Fantasy Life's Week 15 Fantasy Football Cheatsheet serves as a roundtable between Geoff Ulrich, Jonathan Fuller, and Mark Drumheller to catch you up with everything you need to know for the weekend:

People often consider “Game 7” the two best words in sports, and understandably so. It's win-or-go-home time, put up or shut up.

While there's no Game 7 in fantasy football, Week 15 brings the same win-or-go-home aspect of pressure to the table. That's why Mark, Geoff, and Jonathan are here to help you navigate through our Fantasy Football tools to help you perfect your Week 15 lineups.

Which Week 15 Fantasy Football Ranking Do You DISAGREE With The Most?

Mark: Baker Mayfield (Consensus QB13)

Let’s put a little more respect on Baker Mayfield’s name. The Bucs offense ranks inside the top 10 in scoring (5th), and only Detroit and Baltimore average more yards per game. In terms of his matchup against the Chargers, I love that Baker is catching this defense while it’s still hungover from a long night of Mahomes magic. 

Let’s dive into a couple key metrics that have me more bullish on Baker than most. Everybody on the planet knows that Harbaugh loves to take the air out of the football. However, here is where the Bucs land in some areas that will help Baker combat the Chargers game plan.

  • 1st Quarter Scoring (1st) 
  • 1st Half Scoring (3rd) 
  • EPA per play (5th)
  • Red Zone TD conversion rate (4th)
  • Points per play (7th)

The efficiency of the Bucs offense coupled with their ability to score early has me convinced that Baker is in for a big day against a Chargers defense that ranks 23rd in the league (EPA/play) over the past five games.

Jonathan: Jameson Williams (WR35)

One of the most explosive playmakers at the WR position is playing in a game with a 54.5-point game total and I'm supposed to believe he isn't a top-30 fantasy WR for this week? I want as many pieces as possible in this Lions vs Bills matchup and will be playing Williams over players who are ranked higher than him.

What makes this even more confusing for me is the fact that Williams has still been heavily involved in the offense recently. His route participation dipped a bit, but he has still been above a 20% target share in three straight games.

The only reason he feels like a bit of a fantasy disappointment recently is the lack of TDs as Williams has scored just once in his last six appearances. If this game turns into the shootout that it can be, he has a great chance to score at least once. He's also a good bet to see one or more carries as Detroit pulls out all the stops in a potential Super Bowl preview.

I believe Williams should be a borderline WR2 for the week alongside players like Zay Flowers, DK Metcalf, and Jordan Addison. Very few players have the type of week-winning potential that Jameson Williams does in Week 15.

Geoff: C.J. Stroud (QB18)

Nobody on our site has Stroud ranked higher than QB14, which I think is a mistake. 

Has he had a poor season? Of course. But this is still C.J. Stroud we’re talking about and he has the upside of a dome environment against a clear funnel to the pass defense in Miami in Week 15.

Over their last three games, the Dolphins have allowed an average of 279 passing yards and 1.5 passing TDs. And that run includes games against Aaron Rodgers, Drake Maye, and Gardner Minshew.

I think Stroud finishes as a top-12 QB this week and would rank him higher than names like Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix if push came to shove.

You can dive into our full Week 15 fantasy football rankings set and adjust your league scoring settings to have them custom-fit for your own league below!

Week 15 Fantasy Football Rankings

Give Us Your Boldest Start/Sit Take for Week 15

Mark: Sit A.J. Brown.

The Eagles locker room was a scene yesterday after Brandon Graham spoke out of pocket about the relationship between A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts. We are constantly told it’s time that heals all wounds. But, on the football field, only targets and touchdowns will do the trick. Unfortunately for A.J. Brown managers, both will be hard to come by against this Steelers defense.

Yes, the Steelers have stifled opposing WRs to the tune of allowing the 8th-fewest FPPG. It gets really dicey for Philly’s passing game when you factor in the real probability that Pittsburgh’s pass rush is able to generate serious pressure on QB Jalen Hurts.

Hurts has consistently struggled when facing disruption, and Pittsburgh’s top-five pass rush will have the media running to Brown’s locker win or lose.

Jonathan: You can sit Alvin Kamara

Notice I said can, not must. This totally depends on who is on your bench, but there are plenty of RBs ranked below Kamara in the Fantasy Life consensus rankings that I would rather play over him. Rico Dowdle, James Cook, Tony Pollard, Jonathan Taylor, Zach Charbonnet (if Walker sits), and Rachaad White (if Bucky Irving sits) are all players I would be more excited to have in my starting lineup over Kamara.

Yes, Kamara has had elite usage this season, but he's been relatively inefficient as both a rusher and receiver. If the volume declines, his fantasy value could fall off a cliff and cost fantasy managers relying on him.

New Orleans seemingly wants to see what they have in Kendre Miller and they just signed Kamara to an extension earlier this year. With just a 1% probability of making the playoffs, their season is effectively over and they have no reason to give Kamara a heavy workload down the stretch.

In full PPR formats, Kamara still has a solid floor, but I believe having a high weekly ceiling is much more important in the fantasy playoffs because you are likely to be facing good teams. 

Geoff: 

I get that people have ridden this hot run by Jonnu Smith into a playoff berth, but last week should have you a little wary if not outright frightened. Smith posted just a 9% target share vs New York and had no catches and just a single target to his name before OT happened—where the Jets forgot he existed for a series and allowed three completions to him, including the game-winning score. 

Both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who have traditionally been elite target earners, have a great matchup this week against the Texans and could push Smith into a smaller role again.

It may not feel great, but Tucker Kraft is likely a better start. He’s posted target shares of 23% and 28% in his last two games and faces a Seattle defense that has allowed the 8th most receptions to opposing TEs.

I’ll even take this a step further by saying I MIGHT even start Saints TE Juwan Johnson over Smith this week. Johnson is in for more primary targets versus a Commanders team that has allowed 6 TDs to opposing TEs—the sixth most in the league.

You can input your custom league settings into our Start/Sit tool for more data-driven start/sit decisions for Week 15 below!

Start/Sit Tool

Start One, Bench One, Cut One - Week 15 WR Edition

Mark:

If you don’t know me by now, I’m a sucker for a Sunday night sweat. As much as I want to trust DK Metcalf vs. the Packers, I’m going to put him on the pine in favor of Adam Thielen. With Packers CB Jaire Alexander trending towards playing, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba stealing target share, Metcalf feels like a risky option in a critical week.

So, we are all in on the Panthers offense? In terms of Thielen’s usage— yes. Last week, we continued to see glimpses of Alabama Bryce against one the best secondaries in the league, and Thielen’s 11 targets provide a very comfortable floor for fantasy owners.

Lastly, that leaves Malik Nabers on the chopping block. Simply put, I don’t trust the Giants. After eight straight losses and a rough matchup against the Ravens, business decisions could be made. You have to wonder how long the organization risks the only thing they did right in 2024.

Jonathan:

I hate that this is my answer, but that makes me even more confident this is the right decision. I generally believe in trusting talent to shine through, but for a one-week decision, I am going to rely more on opportunity.

Adam Thielen clearly has chemistry with Bryce Young, who is playing the best football of his NFL career right now. Add in a soft matchup against a beatable Dallas defense and I have to go with Thielen as the best option in any sort of PPR format.

Metcalf always has a high weekly ceiling, but I'm worried that this Packers at Seahawks Sunday Night Football matchup is going to disappoint fantasy managers. Over the last three weeks, Green Bay and Seattle have both leaned into the run, ranking 31st and 25th for passing plays per game respectively.

It pains me to rank Nabers last among this group for Week 15 because I believe he is the most talented of the three. However, in this version of the Giants offense he has had a very difficult time putting up good games for fantasy. Nabers hasn't finished better than the WR22 in PPR scoring since Week 4. He could always break a big play that changes that but he isn't seeing enough quality targets to be in your lineup if you have other good options.

Please don't actually cut Malik Nabers though.

Geoff:

I like this spot for Nabers against a poor Ravens secondary, but his upside is capped somewhat by the fact he’ll have the Italian Stallion as his QB. I expect a solid effort but it’s not enough for me to start him over DK Metcalf who has matchup-winning upside.

The Packers are set to get Jaire Alexander back, but are still dealing with injuries at other spots in the secondary and they’ve dropped down to 32nd in success rate per dropback. It’s hard to expect Alexander to be at 100% in his first game back and it’s a difficult matchup against Metcalf who has a size advantage against everyone.

This should be an explosive week for Metcalf, who I would start pretty easily over our other two contestants.

As for Theilen, the usage he’s seen the last two weeks is nice but I’m not trusting any Panther not named Chuba Hubbard.

Compare The Three WRs in Our Player Projections

Which Player-Specific Week 15 Matchup Are You Most Excited For?

Mark: Justin Jefferson vs. Bears Defense 

Monday Night Football just hits different when the entire fantasy season hangs in the balance. Conventional wisdom (and the Bears porous pass defense) tells us Vikings QB Sam Darnold should be absolutely DEALING against their NFC North rival.

Since Week 10, Chicago ranks 32nd in pass EPA allowed and 31st in dropback success rate in non-garbage time situations. Opposing QBs have tossed at least 2 TDs in each of the past three games, including Darnold’s 330-yard performance in Week 12.

Jordan Addison was the main beneficiary in the first meeting (8-162-1), but I’m expecting Addison’s recent surge to force the Bears to play the Vikings receivers straight up—setting Jettas up for a monster game when it matters most for fantasy managers.

Jonathan: Rico Dowdle vs Panthers

The Panthers are the worst rush defense in the NFL and Rico Dowdle has become a true workhorse for Dallas. Dowdle has gotten at least 20 opportunities (carries + targets) in each of his last three games. He has fully taken over this backfield and is delivering for fantasy managers with 16.4 fantasy points per game over that stretch.

Dallas and Carolina are giving up the most points of any defense in the NFL so this game has sneaky high-scoring potential. It also helps that Cooper Rush and Bryce Young have been playing competent football in recent weeks. If the offenses stay on track I wouldn't be surprised to see both teams get into the upper 20s or low 30s which should mean plenty of high value touches for Dowdle (and Chuba Hubbard for that matter). 

Geoff: Jayden Daniels vs the Saints Defense 

Jayden Daniels is healthy, coming off a bye, and playing a Saints defense that is 29th in EPA against the rush. While they’ve managed to keep it together as a pass defense the Saints have given up some monster games to opposing QBs on the ground.

Drew Lock managed 57 yards on just five carries last week, while both Bo Nix (10 carries for 75 yards) and Justin Herbert (4 carries for 49 yards) popped off for big weeks on the ground against New Orleans earlier in the season.

Being in a dome, it wouldn't shock me to see Kliff Kingsbury dial up a few more designed rushes for Daniels whose explosiveness will allow him to turn those big gains we’ve seen from other QBs into long TDs.

You can dive into all of the fantasy football matchups at each position to see who gets the biggest fantasy boosts with our DvP tool below!

Dive into Fantasy Football DvP

In Five Words Or Less – Motivate The Underdog (Fantasy Football Manager) Looking To Start a Deep Playoff Run This Week

Mark: Playoffs are the money season

Jonathan: Risk it for the biscuit.

Geoff: Every Trophy starts as clay

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