Fantasy Football: Week 15 Sunday Superlatives
Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
The fifteenth Sunday of the NFL season helped solidify the postseason picture while either causing euphoria or extreme heartache for fantasy owners in the semi-finals of the fantasy playoffs.
We also witnessed San Francisco (11-3) lose as double-digit home favorites to the Atlanta Falcons (5-9) while the Oakland Raiders blew a 13-point fourth-quarter lead in their final home game in the Black Hole.
Jameis Winston made NFL history. Julio Jones, Miles Sanders, Saquon Barkley, and Christian McCaffrey were exceptional, while the Buffalo Bills showed they would be a team to fear in the AFC playoffs.
Let's take a look back at the week that was.
Surprise of the Week
Kenyan Drake, RB, Cardinals
Drake, who had single-digit PPR fantasy football points in two straight games before Sunday, was sensational in Week 15 against the Browns posting 39.6 points. The fourth-year running back rushed for 137 yards while scoring four touchdowns on the ground. This performance was easily the biggest surprise of the week, not only considering Drake's recent outings but also the fact that he had topped 14 PPR points only once all season. Drake will face the 18th-ranked Seattle run defense in Week 16 in a game the experts out in Vegas envision as a high scoring affair with a 50.5-point implied total.
Top Quarterback
Jameis Winston, QB, Buccaneers
Winston, who gave all fantasy owners a scare by being listed as questionable all last week with a thumb injury, stayed red-hot on Sunday by throwing four touchdown passes for the second consecutive week. The veteran quarterback, who posted a league-best 38.3 fantasy points, made NFL history becoming the first quarterback throw for more than 450 yards in back-to-back games. Winston should have every opportunity to carry owners in the championship round of the fantasy playoffs in a home Saturday matchup against the Houston Texans. The boys out in Vegas have installed the game with the highest point total (53) of the week, so owners should fire up Winston with extreme confidence.
Top Running Back
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Panthers
McCaffrey once again was dominant rushing for 87 yards and two touchdowns, while adding eight receptions for 88 yards against the Seahawks. His 37.5 PPR fantasy points displayed why the third-year back is easily the best skill position player in fantasy football. To put his season in perspective, McCaffrey has posted 21-plus PPR fantasy points in 12 of 14 games with 30-plus efforts seven times. Simply amazing. The star back projects to have the highest ceiling of any running back in Week 16 against the Colts.
Top Wide Receiver
Julio Jones, WR, Falcons
The veteran wideout, who hadn't found the end zone since back in Week 3, was outstanding on Sunday against the 49ers. Jones hauled in 13 of 20 targets for 134 yards and two touchdowns against the league's top-ranked pass defense. The ninth-year wide receiver's stellar performance was a pleasant surprise as his 38.4 fantasy points were a season-best. Fantasy owners should be giddy to fire up Jones against a 19th-ranked Jaguars secondary that has surrendered 21 passing touchdowns and the seventh-most yards per catch (7.9).
Biggest Busts
Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots
Many fantasy owners were expecting the star wide receiver to post a big stat line against Cincinnati after having posted 17-plus PPR fantasy points in six consecutive games. However, the normal reliable stud wideout was quiet in Week 15, only catching two of five targets for 9 yards. Edelman, who came in nursing shoulder and knee injuries, was not at full strength leading to his lowest output of the season (2.9 points). Edelman, owned in 100% of leagues, may find it hard to bounce back next Saturday when the Patriots face a Buffalo defense that held him to just 30 yards back in Week 4.
Kirk Cousins, QB, Vikings
The veteran signal-caller, owned in 96% of leagues, threw for just 207 yards in Sunday's 39-10 victory over the Chargers. Cousins, who has now failed to throw multiple touchdown passes in back-to-back games, has a Monday night matchup in Week 16 against Green Bay. However, be aware that the Packers fifth-best pass defense has allowed one or fewer touchdown passes to opposing quarterbacks in five of their last six games.
Phillip Lindsay, RB, Broncos
Lindsay, who is owned in 99% of leagues, was a colossal disappointment on Sunday in the snow at Arrowhead against the Chiefs. The second-year back saved his worst rushing performance of the season (32 yards) for the semi-finals of the fantasy playoffs and burned any owner who showed faith in starting him. With less than 58 rushing yards in four consecutive games and just one touchdown over that span, fantasy owners will find it hard to trust employing him in Week 16 against the Lions when the hardware and glory are on the line.
Please Don't Miss Championship Week
Dalvin Cook, RB, Vikings
Cook, who ranks as the second-best running back in fantasy football, has been everything owners yearned for and more in 2019 posting 13-plus fantasy points in every game before Sunday against the Chargers. The third-year back was forced out in the third quarter after suffering a shoulder injury, only able to manage to earn 7.3 points before exiting. Cook could now be forced to miss a pivotal Week 16 against the Packers, leaving his owners with a gaping hole in their lineups.
Chris Godwin, WR, Buccaneers
Godwin entered Week 15 ranked as the second-best fantasy wide receiver and was solid once again making five receptions for 121 yards against the Lions. However, according to initial reports, it appears the emerging star could miss the remainder of the season after suffering a severe hamstring injury.
Remove Their Face From The Side Of Milk Cartons
Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants
Tyler Lockett, WR, Seahawks
It might have been too late for Barkley and Lockett owners to reap the benefits if they weren't able to survive to the semi-finals of your fantasy league. However, if you somehow advanced with these two highly drafted disappointments, you were rewarded in Week 15. Barkley, who has battled a high ankle sprain for most of the season, posted his first 100-plus yard rushing game since back in Week 2 en route to a season-best 30.3 fantasy points. Lockett, who had recorded fewer than 43 receiving yards in four consecutive games before Sunday, exploded for eight catches for 120 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers. Both stars could close the 2019 fantasy season on a high note and carry owners to fantasy championships with favorable matchups. Barkley gets to face the 28th-ranked Redskins defense that was just torched by Miles Sanders, while Lockett gets a juicy matchup with the worst pass defense in the NFL when Seattle faces Arizona.
Stop & Take Notice
Miles Sanders, RB, Eagles
Sanders was phenomenal on Sunday against the Redskins running for a career-best 122 yards and a touchdown while also adding six receptions for 50 yards and a score in the air. Fantasy owners will be hoping the rookie running back can maintain his recent success of double-digit PPR efforts in four straight games when Philadelphia battles with Dallas in a game that will decide the NFC East.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams
Higbee, who we highlighted as a top streaming option last week, continued his late-season monster breakout hauling in a career-high 12 receptions for 111 yards in Sunday 44-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The fourth-year veteran has now caught 26 passes for 334 yards and a touchdown over the Rams' last three games. Higbee, who has posted three consecutive 100-plus receiving games since taking over for the injured Gerald Everett (knee), has emerged as a top target for Jared Goff. The former backup could find tougher sledding in Week 16 against a 49ers defense that has only surrendered six touchdowns to opposing tight ends all season.
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