So you went through your fantasy football draft. You made a trade or two, picked up a guy off the waiver wire. But then before everything went live ... something didn't feel right. Maybe you had a player who was a game-time decision. Or there was a matchup that wasn't in your favor. Whatever the reason, you decided it was time to make a bold choice. You know what they say ... No Guts, No Glory. So this column is for you. Every week here, we'll salute the outside-the-box thinking that was rewarded with big fantasy production. Fortune favors the bold, so here's to you. We sent out the call early Monday morning, and here's what you came back with. Congratulations to those of you who are looking at a Week 15 win!
Rising from the depth of the fantasy darkness, Danny Woodhead exploded with four total touchdowns against the Dolphins on Sunday, accounting for 24 of the Chargers' 30 total points by himself. Had it not been for David Johnson's huge Sunday night performance, Woodhead would've been the top scoring fantasy running back, but hey anyone who had the guts to start him will take the 30 standard points he dropped. Why did starting Woodhead take guts you ask? Well he hadn't seen the end zone since Week 9 and had posted single-digit fantasy points in four straight games prior to Week 15. In fact, he was averaging just 7.5 touches per game in his previous four games, and against the Dolphins on Sunday he saw 14 touches. With Melvin Gordon (knee) officially on IR, Woodhead should be a solid flex play against the Raiders on Christmas Eve.
Kirk Cousins is the man at home, apparently. He had another great game in the comfy confines of FedExField against the Bills on Sunday recording five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) and 319 pass yards in the game for 35.86 fantasy points second only to Cam Newton (41.6). Funny story: Cousins now has more rush touchdowns than Alfred Morris and Matt Jones combined on the season. At home Cousins is 6-2 with a 74.7 completion percentage, averaging 271.3 yards per game, boasts a 16-2 touchdown to interception ratio and has a 117.0 passer rating. On the road, Cousins is 1-5 with a 64.0 completion percentage, averages 242.4 yards per game, sports a 6-9 touchdown to interception ratio and a 74.6 passer rating. Moral of the story: Start Kirk Cousins at home. Unfortunately, he's on the road against Philadelphia in Week 16, so if you missed out last week you may have missed the boat.
Kamar Aiken was a top-10 fantasy wideout in Week 15 with 128 yards and a touchdown which puts him at 18.8 standard fantasy points. His touchdown came on a miracle Hail Mary catch from Jimmy Clausen at the end of the first half. That play alone accounted for 57.4 percent of Aiken's fantasy points on the day, but anyone who started him will take it. He led Baltimore with 12 targets and made some great catches along the way, too. Aiken is an interesting option in Week 16 against a suspect Steelers secondary in a game where the Ravens will likely find themselves falling behind early. To the fantasy owner who bench Aiken andBig Ben, yeah, well that sounds like a you problem.
Matt Franciscovich is an associate fantasy editor at NFL.com. Hit him up on Twitter **@MattFranchise** for fantasy advice.
