Week 15 of the fantasy football season featured plenty of notable performances around the NFL on Sunday. What should we make of them? Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their analysis.
David Montgomery puts the Bears on his back
Chances are, if you have him in your fantasy football league and are still alive in the playoff race, you're in pretty good shape now. The second-year running back paced his position in PPR points from the 1 p.m. ET games, scoring a career-high 29.2. With that total, Montgomery can now boast that four of the five best single-game PPR points totals that he has amassed in his career have all come in the past four weeks, and his Weeks 12-15 total of 106.1 points are the most among running backs (barring any obscenely large numbers by players scheduled later on Sunday or Monday). It's good to finally see Montgomery getting the workloads that his talent warrants, but he's also feasting upon what is one of the league's most favorable overall individual-player schedules, having faced the Packers, Lions, Texans and Vikings during that four-game span. It stays that way for the remainder of his 2020, too, which means that Montgomery might well be the key to a lot of fantasy championships, being that he has the Jaguars and Packers, who entering Week 15 had allowed the fourth- and fifth-most PPR points to running backs for the season, to round out his schedule. -- Cockcroft
I'll jump on Montgomery here, too, because his play speed has increased over the last month of the season. Montgomery has now posted 100-plus rushing yards in three of his last four games. The vision is there, so is the ability to stack moves and finish behind his pads. Remember, Montgomery is a volume runner who fits best on zone schemes. And after carrying the ball 32 times on Sunday in the win over the Vikings, we should expect Montgomery to see another heavy volume day in a very favorable Week 16 matchup versus the Jags. -- Bowen
D'Andre Swift finds the end zone twice
Like Montgomery above, Swift had the sizable advantage of a dream schedule for a running back down the stretch, until a concussion cost him two of his more favorable matchups in Weeks 11 (@CAR) and 12 (HOU). He came to play for this one, scoring 22.2 PPR points, his third of 11 games played during his rookie season with at least 20 points. He also had 19 total touches, his second most in any game. What's more, Swift appeared to have the Lions' complete trust as the team's go-to running back, playing a backfield-leading 66% of the offensive snaps, his 42 nearly twice the combined total of Adrian Peterson (15) and Kerryon Johnson (7). Now here's the problem: Swift, despite earning fantasy RB2 status from a role perspective, draws perhaps the worst assignment from a matchups perspective for Week 16: the Buccaneers. He's going to be a tough player to trust next week as a result, but things are again trending well for his long-term future. -- Cockcroft
Jalen Hurts is a force with his arm, legs ... again
With 37.82 PPR points on Sunday -- the highest quarterback total of Week 15 -- Hurts has now racked up 57.1 points in his first two NFL starts. And this is legit too. The rookie is throwing with confidence, and his ball location is improving. That shows up on the schemed concepts in the Eagles' offense and when Hurts goes off script to extend plays. Plus, with his dual-threat skills, Hurts has now rushed for 169 yards and a score over those first two weeks. These are designed carries, which create conflict for opposing defenses, especially with Hurts' ability to pull the ball down as a runner. I see a young quarterback here who has elevated the play of this entire Eagles offense. There's more juice, more energy on the field. And with a Week 16 matchup versus the Cowboys, Hurts is an easy play as a QB1. -- Bowen
Those 57.1 points through two starts are third most by any quarterback since at least 1950, behind only Eric Hipple's 69.6 and Matt Flynn's 58.5. And Hurts joined Lamar Jackson as the only quarterback with at least 10 rushing attempts in his first two career starts. I'm with you, Matt; we're talking QB1 status for Hurts ... amazingly in the fantasy championship week. Wow. -- Cockcroft
Jonathan Taylor is peaking at the right time
Taylor's 19.5 PPR points continued a three-week run for the rookie, who has emerged as the Colts' lead back. The volume is there, and so is the scoring upside, as Taylor has found the end zone three times in the last two games. Based on what I see, Taylor looks much more decisive as a runner, too, hitting the hole and setting up defenders. Started in 81.7% of ESPN leagues on Sunday, Taylor gets a pretty tough draw in Week 16 versus the Steelers' defense. He'll be a RB2 in my ranks. -- Bowen
Darren Waller isn't far behind Travis Kelce's record pace
He has at least 30 PPR points in two of his past three games, after he scored exactly that many on Thursday Night Football against the Chargers. Waller's 2020 has been overshadowed by Travis Kelce's potentially record-setting campaign -- Kelce's 267.2 PPR points through 13 games were the second most by any tight end in history through that many, and he's playing during the 4 p.m. ET block -- but Waller's 235.7 points are awfully good, too. In fact, that's the 17th most by any tight end through 14 team games of a season, and it gives the Raiders tight end a whopping 71.6-point lead over the No. 3 name at the position. -- Cockcroft
Tristan, I loved the game plan from Jon Gruden to set up Waller in the Thursday matchup. Those were schemed targets to attack the Chargers' single-high coverages. We saw Waller flexed out wide to get matchups, aligned in the slot to create high-percentage throws for backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, and the zone beaters that created open window throws. The way I see it, Gruden is one of the top playcallers in the NFL. -- Bowen
What a week (and season) for Ryan Tannehill
It was a Sunday of setting personal bests for him, as his 37.0 fantasy points in Week 15 represented a new single-game best, and it improved his season total to 299.6, which is also a career high. While most recent opponents have thrived against the sorry Jaguars defense by running the football -- and Derrick Henry did so as well, with 25.2 PPR fantasy points of his own, not to mention the two rushing scores Tannehill contributed -- Tannehill piled on the fantasy points via the pass, scoring 22.9 of his 37 on the 27 throws he attempted. He continues to be a beneath-the-radar borderline QB1/QB2 in Tennessee, though he does face one of the toughest matchups of his entire 2020 season in the fantasy championship Week 16, as the Packers are up next. Tannehill's skills probably warrant his being locked into 2QB/superflex lineups, but he's iffy in standard formats. -- Cockcroft
Tough schedule hasn't fazed red-hot Josh Allen
I'm big on schedule analysis, from a full-season planning perspective, and at one point, Allen's second-half schedule shaped up as the absolute worst for a quarterback -- and just like I was wrong on him as a preseason bust, I was wrong on that, too. Allen provided a home run for his fantasy managers on Saturday, his 37.7 fantasy points his second-most in a single game (40.5, Week 17 of 2018). It was the fifth time that he has scored 30 or more in 2020, only the eighth time in history that any quarterback has had at least that many such performances in a single season. While the Patriots, who held Allen to a season-worst 12.5 points in Week 8, could present some matchups problems for the quarterback in Week 16, it's difficult to bench him with how well he has been playing both of late and for the season as a whole. Allen will probably still be a top-five quarterback for me in the rankings, or very close to it. -- Cockcroft
Quick hitters
Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This Tampa Bay offense has been tough to figure out for the majority of the 2020 season. And you really can't dial in on what its identity is in terms of personnel and staple concepts. However, Brady and the Bucs did find a rhythm in the second half versus Atlanta, throwing the crossers/overs, scheming up a deep ball shot for Antonio Brown (playing the defensive tendencies there) and isolating Mike Evans on targets. Brady, who threw with a bunch of volume on Sunday due to game flow, did register 23.4 PPR points. And when we look at his schedule over the next two weeks -- at Detroit, versus Atlanta -- it sets up for Brady to post QB1 numbers on the fantasy championship stage. -- Bowen
Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints: In his first game back from rib fractures and a punctured lung, Brees was serviceable for fantasy and kept his team in a competitive game from an on-field standpoint. His 19.4 points weren't matchup-winning on their own -- not that it mattered, as he was started in 9.1% of ESPN leagues -- and he did go with his typically conservative game plan, with 23 of his 33 pass attempts traveling fewer than 10 yards downfield. Still, it was an encouraging sight for those counting on him for either Week 16 or 17. Here's the problem: Brees' Week 16 matchup against the Vikings is only middling, rendering him a high-end QB2; and while his Week 17 matchup against the Panthers is excellent -- that defense's Saturday performance notwithstanding -- it's possible the Saints will have already locked in playoff positioning and will limit his snaps. -- Cockcroft
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens: With 29.22 PPR points on Sunday versus the Jags, and 34.92 points in the Monday night win over the Browns in Week 14, Lamar has now produced his highest scoring totals in his last two games. Jackson did post a rushing touchdown versus Jacksonville -- his fourth straight game with a score on the ground -- but I was focused more on the passing game here. Remember, the Ravens are a heavy intermediate-to-deep passing offense. And while the Jags' defense -- a unit that plays defined coverages -- presents some very favorable matchups in the secondary, Jackson did hit those vertical throws to boost his totals. With upcoming games versus the Giants and Bengals, I have no issue ranking Lamar as a top-five quarterback. -- Bowen
Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers: Adams' 11.2 PPR points on Saturday night were his lowest totals of the year since Week 2. In what was set up as a very favorable matchup for Adams against a zone-heavy Panthers defense, it simply didn't produce results. The Green Bay offense went run-heavy versus Carolina, and the offensive execution -- especially in the second half -- was extremely poor. However, we expect Adams to bounce back next week as a top-end WR1 versus the Titans' defense. -- Bowen
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs: We don't know the extent yet of the lower body injury to the Chiefs rookie running back. However, if Edwards-Helaire is down next week, then it's time to elevate Le'Veon Bell into the RB2 mix. Bell has different traits as a runner, but the key here is the touches in the NFL's best offense. -- Bowen
The one thing that gives me pause -- and it will regardless of whomever is the starter -- is the Falcons matchup. Leonard Fournette did score 21.5 PPR fantasy points against their defense on Sunday, a week after Austin Ekeler scored 23.6, but the Falcons had otherwise been rather good against running backs since the coaching change. I agree, Bell will be an RB2 for that game, considering the offense surrounding him, but I'm hesitant to call it an RB1's ceiling. -- Cockcroft
Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks: After serving as one of the most productive fantasy quarterbacks in history through the season's first nine weeks, Wilson has been one of the most disappointing at his position since. His 12.0 fantasy points in Week 15 probably let down a significant number of his teams, considering he was the third-most-started quarterback (83.3% of leagues). To think, Wilson's 228.1 points through the Seahawks' first eight games were more than any quarterback in the game's history had scored through that stage of the season, but he has totaled 93.6 points in six games since, meaning his per-game average has gone from 28.5 to 15.6. Worse yet, Wilson has attempted only 32.2 passes during that six-game span, as the Seahawks' offense has had a more conservative lean. His Week 16 matchup is pretty brutal, too, with the Rams on deck, a defense that limited him to 9.9 points in Week 10. -- Cockcroft
Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys: With Ezekiel Elliott down with a calf injury, Pollard's 31.2 PPR points led all running backs from the early kickoffs. And we saw the juice there, right? A short-strider with vertical burst, Pollard posted 132 total yards (with two scores) in Sunday's win over the 49ers. And with Pollard's receiving impact (six receptions, 63 yards), he brings an added element to this Dallas offense. If Zeke is out again in Week 16, then you can lock Pollard in a lower-tier RB1 in the matchup versus the Eagles. -- Bowen
Cole Beasley, WR, Buffalo Bills: Beasley's eight receptions and 112 receiving yards netted the wide receiver 19.2 PPR points in the Bills' win over Denver. We saw the detail and nuance in his route running, too, setting up defenders to win one-on-ones. With a Week 16 matchup versus the Patriots, a defense that will make quarterback Josh Allen work post-snap with late movement and disguise, I see Beasley as a flex option. -- Bowen