong weekly fantasy starter as the volume is there, and he has the potential for some huge fantasy games in a solid Broncos offense.

• Packers’ WR Christian Watson left the game with a shoulder/chest injury and was taken to the hospital for observation. An unfortunate turn of events in an otherwise exciting comeback season for Watson. Certainly a situation to monitor, but his chances of starting in Week 16 seem slim.

• WRs Jayden Reed (5-55) and Matthew Golden (3-55) led GB in receiving with TE Luke Musgrave (4-52) not far behind. These are the names, along with Romeo Doubs (2-36) and possibly Dontayvion Wicks (1-6), likely to feature in the GB passing game in the short-term.

VIKINGS @ COWBOYS

• J.J. McCarthy continued to show his fantasy-friendly skill set, tossing two TDs to Jalen Nailor and adding another on the ground in a SNF victory in Dallas. JJM still isn’t quite on the same page with superstar WR Justin Jefferson (2-22 on eight targets), but he did find TJ Hockenson (5-66) and Jordan Addison (2-66) for some big plays.

• Vikings RBs Aaron Jones (15 touches, 65 yards) and Jordan Mason (10 carries, 29 yards) split the rushing work pretty evenly. This was a good example of why Jones remains the preferred fantasy play, the veteran runner often sees a slight majority of the RB carries and most of the RB passing game work.

• Dallas RB Javonte Williams left the game with a shoulder injury after scoring an early TD. Malik Davis handled most of the RB work for the rest of the first half before Williams returned to handle most of the rushing work but didn’t see a target in the passing game. A situation to monitor, as Javonte’s rushing/receiving role has been one of the best in the league for much of the year.

• WR Ryan Flournoy (4-40) maintained his hold on the third WR spot for the Cowboys this week. He’s well down their well-established offensive pecking order, but Flournoy has some deep-league appeal (and significant contingent upside) behind his star WR teammates.