Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: Top 20 Players at Every Position

It's Week 15 of the 2012 fantasy football season, and that means that in the vast majority of fantasy leagues, only four teams remain.

The "Final Four," if you will.

Odds are that unless Cinderella has crashed the ball, these teams are loaded with fantasy studs, and when you're playing a team that's just as good (or even better) than yours, every lineup decision becomes absolutely critical.

So, as we near the end of another fantasy season, and with championship week just around the corner here's a look at the top 20 players at every position in Week 15 for point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football leagues.

Drew Brees and the Top 20 Quarterbacks

Over the past few weeks, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been slumping at the worst possible time for his fantasy owners, throwing only four touchdowns against nine interceptions over the past three weeks.

With that said, if there was ever a game for Brees to bounce back in, it would appear to be this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers have allowed the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season, and Brees torched Tampa for 377 yards and four touchdowns back in Week 7.

1. Drew Brees - NO vs. TB

2. Aaron Rodgers - GB at CHI

3. Tom Brady - NE vs. SF

4. Peyton Manning - DEN at BAL

5. Cam Newton - CAR at SD

6. Matt Ryan - ATL vs. NYG

7. Matthew Stafford - DET at ARI

8. Josh Freeman - TB at NO

9. Andy Dalton - CIN at PHI

10. Eli Manning - NYG at ATL

11. Andrew Luck - IND at HOU

12. Colin Kaepernick - SF at NE

13. Robert Griffin III - WAS at CLE

14. Carson Palmer - OAK vs. KC

15. Tony Romo - DAL vs. PIT

16. Ben Roethlisberger - PIT at DAL

17. Matt Schaub - HOU vs. IND

18. Russell Wilson - SEA at BUF

19. Philip Rivers - SD vs. CAR

20. Joe Flacco - BAL vs. DEN

Adrian Peterson and the Top 20 Running Backs

As the 2012 NFL season has progressed, there's one thing that has become abundantly clear.

It's Adrian Peterson's world, and we're all just living in it.

Peterson leads the NFL in rushing with 1,600 yards, had averaged a robust six yards a pop this season and has seven straight games with at least 100 yards on the ground.

All less than a year after tearing his ACL and MCL.

1. Adrian Peterson - MIN at STL

2. Doug Martin - TB at NO

3. Ray Rice - BAL vs. DEN

4. Arian Foster - HOU vs. IND

5. Marshawn Lynch - SEA at BUF

6. Trent Richardson - CLE vs. WAS

7. C.J. Spiller - BUF vs. SEA

8. Jamaal Charles - KC at OAK

9. Matt Forte - CHI vs. GB

10. Chris Johnson - TEN vs. NYJ

11. Knowshon Moreno - DEN at BAL

12. Steven Jackson - STL vs. MIN

13. Reggie Bush - MIA vs. JAX

14. Alfred Morris - WAS at CLE

15. Frank Gore - SF at NE

16. Bryce Brown - PHI vs. CIN

17. DeMarco Murray - DAL vs. PIT

18. Darren Sproles - NO vs. TB

19. BenJarvus Green-Ellis - CIN at PHI

20. Darren McFadden - OAK vs. KC

Calvin Johnson and the Top 20 Wide Receivers

After a slow start to the season, Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson has been on an absolute rampage of late, with six straight games of over 100 receiving yards.

With three games to play, the sixth-year veteran needs 303 yards to break Jerry Rice's single-season record of 1,848 receiving yards, and with the Lions out of playoff contention, getting "Megatron" the record is one of the few things Detroit has left to play for.

1. Calvin Johnson - DET at ARI

2. A.J. Green - CIN at PHI

3. Vincent Jackson - TB at NO

4. Brandon Marshall - CHI vs. GB

5. Demaryius Thomas - DEN at BAL

6. Wes Welker - NE vs. SF

7. Julio Jones - ATL vs. NYG

8. Victor Cruz - NYG at ATL

9. Reggie Wayne - IND at HOU

10. Roddy White - ATL vs. NYG

11. Marques Colston - NO vs. TB

12. Danario Alexander - SD vs. CAR

13. Andre Johnson - HOU vs. IND

14. Steve Smith - CAR at SD

15. Mike Wallace - PIT at DAL

16. Eric Decker - DEN at BAL

17. Torrey Smith - BAL vs. DEN

18. Hakeem Nicks - NYG at ATL

19. Pierre Garcon - WAS at CLE

20. Miles Austin - DAL vs. PIT

Aaron Hernandez and the Top 20 Tight Ends

If there was any question as to whether New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is fully recovered from his ankle injury, those questions were put to rest in Sunday night's big win over the Houston Texans.

For the second straight week, Hernandez caught eight passes, finding the end zone twice, and so long as fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski is on the shelf with a broken forearm, Hernandez should continue to see a ton of targets in the passing game, especially in the red zone.

1. Aaron Hernandez - NE vs. SF

2. Jimmy Graham - NO vs. TB

3. Tony Gonzalez - ATL vs. NYG

4. Jason Witten - DAL vs. PIT

5. Owen Daniels - HOU vs. IND

6. Brandon Myers - OAK vs. KC

7. Heath Miller - PIT at DAL

8. Martellus Bennett - NYG at ATL

9. Jermaine Gresham - CIN at PHI

10. Greg Olsen - CAR at SD

11. Dennis Pitta - BAL vs. DEN

12. Jacob Tamme - DEN at BAL

13. Kyle Rudolph - MIN at STL

14. Antonio Gates - SD vs. CAR

15. Vernon Davis - SF at NE

16. Dallas Clark - TB at NO

17. Clay Harbor - PHI vs. CIN

18. Jermichael Finley - GB at CHI

19. Scott Chandler - BUF vs. SEA

20. Tony Scheffler - DET at ARI

Lawrence Tynes and the Top 20 Kickers

You know, every year about this time I start to get a little melancholy because another fantasy football season is winding down.

Then I remember that I won't have to rank fantasy kickers anymore, and I feel better.

None of the top kickers have especially favorable matchups this week, so this season's top fantasy foot, Lawrence Tynes of the New York Giants, is as good a bet as any.

1. Lawrence Tynes - NYG at ATL

2. Stephen Gostkowski - NE vs. SF

3. Matt Bryant - ATL vs. NYG

4. Matt Prater - DEN at BAL

5. Garrett Hartley - NO vs. TB

6. Jason Hanson - DET at ARI

7. Shayne Graham - HOU vs. IND

8. Connor Barth - TB at NO

9. Mason Crosby - GB at CHI

10. Justin Tucker - BAL vs. DEN

11. Phil Dawson - CLE vs. WAS

12. Shaun Suisham - PIT at DAL

13. Dan Bailey - DAL vs. PIT

14. Josh Brown - CIN at PHI

15. David Akers - SF at NE

16. Nick Novak - SD vs. CAR

17. Greg Zuerlein - STL vs. MIN

18. Kai Forbath - WAS at CLE

19. Steve Hauschka - SEA at BUF

20. Sebastian Janikowski - OAK vs. KC

Detroit Lions and the Top 20 Defenses

Last week, in their 58-0 demolition of the Arizona Cardinals, the Seattle Seahawks defense racked up 41 fantasy points in NFL.com default scoring, which was not only the highest total put up by a defense this year, but also the highest total put up by any defense since 2009.

In other words, you want the defense facing the Arizona Cardinals in your lineup.

This week, that fantasy buffet will be chowed on by the Detroit Lions, and the news that the Cardinals will start Ryan Lindley at quarterback makes it that much better,

1. Detroit Lions - DET at ARI

2. Miami Dolphins - MIA vs. JAX

3. Seattle Seahawks - SEA at BUF

4. Green Bay Packers - GB at CHI

5. Houston Texans - HOU vs. IND

6. Cincinnati Bengals - CIN at PHI

7. Tennessee Titans - TEN vs. NYJ

8. St. Louis Rams - STL vs. MIN

9. Pittsburgh Steelers - PIT at DAL

10. Oakland Raiders - OAK vs. KC

11. New York Jets - NYJ at TEN

12. Atlanta Falcons - ATL vs. NYG

13. Chicago Bears - CHI vs. GB

14. Denver Broncos - DEN at BAL

15. Cleveland Browns - CLE vs. WAS

16. New York Giants - NYG at ATL

17. Kansas City Chiefs - KC at OAK

18. San Francisco 49ers - SF at NE

19. Dallas Cowboys - DAL vs. PIT

20. Baltimore Ravens - BAL vs. DEN