Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: Top Players and Matchups for All Positions

Week 14 began with a lopsided Los Angeles Rams win on Thursday night and ended on Monday with a thrilling shootout between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns.

In those games—and the 14 games sandwiched between the two contrasting contests—the NFL provided several prolific and surprising fantasy performances.

The Rams' Cam Akers running for 171 yards against the New England Patriots? Maybe some managers saw that coming. Rookie Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts running for 106 against the New Orleans Saints? That was a bigger surprise.

The NFL's unpredictable nature is what makes the fantasy game so exciting, but it's also what can frustrate managers in the fantasy playoffs. Getting sent home on a meaningless last-second safety can be downright infuriating.

Heading into Week 15, many managers are entering the semifinals or the finals of their respective fantasy leagues. While more surprises inevitably await, some matchups are too good to pass up with titles on the line.

Here, we'll examine some of the best matchups of Week 15, along with the projected top performers at every position. All rankings are based on points-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Quarterback

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

1. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

4. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

5. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

6. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

7. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

9. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

10. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

11. Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

12. Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts

Matchup to Love: Lamar Jackson vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Over the past couple of weeks, we've seen a return to MVP form from Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Against the Browns on Monday, he rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns, threw for 163 and another score and left without a turnover.

The 23-year-old could be in store for an even better game in Week 15.

Jackson and the Ravens will host the Jacksonville Jaguars, a 1-12 squad with one of the more underwhelming defenses in the NFL. They have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season and the fifth-most points to opposing running backs.

Seeing as Jackson is the NFL's preeminent dual-threat quarterback, both of these rankings are relevant. Expect him to feast against a Jaguars team vulnerable to both the run and the pass.

Running Back

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1. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

2. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

3. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

4. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

5. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

6. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

7. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

8. James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

9. Mike Davis, Carolina Panthers

10. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

11. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks

12. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears

13. Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams

14. Ronald Jones II, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

15. Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals

Matchup to Love: Jonathan Taylor vs. Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts rookie Jonathan Taylor has been superb as of late. In each of his last three games, he has rushed for at least 90 yards and had at least two receptions. He's coming off a game with 165 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns.

The 21-year-old is also entering a stellar fantasy matchup.

The Houston Texans have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Last week, they allowed David Montgomery to rumble for 157 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. That's the sort of game managers can likely expect from Taylor in Week 15.

The last time Taylor and the Colts faced Houston, the Wisconsin product had three catches and 135 scrimmage yards. While it may sound outlandish, that might be his floor this week.

Wide Receiver

Kamil Krzaczynski/Associated Press

1. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

2. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

3. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

4. Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears

5. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

6. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

7. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

8. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

9. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

10. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

11. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

12. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

13. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

14. Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team

15. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

16. Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans

17. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

18. Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers

19. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

20. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Matchup to Love: Allen Robinson II at Minnesota Vikings

While it's still a little difficult to trust Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, the recently reestablished starter has started to look comfortable and play well lately.

"The guys are playing with confidence, and I do believe that's real for Mitchell right now and I like where he's at," Bears coach Matt Nagy said, per Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times.

It's not hard to trust Bears wideout Allen Robinson II, who has been fantastic regardless of who is under center. He is coming off of a 123-yard game and has at least 74 receiving yards in each of his last three.

The 27-year-old also has a juicy matchup against the Vikings this week. Minnesota has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers in 2020.

Tight End

Mark LoMoglio/Associated Press

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

3. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions

4. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

5. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers

6. Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers

7. Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers

8. Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9. Evan Engram, New York Giants

10. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

11. Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys

12. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos

Matchup to Love: Rob Gronkowski at Atlanta Falcons

Rob Gronkowski isn't the same dominant tight end that he once was. However, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass-catcher has reestablished his chemistry with Tom Brady and has had some big games this season. He caught his fifth touchdown pass of the season in Week 14 and had a 106-yard outing the week before that.

Expect the 31-year-old to continue rolling this week against the NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. This will mark Gronk's first meeting of 2020 with the Falcons, but the last time he faced a division rival, he caught two passes for 51 yards and a score.

He should have a relatively solid floor here.

Kicker

Brett Carlsen/Associated Press

1. Rodrigo Blankenship, Indianapolis Colts

2. Tyler Bass, Buffalo Bills

3. Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons

4. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

5. Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas Raiders

6. Ryan Succop, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

7. Matt Gay, Los Angeles Rams

8. Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs

9. Stephen Gostkowski, Tennessee Titans

10. Jason Sanders, Miami Dolphins

11. Wil Lutz, New Orleans Saints

12. Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers

Matchup to Love: Tyler Bass at Denver Broncos

Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass missed an extra point in Week 14, but he's been reliable as a field-goal kicker in recent weeks. He is 9-for-9 on field goals over his last four games and 12-for-13 over the last five.

The 23-year-old will play against a Denver Broncos team that ranks just 23rd in points allowed but second in passing touchdowns surrendered. This suggests Bills quarterback Josh Allen will be able to put points on the board but may not regularly find the end zone.

This also falls in line with the fact that Denver has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing kickers this season. Expect that trend to continue in Week 15 as Bass once again hits multiple field goals for the Bills.

Defense/Special Teams

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

1. Los Angeles Rams

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

3. Baltimore Ravens

4. Buffalo Bills

5. Cleveland Browns

6. Miami Dolphins

7. Indianapolis Colts

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9. Chicago Bears

10. Seattle Seahawks

11. Tennessee Titans

12. Green Bay Packers

Matchup to Love: Los Angeles Rams vs. New York Jets

When a team has a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate like Aaron Donald on its roster, its defense is usually going to be serviceable in fantasy. The Rams defense has been more than serviceable and is the clear-cut top option in Week 15.

Last week, the Rams held the Patriots to just a field goal while also notching a pick-six and four sacks. L.A. could have an even better outing this week against the New York Jets.

The Jets have yet to win a game this season. They rank dead-last in points scored and haven't scored 30 points in any one game this season. They're going to struggle on the road against Donald and Co., and it wouldn't be a shock to see the Rams pitch a shutout.

*Fantasy points allowed from FantasyPros.