Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: Position-by-Position Breakdown

The first round of the fantasy football playoffs was unpredictable, to say the least, and injuries to stars like Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson and New England’s Rob Gronkowski have owners looking ahead to the Week 15 rankings.

Starting the right players this week could be the difference between making the championship in your league and losing in spectacular fashion.

Here are my top 10 rankings at every position to help you make the toughest game-day decisions in such a pivotal portion of the season.

*Based on standard-scoring leagues. Points against stats via ESPN.

Quarterback

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. points
1	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers	28
2	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	St. Louis Rams	24
3	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys	Green Bay Packers	22
4	Philip Rivers	San Diego Chargers	Denver Broncos	21
5	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans	20
6	Matthew Stafford	Detroit Lions	Baltimore Ravens	18
7	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers	New York Jets	18
8	Nick Foles	Philadelphia Eagles	Minnesota Vikings	17
9	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins	17
10	Robert Griffin III	Washington Redskins	Atlanta Falcons	17

Quarterback Notes

The cream always rises to the top, and in the second week of fantasy playoffs, the perennial powerhouses like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tony Romo will thrive once again and bring owners to the next round.

The top three quarterbacks all have favorable matchups, but they’re not alone. Philip Rivers, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III all have a chance to make an impact on the sport this week against lackluster defenses.

While talented stars like Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady and Cam Newton are all worth a start this week despite tough games, the biggest sleeper of Week 15 could be Nick Foles. The Eagles square off against the lowly Minnesota Vikings defense that has given up a league-high 20.4 points per game against opposing QBs.

Foles could have a monster fantasy day.

Running Back

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	Oakland Raiders	22
2	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	Minnesota Vikings	20
3	DeMarco Murray	Dallas Cowboys	Green Bay Packers	19
4	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	New York Giants	19
5	Knowshon Moreno	Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers	18
6	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	Cleveland Browns	17
7	Maurice Jones-Drew	Jacksonville Jaguars	Buffalo Bills	15
8	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers	Dallas Cowboys	15
9	Frank Gore	San Francisco 49ers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	14
10	Zac Stacy	St. Louis Rams	New Orleans Saints	12

Running Back Notes

The biggest news of the week regarding running backs was the injury to Minnesota Vikings lead back Adrian Peterson and the reported mid-foot strain he suffered, according to Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Peterson would have been the No. 1-ranked back this week, but the uncertainty surrounding his injury should have owners finding other options. This couldn’t have come at a worse time in the fantasy season.

After big games from both Jamaal Charles and LeSean McCoy, the duo has moved up as the top two backs in Week 15. DeMarco Murray, Marshawn Lynch and Knowshon Moreno all are their respective team’s top back and will capitalize on the favorable matchups and the heavy workloads.

Other breakout candidates to watch will be Matt Forte, Maurice Jones-Drew, Frank Gore and Zac Stacy, but this Sunday’s ultimate sleeper is Eddie Lacy. The Green Bay Packers are taking on a Dallas Cowboys team that gives up the most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs (21.8).

No matter who is under center for Green Bay, fantasy owners should expect big numbers from Lacy.

Wide Receiver

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. points
1	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	Baltimore Ravens	25
2	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers	21
3	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns	Chicago Bears	20
4	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	Pittsburgh Steelers	18
5	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	Green Bay Packers	18
6	Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears	Cleveland Browns	17
7	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals	15
8	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona Cardinals	Tennessee Titans	14
9	Andre Johnson	Houston Texans	Indianapolis Colts	14
10	DeSean Jackson	Philadelphia Eagles	Minnesota Vikings	14

Wide Receiver Notes

After watching Mother Nature make her presence felt by skewing the passing numbers in some of the snowiest games football fans will witness this season, order will be restored to the top 10 in Week 15.

Calvin Johnson has once again returned to the No. 1 spot despite only catching three passes for 49 yards last week. The Detroit Lions will face a tough matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, but Megatron will not be held down again.

The majority of the top 10 rankings are comprised of the most reliable stars that fantasy owners have counted on all season. With consistent starters like Demaryius Thomas, Josh Gordon, A.J. Green, Dez Bryant, Antonio Brown, Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson all playing well, the focus has shifted to which underrated players have the best chance to shine.

There is no bigger risk/reward start in Week 15 than DeSean Jackson.

Minnesota’s defense gives up an average of 25 points per game to opposing wide receivers. The great matchup will ease the fantasy owners who have panicked over the last three weeks, as Jackson has seen his catches, yards and touchdown numbers decline.

With the elements not making an impact inside the Vikings’ dome, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles should look to his speedy wide receiver early and often Sunday.

Tight End

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. points
1	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints	St. Louis Rams	20
2	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys	Green Bay Packers	17
3	Julius Thomas	Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers	17
4	Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	16
5	Tony Gonzalez	Atlanta Falcons	Washington Redskins	14
6	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers	New York Jets	12
7	Martellus Bennett	Chicago Bears	Cleveland Browns	12
8	Jordan Cameron	Cleveland Browns	Chicago Bears	12
9	Heath Miller	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals	12
10	Antonio Gates	San Diego Chargers	Denver Broncos	11

Tight End Notes

I owned Rob Gronkowski in four leagues. I drafted him in the middle rounds and stashed him on the bench to start the season while he recovered from injuries. As he returned to the Patriots’ lineup, he once again emerged as the top tight end in football, even surpassing Jimmy Graham.

After an injury suffered Sunday that sources fear is a torn ACL and MCL, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the risk of drafting the New England Patriots star will go down as a bust. Not only does that make Graham the unquestioned No. 1 tight end in the game, but it also creates a frenzy to find a viable replacement.

The majority of the top players at the position will succeed this week, including Jason Witten, Julius Thomas, Vernon Davis and Tony Gonzalez, but there are a few names that could be readily available depending on how your league handles waivers.

While Greg Olsen and Martellus Bennett are likely owned (both should have solid fantasy outputs Sunday), Jordan Cameron, Heath Miller and Antonio Gates could have been dropped along the way and there for owners to pick up.

The tight end position has been unpredictable all year, and Week 15 will be no exception.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team	Opponent	Proj. points
1	Seattle Seahawks	New York Giants	20
2	San Francisco 49ers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	18
3	Kansas City Chiefs	Oakland Raiders	18
4	Arizona Cardinals	Tennessee Titans	16
5	Cincinnati Bengals	Pittsburgh Steelers	15
6	Baltimore Ravens	Detroit Lions	14
7	Carolina Panthers	New York Jets	14
8	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals	14
9	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	San Francisco 49ers	12
10	New Orleans Saints	St. Louis Rams	12

Defense/Special Teams Notes

There will be no surprises here. If you made it this far in the postseason, you likely have one of the top 10 defense/special teams units in the league and have started them with consistency.

The biggest change, though, comes in the form of the Kansas City Chiefs proving once again that it’s not just the vaunted defense that gets major points. With two return touchdowns, Kansas City helped many fantasy teams upset their first-round opponents.

Owners understand that Seattle, San Francisco, Arizona, Cincinnati and Carolina are all must-starts each week. The highlighted team in this week’s top 10 for defense is the the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints play a St. Louis team failing to find its rhythm. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has New Orleans playing hard-nosed football, and the Rams will be the latest victim that fails to put up big points on the much-improved defense.

Kicker

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. points
1	Matt Prater	Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers	15
2	Steven Hauschka	Seattle Seahawks	New York Giants	14
3	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins	13
4	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	Detroit Lions	12
5	Blair Walsh	Minnesota Vikings	Philadelphia Eagles	12
6	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers	Dallas Cowboys	12
7	Adam Vinatieri	Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans	11
8	Phil Dawson	San Francisco 49ers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	10
9	Robbie Gould	Chicago Bears	Cleveland Browns	10
10	Ryan Succop	Kansas City Chiefs	Oakland Raiders	10

Kicker Notes

Matt Prater set the all-time NFL record with his 64-yard field goal Sunday. With his power and accuracy on full display, coupled with the high-powered offense of the Denver Broncos, Prater has made his way to the top of the Week 15 rankings.

Just like your team defense, fantasy owners that have made it this far likely have one of the top kickers in the league. If you don’t and one of the players ranked above is available on waivers, make the move now and enjoy another victory.