Fantasy Football Rankings, Tiers & Start/Sit Advice (Week 15)

I have a confession.

As excited as I am about the fantasy playoffs — the thrilling culmination of another wild ride on the FF roller coaster — I’m even more excited to start putting together an initial set of 2025 fantasy rankings.

Weird, huh?

It’s not that it’s been a bad season and I want to wash the taste of it out of my mouth (although I’ve certainly had those types of seasons before). It’s been a pretty good year in my redraft leagues. I’ll spare you the details; I find the whole “showing receipts” thing ostentatious and distasteful. But my wife will be happy to know that I’m not going to lose money on fantasy football in 2024.

It’s more about my restless nature. I’m always looking ahead to the next thing. I probably need to take a lesson from Ferdinand the Bull and sit down under a tree to smell the flowers.

But seriously, I’m pretty jazzed up about doing 2025 rankings.

There are so many interesting situations to ponder. For instance …

I’m fired up to dig into this stuff, even if I should be squarely focused on the 2024 fantasy playoffs for the next few weeks.

But here’s the thing: The fantasy season is already over for some unlucky souls, and some of you might get the axe blade this week. But you’re a hopeless fantasy football addict just like I am, and elimination from the playoffs won’t break your addiction.

I wish you a successful playoff run that ends with trophies, winner’s checks and bragging. But soon after the confetti has been swept up, you’re going to start thinking about next season.

Don’t worry, my friend. My FantasyPros colleagues and I will have you covered.

But for now, our concern is Week 15, so let’s get into it.

As always, feel free to use these tiered rankings as a tiebreaker for your difficult lineup decisions. Beneath the tiers, I’ll offer a few brief thoughts on some of the borderline start/sit guys and some other interesting cases.

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Fantasy Football Rankings, Tiers & Start/Sit Advice (Week 15)

QUARTERBACKS

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Bo Nix has been extraordinarily consistent for a rookie QB, and he’s improved as a passer over the course of the season. Nix has thrown multiple TD passes in six of his last nine games, and he’s thrown for at least 273 yards in each of his last three games. My one small beef with Nix — and the reason I have him ranked as a low-end QB1 this week rather than a midrange QB1 — is that he’s stopped running. Over the first nine weeks of the season, Nix averaged 6.4 rushing attempts and 32.8 rushing yards a game, and he had four TD runs over those nine games. Over his last four games, Nix has nine carries for nine yards and no rushing touchdowns.

Jameis Winston has averaged 43.2 pass attempts over his six starts for the Browns, with at least 41 pass attempts in all but one of those games. Winston is averaging 315 passing yards and two TD passes a game. Winston’s Week 15 matchup against Kansas City isn’t easy, but since it’s so hard to run on the Chiefs, it’s easy to see Winston airing it out 40-plus times again this week. I think we’re going to see Winston put up another big yardage total.

Justin Herbert is banged up, dealing with a thigh contusion sustained on a big hit from Chiefs LB Nick Bolton last Sunday night. Herbert isn’t going to have TE Will Dissly this week, and it’s possible Herbert will once again be without the services of his best wide receiver, Ladd McConkey, who missed Week 14 with knee and shoulder injuries. If he doesn’t have McConkey or Dissly, Herbert is left with a weak group of pass catchers, and it seems unlikely that he’s going to do much running on that bad wheel. Even in a matchup against a Buccaneers defense that’s giving up a league-high 21.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, Herbert should be viewed as a QB2 for Week 15.

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RUNNING BACKS

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Find a way to get Rico Dowdle into your lineup. He’s had two straight 100-yard rushing games. He’s had no fewer than 18 carries in any of his last three games. He’s also has seven receptions over his last three games. Dowdle faces a Carolina defense that ranks dead last in DVOA vs. the run and has given up the most fantasy points, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns to RBs. I have Dowdle ranked as a low-end RB1.

Unless you’re in a small league, you probably won’t be able to consider benching Alvin Kamara. But I’m not excited about Kamara’s Week 15 outlook. The Saints are likely to be without Derel Carr, who’s recovering from a hand injury and a concussion. When Derek Carr missed three games earlier this season from Week 6 to Week 8, Kamara averaged 39 rushing yards and scored one touchdown over those three games. Kamara is probably going to be playing with a backup this week, and I worry that the Saints might manage his workload pretty carefully Sunday against Washington. Why overwork the 29-year-old running back you just signed to a contract extension when it’s a lost season? And besides, it looks like the Saints want to audition second-year back Kendre Miller to see whether he deserves to be Kamara’s primary backup in 2025. I have Kamara ranked RB16.

Tyrone Tracy has been wildly impressive this season, but it’s hard to feel great about his prospects for Week 15. Tracy has a brutal matchup against the rugged Baltimore run defense, and his offensive line is falling apart. The Giants have been without stud left tackle Andrew Thomas for a while. They’ve been playing without tackle Jermaine Eluemunor for a couple of weeks, and they just lost guard Jon Runyan to an ankle injury. Tracy has had fewer than 50 rushing yards in three straight games, and his last two games have been against the Cowboys and Saints — not exactly tough matchups for RBs.

Over his last seven games, Rhamondre Stevenson is averaging 3.1 yards per carry. He’s had fewer than 20 rushing yards in three of those games. The decent games he’s had during that stretch were all against shaky run defenses: 74 rushing yards against the Bears in Week 10, 73 yards against the Rams in Week 11, and 73 yards vs. the Colts in Week 14. Rhamondre has gone four straight games without a touchdown. It’s hard to get excited about his outlook even against an Arizona defense that was pummeled by Seattle’s Zach Charbonnet last week.

Sean Payton’s RB usage has been wildly unpredictable last season, but when we last saw the Broncos before their Week 14 bye, Jaleel McLaughlin was pacing the Denver running game with 14 carries for 84 yards against the Browns. By no means is McLaughlin a safe Week 15 play when Payton has such an itchy RB finger. But I tend to think McLaughlin will lead the Broncos’ backfield again this week. He’s so much quicker than either Javonte Williams or Audric Estime, and McLaughlin is a good pass catcher. He gets a nice home matchup against the Colts, who’ve given up the second-most rushing yards to RBs this year. I think McLaughlin is at least flex-worthy.

The Raiders might get RB Alexander Mattison back from an ankle injury, but it appears that former undrafted free agent Sincere McCormick will continue to start at running back for Las Vegas. McCormick had 15 carries for 78 yards last week vs. a solid Tampa Bay run defense and added a couple of receptions for 11 yards. It’s hard to feel wildly confident in any facet of the Raiders’ offense when Desmond Ridder is likely to be starting at quarterback in place of the injured Aiden O’Connell, but the likelihood of McCormick getting at least a dozen touches against the Falcons this week makes him a high-end RB3.

Tank Bigsby had 18 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown against a tough Titans run defense last week, while Travis Etienne logged only four carries. But it’s hard to get too enthusiastic about Bigsby this week knowing that his workload is so heavily dependent on game script. Bigsby has only five receptions this year, so it’s potentially disastrous for Bigsby stakeholders if the Jaguars fall behind by multiple scores and have to throw to try to get back into the game. The Jags are 3-10 and have been outscored by 107 points, so a favorable game script is far from guaranteed, even in a home matchup against the 3-10 Jets. Bigsby is capable of a big game if circumstances are favorable, but an unstable floor makes Bigsby a midrange RB3.

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WIDE RECEIVERS

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I’ve been getting a lot of start/sit questions involving D.K. Metcalf this week. Clearly, confidence in Metcalf is running low. He gone four straight games without a touchdown and hasn’t topped 70 receiving yards in any game during that stretch. The emergence of Jaxson Smith-Njigba is probably denting Metcalf’s fantasy value at least a little. But at the same time, Tyler Lockett has virtually disappeared from the Seattle offense, so it’s not as if the target outlook for Metcalf is bleak. I’m slotting Metcalf at WR19, fairly well above consensus. I still think Metcalf is one of the 20 best receivers in the NFL, and I’m happy to keep betting on a big, freakishly athletic receiver who’s averaged nine touchdowns and just under 1,100 yards a season over his career.

Malik Nabers‘ matchup against the Ravens looks appealing on the surface, but can we count on Giants QB Tommy DeVito to take advantage of an easy matchup? Ever since Nabers came back from a concussion in Week 7, he’s averaged 61.9 receiving yards per game, 9.6 yards per catch and 5.9 yards per target. Nabers hasn’t scored a touchdown in any of those seven games, and he’s tied for WR38 in half-point PPR fantasy points per game over that span. Nabers is absurdly talented, but he’s stuck in an unhealthy offensive ecosystem. I’m ranking him as a high-end WR3 this week even in a seemingly sexy matchup.

Jordan Addison is a hard player to rank. He’s had two smash games over the last three weeks, with 8-162-1 against the Bears in Week 12 and 8-133-3 against the Falcons last week. But Addison has had 42 or fewer receiving yards in five of the 11 games he’s played this season. The Bears’ pass defense ranks a respectable 14th in DVOA and has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. But Addison lit Chicago ablaze like Mrs. O’Leary’s cow a few weeks ago, and I don’t want to bet against a good receiver who’s on a heater. I’m ranking Addison as a midrange WR3 and want to find a way to get him into my lineup if he’s on my roster.

The 34-year-old Adam Thielen is defying Father Time. Over his last two games, he’s caught 17-of-21 targets for 201 yards and a touchdown. Thielen is Bryce Young‘s security blanket. The veteran receiver had 103 catches last year. After missing significant time with a hamstring injury earlier this season, Thielen is now looking healthy and frisky. Consider him a midrange WR3 who gains a little extra value in full-point PPR formats.

This week on the FantasyPros Football Podcast, I talked about how I hate that Marvin Harrison Jr.‘s average depth of target this year is 13.4 yards. He just seems miscast as a vertical receiver. Not that MHJ is on the same planet as Ja’Marr Chase, but I wish the Cardinals would use Harrison similarly to the way the Bengals use Chase. Who has an average depth of target of 9.4 yards this year. Joe Burrow will absolutely attack downfield with Chase, but the Bengals also dial up some short, easy throws to Chase and let him do his thing after the catch. I’d love to see the Cardinals do more of that with Harrison. But anyway … Harrison has had two 100-yard games this season. In his 11 other games, he’s had 64 or fewer yards. Harrison is probably going to see a lot of Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez this week — a difficult matchup. Clip out this paragraph and use it as your excuse not to start Harrison in your first-round fantasy playoff game.

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TIGHT ENDS

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Tucker Kraft has become Jordan Love‘s favorite red-zone target. In the 10 games since Love came back from an early-season knee injury, Kraft has scored seven touchdowns. Target distribution is a weekly crapshoot for the pass catchers in the Green Bay offense, but Kraft has averaged a respectable 44.4 yards per game since Week 4. He draws a favorable Week 15 matchup against a Seattle defense that has given up the eighth-most receptions and 10th-most receiving yards to TEs.

Jake Ferguson has played three games with Cooper Rush at quarterback and missed two of Rush’s starts with a concussion. Ferguson has eight catches for 67 yards in the three games he’s played with Rush — although in fairness, it’s more like two games, since Ferguson only played seven snaps against the Texans in Week 11 before being knocked out with that head injury. Those aren’t exciting numbers, but Ferguson is about to face the Panthers, who have given up the most fantasy points to TEs. Tight ends have racked up 10 TD catches against Carolina this season.

If you’re in a pinch and need to stream a tight end, may I recommend Cleveland’s Jordan Akins? The Browns are expected to be without David Njoku, who’s dealing with a hamstring injury. Jameis Winston has been throwing like crazy since taking over as Cleveland’s starting QB, and the Browns will be facing a Chiefs defense that has allowed a league-high 86 receptions and 1,015 receiving yards to TEs.

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Pat Fitzmaurice

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Pat Fitzmaurice is the managing editor and a fantasy football analyst at FantasyPros.

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