Fantasy Football Week 15: Award Roundup for Busts and MVPs

Each week of fantasy football is defined by peerless performances, as the the Steelers' Antonio Brown produced the first game with at least 15 catches and two touchdowns since 2011 in an epic outing filled with fantasy points.

Did a certain star save your season with a big game? Or were you sunk by injuries and underwhelming production? The spectrum of outcomes each week offers insight into the wins and losses we endure and the season still ahead.

Please join us in discussing the biggest performances and busts from Week 15. As always, feel free to share your picks for fantasy MVPs and busts at each position.

Fantasy QB MVP: Cam Newton Continues His Super Season

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Can Newton is No. 1 for the NFL MVP race, in fantasy points and as the top MVP candidate among signal-callers in Week 15. The Carolina Panthers' superstar posted another historic box score, this time becoming the first player in NFL history with five passing scores and 100 rushing yards in a game, as we learned on the broadcast. 

Newton now has five seasons with 3,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards, after compiling his third 100-yard rushing game of his career in a dramatic win to stave of the New York Giants and remain undefeated. There is no question that Newton is the top fantasy source on the market and is the top asset for Week 16 at the position in Atlanta. 

The Washington Redskins' Kirk Cousins tied a career-high with four passing scores and registered a rushing score in the process, while he's now behind only Newton with five games with a rushing score and passing score this season. With the Philadelphia Eagles proving so porous against the pass, Cousins is interesting as a streamer in Week 16, although it's really at home where he's done his damage.

Who knew Teddy Bridgewater of the Minnesota Vikings had a five-score outing in him? Despite the big box score, Bridgewater isn't even a viable streamer for next week against the New York Giants. As inviting as the matchup is, we need a higher floor than what Bridgewater and his conservative passing offense offers.

The fantasy leaderboard is littered with unexpected names like the Denver Broncos' Brock Osweiler and Bridgewater, among others, while Russell Wilson makes perfect sense in the upper tier, as the Seattle Seahawks' signal-caller continued his stellar run of pocket efficiency in a drubbing of the Cleveland Browns. Wilson and Doug Baldwin are simply on a historic run that helps lead to fantasy titles.

Which arm helped you most in Week 15?  

Fantasy QB Bust: A Sluggish Sunday for Aaron Rodgers

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The Green Bay Packers have averaged the ninth-most fantasy points among signal-callers this season in ESPN leagues. In Week 15, he produced just 10 fantasy points, leaving investors hurting and the Packers' wayward offense rife with doubt entering the playoff portion of the NFL season. 

Fantasy owners who are surviving with Rodgers have an interesting decision to make in Week 16, as a trip to Arizona versus a blitz-happy Cardinals defense isn't the most inviting upside angle for Rodgers' fantasy profile.

The Jacksonville Jaguars' Blake Bortles, for example, is a QB we will endorse over Rodgers this week for fantasy purposes. Bortles not only has more touchdowns and fantasy points this season, but he has been the better producer on a weekly basis this season. Further proof waiting on signal-caller is the way to go.

The Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan is basically part of the template for this bust slide each week. Ryan is 29th in fantasy points per game among signal-callers this season in ESPN leagues. No, really. Avoid him in all formats for Week 16 versus the Carolina Panthers. 

It really wasn't a bad week for big-named signal-callers outside of Rodgers' no-show. 

Fantasy Football's Top Tailback for Week 15: David Johnson Runs Wild

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

David Johnson was truly a blur in South Philly on Sunday night. The Arizona Cardinals back regularly hit the second level against the Philadelphia Eagles, enjoying a massively productive day with more than 200 yards from scrimmage and three scores en route to MVP honors among tailbacks. Johnson now has 12 all-purpose touchdowns, the most by a rookie in franchise history, as we learned from the NBC broadcast. 

Johnson drove the Cards and fantasy teams to a big win, with next week's game against the Green Bay Packers another proving ground for Johnson to earn more than 20 touches and elite RB1 status. Johnson's stock in drafts next summer will be fascinating to watch. 

Can we really trust Danny Woodhead's massive four-score outing? Probably not. We can use him as a flex asset in Week 16 on a short week versus the Oakland Raiders this coming Thursday night, but he's so dependent on meaningful touches that can evaporate for weeks at a time. That said, Woodhead has been a massive profit player this season for those who took the gamble in PPR formats, as he's now 11th in fantasy points per game in ESPN PPR formats. 

The Chicago Bears' Matt Forte is making it quite clear he has plenty left in the tank, and is merely waiting for the free-agent market for this March. We can continue to use Forte as a low-end RB1 this season, but if he lands in, say, Dallas with the Cowboys or even on the Houston Texans, two needy backfields, it could signal the return to first-round status for Forte. 

Go ahead and mispronounce Mike Gillislee a few times. The Buffalo Bills' breakout understudy has scored in consecutive weeks and could play a meaningful role going forward with LeSean McCoy ailing with an MCL sprain, per Rand Getlin of the NFL Network. The Florida product could earn meaningful touches going forward if "Shady" sits, but a timeshare with Karlos Williams is also quite possible. 

Adding Christine Micheal of the Seattle Seahawks could prove helpful for those seeking immediate help at tailback, as the team needs his legs to finish out the season.  

Running Back Bust of the Week: Lamar Miller Stalls in San Diego

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

The Miami Dolphins' lackluster offense really has never found enduring direction and has really just shown flashes of potential in an overwhelmingly down season in South Beach. The team's running game has proved inconsistent and inscrutable given the lack of consistent commitment to the run, with Lamar Miller proving to be the bust of the week among tailbacks thanks to another weak week with frustrating snaps and touches. 

The San Diego Chargers had allowed nearly five yards per carry this season, but Miller was left with 12 yards on nine totes en route to a disastrous day for the offense in whole. With rookie Jay Ajayi now in the mix for meaningful carries, it's hard to trust Miller as anything more than a flex in Week 16 versus the Indianapolis Colts' otherwise inviting front. 

We can't forget Eddie Lacy, the Green Bay Packers' bruising back who again tricked investors into trusting his upside only to let them down again. With another lackluster box score in Oakland, Lacy is among the biggest busts this season in fantasy football. It will be intriguing to see how his market develops for next season, as he could actually become a value play if the burn factor is prevalent enough to deflate his stock below cost. 

The Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson was injured in Week 15, and we generally avoid tabbing injured players with a bust label given the sheer erosion of the NFL game, but we did find his performance when on the field troubling during a crucial fantasy weekend. Can we really trust Peterson as a top-five fantasy pick next season?

Wonderful Wideout: The Peerless Antonio Brown Dominates Again

Don Wright/Associated Press

They will write poetry one day about Antonio Brown's statistical exploits. The Pittsburgh Steelers' dynamic wideout tallied another historic box score on Sunday afternoon and earned fantasy MVP honors yet again. 

Let's dive into some history. Via Pro Football Reference, we find Brown is the first player with at least 15 receptions, 150 receiving yards and two receiving scores in a game since Wes Welker in 2011 against the Bills (Brown is also the second player only to Welker to have three straight 110-catch seasons). Brown became just the fifth player in NFL history with consecutive 1,500-yard seasons, joining Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, Marvin Harrison and Julio Jones in this elite group. 

You get the idea; the guy is pretty good at football. We also found Emmanuel Sanders of the Denver Broncos near the top of the leaderboard with more than 200 total yards in Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Oakland Raiders' Amari Cooper became the franchise's first 1,000-yard receiver since Randy Moss. We expect many more to come. 

The best fantasy takeaways from the fantasy leaderboard would be that Sammy Watkins is now in must-start territory thanks to another series of big plays. The Seattle Seahawks' Doug Baldwin is simply on a historic run, hauling in 10 touchdowns over his past five games and catching nearly 80 percent of his targets over that stretch. Baldwin and Watkins are the type of wideouts who can lead teams to surprising fantasy titles. 

Wideout Bust in Week 15: A.J. Green Held to One Catch

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

The rare picture above depicts the Cincinnati Bengals' A.J. Green with the football in his hands in San Francisco on Sunday. Green was held to just that lone haul, leaving him as the biggest bust at wideout for Week 15. 

We understand Green was working with a far less talented AJ in AJ McCarron, but such a lack of chemistry and production proved glaring during a pivotal week of fantasy football. If you survived his weak week, Green remains in the borderline WR1 mix if for his ceiling alone, but the low fantasy floor with McCarron is alarming for the team's playoffs hopes if Andy Dalton can't get back in time.

Alshon Jeffery's lost season continued in Week 15, as the Chicago Bears wideout scored a touchdown but wasn't able to stay on the field or produce on most snaps otherwise. Jeffery's status will be watched closely this week, while he's likely going to be a nice discount WR1 in drafts come next summer. 

The Green Bay Packers' Randall Cobb has been a massive bust this season for fantasy investors and really for the team, as well, with Cobb unable to get untracked as the team's top target. If Jordy Nelson can get back to form, he could become one the best values in 2016 drafts. 

The Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald has had a brilliant season, but he has simply slowed to a sluggish pace over the past month, with no more than 66 yards in a single outing over the past four games. Fading Fitzgerald is difficult given his target pace, but finding more upside in even teammate Michael Floyd is realistic for those chasing ceilings. 

The Top Fantasy Football Tight End in Week 15: Jordan Reed Rises

Matt Hazlett/Getty Images

The Washington Redskins passing offense has proved quite potent at home this season. The team's top fantasy asset in these scenarios is Jordan Reed, who turned in another top tight end performance en route to MVP honors at the position.

With two touchdowns and 20 fantasy points against the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, Reed is now averaging more fantasy points per game than the Carolina Panthers' Greg Olsen, who has had a brilliant Pro Bowl campaign himself and enjoyed big numbers in Week 15 as well. Reed is third in fantasy points per game among tight ends behind only Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals' Tyler Eifert.

What round do you think Reed goes in drafts next summer? 

As for the bust at the position, the Denver Broncos' Vernon Davis comes to mind as an underwhelming option, but really, if you peruse the positional leaderboard in ESPN points, it wasn't a tough week at the position among the starting crop. 

The Chiefs and Pats Split MVP Honors Among Fantasy Defenses in Week 15

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The shot above depicts the Kansas City Chiefs' Tyvon Branch rumbling for a long fumble recovery touchdown in Baltimore this past Sunday en route to a drubbing of the reeling Ravens. The Chiefs would go on to register a second return touchdown, splitting fantasy MVP honors and tying with the New England Patriots' smothering performance over the Tennessee Titans. 

The Carolina Panthers' D/ST registered negative fantasy production, a sorry sign and costly outcome for a defense owned in 95 percent of ESPN leagues. Other than the Panthers, shares of the Buffalo Bills also hurt, as the host Washington Redskins enjoyed another offensive outburst at home.

Fantasy D/STs often prove fickle, but playing to the best matchup metrics and trying to follow the best Vegas principles (low point totals under 47 and prefer home favorites) is really still our best angle. For next week's title-deciding fantasy matchups, the Detroit Lions host a reeling San Francisco 49ers offense and should be widely available in most formats after this trip to New Orleans in Week 15.