Fantasy Football Week 15 BS Meter
If you're still alive heading into Week 15, you probably feel like you survived Week 14. Much like Week 13, this past week of action was full of touchdowns and big performances from players either left on benches or nowhere near fantasy rosters.
Derrick Henry has been a major letdown for the majority of this season. For those who decided to keep him around for the fantasy playoffs, putting him in the starting lineup against the Jacksonville Jaguars probably seemed foolish. Of course, Henry went on to have arguably the best fantasy performance of the season, which makes him an interesting commodity heading into Week 15.
A wild game between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins produced touchdowns from James Develin, Kenny Stills, Brandon Bolden (twice), Cordarrelle Patterson and Brice Butler. Meanwhile, James White had six touches for 28 yards and Kenyan Drake needed a 55-yard touchdown off multiple laterals on the final play of the game to save what was an otherwise terrible fantasy performance.
Despite a fantastic matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New Orleans Saints made it three straight games with underwhelming fantasy production. A big comeback in the second half salvaged decent days out of Mark Ingram II and Alvin Kamara, but Drew Brees failed to crack the top 15 fantasy quarterbacks for the week.
The B.S. Meter breaks down 10 situations covering the most pressing issues in fantasy football heading into Week 15. The statements will be rated from 1 to 10 with 1 being completely true and 10 being total B.S.
Note: All fantasy stats used to calculate finishes are from FantasyPros. All advanced stats are calculated using data from Pro Football Reference. All stats are based on a points-per-reception (PPR) format.
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The Redskins Don't Have a Reliable Fantasy Starter
1 of 10
This might be hard to believe, but starting Mark Sanchez in 2018 didn't work out so well for the Washington Redskins. Sanchez completed just six of 14 passes for 38 yards with two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. He was yanked in favor of Josh Johnson after the team's first drive of the second half. Johnson finished the game 11-of-16 for 195 yards with a touchdown and an interception in addition to 45 yards and a rushing touchdown on seven carries.
Johnson, who was signed by the Redskins just days after being drafted in the AAF, will start for Washington in Week 15 when it faces the Jaguars in Jacksonville. Even though the Jaguars are coming off a brutal performance against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14, it's hard to feel good about Johnson's chances of doing much with the passing game on the road.
Jordan Reed avoided the injury bug for much of the year, but a foot injury knocked him out of Week 14. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the injury isn't considered "major," although with just three games left, Reed's season could be finished. That would leave Vernon Davis to take Reed's place.
Adrian Peterson was rendered useless by the game script that saw the New York Giants take a 34-0 lead into halftime. Peterson was limited to just 16 yards on 10 carries and a single reception for three yards. In his second game back from a rib issues, Chris Thompson managed just 23 yards on three carries and three receptions for 15 yards on five targets.
Peterson is probably the closest thing the Redskins have to a weekly starter, but that doesn't mean he's a lock to be in your lineup. You'd be taking a risk using any of the other Redskins in Week 15, so if you can, just avoid them all.
B.S. Meter on the Redskins not having a reliable fantasy starter: 1/10
Derek Carr Is a Legit Streaming Option
2 of 10
Last week's B.S. Meter explained why Josh Allen had value as a streamer for the fantasy playoffs thanks to his legs and schedule. The article recognized a player coming through for fantasy because he showed enough improvement after being off the radar for much of the season. The same can be said for Derek Carr heading into Week 15.
Over the last two games, Carr has faced two contenders in the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers and has come away with impressive numbers and a 1-1 record. Carr completed 29 of 38 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns in Week 13 to score 24.2 fantasy points, which made him the No. 4 quarterbacks for the week. The Oakland Raiders suffered a 40-33 loss to the Chiefs, yet Carr's performance was arguably his best of the year.
In Week 14, Carr raised the bar with 322 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 25-of-34 passing in a 24-21 victory over the Steelers. Carr's 20.8 fantasy points gave him another top-10 performance, which means he's been a very good fantasy quarterback in the last two games.
The Raiders hit the road in Week 15 to face the Cincinnati Bengals, which is a beatable matchup for Carr. The Bengals have surrendered 273.8 passing yards per game to quarterbacks this season, which is the fourth-most in the league. The Raiders might not be flushed with talent, but Carr is making the most of a bad situation. He'll have a good chance to stay hot this weekend, so he should be on your radar if you need a quarterback.
B.S. Meter on Carr being a legit streaming option: 2/10
Kenneth Dixon Has Played Himself into Fantasy Relevance
3 of 10
The Baltimore Ravens are getting fantastic production out of the rushing attack, and it's not just because of Gus Edwards. Obviously, Lamar Jackson has been a huge part of that since taking over the starting job in Week 11, but over the last two weeks, Kenneth Dixon has given the team a boost, too.
In his first game coming off injured reserve, Dixon ran eight times for 37 yards and caught his only target for six yards in a win over the Atlanta Falcons. Dixon saw 21 percent of the snaps (17 snaps) compared to Edwards' 49.4 percent. Edwards was far busier in that game with 21 carries for 82 yards, while Jackson ran 17 times for 75 yards.
Week 14 resulted in a similar workload for Dixon, but with more production. He had eight carries for 59 yards and a score in addition to one catch for 21 yards while playing 32.4 percent of the snaps. Edwards carried 16 times for 67 yards on 43.7 percent of the snaps. Jackson racked up 71 yards on 13 rushing attempts.
The jump in snap percentage is significant for Dixon, especially since Edwards has tailed off a bit in the two games since Dixon returned to action. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweeted that head coach John Harbaugh "expects RB Kenneth Dixon's role to grow going forward."
The Ravens are part of a logjam at 7-6 in the AFC, so they can't get complacent. If Dixon's explosion gives them more of a boost than Edwards, then Dixon should become more important in the next few weeks. He's worth a pickup with the idea you can use him as an RB3/flex with upside in this run-first offense.
B.S. Meter on Dixon playing himself into fantasy relevance: 3/10
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Isaiah Crowell's Injury Boosts Elijah McGuire's Fantasy Stock
4 of 10
The waiver wire is getting pretty thin this time of year, so if you can pick up a potential lead back heading into Week 15, consider it a significant move. That could be the case if you grab Elijah McGuire.
Isaiah Crowell came into Week 14 with a toe injury that limited him in practice. He wound up playing just five snaps before exiting with what the team called a foot injury. That opened the door for McGuire to handle the bulk of the workload for the rest of the day against the Buffalo Bills.
McGuire had a season-high 17 carries for 60 yards and the game-winning touchdown run in addition to three receptions for 23 yards on four targets. He finished with 17.3 fantasy points and a top-12 performance for the week. Crowell's absence also gave McGuire a huge boost in snaps at 74.1 percent. His previous high was 57.1 percent in Week 10.
With the Jets far out of contention, hopefully this opens the door for McGuire to lead the way over the final three games of the season. If Crowell can't play, the team should go with McGuire over Trenton Cannon, but even if Crowell is healthy enough to play, the Jets should see how McGuire handles more opportunities. If he is the lead back, the volume would be good enough to put him on the RB2/RB3 borderline against the Houston Texans.
B.S. Meter on Crowell's injury boosting McGuire's fantasy stock: 4/10
Cam Newton's Shoulder Injury Is a Major Concern
5 of 10
It's easy to overlook an injury when a player is removed from the final injury report of the week, although it doesn't mean you should forget about it. After missing practice time early in the week, Cam Newton got a full practice in on Friday before the team's Week 14 matchup with the Cleveland Browns, so he came off the injury report. Of course, it was hard to overlook the injury when the team used Taylor Heinicke to throw a Hail Mary in Week 13.
Before the game, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the team wasn't worried about the injury because Newton can still make all the throws and that the injury wouldn't require surgery. Newton's performance against the Browns may have told a different story.
He completed 26 of 42 passes for 265 yards with no touchdown and an interception and carried five times for 23 yards. Newton now has at least 40 passes in each of the last two weeks, so the team hasn't scaled back his attempts. However, his yards per attempt have dropped in each game since Week 11, when he had 9.65 YPA. Since then, he's been at 8.53, 7.32 and 6.31 against the Browns. On the season, he's averaging 7.39 YPA.
Carolina has now lost five straight games but remains in the NFC playoff picture at 6-7 with a tough game looming on Monday night against the visiting New Orleans Saints. That will give Newton an extra day to rest. Keep an eye on Newton's status throughout the week before deciding what to do with him in Week 15. For now, the concern is moderate.
B.S. Meter on Newton's shoulder injury being a major concern: 5/10
Julio Jones Is the Only Falcon You Can Trust
6 of 10
Julio Jones owners were spoiled in Week 14 with not one, but two touchdowns. Unfortunately, he was the lone bright spot for the Atlanta Falcons in a 34-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Falcons dropped to 4-9, which seems unfathomable with the talent they have on offense.
Jones is on his way to another amazing season. Despite missing practice with a foot issue, Jones had little trouble turning 11 targets into eight receptions for 106 yards and two scores to total 30.6 fantasy points. For the season, Jones is now tied with Antonio Brown as WR5 with 20.3 fantasy points per game.
Calvin Ridley caught just one of his four targets for 10 yards. Even though he's averaging 12.7 FPG and is a top-25 wide receiver in total fantasy points on the year, he's averaging 8.8 FPG in the last four weeks. Mohamed Sanu isn't that far in front of him at 9.9 FPG during that span after hauling in six of eight targets for 54 yards.
Austin Hooper is on the lower end of the TE1 tier, and Week 14 was a good example of why he's not a locked-in, weekly starter. He had just four catches for 37 yards on six targets. In the last month, he's TE8 with 9.5 FPG, but he's averaging 11.2 FPG for the season. That means he's been very good when he comes through, but that's far from a guarantee.
The backfield remains one of the greatest sources of fantasy frustration. Atlanta ran the ball well against a bad Packers run defense, yet it had no fantasy relevance. Tevin Coleman had 10 carries for 45 yards and a reception for minus-four yards, while Ito Smith carried 11 times for 60 yards and turned four targets into three receptions for 14 yards. Smith was RB24 for the week at 10.4 fantasy points, which meant nothing for the fantasy playoffs. Coleman didn't even crack the top 40 at 5.1 fantasy points, which means he's averaging 7.5 FPG in the last four weeks.
Matt Ryan is likely the only other Falcon you can consider using besides Jones. He connected on 28 of 42 passes for 262 yards with three scores and an interception. Two of those scores came in the fourth quarter when the Falcons were down 34-7. He scored 20.5 fantasy points to wind up as QB7 for the week. Even with that performance, he's outside the top 12 quarterbacks in the last month at 15.6 FPG.
The Falcons have a favorable schedule in the next two weeks with the Arizona Cardinals at home followed by the Carolina Panthers on the road. Jones is a must-start, but other than him, Ryan might be the other possible candidate to use in your playoff lineup.
B.S. Meter on Jones being the only Falcon you can trust: 6/10
Kenny Golladay Is Still Worth a Spot in Your Lineup
7 of 10
Following the trade of Golden Tate and Marvin Jones landing on injured reserve, Kenny Golladay appeared to be in line for a huge finish to the season with a lot of targets coming his way. That big finish is coming off more like a sad whimper, which fits with the rest of the Detroit Lions as they limp to the finish line.
Golladay struggled to get anything going against Patrick Peterson and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14. He saw just four targets and wound up with two receptions for five yards. This comes a week after Golladay caught three of eight targets for 50 yards in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
In four games without Jones, Golladay has 18 receptions for 258 yards and a touchdown on 35 targets. He's averaging 12.5 fantasy points per game in that span, which has to be considered a disappointment since he's the only major threat in the Lions passing attack.
Of course, this is a team that has completely fallen apart with no reliable options around Golladay. Matthew Stafford played through a back injury against the Cardinals and had a season-low 101 yards on 15-of-23 passing. Stafford hit the 260-yard mark just six times this year, and that's happened only once in the last six games.
Golladay won't have it easy in the next two games with a trip to Buffalo to face the Bills before coming back home to face the Minnesota Vikings. He shouldn't be considered a lock for your lineup.
B.S. Meter on Golladay still being worth a spot in your lineup: 7/10
Derrick Henry Will Keep Up His Massive Production
8 of 10
The fantasy playoffs kicked off in a weird and potentially brutal way, depending on what side of the Derrick Henry game you were on in Week 14.
Henry tied an NFL record with a 99-yard touchdown in part because of some awful tacking efforts by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He scored three more times en route to a 17-carry, 238-yard performance. No other running back would approach his 47.8 fantasy points for the week, but then again, Henry hasn't approached anywhere near that type of production all season.
Coming into Week 14, Henry was averaging 8.0 fantasy points per game, which means he wasn't even good enough to use as a useful RB3/flex. In the first 13 weeks of the season, he carried 128 times for 474 yards with five touchdowns. He had 95.5 total fantasy points for the season before Week 14, which means he scored more than half of that in one game.
To put Henry's performance in perspective, he jumped from RB39 to RB23 with 143.3 fantasy points (11.0 FPG) on the season. His massive performance means he's now scored 0.8 more points than teammate Dion Lewis. One of the biggest games of the season wasn't enough to push Henry any higher than low RB2 status for the year.
He'll take on the New York Giants on the road this week before facing the Washington Redskins back in Nashville in Week 16. The Titans will likely feed Henry against the Giants to see if they can catch lightning in a bottle, but that doesn't mean you should be expecting another big game. In fact, you should be happy if he winds up as a top-25 running back.
B.S. Meter on Henry keeping up his massive production: 8/10
Jameis Winston Is a QB1 for the Fantasy Playoffs
9 of 10
Relying on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback situation for fantasy purposes has worked out nicely for most of the season. It may be time to rethink that strategy at the most important time of the year.
A pair of first-half touchdown passes to Cameron Brate had Winston and the Buccaneers up 14-3 on the New Orleans Saints at the half. The Buccaneers failed to score a point the rest of the game and lost 28-14. Winston had an uneven day with 213 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 18-of-38 passing. He added 47 rushing yards on five attempts to salvage a top-12 performance with 19.2 fantasy points.
The 213 passing yards were Winston's third-lowest total of the season and the third time in four games he failed to hit the 250-yard mark. That should be a cause for concern, especially since Winston is entering a brutal portion of the schedule in the fantasy playoffs.
Winston and the Buccaneers hit the road in the next two weeks to face the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys. Despite giving up 20.8 fantasy points to Patrick Mahomes in Week 14, Baltimore owns the third-best pass defense with just 206.2 passing yards allowed per game and a league-best 18.5 points allowed per game. Dallas is right behind with 18.9 PPG and just 226.5 passing YPG.
If Winston came into these games playing at a higher level, it might be worth sticking with him. But since he's been shaky, you're better off looking elsewhere for a quarterback in the big two weeks of the season.
B.S. Meter on Winston being a QB1 for the fantasy playoffs: 9/10
Jared Goff's Slump Will Continue Against the Eagles
10 of 10
Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams have played a huge role in the offensive explosion in the NFL this season. However, in the last two weeks, he has fallen far short of the output we were used to seeing all year.
The Chicago Bears dominated Goff in the 15-6 Week 14 victory. He threw four interceptions and no touchdowns on 20-of-44 passing with just 180 yards. It was easily his worst game of the season, although it came a week after he was limited to just 207 yards with a score and an interception on 17-of-33 passing in a win against the Detroit Lions. Goff has a total of 7.8 fantasy points in the last two games.
From Weeks 1-12, he averaged 22.8 fantasy points per game, so the last two weeks have been a major disappointment. Luckily, he'll have a great chance to get back on track when the Rams host the Philadelphia Eagles.
In Week 14, Dak Prescott got the Eagles for 24.4 fantasy points by completing 42 of 54 passes for 455 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Philadelphia is dealing with injuries all over the defense, especially in the secondary. The Eagles don't have the personnel to slow down the Rams offense, especially after struggling to stop Dallas' only major passing threat in Amari Cooper.
The Rams have far more firepower than Cooper in their passing game, so you should expect Goff to break out of his slump in a big way and get back on track this weekend.
B.S. Meter on Goff's slump continuing against the Eagles: 10/10
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