Week 15 of the NFL season featured big games early in the week from Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, and Amon-Ra St. Brown continued to be a target magnet Sunday. The news wasn't as good for Najee Harris or Kyler Murray.
How should fantasy football managers react? Matt Bowen and Tristan H. Cockcroft offer their takes.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown continues climb
That's now two times in three weeks that this rookie receiver has graced our page, and in both of those games, his Detroit Lions picked up an unexpected win. This one was much, much more impressive than the first one, as the Lions were 13½-point underdogs against the Arizona Cardinals yet came away with an 18-point victory that was never close. St. Brown caught 8 of 11 targets for 23.5 PPR fantasy points, his second-best total of 2021 and the third straight week that he has exceeded 15 points. During that three-week stretch, he has team-leading totals with 35 targets and a 34.3% target share, not to mention bests with 104 routes run and three red zone targets.
St. Brown has developed a good rapport with quarterback Jared Goff, running the majority of his routes out of the slot, and he's on a team that's still highly likely to play most of its remaining snaps from behind on the scoreboard, favoring a pass-heavy game plan. The Lions get the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks the next two weeks, matchups that favor wide receivers (Falcons) or offense in general (Seahawks), so it's an easy case to make that he's a locked-in WR3 with a good chance at WR2 fantasy production. And -- hint hint -- St. Brown remains available in 76.0% of ESPN leagues! -- Cockcroft
Tristan, I really like St. Brown's game. While he doesn't flash high-end traits in the route tree, the rookie is tough, physical and he can be deployed from multiple alignments. And, as you said, the target volume is jumping. He's a must-add -- and must-start -- in Week 16. -- Bowen
Tyler Huntley delivers premium, Lamar-like performance
What a pinch-hitting appearance his was, as Huntley scored a position-best (through the 4 p.m. ET games) 35.90 fantasy points, even giving his Ravens a chance to win the game with less than a minute remaining. He has made excellent use of tight end Mark Andrews when called upon to play, though Lamar Jackson (ankle) should be ready to return for Week 16, returning Huntley to the bench. Though it wasn't completely certain at the time the 1 p.m. ET games kicked off whether Jackson or Huntley would start, Huntley earned the start in 1.9% of ESPN fantasy leagues. Nice work to those managers! -- Cockcroft
Cordarrelle Patterson has his worst week of season
In the fantasy playoffs, you wanted a lot more here from Patterson, who finished with a season-low 4.3 PPR points in the Falcons' loss to the 49ers. Only targeted twice in the pass game (two receptions, five yards), and with no daylight to run versus the San Francisco defensive front (11 carries, 18 yards rushing), Patterson had limited opportunities to create or make plays. Did I want to see more schemed opportunities for Patterson as a receiver? There's no doubt. Patterson gets a much more positive matchup (on paper) in Week 16 against the Lions. -- Bowen
Cam Newton leads the way early for QBs
Despite a very inconsistent day throwing the ball (18-of-38 passing), Newton's 23.34 fantasy points versus the Bills were the highest of any quarterback from the early slate of games on Sunday. With another rushing touchdown in this one, in addition to season highs in carries (15) and rushing yards (71), Newton has scored on the ground in every game he's played for Carolina this season. Now, Newton and the Panthers get the Buccaneers next week. And quarterback Sam Darnold could be back, too. I don't love the matchup for Cam here, and we have to see how the Carolina coaching staff handles the quarterback position this week. -- Bowen
Matt, while I'd say I'm not that worried about Darnold's return, considering how poorly he played before getting hurt, you're right in that the Panthers, under Matt Rhule, seem a-OK with shuffling quarterbacks in and out of the game as the plan calls. Newton might've played every offensive snap Sunday, but he sat out 31 combined in the two games before that, and I'd agree that I wasn't all that impressed by what he did throwing the football. His fantasy point total was more about his hefty rushing usage. Yes, that elevates a quarterback's weekly statistical floor, but I worry about his role -- and, yes, as you pointed out, next week's matchup. I'll probably rank him 15th or so but don't feel good at all actually starting him. -- Cockcroft
RB Najee Harris has dud vs. Titans
On the first weekend of the fantasy playoffs, Harris posted a season-low 4.6 PPR points. Yeah, this was a tough matchup for Harris versus the Tennessee defense, a unit that was allowing an average of only 19.3 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs heading into Week 15 (second fewest in the NFL). But we also were reminded why Harris has been so dependent on high volume (both run and pass) and scoring opportunities this season. On Sunday, the Steelers rookie finished with 14 total touches -- with only two receptions -- and he didn't find the end zone. And, as we have said before, Harris isn't a consistent explosive-play threat. He's a grinder, a downhill back -- with the receiving traits to boost his totals on screens and unders. Now, if you did advance to the next round, I do like the matchup for Harris next week versus the Kansas City defense, in which he'll be a low-end RB1 in my ranks. -- Bowen
QB Kyler Murray can't deliver in upset loss
Across the field in the Lions' upset victory, the Arizona Cardinals played flat for 60 minutes, never really being competitive in a 30-12 loss. Murray managed just 12.58 fantasy points in the process, the seventh-worst total in any of his 43 career NFL starts, a shockingly poor number for a player universally ranked a top-five quarterback for the week. Where was the mobility in this one? After Murray gashed the Chicago Bears' defense for 17.90 of his 30.82 total fantasy points with his legs alone in Week 13, then added 61 yards on seven carries in Week 14, he ran only four times for 3 yards all day against the Lions. It was an inexplicable turn of events and doesn't offer much encouragement as he heads into a much tougher Week 16 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. He'll remain a clear QB1 for that game, for those who still manage to advance, but his statistical volatility and what seemed to be more difficulty moving the ball downfield with DeAndre Hopkins absent are factors you must consider in these key fantasy playoff weeks. -- Cockcroft
WR Gabriel Davis finds end zone yet again
Davis, who has now scored at least one touchdown in three straight games, checked in with a season-high 25.5 PPR points in the Week 15 win over the Panthers. With Emmanuel Sanders still down with a knee injury, Davis has seen a jump in volume (15 targets in his past two games), and the Buffalo Bills are scheming throws to him. Yes, I know Davis and the Bills get the Patriots next in Week 16. That's the best secondary in the league. But if Sanders is still out of the lineup, Davis does have WR3 upside in deeper leagues, given the Bills' pass-game structure and QB Josh Allen's ability to attack all three levels of the field. -- Bowen
Quick hitters
Russell Gage, WR, Atlanta Falcons: He has really picked up the pace in recent weeks, scoring a season-best 23.1 PPR fantasy points on Sunday to give him 73.7 in the past four weeks combined, third-most among wide receivers (pending the outcomes of a few other yet-to-play players). Gage has a 29% target share during that time, enough volume to lock him into WR3 status with a WR2 ceiling -- and the latter is probably what he's looking at with a Week 16 matchup against the Lions. -- Cockcroft
Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens: Andrews racked-up 35.6 PPR points on Sunday versus the Packers. He was a matchup issue for safeties, corners and linebackers. We saw that in the red zone too, where Andrews caught two touchdowns. Zone looks? He would find the open window. And, for the second straight week, the Ravens tight end posted at least 10 receptions with 100-plus yards receiving -- with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley feeding him the ball as the primary option in the pass game. Up next for Andrews? It's the Bengals defense, which ranked 21st in fantasy points allowed per game to opposing tight ends heading into Week 15. -- Bowen
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Green Bay Packers
With at least seven targets in three of his last four games, and then explosive play traits to be schemed on vertical throws, is MVS a viable option as a WR3 in deeper 12-14 team leagues in the fantasy semis? Maybe. Valdes-Scantling caught five of seven targets in Sunday's win over the Ravens, including a touchdown on a red zone slant route from quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In Week 16, the Packers get a Browns defense that is very defined in their coverages; a lot of split-safety looks -- which could create opportunities for Rodgers to target MVS on the deep over routes. I might take a shot with the Packers wide receiver here, especially in non-PPR formats. -- Bowen
Craig Reynolds, RB, Detroit Lions: With injuries severely hampering the Lions' backfield -- D'Andre Swift (shoulder) and Jamaal Williams (COVID-19) were out for Week 15 -- Reynolds has come seemingly out of nowhere to score double-digit fantasy points the past two weeks. After scoring 11.9 PPR fantasy points in Week 14, he managed 12.7 on 27 touches Sunday, with the latter hardly doing justice to his strong performance in a fill-in capacity. It might well be a one-and-done, as Williams will almost certainly be back for Week 16, and Swift could return as well, though a matchup against the Falcons does favor the Lions' running backs next week, whomever the identity of their starter. It'd be wise to stash Reynolds as a just-in-case move, but he'll otherwise probably be more of a workload hindrance to Swift/Williams if they're available for the game as expected. -- Cockcroft
Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots: A touchdown-dependent tight end for much of the year, Henry delivered the scores -- two of 'em, in fact -- but also matched his season high for receptions (six) while amassing a season-best 77 receiving yards on Saturday night, resulting in a season-high 25.7 PPR fantasy points. He continues to be a heavily utilized option in scoring position, tying for the tight end lead with 17 red zone targets while leading with 14 end zone targets, and he'll almost assuredly exit Week 15 a top-five player overall in the latter category. Henry shouldn't be expected to get that kind of volume every week, and he almost assuredly will not in Week 16 against a tough Buffalo Bills defense, but he's still a borderline top-10 positional option just because of his prospect for weekly touchdowns. -- Cockcroft
James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: In the Jags' first game since the firing of head coach Urban Meyer, Robinson logged 21 touches -- his most since Week 12 -- and finished with 17.8 PPR points. And Robinson gets a prime matchup in the fantasy semis versus the Jets' defense. He'll be in the RB1 mix. -- Bowen
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs: In what had been shaping up as a somewhat disappointing season for a player who was universally regarded a preseason first-rounder, an unusual development for a tight end, Kelce delivered when his fantasy managers needed him most, scoring a career-high 41.1 PPR fantasy points on "Thursday Night Football." With it, he's now a virtual lock for a 250-point fantasy campaign, which would be his third in a row, and he has 220-plus for the sixth consecutive year, an NFL record for a tight end and only one total 220-point season shy of Tony Gonzalez's record (seven). Kelce gets a pair of great tight end matchups the next two weeks, facing the Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 16) and Cincinnati Bengals (Week 17). -- Cockcroft
Tyreek Hill, WR, Chiefs: Hill dropped 32.8 PPR points on the Chargers in the Thursday night matchup, and it was his first game since Week 4 with over 100 yards receiving. The Kansas City wide receiver caught a red zone score, and he also added three explosive-play receptions in this one (receptions of 20 yards or more). With opposing defenses leaning on split-field coverages versus the Chiefs, Hill will continue to see targets underneath (with room to run after the catch), and QB Patrick Mahomes' ability to extend plays always makes Hill a threat to get loose in space. With the Steelers' defense up next, you can lock in Hill as a top-three WR. -- Bowen