One of my favorite movies is Anchorman. Will Ferrell’s character Ron Burgundy churns out a number of classic lines, some of which can be applied to fantasy football. “That escalated quickly” applies on numerous occasions for example. But this time of year, a line from another Ferrell flick stands out even more. In Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, the famous driver states “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” Anyone competing for a fantasy championship needs to operate with that mindset when looking at our NFL Week 15 fantasy football trends.
With our weekly Sizzle/Fizzle report, we always aim to offer enough newsworthy nuggets to help everyone’s title quest. So sit back, read up, and soak up some knowledge that will help you make pivotal decisions!
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Sizzle
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers – Several 49ers are Sizzle-worthy mentions. Emmanuel Sanders and Raheem Mostert shined in San Francisco’s big win over the Saints. However, in the end, Garoppolo earns a spot as the chosen one. Matching Drew Brees pass for pass, Garoppolo leads San Francisco to first place in the NFC West. Jimmy G throws for 349 yards and four touchdowns. Those numbers are hard to match, but with a softer Atlanta squad heading to California, make him your QB1 once again.
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Most of the time, people focus on Winston’s propensity to commit turnovers. And if you are in leagues where points are lost for giveaways, that can be a problem. But when Winston accounts for five touchdowns and 456 yards despite three turnovers, give him his due. And plan on starting him in a prime matchup against Detroit on Sunday, as long as he’s healthy. Even with Mike Evans lost for the season, Winston still has Chris Godwin. Additionally, players such as Justin Watson are capable of stepping up and burning Detroit’s vulnerable secondary. Winston also plays Houston in Week 16, another favorable draw.
Drew Lock, QB, Denver Broncos – Lock terrorizes the Texans for 309 yards and three touchdowns in just his second start. Has John Elway finally found his quarterback of the future? Two games do not make a career, but Denver seems invigorated with Lock at the helm. Should Lock continue his forward trajectory, the Broncos will be an intriguing group in 2020 with Noah Fant on the rise and Courtland Sutton poised for stardom. While his trip to Kansas City this weekend could be bumpy, crafty owners could start Lock in DFS in Week 16 against Detroit.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers – Jacksonville’s defense wants the offseason to get here as soon as possible. As a result, Ekeler journeys through the Jaguars for 213 total yards and a touchdown. Changes could be headed to the Chargers once the season ends. Nevertheless, Ekeler proves repeatedly he deserves a regular role, whether Melvin Gordon stays around or not.
Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals – Mixon contributes 186 total yards and a touchdown to fantasy coffers despite Cincinnati suffering yet another loss. His second half of the season has been much better than his first. New England’s defense ought to rebound from a couple of rough outings, but the Bengals have played better since Andy Dalton made a comeback. Enough volume heads Mixon’s way these days to keep him in your lineup. Modest numbers may be on the horizon against the Patriots, but if you finding yourself playing in Week 16, Mixon squares off with Miami.
A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans – Week after week of late, Derrick Henry qualifies for this list. So in the interest of variety, I decided to spotlight another Titan. Ryan Tannehill’s run as Tennessee’s starter has been grand so far. Part of the reason for Tannehill’s success happens to be the outstanding play of Brown. In Oakland last weekend, Brown pulls down five passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns. One of his touchdowns took place on an electric 91-yard play. Despite Tennessee’s run-centric ways, Brown and Tannehill need to stay in lineups all the way through title weekend.
Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants – The ghastly Giants give their fans another dose of heartbreak Monday night, losing in overtime to their hated rivals from Philadelphia. At least Slayton offers hope for the future. The rookie from Auburn raced through Philadelphia’s secondary for five receptions, 154 yards, and two touchdowns. It was Slayton’s third two-touchdown game of the season. Even with Eli Manning winding down, Slayton serves up a lot of upside with Miami and Washington ahead.
Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles – If Philadelphia ends up winning the NFC East, give tons of credit to Ertz. Zach attacks the Giants for nine receptions, 91 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. His second touchdown won the game in overtime. Fantasy owners who fumed a bit at Ertz earlier this year are all smiles now. With the Eagles down to the cast members of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” at wide receiver, Ertz and running mate Dallas Goedert will dominate targets on Sunday.
Fizzle
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers – After throwing four touchdowns in a win over the Giants, Rodgers busts in an appealing matchup against Washington. He throws for 195 yards and one touchdown. The best Aaron at Lambeau Field was again Aaron Jones, with 192 total yards and a score. Resurgent Chicago travels to Wisconsin this weekend. On opening night, the Bears limited Rodgers to 203 yard and one touchdown. As we have seen throughout 2019, no one should be considering Rodgers an automatic starter.
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills – Allen struggles in a big test vs. Baltimore. One of the most consistent fantasy players produces 146 passing yards and one touchdown in a 24-17 loss. Worse, Allen was held to nine yards on the ground. He usually shines as a runner. Now done with Baltimore, the Bills head to Pittsburgh and New England the next couple of weeks. Allen has been very good overall this year. Unfortunately, other alternatives are needed for your team as Buffalo goes through this brutal stretch.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals – Since Arizona’s Week 12 bye, Murray seems to be hitting the proverbial rookie wall. Murray’s been held under 200 passing yards in both games. He’s also been intercepted four times while accounting for three touchdowns. In defense of Murray, the Rams and Steelers are pretty tough to victimize. They represent real brick walls. The degree of difficulty drops considerably with Cleveland. Perhaps Murray takes down their wall and the rookie wall at the same time.
Le’Veon Bell, RB, New York Jets – Once upon a time, Bell bowls over defenders. Now, he bowls at the local alley instead of suiting up last Sunday. Supposedly dealing with an illness that prevented him from playing Miami, he was healthy enough to chase strikes and spares. Undoubtedly, next week will bring talk of Bell in a revenge game against Pittsburgh. However, Pittsburgh stands a much greater chance of getting revenge. With two largely lost years in a row, many fantasy owners will take their own revenge against Bell and place him on the “do not draft” list.
Derrius Guice, RB, Washington Redskins – The injury bug gets Guice again. After a brilliant showing in Charlotte, Guice suffers a sprained MCL in Green Bay. Washington places him on injured reserve, turning the backfield over to Adrian Peterson (and occasionally Chris Thompson) once again. The volume makes Peterson a flex against Philadelphia this weekend. Come Week 16, Peterson draws the Giants, putting him in play for championship weekend as someone who could be pivotal. At least this injury is not as bad as what Guice has dealt with previously. He will headline many “risk/reward” lists in 2020.
Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks – Another member of the 2018 running back class heads to the sidelines. Unfortunately, Penny could be sidelined for a long time with a torn ACL. The injury comes at a horrible time, with Penny having carved out a steady role in the Seattle backfield. Chris Carson possesses an overall RB1 ceiling now with Carolina’s non-existent run defense ahead. As far as anyone with Penny on their dynasty roster, hang tight. The recovery period should be long, but betting on talent often works out.
Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons – And now, a wide receiver from the class of 2018 suffers a season-ending injury. What a nightmarish weekend. Ridley closes the season with 63 receptions for 866 yards and seven touchdowns. It’s not far-fetched to see Julio Jones eventually passing the torch of Atlanta’s number one receiver to Ridley. After all, Roddy White passed the torch to Julio. The future stays bright for Calvin. Meanwhile, in the present, Jones and Austin Hooper slide into a daunting matchup with San Francisco. But with Richard Sherman out and tons of targets heading their way, it may not be so bad. If you survive Week 15 with either member of that duo, Atlanta plays Jacksonville next Sunday.
Brandin Cooks, WR, Los Angeles Rams – Phasing out Cooks seems to be the plan lately for Los Angeles. Since he returned from a concussion in Week 12, Cooks has four catches for 56 yards and no scores. Last Sunday night against Seattle, Cooks pitched a shutout. Always a long-ball threat, maybe Cooks breaks another big play before the season ends. But with nothing positive happening at the moment, Cooks cannot be trusted with your season on the line.
That is it for our NFL Week 15 fantasy football trends! Another edition of Sizzle/Fizzle heads your way next week!
