Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: Matchups We Love and Player Stat Projections

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Sometimes, this introduction spot is used for something witty.

There’s no time for that right now.

It’s playoff time, folks, and the fate of your fantasy football campaign could hinge on what happens in Week 15 of the NFL season.

No hyping up is needed here. You all know the stakes. Let’s get to the rankings.

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1. Josh Allen, BUF (vs. CAR)

2. Tom Brady, TB (vs. NO)

3. Kyler Murray, ARI (at DET)

4. Matthew Stafford, LAR (vs. SEA)

5. Aaron Rodgers, GB (at BAL)

6. Jalen Hurts, PHI (vs. WAS)

7. Lamar Jackson, BAL (vs. GB)

8. Taysom Hill, NO (at TB)

9. Kirk Cousins, MIN (at CHI)

10. Dak Prescott, DAL (at NYG)

                

Best Matchup: Kirk Cousins at Chicago Bears

Technically, Kirk Cousins doesn’t have the best matchup, at least not by the numbers. Both the Washington Football Team and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have allowed more fantasy points to quarterbacks this season than the Chicago Bears, per Yahoo.

So why use this section to highlight Cousins? Because it’s not clear whether Jalen Hurts will even get to go against the Football Team, and Taysom Hill plays such a unique style that he won’t approach the Buccaneers defense the way other quarterbacks have.

Chicago’s defense can be stingy, but it has allowed multiple touchdown passes to each of the past three quarterbacks it’s faced. That includes Jared Goff, who totaled four touchdown passes without an interception in his two matchups against the Bears. Cousins, who has multiple touchdown passes in six straight contests, will have chances to keep this streak going.

Projected stats: 259 passing yards, two touchdowns.

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1. Jonathan Taylor, IND (vs. NE)

2. Dalvin Cook, MIN (at CHI)

3. Alvin Kamara, NO (at TB)

4. Nick Chubb, CLE (vs. LV)

5. Leonard Fournette, TB (vs. NO)

6. Joe Mixon, CIN (at DEN)

7. Najee Harris, PIT (vs. TEN)

8. Elijah Mitchell, SF (vs. ATL)

9. Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL (at SF)

10. David Montgomery, CHI (vs. MIN)

                 

Best Matchup: Nick Chubb vs. Las Vegas Raiders


Nick Chubb hasn’t found the end zone in either of his past two outings, but the scheduling gods are nudging him toward it. The Las Vegas Raiders allowed four touchdowns to Kansas City Chiefs running backs last time out (three rushing, one receiving), and big numbers are becoming the norm against this defense.

“The Raiders have allowed 30-plus fantasy points to running backs in four of their past five games,” ESPN’s Matthew Berry noted. “In fact, running backs who have seen 15-plus touches against the Raiders this season are averaging 19.1 PPG.”

Las Vegas has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to the position. They could land even higher on the list when Chubb is done with them.

Projected stats: 121 rushing yards, 22 receiving yards, two touchdowns.

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1. Cooper Kupp, LAR (vs. SEA)

2. Davante Adams, GB (at BAL)

3. Justin Jefferson, MIN (at CHI)

4. Deebo Samuel, SF (vs. ATL)

5. Chris Godwin, TB (vs. NO)

6. Diontae Johnson, PIT (vs. TEN)

7. Stefon Diggs, BUF (vs. CAR)

8. Ja’Marr Chase, CIN (at DEN)

9. CeeDee Lamb, DAL (at NYG)

10. Hunter Renfrow, LV (at CLE)

                  

Best Matchup: Diontae Johnson vs. Tennessee Titans


The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season might be veering off the tracks, but you wouldn’t know it from Diontae Johnson’s game log. The third-year pass-catcher is becoming one of the position’s most consistent contributors, having recorded at least 10 targets, five receptions and 76 receiving yards in each of his past five outings.

It’s hard to imagine the Tennessee Titans slowing down this run.

Tennessee has allowed the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, conceding a hair under 200 receiving yards per game to the position. Johnson could be busy early and often.

Projected stats: 107 receiving yards, one touchdown.

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1. George Kittle, SF (vs. ATL)

2. Mark Andrews, BAL (vs. GB)

3. Rob Gronkowski, TB (vs. NO)

4. Kyle Pitts, ATL (at SF)

5. Mike Gesicki, MIA (vs. NYJ)

6. Dawson Knox, BUF (vs. CAR)

7. Dallas Goedert, PHI (vs. WAS)

8. Tyler Higbee, LAR (vs. SEA)

9. Dalton Schultz, DAL (at NYG)

10. Pat Freiermuth, PIT (vs. TEN)

                  

Best Matchup: Tyler Higbee vs. Seattle Seahawks


Consistent production has been hard to find at the tight end spot (at least George Kittle is GEORGE KITTLE! again). Case in point: The player in the spotlight here, Tyler Higbee, has failed to reach 30 receiving yards in three of his past five outings.

His games will never be huge—he has three touchdowns on the year and a season high of 51 receiving yards—but this could be one of his better outings.

Only three defenses have allowed more fantasy points to tight ends than the Seattle Seahawks. That was partly Higbee’s doing, as he needed just two targets to score a touchdown against Seattle in Week 5.

Projected stats: 41 receiving yards, one touchdown.