Fantasy Football Week 15: Rankings and Advice for 'Thursday Night Football'

The NFL has blessed us with another edge-of-your-seat barnburner on Thursday Night Football, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be on the road to take on the St. Louis Rams.

However, chances are if you're in the semifinals of your fantasy football league, you probably own either Buccaneers running back Doug Martin or Rams running back Todd Gurley.

Those guys will be plenty of fun to watch on prime-time television.

Odds Shark has the Rams as 2.5-point favorites at home, with an over/under of 41.

This should be a low-scoring game with heavy emphasis on the running attack.

I'm taking the Buccaneers in an upset, 17-16.

Big Board

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Thursday Night Big Board

Rank	Player	Pos.	Team
1	Mike Evans	WR	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2	Todd Gurley	RB	St. Louis Rams
3	Doug Martin	RB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4	Jameis Winston	QB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5	Tavon Austin	WR	St. Louis Rams
6	Charles Sims	RB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7	Nick Foles	QB	St. Louis Rams
8	Jared Cook	TE	St. Louis Rams
9	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TE	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10	Kenny Britt	WR	St. Louis Rams

Injury Report

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Bruce Carter, LB, Doubtful (ankle)
• Lavonte David, LB, Probable (ankle)
• Vincent Jackson, WR, Out (knee)
• George Johnson, DE, Questionable (calf)
• Logan Mankins, G, Questionable (ankle)
• Gerald McCoy, DT, Probable (hand)
• Jacquies Smith, DE, Questionable (hamstring)
• Akeem Spence, DT, Out (ankle)

St. Louis Rams

• Kenny Britt, WR, Probable (shoulder)
• Andrew Donnal, OT, Out (knee)
• Todd Gurley, RB, Probable (non-injury)
• Rob Havenstein, OT, Probable (calf)
• Janoris Jenkins, CB, Probable (concussion)
• Eric Patterson, CB, Questionable (ankle)
• Robert Quinn, DE, Out (back)

Injury reports courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Quarterbacks

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston

In the three games since his five-touchdown outburst, Winston has come back down to earth.

Over his last three games, Winston has three passing touchdowns and two interceptions.

In addition, Winston has yet to reach the 300-yard mark and has gone over 250 yards passing just four times this season.

The Rams surrender the eighth-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, and Winston will have his hands full.

Projections: 210 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

St. Louis Rams: Nick Foles

With all due respect, Foles is horrendous.

Since Week 5, Foles has just two passing touchdowns and has not thrown a touchdown since Week 8. That has to be some kind of record, right?

Furthermore, Foles has only been over 230 passing yards in a game once this season—Week 1.

Foles should not even be on a fantasy roster.

Projections: 195 passing yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT

Running Backs

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Starter: Doug Martin

Over his last four games, Martin is averaging 6.6 yards per carry.

In those four games, Martin has managed to top 80 yards rushing in all of them.

Coming off touchdowns in back-to-back weeks, Martin gets a Rams team that allows the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Martin will top 80 yards for the fifth game in a row on Thursday Night Football.

Projections: 85 rushing yards, 1 TD

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Charles Sims

Not only do the Rams allow the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs, they also have allowed the fourth-most receptions to the position this season.

In Week 14, Sims saw a season-high eight targets.

The high amount of targets may have had something to do with wide receiver Vincent Jackson leaving the game with a knee injury.

With Jackson out this week, Sims could see a healthy amount of targets.

To add to Sims' value, he averages seven carries per game.

If you're in a points-per-reception league, Sims is on your radar in Week 15.

Projections: 20 rushing yards; 3 receptions, 35 receiving yards

St. Louis Rams Starter: Todd Gurley

There is absolutely nothing bad to say about Gurley.

After not having a 100-yard game since Week 8, Gurley went out in Week 14 and ran the ball for 140 yards.

Gurley should see plenty of carries in this one and, once again, be the focal point of the offense.

Projections: 100 rushing yards, 1 TD

Wide Receivers

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans

With Jackson on the shelf with a knee injury for the foreseeable future, Evans will have an opportunity to shine.

Evans had 10 or more targets in two of the three games Jackson has missed this season and went over 100 yards receiving in two of them.

Evans is a strong WR2 without Jackson.

However, his Week 15 matchup against the Rams and cornerback Janoris Jenkins will test the second-year wideout.

Due to the volume he is expected to receive, Evans should have a productive day.

Projections: 6 receptions, 80 receiving yards, 1 TD

St. Louis Rams: Tavon Austin

It's tough being a Rams wide receiver—just ask Austin.

On the season, Austin has amassed just 9.4 yards per reception, ranking him second to last among wide receivers that have played 600 or more snaps this season.

In addition to that, Austin has not eclipsed 35 receiving yards since Week 8.

However, what makes Austin intriguing is his rushing ability, as he's racked up three rushing touchdowns this season.

In Week 15, Austin is the true definition of "boom or bust."

Projections: 3 receptions, 35 receiving yards; 30 rushing yards

Tight Ends

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Starter: Austin Seferian-Jenkins

Seferian-Jenkins has seen six targets and caught three passes in each of the past two weeks following his return in Week 13. However, he has not found the end zone since Week 1.

In Week 15, Seferian-Jenkins is not a touted tight end play.

Projections: 3 receptions, 35 receiving yards

St. Louis Rams Starter: Jared Cook

Although he saw nine targets in Week 13, Cook has not been a relevant fantasy option this season and has yet to find the end zone in 2015.

Projections: 3 receptions, 30 receiving yards

Defense/Special Teams

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense/Special Teams

The Buccaneers are just outside of being a top-10 defensive fantasy unit.

This week, they take on a Rams offense that is (for the lack of a better term) abysmal overall.

Any time Foles is under center, the opposing defense could be in line for a good game.

Projections: 16 points allowed, 1 INT, 1 FF, 3 sacks

St. Louis Rams Defense/Special Teams

Ranking sixth in the league in sacks, the Rams are a must-play almost every week.

Although I have the Buccaneers projected to win, Winston is still a rookie quarterback and the Rams defense has been rock-solid this season.

With wide receiver Tavon Austin returning kicks, this defense could go from average to a top play in the blink of an eye.

Projections: 17 points allowed, 1 INT, 1 FF, 4 sacks

Best Sleeper Add

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Charles Sims, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Owned in 42 percent of ESPN Leagues)

With Jackson lost for the season most likely, Sims could see added work out of the backfield. He saw eight targets last week, which is a good sign his targets could increase moving forward.

Start or Sit?

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A popular option lately, Winston will have his hands full against a rock-solid Rams defense that surrenders the eighth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.

Verdict: Sit.

All advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Pro-Football-Reference.com. All fantasy numbers courtesy of ESPN.com.

Follow me on Twitter @RichardJanvrin.