Fantasy Football Week 15 Cheat Sheet: Waiver, Rankings, Projections and More

For better or worse, fantasy football studs shaped Week 14's outcomes.

Those who own DeMarco Murray and Le'Veon Bell are bouncing for joy after both superstar running backs went off. Teams relying on Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and LeSean McCoy, however, are probably playing for pride this weekend.

It all starts and ends with the big boys in town. Shrewd waiver-wire and lineup management is necessary to patch up the framework, but gamers can only go so far without the faces of their fake franchises making a major dent.

How will some of those studs fare in Week 15, when most active participants are competing in the semifinals? Which unheralded gems can help solidify a championship appearance? Let's take a look.

Skill Position Rankings

Rank	QB	RB	WR	TE
1	Andrew Luck, IND	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	Antonio Brown, PIT	Rob Gronkowski, NE
2	Peyton Manning, DEN	DeMarco Murray, DAL	Calvin Johnson, DET	Jimmy Graham, NO
3	Aaron Rodgers, GB	Matt Forte, CHI	T.Y. Hilton, IND	Martellus Bennett, CHI
4	Drew Brees, NO	Jamaal Charles, KC	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	Greg Olsen, CAR
5	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	Arian Foster, HOU	A.J. Green, CIN	Julius Thomas, DEN
6	Tom Brady, NE	C.J. Anderson, DEN	Odell Beckham Jr., NYG	Antonio Gates, SD
7	Russell Wilson, SEA	Justin Forsett, BAL	Dez Bryant, DAL	Delanie Walker, TEN
8	Jay Cutler, CHI	LeSean McCoy, PHI	Alshon Jeffery, CHI	Travis Kelce, KC
9	Cam Newton, TB	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	Jordy Nelson, GB	Coby Fleener, IND
10	Matt Ryan, ATL	Eddie Lacy, GB	Julio Jones, ATL	Larry Donnell, NYG

Worried about Brees? Given a golden playoff matchup against the Carolina Panthers, he and New Orleans' offense shockingly fell flat, with Brees tallying a season-low 235 passing yards on 49 attempts.

Usually a top-tier superstar, the Saints passer lies well below Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck in 2014's fantasy hierarchy. But don't get cute and sit him against the Chicago Bears, who have proven to be foolproof anecdotes to slumping quarterbacks.

Matthew Stafford smashed his troubles away against them on Thanksgiving, and then Tony Romo recovered from a Turkey Day disaster to go 21-of-25 with three scores at Soldier Field. Brees, who has thrown 306.4 yards per game with 28 touchdowns during a "down" year, will bounce back against Chicago's No. 30 passing defense.

Hey, Le'Veon Bell is really good. If you own him, chances are you remain in the title hunt after his torrid three-game stretch with 711 total yards and five touchdowns. The super-consistent stud, who has produced double-digit fantasy points in all but one game this season, gets the league-worst Atlanta Falcons defense.

For anyone facing Bell, sorry. For daily players, consider doling out the big bucks to acquire his services.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

After suffering two fractured ribs and a collapsed lung on Thursday, Brandon Marshall is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Nobody feels good about exploiting an injury, but Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett both shined in his absence.

Jeffery compiled 95 yards and a touchdown, giving him five scores in his last four games. Bennett ended up with 12 catches, 84 yards and a touchdown, tallying most of his numbers late.

Last week, the Saints surrendered a touchdown to Kelvin Benjamin and 10 catches, 72 yards and a score to Greg Olsen. Jeffery is firing on all cylinders, and Bennett leads all tight ends with 77 catches. That mark also set a franchise record, per the team's Twitter page.

Both are top plays for Monday night. All the big names should finish the week off right during shootouts.

Sleeper Projections

Pos.	Player	Team	Opp.	Projection
QB	Eli Manning	NYG	WAS	275 Pass YDs, 2 TDs
RB	Chris Johnson	NYJ	at TEN	18 Carries, 90 YDs, 1 TD
WR	Donte Moncrief	IND	HOU	5 Rec., 80 YDs, 1 TD
TE	Jordan Cameron	CLE	CIN	6 Rec., 70 YDs
D	Carolina Panthers	CAR	TB	13 PA, 2 TOs, 3 Sacks

The last time the New York Giants played Washington, Eli Manning played his best game of the season, finishing with 300 passing yards and five touchdowns. 

In two-plus matchups against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans, he provided owners with one score in each bout, so he's far from a steady No. 1 quarterback. Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News also reported some wear and tear after beating Tennessee:

Washington, however, is currently the best matchup for an opposing quarterback by ESPN.com's measure. The defense allows 20.3 points per game to passers, with a minuscule five picks fueling those struggles. Shaun Hill just turned in a solid afternoon at Washington, so give Manning a look this weekend.

Ranked last in rushing defense, the Titans face a familiar face in Chris Johnson. No longer a 2,000-yard threat, the 29-year-old is quietly averaging 4.5 yards per carry after two strong games for the New York Jets.

Per the New York Daily News' Manish Mehta, Johnson believes he could have returned to fantasy stardom with a regular workload: “There’s a part of me that wonders what this season could have been for me. When you look at what I’ve done and the yards per carry, I think I could have had a big year.”

Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

Well, he has received 33 carries in the past two weeks, and Rex Ryan is going to run a bunch with Geno Smith under center. Johnson can turn back the clock and win some fantasy matchups.

Reggie Wayne looked fried on Sunday, recording one five-yard catch and three drops on eight targets. Chuck Pagano admitted to The Indianapolis Star's Zak Keefer that the veteran receiver is "fighting and playing through the stuff he's fighting through; knee, elbow, torn tri(ceps)."

If Wayne can't pull his weight, Donte Moncrief is ready to seize the spotlight as the No. 2 wideout. If he can snag that role for the league's most prolific offense in time to play the Houston Texans' No. 28 passing defense, look out.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

During his first game since Oct. 26, Jordan Cameron caught four catches for 41 yards. He hardly set the world on fire, but some yardage and possible red-zone looks are all anyone can ask for at tight end. In seven games, he has averaged 5.1 targets per contest.

Is Carolina fixed defensively? Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, banking on the former elite defense catching fire is worth a shot in the dark. 

Waiver-Wire Targets

Player	Pos.	Team	Ownership Rate*
Robert Griffin III	QB	WAS	12.3
Johnny Manziel	QB	CLE	10.3
Latavius Murray	RB	OAK	31.2
Chris Johnson	RB	NYJ	30.4
Juwan Thompson	RB	DEN	2.3
Kerwynn Williams	RB	ARI	0.0
Jarvis Landry	WR	MIA	33.7
Wes Welker	WR	DEN	24.9
Donte Moncrief	WR	IND	13.9
Charles Johnson	WR	MIN	9.7
Mychal Rivera	TE	OAK	20.3
Scott Chandler	TE	BUF	9.7
Baltimore Ravens	D/ST	BAL	42.2

Brian Hoyer stinks. He has thrown seven interceptions in his last three games while failing to throw for a touchdown. Geno Smith brandishes a better completion percentage this season.

If the Cleveland Browns come to their senses and yank him before falling out of playoff contention, Johnny Manziel represents a high-upside gamble to impact the fantasy scene with his legs.

Cleveland closes out the season against three teams perched in the bottom half of passing defense (Cincinnati, Carolina, Baltimore), so he's worth stashing down the stretch, if not just to block someone else from hitting the jackpot on the rookie.

Two weeks removed from his Thursday night breakout against the Kansas City Chiefs, Latavius Murray delivered an underwhelming 76 rushing yards on 23 carries. Look at the silver linings here: He's healthy and the primary rusher in Oakland, so don't fault him for laboring through a tough matchup.

Besides, guess who he gets to face this week? The Chiefs, who he lit up for 112 yards and two scores on just four touches before sustaining a concussion. He's a must-add in late-adopting leagues if still available.

Charles Johnson has now registered 283 receiving yards and two touchdowns over the past four games. The man who made preseason darling Cordarrelle Patterson disappear is far too talented to fester on the waiver wire during crunch time.

Mychal Rivera returned from a three-week hibernation to torch the 49ers for 107 yards and a score. Despite his erratic play, the sophomore is averaging five catches and 51.9 yards per game from Weeks 8-14. Not bad at all from a tight end.

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