Fantasy Football Week 15 Rankings: Updated Positional Breakdown for Flex and PPR
Thursday night brought fans a thrilling back-and-forth game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers. It was a fitting way to kick off what should be an exciting Week 15, and it carried plenty of fantasy football implications.
Players like Darren Waller and Justin Herbert shone, while Derek Carr exited early with a groin injury. Depending on the lineups, many fantasy managers are now in a hole or playing with a solid lead entering Saturday's double-header.
As always, injuries will affect the options managers have in Week 15, though fortunately, bye weeks are a thing of the past. We will examine some of the biggest injuries, the top plays at each flex position and some potential sleepers here.
All rankings and picks are based on points-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
Running Back
1 of 3
1. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
2. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
3. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
4. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
5. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
6. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
7. Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams
8. James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars
9. Mike Davis, Carolina Panthers
10. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
11. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears
12. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks
13. J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens
14. D'Andre Swift, Detroit Lions
15. Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals
You will find some familiar names atop the running back rankings, with Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry leading the pack. Henry has a chance to top the 2,000-yard mark, and he has a perfect matchup for Week 15.
No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing running backs this season than the Detroit Lions.
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara finds himself back near the top after a month of being a suboptimal option. The Saints leaned more heavily on the power running game with Taysom Hill at quarterback, and Kamara's PPR value took a major hit. However, Drew Brees is set to re-enter the starting lineup.
"He's looked good, he feels good," Saints coach Sean Payton said of Brees, per ESPN's Mike Triplett.
With Brees back under center, Kamara should return to being a PPR machine. While the New Orleans signal-caller is back, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is not expected to return. He's officially listed as doubtful.
Managers looking for a running back replacement should consider the Baltimore Ravens' Gus Edwards. He is coming off a two-touchdown game and has a juicy matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Jacksonville has allowed the fifth-most points to opposing running backs. Edwards is rostered in 43 percent of Yahoo leagues and 26 percent of ESPN leagues.
Wide Receiver
2 of 3
1. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
2. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
3. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals
4. Allen Robinson II, Chicago Bears
5. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans
6. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
7. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons
8. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
9. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams
10. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
11. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
12. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
13. Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team
14. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
15. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
16. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
17. Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers
18. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
20. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
21. Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns
22. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
23. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys
24. Marvin Jones Jr., WR, Detroit Lions
25. Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers
Again, we have the usual suspects atop the receiver rankings. Players like Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill are must-starts regardless of their matchups. Guys like San Francisco 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk, however, can enter top-10 territory because of their Week 15 matchups.
Aiyuk will be up against the Dallas Cowboys, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season. The Atlanta Falcons have allowed the third-most, which is why Tampa Bay Buccaneers receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin should be solid plays despite being somewhat inconsistent in 2020.
Unfortunately, a few quality receivers won't be available. Michael Thomas, Kenny Golladay and Deebo Samuel have all been ruled out. In Samuels' case, the absence could boost Aiyuk's upside—San Francisco will also be without star tight end George Kittle.
As far as waiver-wire targets go, Denver Broncos wideout Tim Patrick remains a stellar option. In his past two outings, Patrick has caught seven passes and scored three touchdowns. Yet he remains available in most leagues.
Patrick is rostered in 32 percent of Yahoo leagues and 22 percent of ESPN leagues. While Patrick doesn't have an ideal matchup—the Buffalo Bills have allowed the 10th-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers—he has enough of a PPR floor to justify a flex start.
Tight End
3 of 3
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
3. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers
4. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
5. Evan Engram, New York Giants
6. Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
8. Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos
10. Logan Thomas, Seattle Seahawks
Waller may have already cemented his spot as the top tight end of Week 15 with his 150-yard performance Thursday night. The Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce remains the best tight end yet to play, and he faces a relatively average matchup against the Saints.
New Orleans has allowed the 12th-fewest fantasy points to opposing tight ends. The Cleveland Browns are tied for the second-most fantasy points allowed to tight ends, which is why New York Giants pass-catcher Evan Engram cracks the top five.
On the injury front, the Minnesota Vikings will be without tight end Kyle Rudolph for the second straight week. Teammate Irv Smith Jr. should be a fine replacement play against the Chicago Bears, who have allowed the fifth-most points to opposing tight ends in 2020.
Consider Smith a solid sleeper who should be available on the waiver wire. Even this late in the week, he is rostered in just 17 percent of Yahoo leagues and 6 percent of ESPN leagues. He had four catches for 63 yards and a touchdown with Rudolph out in Week 14.
Fantasy points allowed and rostered numbers from FantasyPros.
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