What a crazy week of football, both real and in fantasy. Cam Newton may have cemented his MVP campaign with a dominant performance against the Giants (340 passing yards, 5 TDs, 100 rushing yards, 41.6) including a fourth-quarter, game-winning drive. Kirk Cousins also gave the Washington brass more reasons to sign him to a long-term contract with his five-touchdown game in a win over the Bills. Likewise, some games we though would turn into shootouts fell a little short (Atlanta vs. Jacksonville). We break down all of the fantasy action -- both good and bad -- from Week 15 below.
Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens
Top performers:
» Alex Smith, QB: 171 yards, TD, 17 rush yards, 12.54 fantasy points
» Charcandrick West, RB: 76 rush yards, TD, 9 rec yards, 9.7 fantasy points
» Jeremy Maclin, WR: 7 rec, 50 yards, TD, 11 fantasy points
» Travis Kelce, TE: 6 rec, 73 yards, 7.3 fantasy points
» Chiefs D/ST: 2 sack, 2 INT, 1 fmbl rec, 2 TD, 21 fantasy points
» Jimmy Clausen, QB: 278 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 30 rush yards, 18.12 fantasy points
» Javorius Allen, RB: 18 rush yards, 1.8 fantasy points
» Kamar Aiken, WR: 8 rec, 128 rec yards, TD, 18.8 fantasy points
The Ravens offense has been decimated by injuries, but the one nice thing to come from that misfortune has been the emergence of Kamar Aiken. While much of his fantasy production came on a last-second bomb to end the first half, he played extremely well and should be considered a high-end WR3/flex moving forward. Buck Allen has been losing touches to Terrance West. He's going to be tough to start next week against the Steelers.
The Chiefs offense got going early, and got a huge boost from their defense (two touchdowns), which dominated all game. Charcandrick West looked great in a tough matchup where he was hit in the backfield numerous times. His 38-yard touchdown run was the saving grace for his fantasy owners. Unfortunately his value will take a hit once Spencer Ware returns to action, though. Travis Kelce had a nice day yardage-wise and was finally more involved in the offense, but he remains a volatile play in a passing offense that doesn't have a ton of targets to go around. Jeremy Maclin dominated the targets again (10), and turned those into a solid 7-50-1 line.
Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots
Top performers:
» Zach Mettenberger, QB: 219 yards, 2 TD, INT, fmbl, 14.18 fantasy points
» Antonio Andrews, RB: 45 rush yards, 25 rec yards, 7 fantasy points
» Dorial Green-Beckham, WR: 6 rec, 113 yards, 11.3 fantasy points
» Delanie Walker, TE: 2 rec, 64 yards, 2 TD, 18.4 fantasy points
» Tom Brady, QB: 267 yards, 2 TD, 18.68 fantasy points
» James White, RB: 6 rush yards, 7 rec, 71 yards, TD, 13.7 fantasy points
» Brandon Bolden, RB: 36 rush yards, 2 rec, 18 yards, 5.4 fantasy points
» Rob Gronkowski, TE: 5 rec, 54 yards, TD, 11.4 fantasy points
Marcus Mariota suffered a knee injury and missed most of the game, though it looked like the team was just being cautious sitting him the rest of the way. Zach Mettenberger played as you'd expect, slinging some decent passes in between horrible decisions. Dorial Green-Beckham is starting to flash his potential, showing his knack for being able to use his size to adjust and high-point balls all over the field. Antonio Andrews led the way in the backfield and posted his usual 70-ish yards. Delanie Walker posted one of the most efficient stat lines of the day: two catches, 64 yards, two touchdowns.
Tom Brady did Tom Brady things, including hooking up with Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown. Danny Amendola left the game with a knee injury suffered on a punt return, which led to a big receiving day for James White. White had seven catches, and could have had an even bigger day had a few other plays not been called back on penalties. Brandon Bolden received the early carries, but lost touches to Joey Iosefa down the stretch. #Belitricks have officially returned, though White appears to be the safest start. With Amendola out, Brandon LaFell returns to the fantasy radar, though Julian Edelman could return next week as well.
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
Top performers:
» Matt Forte, RB: 104 yards, TD, 16.40 fantasy points
» Jay Cutler, QB: 231 pass yards, 2 TD, INT, 1 rush yard, fumble, 13.34 fantasy points
» Alshon Jeffery, WR: 10 yards, TD, 7.00 fantay points
» Teddy Bridgewater, QB: 231 pass yards, 4 TD, 17 rush yards, TD, 32.94 fantasy points
» Stefon Diggs, WR: 55 yards, 2 TD, 17.50 fantasy points
» Jerick McKinnon, RB: 86 yards, TD, 14.60 fantasy points
It was yet another week that the duo of Matt Forte and Jeremy Langford split touches, but Forte was the fantasy winner with more than 100 yards and a touchdown. That's been the toughest part of figuring out this committee in the past few weeks. That's about all there was to talk about with the Bears this week. Jay Cutler was less than great and Alshon Jeffery didn't do much before leaving with an injury. At least he got you a touchdown.
At this point in the season, we've been advising to avoid any Vikings not named Adrian Peterson. Funny story ... Peterson was one of the least productive (6.3 fantasy points) of the Vikings skill players after suffering an ankle injury in the first half. Teddy Bridgewater accounted for five total touchdowns including a pair of scoring tosses to the previously defunct Stefon Diggs. Even Zach Line scored a touchdown this week. Fantasy football makes no sense at all.
Buffalo Bills at Washington
Top performers:
» Tyrod Taylor, QB: 235 pass yards, 2 TDs, 79 rush yards, 2pt conversion, 27.30 fantasy points
» LeSean McCoy, RB: 29 rush yards, 8 rec yards, 3.70 fantasy points
» Mike Gillislee, RB: 81 rush yards, TD, 2 rec yards, 14.30 fantasy points
» Sammy Watkins, WR: 111 rec yards, 2 TDs, 23.10 fantasy points
» Kirk Cousins, QB: 319 pass yards, 4 pass TD, 11 rush yards, rush TD, 35.86 fantasy points
» DeSean Jackson, RB: 153 rec yards, TD, 21.30 fantasy points
» Alfred Morris, RB: 84 rush yards, 8.40 fantasy points
» Jordan Reed, TE: 84 rec yards, 20.40 fantasy points
» Pierre Garcon, WR: 34 rec yards, TD, 9.40 fantasy points
If you needed fantasy points, this game surely delivered. The star, obviously, was Kirk Cousins. The man produces at home and did it again with five total touchdowns including one rushing (his fifth rushing score of the season), two to Jordan Reed, one 77-yarder to DeSean Jackson and one to Pierre Garcon. Alfred Morris started the game over Matt Jones and totaled 84 yards on the ground, over half of which was gained on one 48-yard gallop. Moral of the story: If Washington is playing at home, fire up all of their fantasy stars (except the running backs).
The Bills struggled to move the ball on offense for most of the game, but Tyrod Taylor finally found ways to connect for two scores with Sammy Watkins. Taylor also rushed for 79 yards which padded his fantasy total. LeSean McCoy left the game with a knee injury, which isn't considered to be serious, but had just 29 rush yards when he went out. Mike Gillislee led the Bills with 81 rush yards and a score ... didn't see that coming. Other than the Taylor/Watkins stack, the Bills really fell short. Buffalo will take on Dallas next week.
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
Top performers:
» Brandon Weeden, QB: 105 pass yards, TD, 6 rush yards, 8.80 fantasy points
» DeAndre Hopkins, WR: 94 rec yards, 9.40 fantasy points
» Jaelen Strong, WR: 23 rec yards, 1 rec TD, 8.30 fantasy points
» Alfred Blue, RB: 107 rec yards, 1 lost fumble, 8.70 fantasy points
» Matt Hasselbeck, QB: 147 pass yards, TD, INT, 1 rush yard, 7.98 fantasy points
» Frank Gore, RB: 44 rush yards, 15 rec yards, 5.90 fantasy points
» T.Y. Hilton, WR: 28 rec yards, 2.90 fantasy points
» Donte Moncrief, WR: 51 rec yards, TD, 11.10 fantasy points
May the fantasy gods have mercy on your soul if you were relying on fantasy points from this game. The only touchdowns were scored by Donte Moncrief and Jaelen Strong, but neither wideout had many yards. We'll attribute that to the backup quarterbacks, as we had the pleasure (?) of seeing Matt Hasselbeck (left the game with a back injury for a few plays in the second half), Charlie Whitehurst, T.J. Yates (left the game with a torn ACL in the first half) and Brandon Weeden all get snaps. Alfred Blue, who didn't play a single snap last week, led the Texans backfield with 20 carries for 107 yards. Yeah, we don't know why either. Frank Gore disappointed again with just 44 yards on the ground, but we didn't expect a big game from him. T.Y. Hilton was a ghost too, with just 29 yards. At least DeAndre Hopkins produced with 94 yards, though he failed to find the end zone on any of his eight receptions. Our advice: Start DeAndre Hopkins and leave the rest of the players from these teams on your bench.
Atlanta Falcons at Jacksonville Jaguars
Top performers:
» Matt Ryan, QB: 246 passing yards, TD, INT, 11.84 fantasy points
» Devonta Freeman, RB: 32 touches, 101 total yards, TD, 16.10 fantasy points
» Julio Jones, WR: 9 rec, 118 yards, TD, 17.80 fantasy points
» Blake Bortles, RB: 297 passing yards, 2 total TDs, INT, 24.28 fantasy points
» Denard Robinson, RB: 21 touches, 74 total yards, 7.40 fantasy points
» Allen Robinson, WR: 3 rec, 57 yards, TD, 11.70 fantasy points
» Julius Thomas, TE: 6 rec, 79 yards, 7.90 fantasy points
» Allen Hurns, WR: 2 rec, 44 yards, 4.40 fantasy points
The Jaguars fell to the Falcons in their own building, despite another so-so performance by Atlanta. Matt Ryan played one of his better games of the last month, but still threw a painful interception. The best part of the game plan featured the Falcons just getting the ball to their good players. Julio Jones saw 13 targets while Devonta Freeman handled an eye-popping 32 touches. This sort of offense can help keep the Falcons on schedule, even if Freeman didn't accumulate much in the way of rushing yards. Jacksonville does have a solid run defense, however, and you're thankful for the volume if you played Freeman. Of course, the sledding will get much tougher next week against Carolina.
The Jaguars offense was out of sync in the first half, if you could believe that. Their up and down efforts culminated in an interception by Bortles at the goal line to end the second quarter. In the second half, the team got going with a touchdown to Allen Robinson and few nice catches in space to Denard Robinson. You weren't heartbroken with anything the Jaguars offered today, but remember that they play the Saints next week. If you survived with Jaguars on your fantasy team, get ready for the potential bonanza of Week 16.
Carolina Panthers at New York Giants
Top performers:
» Cam Newton, QB: 340 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, 5 TDs, 41.60 fantasy points
» Cameron Artis-Payne, RB: 16 touches, 93 total yards, 9.30 fantasy points
» Ted Ginn, WR: 6 rec, 85 yards, 2 TDs, 20.50 fantasy points
» Corey Brown, WR: 3 rec, 51 yards, TD, 11.10 fantasy points
» Greg Olsen, TE: 6 rec, 79 yards, TD, 13.90 fantasy points
» Eli Manning, QB: 245 passing yards, 4 TDs, INT, 24.20 fantasy points
» Rashad Jennings, RB: 16 carries, 107 yards, TD, 14.70 fantasy points
» Odell Beckham Jr., WR: 6 rec, 76 yards, TD, 13.60 fantasy points
» Will Tye, TE: 5 rec, 43 yards, TD, 10.30 fantasy points
The Giants offense mounted a furious comeback in the second half after falling down 35-7, which propelled Eli Manning to a strong outing. If you took the risk to play him in a dreadful matchup, you were rewarded. Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen handled almost all of the backfield touches, which unsurprisingly brought better results for the usually gross Giants running game. You can probably take the risk and flex Jennings next week if you are hurting at running back. The real story here was Odell Beckham, who completely lost his cool in an epic and dangerous fashion in the first half. Josh Norman locked him down on the outside, and Beckham seemed more concerned with warring with him even when he was in the slot. Beckham did eventually get his with two big catches, and a touchdown over Norman to tie the game. Norman did a great job on Beckham, but this was just another reminder to never take out your best players in fantasy.
The Panthers once again rode a dynamic performance from Cam Newton to a win (their 14th on the season). Newton threw five touchdowns and ran for 100 yards in a record-setting day. Ted Ginn is just too dangerous to bench at this point, and scored two touchdowns for the third straight game. As far as the backfield split goes, Cameron Artis-Payne looked like the clear favorite to salt out the game. He took the most touches, and had a few nice runs here and there. Fozzy Whittaker and Mike Tolbert only had nine combined touches to Artis-Payne's 16. If Stewart misses another week, the rookie runner will warrant flex consideration against the Falcons in Week 16.
Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders
Top performers:
» Aaron Rodgers, QB: 204 yards, TD, INT, 10.16 fantasy points
» Eddie Lacy, RB: 11 carries, 23 yards, 2.3 fantasy points
» James Starks, RB: 9 carries, 51 yards, 5 rec yards, 5.6 fantasy points
» James Jones, WR: 6 rec, 82 yards, TD, 14.2 fantasy points
» Packers D/ST: 3 sack, 2 INT, TD, 14 fantasy points
» Derek Carr, QB: 276 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INT, 42 rush yards, 19.24 fantasy points
» Latavius Murray, RB: 21 carries, 78 yards, 2 rec yards, 8 fantasy points
» Amari Cooper, WR: 6 rec, 120 yards, 2 TDs, 24 fantasy points
» Michael Crabtree, WR: 6 rec, 70 yards, 7 fantasy points
Sigh. The Packers backfield seemed to be taking shape into something we could trust in fantasy, but that has now gone out the window. Both Eddie Lacy and James Starks were grounded against the Raiders, basically splitting the touches 11 to 10 in favor of Lacy. This duo is running into the buzzsaw known as the Arizona Cardinals next week, and will be very hard to trust in the fantasy championships. The rest of this offense could be following suit, though, as Aaron Rodgers once again looked a bit off, missing some open receivers, while his pass-catchers had their share of drops. The bigger winner was the "revenge" narrative, as James Jones went for 6-82-1 against the team that cut him this offseason.
Michael Crabtree left the game briefly, but passed concussion protocol and was able to return. Amari Cooper had no problem picking up the slack, roasting the Packers secondary for 120 yards and two touchdowns. These two can continue to be started in good matchups. Latavius Murray looked dominant early, but the Packers did a great job of bottling him up in the second half. Derek Carr overcame two first quarter interceptions to post a solid stat line for fantasy owners thanks to the two touchdown connections with Cooper. He remains a matchup-based starter moving forward.
Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks
Top performers:
» Johnny Manziel, QB: 161 passing yards, TD, INT, 10.14 fantasy points
» Duke Johnson, RB: 9 touches, 85 total yards, 8.50 fantasy points
» Travis Benjamin, WR: 3 rec, 26 yards, 3.50 fantasy points
» Gary Barnidge, TE: 3 rec, 29 yards, TD, 8.90 fantasy points
» Russell Wilson, QB: 295 total yards, 3 TDs, 26.56 fantasy points
» Christine Michael, RB: 16 carries, 84 yards, 8.4 fantasy points
» Jermaine Kearse, WR: 7 rec, 110 yards, 11.0 fantasy points
» Tyler Lockett, WR: 54 rec, 55 yards, TD, 11.50 fantasy points
» Doug Baldwin, WR: 4 rec, 45 yards, 2 TDs, 16.50 fantasy points
To his credit, Johnny Manziel played much better than most expected in Seattle. He looked confident and decisive while making several nice throws. However, he could not sustain drives once the game script went pass heavy and he needed to throw his team out of a deficit. Elsewhere, the Cleveland offense did not offer much. Duke Johnson led the team in rushing and receiving on only nine touches. He made several great plays in the open field, and will be an interesting sleeper next season. Isaiah Crowell predictably fell back to earth in a much harder matchup after a career day in Week 14. It's good to see that Gary Barnidge continues to score well enough to be an every-week starter with Manziel at the helm.
Russell Wilson's hot streak continued with a three-touchdown game against the Browns. The triple stack of him, Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett continues to make big plays and score all of the touchdowns. You are not, for any reason, sitting these guys unless you have clear superior options, and that would only pertain to Lockett. The running back rotation felt like mostly a hot-hand approach. Derrick Coleman "started," and Bryce Brown got some work throughout, but it was the prodigal son known as Christine Michael that led the team in touches and rushing yards. He looked really good in his return to the team that drafted him in 2013 and jettisoned him in the offseason. If Michael remains the hot hand and preferred starter in Week 16, he gets a mice matchup with the Rams at home. Whether that happens, well your guess is as good as anyone's.
Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers
Top performers:
» Brock Osweiler, QB: 296 pass yards, 3 TDs, INT, 19 rush yards, rush TD, 29.74 fantasy points
» Ronnie Hillman, RB: 48 rush yards, fumble lost, 2.80 fantasy points
» Demaryius Thomas, WR: 61 rec yards, 2 TDs, 18.10 fantasy points
» Emmanuel Sanders, WR: 181 rec yards, 24 rush yards, 26.50 fantasy points
» Ben Roethlisberger, QB: 380 pass yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, -3 rush yards, 22.90 fantasy points
» DeAngelo Williams, RB: 26 rush yards, 30 rec yards, 11.60 fantasy points
» Antonio Brown, WR: 189 rec yards, 2 TDs, 30.90 fantasy points
» Martavis Bryant, WR: 87 rec yards, 8.70 fantasy points
The Broncos gashed Pittsburgh in the first half for four touchdowns because the Steelers' defense decided not to cover any wide receivers. Demaryius Thomas scored twice, Emmanuel Sanders took a 61-yard reception to the paint and totaled 139 yards, while Brock Osweiler scored a rushing touchdown ... all in the first half. The Steelers got one on a short-yardage rush from DeAngelo Williams, but at halftime the veteran running back had just eight rush yards on five carries and Denver took a 27-13 lead into the locker room. Osweiler finished the game with four total touchdowns and 296 yards, by far his best game yet as a starter.
The second frame was a different story though, as the Steelers' offense came storming back and Denver's offense stalled out. Antonio Brown scored twice in the second half on his way to a 189-yard day. Best receiver in the league? Maybe. Best receiver in fantasy this season? No question. Wheeeew! Markus Wheaton also made it into the end zone early in the fourth quarter. The Steelers receiving trio of Brown, Wheaton, and Martavis Bryant combined for 32 receptions for 338 yards and three touchdowns. Ben Roethlisberger finished with 55 pass attempts, completing 40 of them for 380 yards. All of this was done against the NFL's top defense, which is quite a statement as to how much of a powerhouse the Pittsburgh offense is. The Steelers have a juicy matchup against Baltimore next week.
Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers
Top performers:
» Ryan Tannehill, QB: 216 pass yards, 4 rush yards, TD, 15.04 fantasy points
» Jay Ajayi, RB: 42 yards, TD, 10.20 fantasy points
» DeVante Parker, WR: 87 yards, 8.70 fantasy points
» Danny Woodhead, RB: 60 yards, 4 TD, 30.00 fantasy points
» Philip Rivers, QB: 311 pass yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 20.44 fantay points
» Donald Brown, RB: 104 yards, 10.40 fantay points
What are the Dolphins doing on offense? Does anyone know? Do the Dolphins themselves even know? The majority of this season has been a lackluster mess from this group. Today was no exception. Ryan Tannehill redefined "meh." Lamar Miller has nine (nine? nine!) touches all game. Jarvis Landry was fairly invisible for much of the game and the only touchdowns were rushing scores by Tannehill and Jay Ajayi. Please get this group all the way out of our fantasy lives.
Really Danny Woodhead? Really? After scoring 11 total points in his last four games, the San Diego dynamo scores four touchdowns ... with just 60 total yards. That helped the 37 percent of you who started him -- provided you were actually still playing for something this week. It was nice to see a good day for Philip Rivers, and Antonio Gates put up a nice line for PPR fantasy managers. Sure, Dontrelle Inman had almost eight fantasy points in standard leagues ... but did you start him? We didn't think so.
Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers
Top performers:
» Jeremy Hill, RB: 31 yards, 2 TD, fumble, 13.10 fantasy points
» Bengals D/ST: 4 sacks, 3 INT, fumble rec, 13.00 fantasy points
» AJ McCarron, QB: 192 pass yards, TD, 2 rush yards, 11.88 fantasy points
» Anquan Boldin, WR: 74 yards, TD, fumble, 11.40 fantasy points
» Blaine Gabbert, QB: 295 pass yards, TD, 3 INT, 10 rush yards, 10.80 fantasy points
» Bruce Miller, RB: 13 yards, TD, 7.30 fantasy points
Without Andy Dalton, the Bengals weren't quite the well-oiled offensive machine we've become used to seeing. AJ McCarron didn't make any big mistakes, but he didn't exactly blow you away, either. The running back duo of Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill rushed for 64 yards on 33 carries but Hill had the good fortune to fall forward into the end zone twice. Marvin Jones was the wideout of choice for the Bengals catching four balls for 89 yards. A.J. Green, you ask? Hopefully you enjoyed that one catch for 37 yards because that's all you got.
The 49ers descent into darkness continued Sunday with Shaun Draughn leaving the game early with a knee injury and Blaine Gabbert returning to the form that made him a pariah in Jacksonville. If Gabbert is throwing the ball 50 times, something has gone horribly wrong for your team. But at least he threw it to Anquan Boldin a lot -- if you're into that sort of thing. Bruce Miller threw his hat into the #ThatHelpsNoOne ring with a short rushing touchdown.
Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles
Top performers:
» Carson Palmer, QB: 274 pass yards, TD, 14.96 fantasy points
» David Johnson, RB: 187 rush yards, 3 TDs, 42 rec yards, 40.90 fantasy points
» John Brown, WR: 38 rec yards, TD, 9.80 fantasy points
» Michael Floyd, WR: 70 rec yards, 7.00 fantasy points
» Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 43 rec yards, 4.30 fantasy points
» Sam Bradford, QB: 361 pass yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 4 rush yards, 1 fumble lost, 16.84 fantasy points
» Zach Ertz, TE: 78 rec yards, TD, 13.80 fantasy points
» Jordan Matthews, WR: 159 rec yards, TD, 21.90 fantasy points
» Ryan Mathews, RB: 58 rush yards, 3 rec yards, fumble lost, 4.10 fantasy points
We had a feeling this was going to be a blowout in favor of the Cardinals, and it was. Arizona dropped a 40 burger on the lowly Eagles on Sunday night. Obviously, the big story is the performance of rookie running back David Johnson. The young runner won the week for fantasy owners and proved that he's a star in the making with 29 carries for 187 rush yards and THREE touchdowns on the night. He's clearly capable of handling a feature-back type workload as its his third straight game with 20-plus touches. Carson Palmer surprisingly threw just a single touchdown pass in this game, which was a bit of a disappointment considering how potent the Cardinals passing game has been this season. John Brown was the recipient of that score and finished with just three catches for 38 yards. Brown could have had a much bigger game had he not dropped three balls in the first half including two deep ones and one in the end zone. Fantasy owners who fired up Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald were let down as neither of them managed to score despite the amount of points the Cardinals posted.
For the Eagles, it was the same old story. They rolled out confusing backfield mix, of which DeMarco Murray was virtually a non-existant part of with just two carries the entire game. Ryan Mathews led the backfield with 11 carries for 58 yards and lost a fumble and Darren Sproles totaled just 25 yards. That's somethign we want no part of. Of course, leave it to Jordan Matthews to go off in Week 15 for 159 yards and a score on a 78-yard catch and run, while Zach Ertz led Philly in targets with 13 targets that he turned into eight catches for 78 yards. We can't suggest using anyone on this team for fantasy purposes next week unless you're in dire straits.
New York Jets at Dallas Cowboys
Top performers:
» Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB: 299 passing yards, TD, INT, 15.26 fantasy points
» Chris Ivory, RB: 13 carries, 37 yards, 4.20 fantasy points
» Bilal Powell, RB: 13 touches, 79 total yards, TD, 13.90 fantasy points
» Brandon Marshall, WR: 4 rec, 74 yards, 7.40 fantasy points
» Eric Decker, WR: 6 rec, 55 yards, TD, 11.50 fantasy points
» Kellen Moore, QB: 158 passing yards, TD, 3 INTs, 4.32 fantasy points
» Darren McFadden, RB: 18 touches 113 total yards, 11.30 fantasy points
» Dez Bryant, WR: 4 rec, 50 yards, TD, 11.0 fantasy points
» Jason Witten, TE: 5 rec, 49 yards, 4.90 fantasy points
The Jets plentiful three-game offensive bounty screeched to a halt in Dallas On Saturday night. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw some erratic passes, and the offense in general went long stretches without much in the way of a consistent drive. Also, the complete disappearance of Chris Ivory on multiple possessions, and injury absences for both Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall (both returned) did not help matters. Nothing came through the wire about an Ivory injury, so it looks like this was just a natural coaches' decision and function of the game plan. Credit to Bilal Powell; he looked great on his touches and offers this offense an explosive pass-catching element out of the backfield. Now his third straight game with a touchdown, he's a legitimate flex play with the running back attrition that continues to hit the fantasy world. Next week's game against the Patriots looks like one where the Jets will be trading points to keep pace with Tom Brady in a fight to make the playoffs. It's quite likely that Powell will be the higher ranked back in Week 16 with that projected game script. Both Marshall and Decker came in a tick under their projections, but Decker found the end zone and Marshall topped 70 yards receiving with a big second half. Fitzpatrick didn't meet the expectations his three week stretch prior to this game foretold, but his 15 standard points shouldn't sink you this week.
The Cowboys finally had enough of Matt Cassel and pulled the plug on the veteran's failed run as their starter in favor of Kellen Moore. The young former Boise State quarterback was not much of an upgrade, throwing three backbreaking interceptions, including the game-ender. He did move the offense at times, and engineered a scoring drive capped off by a Dez Bryant touchdown. However, we're still comfortable punting this Dallas pass offense led by a quarterback clearly out of his depth. Bryant still did not look like himself, despite the red zone touchdown, and still has a frightening floor with Moore behind center. You know you're playing with fire if he's in your lineup, and if you make it past this week, you'll need to do some risk assessment when deciding whether to play him in the Week 16 fantasy championships. Darren McFadden handled 18 touches, the most for him in a game since Week 11. He's a volatile play with a low floor due to his offense's lack of scoring opportunities. Against Buffalo next week, he look like a risky flex play once again, at best.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at St. Louis Rams
Top performers:
» Jameis Winston, QB: 363 yards, 2 TD, INT, fmbl, 19.02 fantasy points
» Doug Martin, RB: 91 rush yards, 6 rec yards, 9.7 fantasy points
» Mike Evans, WR: 9 rec, 157 yards, 15.7 fantasy points
» Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE: 3 rec, 29 yards, TD, 8.9 fantasy points
» Case Keenum, QB: 14-of-17, 234 yards, 2 TD, 17.06 fantasy points
» Todd Gurley, RB: 48 rush yards, TD, 2 rec, 31 yards, 13.9 fantasy points
» Tavon Austin, WR: 32 rush yards, TD, 3 rec, 41 yards, TD, 19.3 fantasy points
» Kenny Britt, WR: 2 rec, 71 yards, TD, 13.1 fantasy points
Jameis Winston appeared to be suffering from some primetime jitters, as he air mailed several passes well over his intended targets in the first half, going 6-of-12 for 49 yards in the first two frames. He rebounded though, aside from a bad interception, and made some nice throws to move the offense in an attempted comeback. Ultimately, it was too little, too late. Doug Martin looked phenomenal, but once again the game script was his enemy. Martin had 70 yards on 12 rushes with almost 12 minutes left in the first half, but his team went into the break trailing 21-3. The fumble was the result of a poor exchange between him and Winston, and not poor play on his part. Mike Evans saw 17 targets come his way with Vincent Jackson out. While he had a nice stat line of 9-157-0, he was plagued with bad drops sprinkled in between stellar grabs. At this point, this is who he is. ASJ once again only managed three catches, but at least one was for a touchdown.
Now this is the Case Keenum we were hoping to see when he took over the Rams offense. He looked sharp against the Bucs, showing both zip and touch on his passes all over the field. There were a few minor gaffes, but for the most part he played a great game for the Rams. Tavon Austin made the most of his touches, and it was nice to see the offense moving him around to put him in space. If the playcalling continues in this fashion under new offensive coordinator Rob Boras, Austin will become easier to trust on a weekly basis. Todd Gurley struggled through another rough outing where he was crushed in the backfield all too often, but his explosiveness and talent were still on display. His touchdown salvaged what would have been an otherwise disappointing fantasy outing yardage-wise considering he saw 23 touches. Still, after his slump a few weeks back, owners will take whatever they can get.
Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints
Top performers:
» Matthew Stafford, QB: 254 pass yards, 3 TD, -1 rush yards, 22.06 fantasy points
» Golden Tate, WR: 45 yards, 2 TD, 16.50 fantasy points
» Joique Bell, RB: 101 yards, TD, 16.10 fantay points
» Drew Brees, QB: 341 pass yards, 3 TD, 11 rush yards, 26.74 fantasy points
» Brandin Cooks, WR: 124 yards, TD, 18.40 fantasy points
» Benjamin Watson, TE: 49 yards, TD, 10.90 fantasy points
Matt Stafford got things going quickly with a trio of touchdown passes -- two to Golden Tate -- in the first half. After that the Lions pretty much turned things over to the running game. That was good news for both Ameer Abdullah and Joique Bell. Both of Detroit's top rushers went over 80 scrimmage yards and both found the end zone. Eric Ebron posted one of his better stat lines with 79 receiving yards. About the only people left disappointed were those counting on Calvin Johnson this week. Megatron failed to transform with just one catch for 19 yards.
It took awhile for the Saints offense to get going, but it finally kicked into gear in the second half. The game script turned the game to Drew Brees who continued his string of 20-point contetst with 341 yards and three touchdown tosses. It worked to the benefit of Brandin Cooks, who topped 100 receiving yards for the second time in three games. If you started Willie Snead in a PPR league, his 10 catches for 76 yards held you in good stead. For those relying on a big night from Tim Hightower, you might have been a tad disappointed. The game prevented him from getting too much work, but he still did rack up 85 total yards of offense. That might have been about the best you could have hoped for.
