Week 15 was most fantasy football leagues’ first week of the playoffs. The fantasy playoffs began with a bang, with notable performances, both good and bad, that gamers should account for.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Week 15 Takeaways
Surprises
The Vikings Might Have Stumbled Into a Spark in the Backfield
Alexander Mattison had back-to-back 90-plus-yard rushing performances in Week 3 and Week 4 but cleared 80 rushing yards only once after that. He hasn’t averaged over 4.0 yards per carry in a season since 2020, sitting at 3.9 this season, 3.8 in 2022 and 3.7 in 2021.
He was out in Week 15, and Ty Chandler added much-needed juice to the backfield. He had 23 of Minnesota’s backfield’s 24 rush attempts, rumbling for 132 yards and a touchdown. Chandler also had four targets, three receptions and 25 receiving yards.
The second-year pro’s underlying data was mouthwatering, too. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), he had both goal-line opportunities, all nine short-yardage chances and handled the two-minute drill. As a result, he ran 17 routes versus three for Kene Nwangwu and three for fullback C.J. Ham.
Chandler is a no-brainer top-20 RB as long as Mattison is out. However, he might have Wally Pipped Mattison anyway, and Chandler is a viable RB2/flex even when Mattison returns.
Miami’s Passing Goes Through Their No. 2 Wideout When Their No. 1 Wideout Is Out
Jaylen Waddle was peppered with targets in previous games when Tyreek Hill missed stretches of contests. However, the third-year pro erased any possible doubt he would be a target hog without Miami’s No. 1 wideout. Waddle had a 33.3% target share on Tua Tagovailoa‘s 24 pass attempts, corraling eight receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown against Gang Green’s vaunted pass defense.
Mike McDaniel said Hill was “pretty close” to playing against the Jets. Thus, he should return in Week 16. Yet, Waddle’s stellar showing could prompt McDaniel to take some work off Hill’s plate. Waddle is a slam-dunk fantasy starter in potential shootouts in Week 16 and Week 17 against the Cowboys and Ravens.
Disappointments
Arthur Smith Hasn’t Learned Anything
Arthur Smith is a dunce. He absolutely refuses to feature Atlanta’s high first-round picks from the past three NFL Drafts. Smith doesn’t get a pass for the dreadful weather in Carolina. According to PFF, Bijan Robinson was on the field for 30 snaps, ran 11 routes, had two targets and rushed seven times. Tyler Allgeier was at 26, six, one and 14 and Cordarrelle Patterson was at 14, six, two and five. It’s a three-RB committee.
The idiocy didn’t end there. Drake London and Kyle Pitts had seven combined targets on Desmond Ridder‘s 20 pass attempts because the ball needed to be spread around to seven other players as well. Robinson isn’t a locked-in starter for gamers who survived his dud, and London and Pitts can’t be trusted in 14-team leagues or shallower. Still, the disappointment with Smith was included as something to file away for offseason best-ball drafts, dynasty leagues and re-draft formats in 2024 if the Falcons don’t fire Smith.
Big Blue’s Offense Came Up Small
Tommy DeVito was back to his sack-taking ways in Week 15. After avoiding sacks in Week 14, he was sacked seven times on Sunday. The rookie undrafted free agent has been sacked at least five times in five of his past six games. The G-Men are in Philadelphia next week and at home against the Rams in Week 17. Both defenses are outstanding choices to stream, even with the risk of Tyrod Taylor replacing DeVito as the starting quarterback.
Sadly, DeVito’s crash back to Earth was suboptimal for Big Blue’s offensive weapons. That’s only one concern for Saquon Barkley. As Nathan Jahnke said at PFF, Barkley lost third-down work to Matt Breida and, in garbage time, Eric Gray. Barkley ran 16 routes, Breida ran 16 and Gray ran nine. Barkley also had only nine of the backfield’s 12 rush attempts.
On a lousy offense, Barkley must have a bell-cow role to be trusted as an RB2. The Giants are a non-contender, even though they’re not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. However, they could conceivably take a more extended look at Gray as a potential replacement for Barkley or reduce their workhorse running back’s workload if they intend to negotiate a long-term deal in the offseason.
Miscellaneous Note
The Lions Have No Weather Worries the Remainder of the Season
The Lions could have been featured in the surprises section. However, the look forward is equally important. Jared Goff had a stinker in Chicago in Week 14 and lit up Denver’s stingy pass defense in Detroit in Week 15. Goff completed 24 of 34 pass attempts for 278 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Much has been made of Goff’s significantly better numbers at home with the Lions than on the road. However, his numbers in domes and stadiums with retractable roofs have been better than outdoors throughout his career.
The good news for Goff, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta is the Lions don’t play another game outside in the regular season. It’s wheels up for all of Detroit’s fantasy-relevant players, and they can carry fantasy teams to a championship.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.