Fantasy Football Bold Predictions: Week 15 (2024)

Hallelujah! I snapped my cold streak last week. As I boldly said he would, Justin Jefferson went off, exceeding 100 receiving yards with two receiving touchdowns. It was my only correct prediction since the Falcons didn’t bring in Michael Penix, and Tony Pollard couldn’t score a touchdown with his 100-plus scrimmage yards. For the year, my bold predictions have gone 11-26 (0.297). If I can go 2-1 with my three bold predictions this week, I’ll be at my season-long goal of a 0.333 batting average. With that in mind, I’m locked in and ready for this week’s bold predictions.

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Fantasy Football Week 15 Bold Predictions

Jaleel McLaughlin Will Have 10-Plus Half Point Per Reception (Half PPR) and 12-Plus PPR Points in Week 15

In Week 13, Jaleel McLaughlin had 14 rush attempts, 84 rushing yards, 6.0 yards per carry, 4.6 yards before contact per attempt, 1.4 yards after contact per attempt, one broken tackle, only two yards lost on tackles for a loss, three rushes for 10-plus yards, two targets and one reception for zero yards. The second-year running back had season highs for carries and rushing yards in Denver’s final game before their Week 14 bye.

The Broncos haven’t run the ball efficiently, and Sean Payton has looked for a spark by rotating the hot hand at the position. McLaughlin has limitations as an undersized running back, but he should have plenty of gas in the tank since he was used sparingly before his Week 13 outburst. McLaughlin also had seven rushes for 44 yards in Week 12 before getting more opportunities in Week 13.

So, it would make sense for Payton to keep riding him until the second-year pro gives him a reason to throttle down his touches. The Broncos are 4.0-point favorites at home, and McLaughlin has a favorable matchup in a likely positive game script. According to Pro Football Reference, the Colts have faced the second-most rush attempts per game (26.7) by running backs this year, coughing up 118.0 rushing yards per game, 0.85 rushing touchdowns per game, 4.69 receptions per game, 35.6 receiving yards per game and 0.08 receiving touchdowns per game to them. McLaughlin can take advantage of his favorable matchup and probable positive game script and score 10-plus fantasy points in half PPR and 12-plus points in PPR formats this week.

Brian Robinson Will Be a Top-5 Running Back in All Scoring Formats in Week 15

Brian Robinson is ranked as the RB12 in the expert consensus rankings (ECR) in standard leagues, the RB14 in half PPR and the RB15 in PPR, and those rankings are downright disrespectful to Robinson. The Commanders are 7.5-point favorites, and the Saints are a mouthwatering matchup for running backs. The Saints have allowed the seventh-most half PPR points per game (22.6) to running backs this season. Running backs have steamrolled the Saints for 107.5 rushing yards per game and 1.08 rushing touchdowns per game to running backs this season, and Robinson should be a workhorse without Austin Ekeler.

In two games without Ekeler this year, Robinson has tallied 37 rush attempts (18.5 per game), 204 rushing yards (102.0 per game), two rushing touchdowns, four targets, four receptions (2.0 per game) and 18 receiving yards (9.0 per game). Robinson should push for 20 touches and at least one touchdown against the Saints, and if he’s well under 20 touches, it probably means he scored multiple touchdowns and efficiently piled up yards against New Orleans in a blowout victory.

Stone Smartt is a Top-12 Tight End in Half PPR and PPR Formats in Week 15

Stone Smartt is next up at tight end for the Chargers. Will Dissly is out, and Hayden Hurst is on the Injured Reserve (IR). Smartt was a wide receiver at Old Dominion, albeit an unproductive one. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), in eight games in Smartt’s final collegiate season in 2021, he had just 24 targets, 17 receptions, 167 receiving yards and zero touchdowns on 173 routes.

Still, Smartt had a decent showing in relief of Dissly last week. According to the data suite at Fantasy Points, in Week 14, Smartt ran 11 routes and had 41 air yards, three targets, 0.27 targets per route run, a 13.0% first-read percentage, three receptions, 54 receiving yards and 4.91 yards per route run. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman has a history of creating fantasy production for tight ends, and Dissly was his latest unexpected success story. Smartt’s receiving prowess should help him step up in Dissly’s absence, and he has a sweet matchup. The Buccaneers have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game (12.2) to tight ends this year.

The Chargers need pass-catching weapons to step up, and Smartt has an opportunity to be a critical part of the passing attack, especially if Ladd McConkey is hindered by his injuries or inactive. Even if the talented rookie wide receiver plays to his pre-injury level, there’s room for secondary and tertiary options to carve out a role in Los Angeles’s recent pass-leaning offense. According to RotoViz’s pace app, the Chargers have had a 61% situation-neutral pass rate in the previous two weeks without J.K. Dobbins.

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.