Fantasy Football Week 15: Top Skill-Position Players for Playoffs

The fantasy football season is drawing to a close, and with just three weeks left in the NFL season, the pressure is mounting for owners who are in the playoffs. No matter what round of the playoffs, the stress of putting together the best lineup means the difference between taking home the trophy or second-guessing decisions until the next NFL season rolls around.

While there are several matchups that make sense for each position, it's easy to forget that some players or even defenses are simply matchup-proof. But going into this list, remember that the status of Adrian Peterson looks bleak, Aaron Rodgers might not be passing to Jordy Nelson, and Jay Cutler looks like the starter for the Bears this week.

With all of this and more in mind, here are the top 10 players at each position for the fantasy playoffs.

Quarterback

Rank	Name	Team	Opponent
1	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers
2	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	St. Louis Rams
3	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers	N.Y. Jets
4	Matthew Stafford	Detroit Lions	Baltimore Ravens
5	Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks	N.Y. Giants
6	Philip Rivers	San Diego Chargers	Denver Broncos
7	Nick Foles	Philadelphia Eagles	Minnesota Vikings
8	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys	Green Bay Packers
9	Tom Brady	New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins
10	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans

Top Players Breakdown

• Look for Drew Brees to also continue his domination of pass defenses this weekend when the New Orleans Saints travel to St. Louis to take on the Rams. After facing two top-five passing defenses with the Seahawks and Panthers, Brees will take on the 22nd-ranked pass defense that give up 19 touchdowns on the season.
• Cam Newton will have a bounce-back game in Week 15 against the New York Jets after struggling against the Saints. As well as the Jets stop the rush, they simply can't stop the pass. The Jets have given up 24 passing touchdowns on the season—just two less than the horrifically bad Cowboys secondary—and are surrendering an average of 255 yards per game. Still, look for Newton to run the ball a healthy amount despite the matchup as well.

Other Notables

• Joe Flacco has a good matchup against the Detroit Lions and could have a good night on the other side of Matthew Stafford. The Lions are giving up 256 passing yards per game but have forced 27 sacks on the season. If Flacco can stand upright, look for him to put up good fantasy points.
• Andy Dalton, at times, has the potential to look like a top-10 fantasy quarterback. But without knowing which Dalton will show up, it's tough to put him on the list yet. How he performs against a top-10 passing defense might dictate whether fantasy owners have confidence in him moving forward.

Running Back

Rank	Name	Team	Opponent
1	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	Oakland Raiders
2	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	Minnesota Vikings
3	DeMarco Murray	Dallas Cowboys	Green Bay Packers
4	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	Cleveland Browns
5	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	N.Y. Giants
6	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers	Dallas Cowboys
7	Alfred Morris	Washington Redskins	Atlanta Falcons
8	Knowshon Moreno	Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers
9	Shane Vereen	New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins
10	Ben Tate	Houston Texans	Indianapolis Colts

Top Players Breakdown

• Jamaal Charles has been matchup-proof all year. And this week, he faces an Oakland defense that, while ranking 12th in the NFL in rush defense, is simply not very good. If Charles doesn't get a lot of yards in the passing or running game, expect him to get a healthy dose of carries late if the Chiefs start running away—literally—with this game.
• LeSean McCoy proved this past weekend that he is yet another matchup-proof back who can light up any team. Going against a stingy Detroit Lions rush defense in the snow, McCoy shattered the Eagles' rushing record with 217 yards on the ground. While that's not a reasonable expectation this week, McCoy faces a Vikings defense that has allowed 118 rushing yards per game and a total of 13 touchdowns on the season.
• DeMarco Murray had a good performance against the bottom-ranked Bears rush defense, but it wasn't great because he didn't touch paydirt. Expect Murray to reach the end zone in Week 15 against another putrid Packers rush defense that has gives up 111 rushing yards per game and has allowed 11 touchdowns on the season.

Other Notables

• Zac Stacy will improve this week, facing the No. 17 rushing defense in the NFL against the Saints. The only reason he's outside of the top 10 is simply because of his underwhelming performances as of late. Expect a huge turnaround for Stacy this weekend.
• How in the world could Frank Gore be left off the list? Well, because he's playing a top-10 rushing defense at Tampa Bay that has given up just six touchdowns all season. While Gore is capable of putting up good numbers, this week presents a tougher matchup than even last week against Seattle.

Wide Receiver

Rank	Name	Team	Opponent
1	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns	Chicago Bears
2	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	Baltimore Ravens
3	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers
4	Andre Johnson	Houston Texans	Indianapolis Colts
5	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	Pittsburgh Steelers
6	DeSean Jackson	Philadelphia Eagles	Minnesota Vikings
7	Alshon Jeffery	Chicago Bears	Cleveland Browns
8	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals
9	Roddy White	Atlanta Falcons	Washington Redskins
10	Vincent Jackson	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	San Francisco 49ers

Top Players Breakdown

• Josh Gordon has simply been the best statistical wide receiver in the league since his return in Week 3. Gordon hasn't put up less than 18 points since Week 9 and is by far the best weapon the Browns have. Going against a good Chicago defense could reduce his numbers, but there's no way Gordon can't be ranked at the top of this list.
• Calvin Johnson, like Gordon, has become matchup-proof. Widely considered the best wide receiver in all of football, Johnson will be looking to bounce back after an awful Week 14 in which a snowstorm and terrible performance by Matthew Stafford grounded his numbers. Look for Johnson to put up huge numbers on Monday Night Football against the Ravens.

Other Notables

• Torrey Smith looks like a fantasy star one week and a fantasy dud the next. With a good matchup against the Detroit Lions, Smith could have another erratic breakout game. But it's tough to put a guy who's been reliant on touchdowns to get points this high on the list. Since Week 6, Smith has cracked 75 yards or more just twice.
• The return of Jay Cutler means Brandon Marshall could be seeing more targets this week, but with a tough matchup against the Cleveland Browns, Marshall didn't quite crack the top 10. He and Alshon Jeffery should put up points, but the Browns are a top-10 passing defense.

Tight End

Rank	Name	Team	Opponent
1	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints	St. Louis Rams
2	Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3	Julius Thomas	Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers
4	Jordan Cameron	Cleveland Browns	Chicago Bears
5	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys	Green Bay Packers
6	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers	N.Y. Jets
7	Tony Gonzalez	Atlanta Falcons	Washington Redskins
8	Charles Clay	Miami Dolphins	New England Patriots
9	Martellus Bennett	Chicago Bears	Cleveland Browns
10	Antonio Gates	San Diego Chargers	Denver Broncos

Top Players Breakdown

• Jimmy Graham is the top fantasy tight end this week for many of the same reasons that Drew Brees is a top-three fantasy quarterback. The two have a huge connection, especially in the red zone, and are facing a bottom-tier Rams defense that will likely get burned by this tandem.
• Vernon Davis is typically the beneficiary of Colin Kaepernick's red-zone targets, and owners shouldn't expect that to change this week. Against a Tampa Bay defense that has allowed 24 touchdowns this season through the air, expect Davis to put up double-digit points for the third time in the last four weeks.

Other Notables

• Dennis Pitta returned last week and finished with 48 yards and snagged a touchdown. Against a Detroit Lions team that gives up a lot of passing yards and touchdowns, expect Pitta to be the safety valve for Joe Flacco on Monday Night.
• Coby Fleener is a guy who has underperformed as of late but has a good matchup this week in the red zone. While Houston ranks second in the league in pass defense, it has given up 20 touchdowns through the air.