Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: Updated Overview for All Positions

In the fantasy playoffs, one unexpected performance can be costly. Peyton Manning, Alfred Morris, LeSean McCoy, Randall Cobb and Jimmy Graham can speak to that fact. 

But such is the ebb and flow of fantasy football. It would have been crazy to sit any of those players last week, which reinforces my central tenet of the game—oftentimes, the right decision can go very wrong. But always—and I mean always—should your priority be making the smartest lineup decision you can.

That's why, in my weekly rankings, I ignore projecting points for players and instead weigh several factors to determine just how smart it is to start the top options at each position. We all get burned from time to time, but my rankings are designed to help you decide which player is the least likely to leave you full of regret.

Notes: For a full explanation of the rankings, see here. Abridged version: Startability measures how smart it is to start a given player in a week rather than attempting to project how many points he will score. "Ability" measures a player's overall talent, proficiency at his position and ability to produce fantasy numbers. "Offense" measures how much that team's offense improves his fantasy stock. The overall "startability" grade is weighted. All point totals and points-against statistics via ESPN standard scoring leagues. 

Schedule

Thursday, Dec. 11	Time (ET)
Sunday, Dec. 14	Time (ET)
Monday, Dec. 15	Time (ET)
Arizona at St. Louis	8:25 p.m.
Oakland at Kansas City	1 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Atlanta	1 p.m.
Washington at NY Giants	1 p.m.
Miami at New England	1 p.m.
Houston at Indianapolis	1 p.m.
Jacksonville at Baltimore	1 p.m.
Green Bay at Buffalo	1 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Carolina	1 p.m.
Cincinnati at Cleveland	1 p.m.
NY Jets at Tennessee	4:05 p.m.
Denver at San Diego	4:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Detroit	4:25 p.m.
San Francisco at Seattle	4:25 p.m.
Dallas at Philadelphia	8:30 p.m.
New Orleans at Chicago	8:30 p.m.

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Drew Brees	49	22	13	8	A+ (92)
2	Peyton Manning	50	12	15	10	A (87)
3	Andrew Luck	49	10	14	10	A (83)
4	Aaron Rodgers	50	5	15	10	A- (80)
5	Jay Cutler	41	21	11	7	A- (80)
6	Eli Manning	40	23	10	5	B+ (78)
7	Philip Rivers	42	18	11	6	B (77)
8	Tom Brady	48	5	13	7	B- (73)
9	Matt Ryan	42	18	8	5	B- (73)
10	Ben Roethlisberger	42	14	11	6	B- (73)
11	Tony Romo	40	18	10	5	B- (73)
12	Mark Sanchez	38	15	14	4	C+ (71)
13	Matt Stafford	43	10	11	5	C (69)
14	Cam Newton*	43	16	6	4	C (69)
15	Joe Flacco	40	12	11	6	C (69)
16	Russell Wilson	45	5	10	8	C- (68)
17	Ryan Tannehill	40	11	8	3	D+ (62)
18	Alex Smth	38	13	5	4	D (60)
19	Andy Dalton	39	6	9	4	D (58)
20	Johnny Manziel	38	7	7	3	D- (55)

There are some serious questions at quarterback this week to consider.

Will Cam Newton be able to play after his car crash on Tuesday? Will Matt Ryan have Julio Jones, who had to leave Monday night's game in the fourth quarter with an injury? How will Johnny Manziel fare in his first start? Will the slumping Colin Kaepernick score a single fantasy point against the flourishing Seattle defense?

OK, so Kaepernick will probably score a point, but I'm guessing he doesn't get to 10.

I'm guessing players like Jay Cutler, Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger will, however. All have had consistency issues for owners in the past, sure, but each have solid matchups and high upsides this week. 

Cutler faces a New Orleans Saints defense that has given up a total of 60 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in the past two weeks. Manning faces a Washington defense that gives up 20 fantasy points per game to the position per week, worst in the NFL, and one he torched for 32 points in Week 4. And Big Ben has scored 53 total points in his last two games and faces an Atlanta defense that just allowed Aaron Rodgers to score 27 fantasy points. 

If you've been streaming quarterbacks and playing the matchups this year at quarterback, all three of the above players are excellent options this week despite the inconsistency they've shown this year.

Running Backs

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Le'Veon Bell	48	23	14	10	A+ (95)
2	Jamaal Charles	49	21	14	10	A+ (94)
3	Matt Forte	48	22	14	9	A+ (93)
4	Arian Foster	49	19	14	9	A (91)
5	DeMarco Murray	48	14	15	10	A (87)
6	Justin Forsett	41	20	12	9	A (82)
7	LeSean McCoy	47	15	11	7	A (80)
8	Marshawn Lynch	49	9	14	8	A (80)
9	Alfred Morris	44	16	10	7	A- (77)
10	Mark Ingram	42	15	11	7	A- (75)
11	C.J. Anderson	41	10	15	8	B+ (74)
12	Lamar Miller	43	13	11	7	B+ (74)
13	Eddie Lacy	46	6	13	8	B+ (73)
14	Joique Bell	40	16	9	7	B (72)
15	Isaiah Crowell	37	20	8	5	B (71)
16	Jonathan Stewart	37	18	7	5	B (67)
17	Fred Jackson	39	12	9	6	B (66)
18	Giovani Bernard	42	12	7	6	B- (65)
19	Jeremy Hill	41	12	8	6	B- (65)
20	Chris Ivory	37	22	3	3	B- (65)
21	Chris Johnson	37	22	3	3	B- (65)
22	Rashad Jennings	40	5	11	7	C+ (63)
23	Steven Jackson	37	11	8	6	C+ (62)
24	Darren Sproles	39	15	5	3	C+ (62)
25	Ryan Mathews	40	5	10	6	C (61)
26	LeGarrette Blount	37	14	6	4	C (61)
27	Dan Herron	38	11	8	4	C (61)
28	Trent Richardson	37	11	7	4	C- (59)
29	Tre Mason	37	6	8	6	C- (57)
30	Doug Martin	36	12	6	3	C- (57)
31	Latavius Murray	37	10	5	4	D+ (56)
32	Frank Gore	38	8	5	3	D+ (54)
33	Kerwynn Williams	36	6	7	3	D (52)
34	Denard Robinson	38	3	6	4	D (51)
35	Matt Asiata	35	4	8	3	D (50)

Trust thy studs.

Sure, sometimes that philosophy will get you burned. Morris killed more than a few owners last week. Ditto for McCoy. It happens. But chances are if you've reached the fantasy playoffs, the running backs you drafted or picked up along the way are the reason you're in the running for a championship.

How about Justin Forsett this season? All he's done is score nine or more fantasy points in 10 straight games. He's become as consistent as any running back in fantasy, even if his ceiling is generally a little lower than the elite tier of backs. Expect him to torch a Jacksonville defense giving up 20 fantasy points to opposing running backs per week, 27th in the NFL.

Speaking of consistency, C.J. Anderson has been one of the best players at any position since taking over as the starter in Denver. Anderson is averaging a whopping 20.2 fantasy points per game in his last five contests, a pace that would leave him well atop the fantasy rankings over the course of a full season.

At this point, Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball are a distant memory in Denver. The Broncos have found their running back of the future, and savvy owners who picked up Anderson may have snagged a fantasy title along the way.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Antonio Brown	49	20	13	10	A+ (92)
2	Dez Bryant	49	18	13	9	A+ (89)
3	T.Y. Hilton	44	22	14	8	A+ (88)
4	Demaryius Thomas	48	15	15	9	A (87)
5	Julio Jones	49*	15	12	8	A (84)
6	Alshon Jeffery	45	20	12	7	A (84)
7	Jordy Nelson	48	10	15	9	A- (82)
8	A.J. Green	49	13	11	9	A- (82)
9	Emmanuel Sanders	44	15	15	8	A- (82)
10	Odell Beckham Jr.	43	16	12	9	A- (80)
11	Calvin Johnson	50	11	11	7	B+ (79)
12	Kelvin Benjamin	42	20	10	7	B+ (79)
13	Mike Evans	43	15	12	8	B (78)
14	Randall Cobb	46	10	15	7	B (78)
15	Jeremy Maclin	44	10	13	7	B (74)
16	Sammy Watkins	42	20	7	5	B (74)
17	Martavis Bryant	38	20	9	4	B (71)
18	Torrey Smith	40	13	9	7	B- (69)
19	Roddy White	39	15	9	6	B- (69)
20	Jordan Matthews	40	10	11	7	B- (68)
21	Vincent Jackson	41	15	7	4	C+ (67)
22	Steve Smith	40	13	8	5	C+ (66)
23	DeAndre Hopkins	41	8	9	7	C (65)
24	Golden Tate	41	11	7	6	C (65)
25	DeSean Jackson*	44	10	5	5	C (65)
26	Josh Gordon	46	5	8	6	C (65)
27	Julian Edelman	39	11	10	5	C (65)
28	Keenan Allen	40	10	10	5	C (65)
29	Brandon LaFell	39	11	10	5	C (65)
30	Marques Colston	38	18	5	4	C (65)
31	Kenny Stills	37	18	7	3	C (65)
32	Kendall Wright*	38	15	5	4	C- (62)
33	Malcom Floyd	37	10	8	5	C- (60)
34	Mike Wallace	41	3	7	4	D (55)
35	Jarvis Landry	37	5	8	4	D (54)

Kaepernick didn't make the list of the top 20 quarterbacks this week. Gore was way down the rankings at running back. Anquan Boldin didn't make the list of the top 35 receiving options. Can you tell I don't trust any of the San Francisco 49ers skill-position players against Seattle?

I don't trust Mike Wallace in a matchup against Darrelle Revis, either. Or Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd at all since Carson Palmer was lost for the season. Or Mohamed Sanu (three total fantasy points in his past two games), who has been seriously slumping of late while A.J. Green flourishes. 

OK, enough of the negativity. Let's focus on a few players I do trust.

David Richard/Associated Press

I do trust T.Y. Hilton to explode against a Houston Texans defense giving up 26.5 fantasy points to opposing wide receivers per week, 31st in the NFL. I do trust Sammy Watkins against a Green Bay Packers defense that just allowed Julio Jones to catch 11 passes for 259 yards and a score. I even trust Dez Bryant to torch the Philadelphia Eagles, a defense that gave up 15 fantasy points to Doug Baldwin, for heaven's sake, even though Bryant only registered seven fantasy points against them on Thanksgiving.

He'll do better the second time around. The Cowboys would be crazy not to emphasize him in the game plan against Philly's suspect secondary.  Then again, we are in December now. And the Cowboys have a habit of doing exactly what they shouldn't this month. 

Tight Ends

Rank	Player	Ability (0/50)	Matchup (0/25)	Offense (0/15)	Consistency (0/10)	OVERALL GRADE (0/100)
1	Jimmy Graham	49	22	12	7	A+ (90)
2	Rob Gronkowski	50	5	15	10	A (80)
3	Julius Thomas*	48	10	14	7	A (79)
4	Greg Olsen	45	13	12	7	A (77)
5	Antonio Gates	41	17	11	6	A- (75)
6	Larry Donnell	37	20	9	4	B+ (70)
7	Martellus Bennett	41	10	12	6	B (69)
8	Jason Witten	40	20	5	4	B (69)
9	Travis Kelce	40	15	8	5	B- (68)
10	Delanie Walker	39	18	7	4	B- (68)
11	Jordan Reed	40	16	8	4	B- (68)
12	Dwayne Allen	41	5	8	7	C+ (61)
13	Coby Fleener	41	5	7	6	C (59)
14	Heath Miller	37	9	7	5	C (58)

I hate the tight end position in fantasy this year. I really do.

Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron went down to injury at the worst possible time for owners. Just when Jimmy Graham gets hot, the New Orleans Saints seem to forget how to get him the ball. Jason Witten has become a glorified offensive lineman in Dallas. Andy Reid can't seem to recognize that the one solid option he has in the passing game outside of Jamaal Charles is Travis Kelce. Don't even get me started on Vernon Davis. 

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

OK, my rant is over. I'm sure you understand, of course. Outside of Rob Gronkowski, you just aren't getting reliable production on a weekly basis, or the players that were consistent (Thomas, Dwayne Allen) have battled injuries. At least most of us are in the same boat. 

If you managed to draft one of the decent tight ends this year—just eight are averaging eight or more points per game—well done. If you didn't, well, play the matchups as best you can. Because it's ugly at tight end this year.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Team
1	Baltimore Ravens
2	Arizona Cardinals
3	Seattle Seahawks
4	Detroit Lions
5	St. Louis Rams
6	New England Patriots
7	Kansas City Chiefs
8	Green Bay Packers
9	Denver Broncos
10	San Francisco 49ers

Kickers

Rank	Player	Team
1	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots
2	Cody Parkey	Philadelphia Eagles
3	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens
4	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys
5	Adam Vinatieri	Indianapolis Colts
6	Matt Bryant	Atlanta Falcons
7	Dan Carpenter	Buffalo Bills
8	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers
9	Steven Hauschka	Seattle Seahawks
10	Randy Bullock	Houston Texans

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and tweet some corny jokes too. It's more fun than a Colin Kaepernick press conference.