Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: Updated Positional Breakdown for Flex and PPR

Going into Week 15's main course, it seems the Thursday appetizer has once again provided fantasy football owners with proof of just how important the flex position can be.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers-St. Louis Rams showdown might have looked like an odd war of condiments thanks to interesting jersey selections, but it also gave owners the latter's Tavon Austin, a 55.7 percent-owned player and perfect flex play who exploded for 19 points in standard leagues.

Digging up players such as Austin hits a different level of importance in the fantasy football playoffs. Below, let's rank each flex position based on scoring in points-per-reception (PPR) leagues.

Running Backs

Rank	Player
1	Adrian Peterson
2	DeAngelo Williams
3	Devonta Freeman
4	LeSean McCoy
5	Matt Forte
6	David Johnson
7	Jeremy Hill
8	Denard Robinson
9	Tim Hightower
10	Latavius Murray
11	Chris Ivory
12	Jonathan Stewart*
13	Lamar Miller
14	Frank Gore
15	Brandon Bolden
16	Charcandrick West
17	Eddie Lacy
18	Javorius Allen
19	DuJuan Harris
20	Giovani Bernard
21	Darren McFadden
22	Danny Woodhead
23	C.J. Anderson
24	Matt Jones
25	Darren Sproles
26	Melvin Gordon
27	Spencer Ware*
28	James White
29	Shaun Draughn
30	Theo Riddick

With the way the NFL incorporates running backs into the passing game now, it's harder than ever to figure out who will do what each week. 

Even so, it's not hard to find a guy like Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson.

Johnson is on fire as of late while serving as the main back in the Arizona attack, having rushed for at least 92 yards in each of his past two outings.

More importantly in PPR formats, though, is the fact he's caught at least two passes in each of his past four outings with a high of five. Johnson has 39 targets on the season and now gets the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that has allowed at least 80 rushing yards to opposing backfields in every game dating back to Week 6.

Also in for a big day, household name or not, would be Denard Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Robinson will act as the feature back this weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, with T.J. Yeldon listed as doubtful with a knee issue. The backup handled this role well last week, rushing 14 times for 75 yards and a touchdown while adding one catch for 12 yards through the air.

The Falcons have allowed a minimum of 126 rushing yards to opposing backfields in each of their past three outings, with a total of five rushing scores in the process. Robinson getting more looks through the air as he's now part of the game plan is the proverbial icing on the cake.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player
1	Larry Fitzgerald
2	Calvin Johnson
3	Antonio Brown
4	A.J. Green
5	Julio Jones
6	Brandon Marshall
7	Jarvis Landry
8	Doug Baldwin
9	Allen Robinson
10	Alshon Jeffery
11	Odell Beckham Jr.
12	Michael Crabtree
13	DeAndre Hopkins
14	Alshon Jeffery
15	Amari Cooper
16	Kamar Aiken
17	Stevie Johnson*
18	Martavis Bryant
19	Eric Decker
20	Golden Tate
21	Sammy Watkins
22	Danny Amendola
23	John Brown
24	Michael Floyd
25	Brandin Cooks
26	Demaryius Thomas
27	Brandon LaFell
28	DeSean Jackson*
29	Emmanuel Sanders
30	T.Y. Hilton
31	Allen Hurns
32	Dez Bryant
33	Anquan Boldin
34	Marvin Jones
35	Travis Benjamin

Wide receiver is a much more straightforward position to figure out, especially in PPR leagues. 

Look at Brandon Marshall of the New York Jets. Folks might not realize it given New York's reputation as a defense-first team with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, but Marshall ranks sixth in the league at 141 targets.

In his case, opportunity equals production considering he's caught 89 of those for 1,187 yards and 11 touchdowns this year.

Marshall has at least six catches in each of his last three outings and has scored a touchdown in six consecutive games going into a matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Expect the trends to continue, as the Cowboys have permitted opposing wideout corps to catch 14 passes in two consecutive games.

A tad trickier would be someone like Seattle Seahawks wideout Doug Baldwin.

Baldwin has only 81 targets on the season, but Seattle has morphed into a pass-first attack in recent weeks. As such, he's recorded five or more catches in five consecutive outings and has scored eight touchdowns over the course of his last three games.

Pretty crazy, right? Crazier might be the fact that Baldwin gets to next beat up on the Cleveland Browns, owners of a defense that has coughed up double-digit receptions to opposing wideout corps in six straight games with nine touchdowns to the position in that span.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player
1	Rob Gronkowski
2	Greg Olsen*
3	Julius Thomas
4	Tyler Eifert*
5	Benjamin Watson
6	Delanie Walker
7	Richard Rodgers
8	Jordan Reed
9	Eric Ebron
10	Zach Ertz
11	Gary Barnidge
12	Zach Miller

Tight end might be the easiest PPR flex spot to figure out each week—but only at the very top. 

Things get more difficult a few spots down the list. This week, consider Robinson's teammate, Julius Thomas.

Thomas is one of those tight ends owners can lean on no matter what thanks to a quarterback, Blake Bortles in this scenario, leaning heavily on the position. It's why Thomas has 62 targets in just nine games and has received at least five targets in eight consecutive games, with highs of 10 and 13.

Those sorts of target numbers guarantee production, but it's amplified here against a struggling Falcons defense that has allowed seven touchdowns to the position.

Delanie Walker of the Tennessee Titans might be a more recognizable name at the position. It's a well-deserved status given the way rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota leans on him for production.

Walker has 99 targets this year and has been especially hot in recent weeks, receiving 10 or more targets in three of his last four games. He's received fewer than six in a game just two times, a testament to the chances a big-bodied player at the spot will see with a rookie under center.

The Titans get the New England Patriots this week, and while the Patriots haven't given up a load of points to the position, the fact that Mariota will continue to spam the ball to Walker while likely playing catch-up should mean big numbers for the star tight end.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of December 18.